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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Two wanted men held after shootout with police in Delhi's Dwarka
New Delhi (PTI): Two men accused in an attempt to murder case in southwest Delhi's Chhawla area were apprehended after a shootout, an official said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Rocky (22) and Sumit alias Koki (24), were allegedly involved in an attempt to murder on April 17, he said.
According to police, the incident involved two assailants arriving on a motorcycle, with one of them allegedly attempting to fire at the complainant from close range. However, the weapon malfunctioned, and the duo fled the spot.
Acting on specific inputs, a police team intercepted the suspects near the Urban Extension Road (UER) at around 5.35 am when they were riding a motorcycle.
When asked to surrender, Rocky allegedly opened fire at the police team and discharged three rounds. One of the bullets struck the bulletproof vest of a head constable, narrowly missing him.
"The police team retaliated in controlled self-defence, firing three rounds and injuring Rocky below his left knee. He was subsequently overpowered after a brief scuffle," a senior police officer said.
Sumit alias Koki, who was riding the motorcycle, was also apprehended at the spot with a loaded weapon and a live cartridge, police added.
The injured accused was shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the attack and to identify any other persons involved in the conspiracy.
