On School Mergers – Strengthening schools

Source: This post on School Mergers is based on the article “Strengthening schools – States can benefit from NITI Aayog’s project” published in Business Standard on 16^th November 2023.

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 Governance – Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education.

News: The article discusses how merging small schools in India, as done in a project called SATH-E, saves money and improves education.

Some highlights on the present State of School Education in India:

Challenges: The system faces issues like poor learning outcomes, teacher shortages, and governance difficulties. A significant challenge is running many small, inefficient schools. In Jharkhand, merging 4,380 such schools addressed this problem.

Government Initiatives: Initiatives like the Right to Education Act and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have improved educational access. The mid-day meal scheme supports student welfare. The SATH-E project, implemented in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, focuses on merging schools for efficiency and better quality. This resulted in substantial cost savings, exemplified by Jharkhand’s 2400 crore rupees saved from school mergers.

What is the SATH-E Project?

The Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) Project, launched in 2017, aims to transform school education in India. It selected Jharkhand, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh to develop as role model states.

Key strategies: It includes merging schools, remedial programs, teacher training, monitoring recruitment, reorganizing institutions at district and state levels, and using Management Information Systems (MIS). The MIS helps in setting goals, planning, resource allocation, and evaluating performance.

Monitoring: Progress is monitored nationally by the National Steering Group (NSG) and Central Project Monitoring Unit (CPMU), and at the state level by State Project Monitoring Units (SPMU).

What are the benefits of school mergers?

Resource Consolidation: Merging schools, as seen in Jharkhand with 4,380 schools, leads to significant cost savings and efficient resource use.

Improved Academic Environment: Larger schools offer better facilities and a more diverse peer group, enhancing the learning experience.

Enhanced Teacher Availability: Consolidation helps in rationalizing teacher deployment, ensuring better teacher-student ratios.

Governance and Monitoring: With fewer but larger schools, governance and monitoring become more effective, as seen in the SATH-E project.

What are the concerns with school mergers?

Access to Education: Merging schools can increase travel distances, potentially leading to higher dropout rates, especially in tribal and hilly areas.

Right to Education Act Compliance: Activists argue that mergers may violate the RTE Act, which guarantees education in neighborhood schools.

Cultural and Geographical Challenges: In diverse states like India, the one-size-fits-all approach of school mergers may not suit all communities.

What should be considered in school mergers?

Ensure Accessibility: Provide transportation and infrastructure to ensure students can attend larger, merged schools without difficulty. Khunti district’s approach of arranging buses for students from distant areas can be emulated.

Focus on Teacher Rationalization: Improve teacher availability and quality in merged schools to enhance learning outcomes.

Maintain Close Proximity Schools: Especially for primary education, to prevent increased dropout rates due to distant schooling locations.

Improve Monitoring and Governance: Enhanced governance leads to better school performance and reduced dropout rates, as seen in the outcomes of school mergers.

Question for practice:

Examine the effectiveness of the SATH-E project in improving school education through school mergers.