Study on access, transition and learning in secondary education Main findings from a two-block study in Hardoi (Uttar Pradesh) and Sambalpur (Odisha) New Delhi 25 January, 2018 Context Objectives ▪ To understand: 1. Patterns in school provisioning, particularly at elementary and post-elementary stage 2. Student learning outcomes at the end of elementary school (Std VIII) 3. Transition into secondary school 4. Student learning at the beginning of secondary school (Std IX) ▪ Study designed as a block-level census in two rural blocks each of Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh and Sambalpur district, Odisha o Bawan and Sursa blocks covered in Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh o Rairakhol and Naktideul blocks covered in Sambalpur district, Odisha Patterns in school Transition to secondary school Assessing student learning provisioning, particularly and assessing student learning outcomes at the end of at elementary and post- at the beginning of secondary elementary school (Std VIII) elementary stage (Std IX) Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: Mapping of educational School survey and baseline End line student tracking and institutions learning assessments learning assessments • GPS mapping of all • Schools mapped in phase 1 and • (Std VIII) students from educational institutions offering Std VIII selected for phase 2 tracked to record (schools, colleges, phase 2 survey. enrolment status and HH tuition centres and information. vocational institutes) in • School survey done over two rural villages of sampled days and data collected on • End line learning assessments blocks. facilities, student enrolment and in Language (Hindi/Odia), attendance etc. English and Math • Basic information administered to gauge change over time. collected on highest and • Baseline learning assessments conducted for all Std VIII lowest grade offered, • Assessments conducted at the school type. students present in schools in Language (Hindi/Odia), English community level, on school holidays. • June – July 2014 and Math • October 2015 – February • October 2014 – February 2016 2015 Data collection and sample No. of children tested in Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: baseline GPS Mapping Baseline school survey End line survey and end line assessments: % children Study sites No. of tracked as a No. of schools Total No. of villages children proportion of surveyed at children Language Arithmetic surveyed enrolled in children baseline tracked Grade 8 enrolled in grade 8 Total 592 282 11,264 9,868 87.6 3,123 3,713 Hardoi 207 206 9,187 7,939 86.4 1,932 2,467 Sambalpur 385 76 2,077 1,929 92.9 1,191 1,246 FINDINGS Background: Elementary schools and Std VIII students surveyed at baseline More government schools (with Std In both locations, surveyed private High student absenteeism, particularly VIII) were surveyed in both schools had relatively higher in Hardoi, with less than 30% of enrolled locations. enrollments in Std VIII than Std VIII children present on both days of government schools. baseline survey. Schools (with Std VIII) surveyed (%) Average enrollment in Std VIII % Std VIII students present 100 100 Absent on Present on any 84.2 both days one day Present on both days 69.4 100 22.0 29.4 51 56.0 50 17.3 13.3 65.7 50 43 39 50 30.6 16.1 60.7 57.3 16.8 25 15.8 17.5 27.9 0 0 Govt. Govt. Hardoi Sambalpur 0 (N=206) (N=76) Hardoi Sambalpur Pvt./Others Pvt./Others Govt. Pvt/Others Govt Pvt/Others Hardoi Sambalpur Major variations in post-Std VIIII transition trends between locations 100 100 100 92.1 All children Hardoi Sambalpur 60.0 51.9 50 50 37.8 50 31.8 8.3 10.3 7.6 0.3 0 0 0 Enrolled in Enrolled in Dropped Enrolled in Enrolled in Dropped Enrolled in Enrolled in Dropped Std XI or Std VIII or out Std XI or Std VIII or out Std XI or Std VIII or out above below above below above below • In Hardoi, close to 40% children dropped out after Std VIII (in Year 2). This proportion is less than 10% in Sambalpur. • Progress is not necessarily linear, that is from Std VIII to Std IX. Unexpected transitions more visible among the cohort in Hardoi (10.3%). Transition in Sambalpur on the other hand is higher and in the expected direction - over 90% children transition to secondary school after Std VIII. School transition post Std VIII mirrors provisioning trends in secondary % Schools offering % Schools by type % Children enrolled (N=695 schools) 100% 100 82.4 29.1 100 37.0 74.7 91.2 53.4 46.6 50% 50 70.9 63.0 50 32.7 17.6 0% 8.8 8.2 0 H ARDOI Primary Upper Secondary 0 sections primary sections Government Private/other Primary Upper Secondary sections Std VIII (Baseline) sections primary sections sections Government Private & others Std IX