Infra & safety gaps to poor digital learning record, what Centre's index says about Bengal schools
The schools were assessed on six categories: learning outcomes (learning access, teacher availability), effective classroom transactions, infrastructure facilities & student entitlements, school safety & child protection, digital learning and governance process.
The Performance Grading Index for 2022-23 and 2023-24 evaluated schools—government and private—at the state and district level across India.
Kolkata: From inadequate infrastructure and below par safety protocols for students, to underutilisation of allocated funds and abysmal digital learning record, schools across 24 districts of West Bengal have fared poorly on most indicators used to assess education, according to a report released by the Union Ministry of Education last Wednesday.
The grading scale for both states/UTs and districts was different. While the total score for states was 1,000, for districts it was 600.
The states/UTs were classified under 10 different grades, ranging from Daksh (competent) or grade 1 (states/UTs scoring between 91 percent and 100 percent), to Akanshi-3 (aspirational) or grade 10 (states/UTs scoring up to 10 percent). All other grades in between were separated by 10 percentage points.
At the district level too, 10 different grades ranging from 1 to 10 were allocated. The highest score was grade 1 (districts scoring more than 90 percent of total points), also called Utkarsh (excellent), while the lowest score was grade 10 (districts scoring up to 10 percent), or Akanshi-3.
West Bengal schools' overall performance—both at the national and district level—leaves much to be desired. At the national level, it was graded as Akanshi-1, a category with scores between 521 and 580 or 21-30 percent in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
District-level data also showed that all is not well in the classrooms of West Bengal.
For instance, in the infrastructure facilities & school entitlements category, half of the districts (12 of 24) saw a slight fall in scores.
This category aims to gauge the infrastructure and facilities available at schools, such as libraries, laboratories, ramps with railings, sports equipment, kitchen gardens, etc. It also takes into account whether elementary schools received free textbooks and uniforms within a month of start of academic session, and the number of girls in higher grades who received special incentives such as scholarships, bicycles, etc.
The report counts Siliguri—a subdivision of Darjeeling district—as a separate district.
One category where almost all the districts performed badly is digital learning, which looks at student-to-computer ratio, proportion of teachers trained in use of computers, availability of internet connection, etc. in schools.
The average score received by West Bengal districts is an abysmal 5.5 out of 50 in 2022-23 and 5.6 in 2023-24. Kolkata had the highest score of 12 and 13 (out of 50) in 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively, followed by Siliguri.
The report also highlights how safety protocols for students get little priority across many state districts, including Kolkata, Murshidabad, Hooghly, Malda and Nadia. The average score of the 24 districts in this category was 3.5 (out of 35) in 2022-23 and 4.5 in 2023-24.
The school safety & child protection category evaluates the safety of students through the schools' preparedness for disaster management, self-defence training provided to girls, etc.
West Bengal has also underutilised the Centre's Samagra Shiksha funds and has gaps in administrative processes such as digitisation of students' and teachers' attendance, according to the report. The average score earned by the districts in the governance process category is 30.2 (out of 84) in 2022-23 and 30.8 in 2023-24.
Also Read: Out-of-school children: Centre flags huge mismatch in Bihar, Jharkhand data & national survey
North 24 Parganas beats Kolkata
Among 24 districts of West Bengal, it is not capital Kolkata but North 24 Parganas that scored the highest (302 out of 600) overall in 2023-24, and became the only state district to earn Prachesta-1 (endeavouring) or grade 5 (between 51 percent and 60 percent) status.
The district scored 166 out of 290 in the outcome category, which assesses areas such as number of children in different grades who have a proficiency in letters, numbers, modern Indian languages, science; number of students in grade 1 who have had at least one year of pre-primary schooling; number of out-of-school students who could be brought back to school; availability of teachers, teacher-pupil ratio, etc.
It further scored 34 out of 51 in infrastructure facilities & student entitlements, but a meagre 5 out of 35 in school safety & child protection, and just 7 out of 50 in digital learning.
All other state districts were either graded Prachesta-2 or Prachesta-3 in both years.
In 2022-23, 15 districts were graded Prachesta-2 while 9 were graded Prachesta-3. In 2023-24, North 24 Parganas improved one place to earn Prachesta-1, Birbhum, Siliguri and Malda improved their grade to enter Prachesta-2, and six other districts were graded Prachesta-3.
There was also a wide margin between the top performing district, North 24 Parganas, which scored 302 in 2023-24, and Uttar Dinajpur, which at 216 scored the lowest.
Where districts stand overall
None of the districts in the country received the top two grades of Utkarsh and Uttam-1 (superior). A single district reached Uttam-2 in 2023-24, while there was none in this category in 2022-23.
