If you think education is expensive try ignorance

Namaste to you all.

For this report I would like to tell you about the educational system in Bihar.

These are the literacy rates

 Male literacy rate: -    61.8%

Female literacy rate: - 55.5%.

Source India Census 2024

Imagine the future of a state whose younger population is growing up without good quality education. One where only 32.57% population in the 16-17 years age group are enrolled in school, and only 44.07% students are transitioning from secondary to higher secondary whereas the transition rate from elementary to secondary is 84.64%. In Bihar around 1,25,00,000 youth, aged between 18-23 years, will enter the job market without good quality education.

 Given a dropout rate of about 70% between grade 1 and grade 10, the low enrolment at college level is not surprising.

62% primary students do not complete education

Nearly 15% of children from Bihar aged six to 14 years are estimated to be out of school, according to this 2022 human resource development ministry education profile. 

Bihar recorded India’s lowest per student expenditure on elementary education, Rs 5,298 in 2022, according to the in the Economic and Political Weekly. The best-performing state (among the 18 surveyed), Himachal Pradesh, spent Rs 39,343 per student in 2014-15–or nearly seven-and-a-half times as much.

Capital expenditure – money spent on new schools and classrooms – has been meagre and fluctuates every year. In 2022-2023, Bihar allocated 5.75% of its total education budget on school infrastructure – inadequate in a state that has an average of 51 students in a classroom.

Of course, I am telling you this to give some background ...let’s look at our organisation Dhobi School with 328 children from class 1 to 10.

Dropout rate 5% (mostly due to families moving out of the area )

Girls programme supporting girls in their education results in very rare dropout only 5%

Number in classroom –average 34

School leaving exam pass rate 90% 

Percentage of female students  pass 68%

Through the sponsorship programme you support many students have not only completed their studies but gone on to higher education.

THIS IS BECAUSE OF YOUR SUPPORT

The school has computer education and audio-visual aids including big screen TV

We cannot change the education system in Bihar but we can help over 300 students receive a quality and caring and supportive education and change their lives in a positive way forever.

Some more stories from the children themselves in our next report

Thank you for your support

Naresh

Links:

• Our Website