Learning ability in B’luru below state average, only 18% of Class 3–5 children can read Class 2 text
Bengaluru: Learning ability among children in Bengaluru Urban and Rural areas remains alarmingly low, falling below the state average, according to a recent report by the Child Rights Index (CRI) released by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The study, cited by The New Indian Express, shows that only 17.6% of children in Classes 3 to 5 in Bengaluru Urban and 17.3% in Bengaluru Rural can read Class 2 textbooks. Similarly, merely 44.7% of children in Bengaluru Rural and 49.7% in Bengaluru Urban can solve simple subtraction problems, below the state average of 34%.
The report attributes these deficiencies to a combination of factors, including poor infrastructure, inadequate teaching methods, and the lingering impact of COVID-19 lockdowns. Four years later, children have not come up to the pre-pandemic level in their learning, said the report.
Compiled by S. Madheswaran and B.P. Vani of the Institute for Social and Economic Change, the study also draws on the findings of the Annual Status of Education Report 2024. In rural Karnataka, only 32.4% of boys and 35.6% of girls in Class 3 can read Class 2-level text. Arithmetic skills are very low, with just 35.3% of boys and 39.9% of girls in Class 5 able to solve simple division problems.
Lokesh Talikote, a teacher and president of the Recognised and Unaided Private Schools Association, highlighted that poor learning outcomes are not limited to government schools. Many private school teachers lack adequate teaching skills, and state board textbooks, largely unchanged for 20 years, fail to provide relevant lessons.
“The last panel formed to revise textbooks was Baraguru Ramachandrappa Committee. Most of the students have moved to pursuing CBSE and ICSE to access quality education and learn lessons relevant to the world of AI instead of reading the same syllabus in the state board textbooks,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Madan Padaki, co-founder of the Head Held High Foundation, emphasised the importance of incentivising teachers for adopting new teaching methods and involving parents in monitoring their children’s learning outcomes.
“Parents must pay attention to the learning outcomes of the child as they spend more hours within the family. They are to be seen as an equal actor in the ecosystem of education. You cannot place the responsibility on teachers and schools,” TNIE quoted Padaki as saying,
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Chhattisgarh: Couple, two grandchildren killed over 'property' dispute; two relatives held
Janjgir (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): An elderly couple and their two grandchildren were allegedly murdered by two close relatives to grab family property in Chhattisgarh’s Janjgir-Champa district, police said on Thursday.
The couple’s one son, who had earlier spent 15 years in jail for killing his own brother, and his son have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, an official said.
The bodies were found inside their under-construction house in Bhanvtara village under the jurisdiction of the Shivrinarayan police station after labourers reached the site for work in the morning, a senior police official said.
The deceased were identified as Medani Prasad Kashyap (70), his wife Kanti Bai (65), their grandchildren Pitambar Kashyap (17) and Mogra (25).
The deceased couple’s son, Sonsai, and his son Dakeshwar have been taken into custody in connection with the murders, the official said.
According to the preliminary investigation, Medani Prasad had three sons, including Sonsai. Police said Sonsai had murdered one of his brothers in the past and had served a 15-year jail term in the case, while the couple’s third son had reportedly died by suicide.
Sonsai and his son Dakeshwar, alias Golu, allegedly killed his parents and the children of his two deceased brothers with an axe while they were asleep in the under-construction house, he said.
Pitambar was the only son of one deceased brother, while Mogra was the only daughter of another, the official said.
The accused allegedly wanted sole ownership of the family property and are suspected of having committed the crime to eliminate other claimants, police said.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway, the official added.