At the national level, West Bengal was graded Akanshi-1. Other states/UTs in this category included Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Sikkim. Chandigarh earned the highest grade in the country, while Meghalaya earned the lowest.
The Centre's report has come at a time when the West Bengal education system is embroiled in the school service commission recruitment scandal. Around 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff lost their jobs this year after the Supreme Court ruled in April that the 2016 recruitment process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission was tainted and upheld the Calcutta High Court's cancellation of such recruitments.
Protests are ongoing in the state by staffers who have alleged that they are being terminated unfairly because of corruption in the education sector.
Priyadarshini Basu is an intern who graduated from ThePrint School of Journalism.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Bihar slips in Centre's school index—infra decline in 14 of 38 districts, lags in digital learning
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The schools were assessed on six categories: learning outcomes (learning access, teacher availability), effective classroom transactions, infrastructure facilities & student entitlements, school safety & child protection, digital learning and governance process. The Performance Grading Index for 2022-23 and 2023-24 evaluated schools—government and private—at the state and district level across India. Kolkata: From inadequate infrastructure and below par safety protocols for students, to underutilisation of allocated funds and abysmal digital learning record, schools across 24 districts of West Bengal have fared poorly on most indicators used to assess education, according to a report released by the Union Ministry of Education last Wednesday. The grading scale for both states/UTs and districts was different. While the total score for states was 1,000, for districts it was 600. The states/UTs were classified under 10 different grades, ranging from Daksh (competent) or grade 1 (states/UTs scoring between 91 percent and 100 percent), to Akanshi-3 (aspirational) or grade 10 (states/UTs scoring up to 10 percent). All other grades in between were separated by 10 percentage points. At the district level too, 10 different grades ranging from 1 to 10 were allocated. The highest score was grade 1 (districts scoring more than 90 percent of total points), also called Utkarsh (excellent), while the lowest score was grade 10 (districts scoring up to 10 percent), or Akanshi-3. West Bengal schools' overall performance—both at the national and district level—leaves much to be desired. At the national level, it was graded as Akanshi-1, a category with scores between 521 and 580 or 21-30 percent in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. District-level data also showed that all is not well in the classrooms of West Bengal. For instance, in the infrastructure facilities & school entitlements category, half of the districts (12 of 24) saw a slight fall in scores. This category aims to gauge the infrastructure and facilities available at schools, such as libraries, laboratories, ramps with railings, sports equipment, kitchen gardens, etc. It also takes into account whether elementary schools received free textbooks and uniforms within a month of start of academic session, and the number of girls in higher grades who received special incentives such as scholarships, bicycles, etc. The report counts Siliguri—a subdivision of Darjeeling district—as a separate district. One category where almost all the districts performed badly is digital learning, which looks at student-to-computer ratio, proportion of teachers trained in use of computers, availability of internet connection, etc. in schools. The average score received by West Bengal districts is an abysmal 5.5 out of 50 in 2022-23 and 5.6 in 2023-24. 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Also Read: Out-of-school children: Centre flags huge mismatch in Bihar, Jharkhand data & national survey North 24 Parganas beats Kolkata Among 24 districts of West Bengal, it is not capital Kolkata but North 24 Parganas that scored the highest (302 out of 600) overall in 2023-24, and became the only state district to earn Prachesta-1 (endeavouring) or grade 5 (between 51 percent and 60 percent) status. The district scored 166 out of 290 in the outcome category, which assesses areas such as number of children in different grades who have a proficiency in letters, numbers, modern Indian languages, science; number of students in grade 1 who have had at least one year of pre-primary schooling; number of out-of-school students who could be brought back to school; availability of teachers, teacher-pupil ratio, etc. It further scored 34 out of 51 in infrastructure facilities & student entitlements, but a meagre 5 out of 35 in school safety & child protection, and just 7 out of 50 in digital learning. All other state districts were either graded Prachesta-2 or Prachesta-3 in both years. In 2022-23, 15 districts were graded Prachesta-2 while 9 were graded Prachesta-3. In 2023-24, North 24 Parganas improved one place to earn Prachesta-1, Birbhum, Siliguri and Malda improved their grade to enter Prachesta-2, and six other districts were graded Prachesta-3. There was also a wide margin between the top performing district, North 24 Parganas, which scored 302 in 2023-24, and Uttar Dinajpur, which at 216 scored the lowest. Where districts stand overall None of the districts in the country received the top two grades of Utkarsh and Uttam-1 (superior). A single district reached Uttam-2 in 2023-24, while there was none in this category in 2022-23. At the national level, West Bengal was graded Akanshi-1. Other states/UTs in this category included Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Sikkim. Chandigarh earned the highest grade in the country, while Meghalaya earned the lowest. The Centre's report has come at a time when the West Bengal education system is embroiled in the school service commission recruitment scandal. 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