ASER finds students shifting from private to govt schools, most in UP & Kerala
New Delhi, Nov 17: There has been a clear shift from private schools to government schools in the last three years, with Uttar Pradesh and Kerala reporting the maximum increase in government school enrolment, according to Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2021.
The report is based on a survey that was conducted in 25 states and three Union Territories. It covered a total of 76,706 households and 75,234 children in the age group of five to 16 years.
"At an all-India level, there has been a clear shift from private to government schools. For children in the age group of six to 14, enrolment in private schools has decreased from 32.5 per cent in 2018 to 24.4 per cent in 2021," the 16th ASER report released on Wednesday stated.
"This shift is seen in all grades and among both boys and girls. However, boys are still more likely to be enrolled in private schools than girls," it added.
In government schools, the average enrolment in 2018 was 64.3 per cent which increased to 65.8 per cent last year and 70.3 per cent this year.
From 2006 to 2014, there was a steady increase in private schooling. After plateauing around 30 per cent for a few years, there has been a significant decline in the pandemic years. Even before COVID-19, the proportion of girls enrolled in government schools was higher than that of boys for each grade and age. This continues to be the trend over time, it noted.
However, the report said, "Time will reveal if these patterns constitute a transitory phase, as schools reopen across states or whether they become a permanent feature of schooling in rural India."
The report pointed out that the maximum increase in government schools has been registered in Uttar Pradesh (13.2 per cent), followed by Kerala (11.9 per cent).
Rajasthan (9.4 per cent), Maharashtra (9.2 per cent), Karnataka (8.3 per cent), Tamil Nadu (9.6 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (8.4 per cent), Telangana (3.7 per cent), Bihar (2.8 per cent), West Bengal (3.9 per cent) and Jharkhand (2.5 per cent) are among the states that have reported an increase in government school enrolments.
A total of 4,872 schools, which had reopened post their closure due to the pandemic, were surveyed physically while in-charges of 2,427 schools that had not opened at the time of the survey were contacted via phone.
The report pointed out that there was no change in the proportion of children aged six to 14 who were not enrolled in school.
According to the report, the proportion of children not currently enrolled in school increased from 1.4 per cent to 4.6 per cent in 2020. This proportion remained unchanged between 2020 and 2021.
Among children in the age group of 15-16, an increase in government school enrolment from 57.4 per cent in 2018 to 67.4 per cent in 2021 has been driven by a marked decline in the proportion of 'out of school' children from 12.1 per cent in 2018 to 6.6 per cent in 2021, as well as by a decrease in private school enrolment, it added.
"There is a fair amount of variation in enrolment at the state level. The national increase in government school enrolment is driven by large northern states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, and southern states like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. In contrast, in many north-eastern states, government school enrolment has fallen during this period, and the proportion of children not enrolled in school has increased," the report said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
