Patna,(BiharTimes): Notwithstanding huge amount of investment on education Bihar is doing badly so far attendance of teachers and students in schools are concerned. Not only that even the knowledge of Math and English of these students is very poor. 

The attendance of teachers in primary schools of Bihar has gone down to 78 per cent in 2012. Though students attendance has increased from 50 to 55 per cent in the 2012 it is still much less.

According to the latest Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2012, published by Pratham, an NGO, while the enrolment in the age group of 6-14 has witnessed a drop in comparison to 2011 average attendance of teacher in primary school has declined from 85.7 per cent in 2011 to 78.1 per cent in 2012. 

Only recently state education minister Prashant Kumar Shahi, while speaking in the Assembly, had expressed concern over the declining attendance in primary schools of Bihar.

He had conceded that attendance in some schools has come down to 50 per cent and in some cases even less than that. 

ASER’s incharge in Bihar Santosh Kumar said that the enrolment of students in primary schools in 2011 was 97 per cent but it dropped to 96.2 per cent in 2012. But the gap of students enrolment and the attendance level is huge in primary schools. 

A total of 1,057 primary and upper primary schools (Class I-VIII) spread over in 37 districts were covered in 90 days of survey between September 1 and November 30, 2012. In all 1,110 investigators were engaged for this work.

Even the quality of education imparted to children is very bad. About 50.5 per cent children of Class-1 can not recognize 1-9 number in arithmetics whereas 43 per cent children of Class-IV can do subtraction or more. Only 31.4 per cent children of Class-V can do division or more.

In English, 41 per cent children of Class-III can read word or more and just 30.1 per cent children of Class-V can read word. Only 16.3 per cent can read sentence of English. Whereas 48.9 per cent children of Class-VIII can read sentence of English. 

The report said that in 2011, 46.7 per cent children of Class- I to VIII of the government school took private tuition. In 2012 this percentage had increased by approx two per cent. 

In Class III-V 53.8 per cent children take private tuition.

The centrally-sponsored mid-day meal was served in 75 per cent of schools as against the national average of 87.1 per cent in 2012. Drinking water facilities has been provided in 85.4 per cent schools as against the  national average of 73 per cent.

While 45.3 per cent schools have library facilities in Bihar the national average is 43.9 per cent.