or above (End line) % Schools offering % Schools by type % Children enrolled (N=285 schools) 100% 100 2.1 3.1 15.2 77.7 100 84.6 67.5 50% 97.9 96.9 84.9 50 32.5 22.3 50 34.7 11.6 0% Primary Upper Secondary 0 0 Government Private/other SAMBALPUR sections primary sections Primary Upper Secondary sections Std VIII (Baseline) sections primary sections sections Government Private & others Std IX or above (End line) Learning levels in secondary grades fall short of curriculum expectations In language (Hindi/Odia), written In arithmetic, written assessments Learning assessment tools created assessments tested children’s proficiency included questions on numeric operation, after extensive textbook review and on reading comprehension tasks, simple word problems, fractions and decimals, multiple rounds of pilot. Included vocabulary and grammar. geometry and mensuration. tasks from Std IV to Std VIII level. Mean percentage scores in language Mean percentage scores in arithmetic written assessment for children in written assessment for children in secondary grades at end line secondary grades at end line 100 100.0 54.3 54.1 50 39.4 50.0 38.6 42.3 32.2 34.0 36.2 0 0.0 Baseline End line Baseline End line Baseline Endline Baseline Endline Hardoi Sambalpur Hardoi Sambapur Students in secondary grades do not have similar levels of learning In both locations and in both tests, there are major variations in student learning levels in secondary grades. Such diversity of learning levels in classrooms is bound to make the teaching-learning processes much more challenging for teachers and schools. LANGUAGE WRITTEN TEST ARITHMETIC WRITTEN TEST 100 100 Hardoi Sambalpur Hardoi Sambalpur 70.6 70.3 66.2 51.2 51.6 50.5 50 44.8 50 40.0 33.0 36.3 28.6 28.7 19.8 23.0 19.3 16.0 Mean % scores at end line at Mean % scores Mean % scores at end line end at Mean % scores 0 0 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Baseline quartile scores in language Baseline score quartiles in arithmetic Students unable to do simple reading comprehension tasks At end line, % children in secondary grades who could correctly answer Hardoi Sambalpur 100.0 65.6 61.2 46.0 52.4 50.0 30.9 35.3 31.8 20.2 0.0 Direct Retrieve Interpret Locate Reflect and Evaluate Multiple choice questions Written response questions • Despite testing concepts from two to three grades below, students have very low levels of learning in language tests. • Ability to answer comprehension questions (multiple choice and written) that require interpretive thinking is lacking. These skills are important for students in higher grades and life. Arithmetic levels very low • Children’s ability in solving key arithmetic questions is low despite eight years in school. • About 6 in every 10 students in Hardoi and Sambalpur respectively could not solve a simple 3 by 2-digit division. At end line, % children in secondary grades who could correctly answer Hardoi Sambalpur 100.0 50.0 36.7 33.9 27.2 30.2 30.8 19.8 17.8 11.9 0.0 3-digit by 2-digit Word problem: Word problem: Mensuration Division Unitary Method Percentage (Area) What factors affect school continuation after Std VIII? 100.0 100% Enrolled Dropout 70.9 59.7 89.5 56.1 50% 50.0 % children 40.3 32.3 10.5 % children 25.7 0% SCHOOLS Enrolled Dropout OUTCOMES studied Std VIII from schools without secondary 0.0 BASELINE LEARNING LEARNING BASELINE GRADES OFFERED IN OFFERED GRADES grades Read at Std II level Recognize 4-digit studied Std VIII from schools with secondary numbers grades 100% 100.0 85.5 Enrolled Dropout 41.7 70.2 58.3 59.1 61.9 47.4 50% 29.8 50.0 40.5 24.32 99.5 % children 54.7 45.3 % children 0% 0.5 0.0 STATUS Boys Girls Unmarried Married Mothers with Fathers with no HH AFFLUENCE no education education Gender Marital Status GENDER & MARITAL GENDER & MARITAL Parental education Low affluence Enrolled Dropout & EDUCATION PARENTAL category Summary of findings • Much of the government school provisioning in surveyed blocks is concentrated at primary and upper-primary levels. At the secondary school stage, private provisioning increases substantially in both locations. Trends in Hardoi are particularly startling with over-dependence on private secondary schools. • Considerable student absenteeism witnessed in Std VIII classrooms during baseline survey, although with major differences between the study sites. Regular attendance is one of the many requirements for ensuring continuous teaching-learning. • Much higher proportions of students in Hardoi dropped out in study compared to Sambalpur. Several factors like prior learning levels, number of grades offered in school, gender, marital status, parental education and household affluence influence children’s school continuation post Std VIII.