A Geographical Analysis
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International Scholars Journals African Journal of Geography and Regional Planning ISSN 3627-8945 Vol. 6 (6), pp. 001-009, June, 2019. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. Full Length Research Paper Problems and prospects of primary education in Mathura district: A geographical analysis Kapil Kaushik Department of Geography, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh-202002, India. E-mail: [email protected]. Accepted 11 April, 2019 Distribution and availability of primary education act as a vital factor in regional as well as human resource development. The present paper aims at assessing spatial problems of primary education among the blocks of Mathura district. This study was based on secondary sources of data. A total of eighteen selected variables were grouped into the three categories of primary educational attainment, primary educational facilities and socio- economic development. Statistical techniques like composite z-score and correlation have been applied to the data sets. The study revealed that at the block level there was unequal distribution of attainment in primary education. It is also interesting to note that the low level of attainment in primary education was mainly due to the socio-economic conditions of people rather than the educational facilities available in the blocks. Key words: Universalization, curriculum, human resource, labor market and primary education. INTRODUCTION Primary education is the major concern of all nations, since it returns to education, many primary aged children in is the foundation of the entire superstructure of education developing countries are not enrolled in primary school. and is directly related to success of democracy. Its Increase in drop out rate, decrease in attainment rate, lack universalization has been taken as an international of infrastructural facilities, indifferent attitude of teachers challenge; a national commitment and an important concern towards students, high pupil-teacher ratio, ineffective of states over the last fifty years. Primary education is the curriculum and vague understanding of the benefits of base for the development of human resource. During the education among the parents of children are some of the period of primary education, the child is at least made major ills plaguing primary educational scenario in India. competent to be able to exchange his ideas, understanding According to the World Bank (1999) “successful things and put his ideas and feelings for the comprehension development entails more than investing in physical of others (Pathania and Pathania, 2006). The positive efforts capital or closing the gap in capital. It also entails of primary education in developing countries, both from acquiring and using knowledge as well as closing the private and social point of view are especially apparent gaps in knowledge.” (Quoted, Odia and Omofonmwan, (Marshall, 2004). The theory that education makes people 2007). This is particularly pertinent in India, where more productive in the labor market and more able citizens primary education has historically been neglected by the of the society is now well established (Hanushek, 1986). state, with educational expenditures being concentrated The age of primary schooling is defined as 6 - 10 years. on the tertiary sector (Dreze and Sen, 1995). The direct This corresponds to grades 1 to 5 and it is sometimes relationship between attainment in primary education and referred to as lower primary. A large number of human resource development forced the Government of researches suggested that completion of at least five to India to universalization of primary education through six years of schooling is a critical threshold for legislation. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was the central sustainable mastery of basic competencies such as legislation earmarked in 2001. It gives emphasis on the literacy and numeracy. In less than five to six years of fact that all children should be in schools of different kind schooling, children remain functionally illiterate for rest of by 2003; completion of primary schooling by 2007; their lives (Kumar, 2005). However, despite the high completion of 8 years of elementary schooling by 2010 (Padhi, 2004). Despite that, primary education is not homogeneously spread either in states or even with in the education, primary educational facilities and socio-economic state, due to the various problems. To identify the development. After this, all variables were standardized by z- score problems in the primary education, numbers of studies technique, and finally z-score value of each variable was aggregated to find out the composite z-score (CS) for each block. have taken place. Some of the available relevant works The model is as follows: concerned with the study are presented here. Prasad and Sharma (1982), Grover (1988) and Panda (2001) have assessed the better provision of physical facilities in schools with a motive to reduce wastage. Muthukumaran (2008) found the cause of dropout at primary schools as due to lack of facilities and amenities. Raza (1990) Where, zij = sum of z-score of indicators j in block I and N is the studied the inter-district variation in accessibility of number of indicators. schools in terms of population coverage and the mean distance. Barua (1999) highlighted the common problems To analysis the degree of association between two or more such as sitting; basic facilities etc. existing in the schools. variables that is, between dependent variables (attainment in primary education) and the independent variables (primary Penusamy and Sudarsan (2001) observed the regional educational facilities and socio-economic development) Karl disparities and rural urban background in teaching and Pearson‟s techniques of co-relation has been applied. learning climate at primary level. Bhalotra and Zamera (2006) examine the primary school attendance and primary school completion rate in India. There exists a Study area relationship between educational, regional, economic or Mathura district, where this study was being undertaken is located social development analysis by Dube and Misra (1981), in the western part of Uttar Pradesh. It lies between parallels of Chaudhary and Nair (1981), Singh (1986), Siddiqui and latitudes 27°14‟ to 27°58‟ North and longitudinal extension 77°17‟ to 2 Yadav (2004) and Mustaquim et al. (2006) . Some 77°58‟ East, covering a geographical area of 3340 km (Figure 1). It scholars like, Rafiullah and Siddiqui (1981), Kumar is bounded on the north by state of Haryana and Aligarh district; in (1982), Dash (1993), Joshi (2000) and Yasmeen et al. the south by Agra district; in the east by Hathras district; and in the (2005) highlight the development of educational level and west by state of Rajasthan. The district has been divided into three tehsils namely, Chhata, Mathura and Mant. These tehsils are its relation with some independent variables of socio- further subdivided into ten blocks - Nandgaon, Chhata, Chaumha, economic development. With this background an attempt Goverdhan, Mathura, Farah, Baldeo, Mant, Nohjheel and Raya. is made in this paper to analyze the spatial problems of Mathura district as part of Indo-Gangetic plain has almost level plain primary education and suggest the effective measures to and fertile soil. It lies in the basin of river Yamuna, which flows more or less in the Middle of the district from north to south. Total solve the problems in Mathura district. population of Mathura is 2.07 million out of which 54.4% are males and 45.6% are females according to the latest census (2001). Total literacy rate in the district is 61.5% which is below the national OBJECTIVES average of 64.8% (2001), male literacy rate 76.5% and literacy rate among females is 43.3%. Economically the study area is well This paper was pursued with the following objectives: developed in terms of good agricultural practices, industrialization and tourism. i) To address the micro-regional variations in the attainment of primary education in Mathura district. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ii) To examine the causal relationships between the variables of attainment in primary education with This part of the study analyzes the spatial distribution of variables of primary educational facilities and socio- the level of attainment in primary education, primary economic development. iii) Finally suggest some suitable measures which can educational facilities and socio-economic condition at help to achieve hundred percent attainments in primary block level in the study area. education. Level of attainment in primary education (APE) DATA BASE AND METHODOLOGY Attainment in primary education have been measured Data for the present analysis have been obtained from the Office of with the help of four variables that is, percent of the total Basic Shiksha Adhikari (B.S.A.) Mathura, 2007 - 2008, District number of children going to primary schools, percent of Statistical Handbook (2007 - 2008), and the Census of Uttar boys going to primary school, percent of primary school Pradesh, 2001 from Directorate of Census Operations, Lucknow, girls and percent of the total schedule castes (SC) U.P. The present study used block (a block is an administrative unit children going to primary schools. Table 1 shows the within a district) as a smallest unit of analysis. To achieve the objectives mentioned above, the relevant method spatial variation in attainment in primary education in of quantitative