English Education in India
Details of the Recent Study:
- But thanks to the Odisha government’s groundbreaking reforms in the public education system, government schools in the state are soon to outperform private ones in terms of infrastructure, affordability, and quality thanks to the Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAV), the “Mo School” Abhiyan, and the 5T High School Transformation Programme.
Education in English medium:
- The OAV in Ganjam district’s Polasara block was placed fifth among government-run day schools in the 2022–2023 Education World India School Rankings, with two more OAVs placing in the top ten.
- The OAVs offer admission at the secondary stage in an effort to alleviate the difficulty pupils encounter in gaining admission to Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) schools following the first standard.
- The objective of Odisha’s OAV model is to close the gap between rural and urban areas by offering reasonably priced, high-quality English-medium education. As of right present, 315 coed OAVs in English-speaking medium are located in all 314 blocks of Odisha’s rural and semi-urban districts. Through reservations, they guarantee representation for female students, Scheduled Tribe, and Scheduled Caste. As a result, there are now more female students enrolled than male students.
- In order to be ready for the OAV’s 2021 launch, several vulnerable children who had suffered from child abuse, trafficking, child labour, and child marriage were saved. Additionally, OAVs offer several coaching programmes to help students pass exams at the national level.
- OAVs have aided in promoting social fairness by giving students from low-income and rural backgrounds an even playing field. The OAV approach keeps the teacher-to-pupil ratio at 1:25, concentrating on ongoing teacher education initiatives to fill in pedagogical deficiencies.
- Additionally, it has improved the system’s accountability and openness by utilising digital technologies. The OAV Sangathan website and the Enterprise Resource Planning system track each child’s academic and nonacademic progress in addition to monitoring school performance, allowing for timely strategic interventions.
- In an effort to promote an environment of innovation and inquiry-driven learning, plans are underway to convert the OAVs into scientifically improved Centres of Excellence (CoEs).
The alumni relationship:
- Odisha started the first-of-its-kind Mo School Abhiyan in 2017 with the goal of inspiring and energising the alumni community to help rehabilitate the state’s government schools.
- The curriculum, which is based on the five pillars of connect, cooperate, contribute, create, and celebrate, links schools with alumni in a variety of sectors and encourages student mentorship by alumni. Under the aforementioned programme, alumni can donate money to the schools they have adopted through the School Adoption Programme (SAP).
Transformation of high school:
- The 5T concept—transparency, technology, teamwork, and timeliness leading to transformation—is the foundation of the 5T High School Transformation Programme. The initiative, which was introduced in 2021, is centred on getting all high schools to adopt instructional technology through the use of e-libraries, smart and digital classrooms, state-of-the-art science labs, better hygienic facilities, and sports facilities.
- The programme also meets the requirements of kids with exceptional needs. It offers specialised instructional materials and assistive technology to students with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, and autism.
- Additionally, the government has started programmes like “Football for All” and “Mo School Hockey Clubs,” which allow kids to develop as whole people.
- There has been an unparalleled change in enrolment trends as a result of this proactive approach to reforming the educational system. Private school enrollment fell to 14.6 lakh in 2021–22 from 16 lakh in 2019–20. At the moment, 81% of State kids attend government schools.
Way Forward:
- The Odisha government’s efforts have established a solid legacy of an excellence- and equality-based education model and guaranteed that education is recognised as a public good in essence and spirit. The national level can adopt this model.
