Quality Gap in Education

Photo: Prasad

Kanya Junior High School, Ishapur, Sharki, a government school in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh, with a 55 student strength, where its sole teacher prefers to use the playground to grow mustard.

Abstract: Expenditure and infrastructure cannot be the only measures of education. Learning outcomes and retention rate—a measure of quality education, are both poor in India.  A multi-pronged approach to meet the deficits needs to be adopted.


Term Power

What is ...

The Gender Parity Index (GPI) is the ratio of the number of girls to boys enrolled in a given stage of education, such as secondary education. The index is used to measure access to education for females.

Proficient literacy in two languages is known as biliteracy. A person is biliterate if he/she has the ability to read, write and understand the languages competently.

A person with expertise in multiple subjects is known as a polymath. The word emerged from the Greek word polumathēs, which translates to having much knowledge.

The rate of students that leave a course at an intermediate stage is known as the dropout rate. It is calculated as the ratio of number of students no longer enrolled at the end of a year to the number of students enrolled in the beginning of the year.

Tertiary education is the level of education which is received after the secondary or equivalent education level. In major parts of the world, the term higher education is also used.

Vocational education or vocational training is a training programme which focuses on the knowledge and skills required for a definite job or a craft.

Dyslexia is a reading disability due to neurological dysfunction. Students suffering from dyslexia often experience difficulty in understanding individual letters, words or paragraphs.

Distance education is an educational programme which does not require students to be physically present. It includes online learning, home study, open education and correspondence courses.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the intelligence shown by machines, distinguishable from intelligence shown by humans, which is known as natural intelligence (NI). The term AI is used when a machine imitates ‘cognitive’ features similar to humans, such as problem-solving and analytical thinking.