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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Elderly woman killed, robbed on outskirts of Bengaluru
Bengaluru (PTI): A 69-year-old woman was allegedly murdered and robbed of her gold ornaments at her residence on the city’s outskirts while her paralysed husband was present, police said Thursday.
The incident occurred on Pete Street in Nelamangala, where Shobha lived with her husband, who is paralysed and bedridden, police said.
For the past decade, she had been the sole caregiver for her husband. The couple had no children and lived a secluded life, according to police.
A video from the scene showed the woman lying in a pool of blood, with her husband beside her on the same bed, they said.
The accused, Shivakumar, a wholesale shop owner who has been arrested in the case, allegedly targeted her to clear a debt of Rs 8 lakh, police said.
The crime came to light on Wednesday evening when her husband’s physiotherapist arrived for a scheduled session. Upon finding Shobha’s lifeless body in a pool of blood, the doctor immediately alerted the local authorities, police officials said.
According to police, at approximately 4 pm on the day of the incident, the accused, Shivakumar, a resident of the same locality, noticed Shobha wearing gold jewellery. He allegedly followed her to her residence with a premeditated plan.
Shivakumar entered the house under the guise of being thirsty, asking Shobha for a glass of water. Once inside, and believing she was alone, he attacked her. When Shobha attempted to resist, the accused allegedly slit her throat, a senior police officer said.
After the murder, Shivakumar fled the scene with more than 100 grams of gold jewellery worn by the victim, police said.
By analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area, police identified Shivakumar and tracked him down, they added.
