Three Rs in Rajasthan

The Rajkiya Adarsh Uch Madhyamik Vidyalaya in village Jher, Jaipur. Source: Purushottam Diwakar

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje believes the need to change schools at three levels was a key reason for poor learning levels and the high dropout rate in Rajasthan's state schools. A new integration system, which involves moving nursery classes from anganwadi centres to senior secondary schools, hopes to resolve the issue. "Our aim is to have at least one school offering classes from I to XII in all 13,200 panchayats, with full strength of teachers, students and infrastructure," says Raje.

For Rajasthan, which has been among the worst performers in school education, it's a radical move. Some 10,000 junior and middle schools have already been merged with senior secondary schools. Naresh Gangwar, secretary for school education, says the 'integration' has also permitted a more efficient deployment of resources (teachers).

Also, by doing away with an archaic rule, 40 per cent of school principals in Rajasthan today are women. Educationists Urvashi Sahni, Arun Kapoor and Gowry Ishwaran are now part of a sub-committee on school education. The efforts are showing results: the 11th Annual Status of Education Report says public school enrolment has risen to 56 per cent (of total school enrolment in the state), up from 52 per cent in 2014.