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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NIMHANS-like institutes needed across country: Minister Sharan Prakash Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Saturday called for renewed efforts and innovation to tackle neurovascular diseases, infections and a widening range of mental health challenges.
Speaking at the 28th convocation of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) here, he acknowledged ongoing and emerging concerns, including a rise in psychiatric and psychological disorders.
Patil said the state government has proposed setting up NIMHANS-like institutes in Mysuru and Kalaburagi to strengthen regional access to specialised care.
"Not only in Karnataka, but NIMHANS-like institutions should be established across the country," the Medical Education Minister said.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also attended the event virtually from New Delhi.
Announcing key infrastructure plans, Patil said land provided by the state government, along with approval from the Union Finance Ministry, will enable the construction of a new north campus at Kyalasanahalli, Bengaluru, to function as a polytrauma centre for augmenting critical care services.
He thanked the Finance Minister for sanctioning a new Outpatient Department (OPD) complex at NIMHANS.
He further highlighted the need to address urban mental health issues, maternal and child mental health concerns, teenage suicides, substance use disorders and geriatric mental health services.
Underscoring Karnataka’s role as a partner in neurological care, Patil said the state operates two Tele-MANAS cells at NIMHANS and Dharwad and is implementing the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (Ka-BHI) with NIMHANS as the apex centre.
The Tele-MANAS (Tele Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States) toll-free helpline numbers 14416 or 1-800-891-4416 offer multi-language support and have been pivotal in facilitating communication between callers and mental health professionals.
Launched by the government in October 2022 to enhance mental health service nationwide, the programme operates 51 Tele-MANAS cells across all states and Union territories.
Reassuring the institute and its alumni of continued support, Patil said the state government would remain open to discussion, collaboration and assistance to strengthen mental health and neurosciences in Karnataka and across the country.
