Education Outlook in Punjab

• Percentage of children out of school as per ASER 2009: 4.8%
• Percentage of children out of school as per ASER 2010: 1.7%
   
• No. of children enrolled in Private schools in 2007-08: 41.7%
• No. of children enrolled in Private schools in 2008-09: 31.5%
• No. of children enrolled in Private schools in 2009-10: 38%
  

Attitudes about education are in a state of transformation in Punjab, where enrollment in schools and the choice between private and government schools are both in flux. By partnering with the state government, Pratham aims to capitalize on this critical moment in order to improve school quality for children across the state.

Pratham in Punjab

Pratham started working in partnership with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), in 2008-09 to initiate a state-wide learning enhancement program to be known as “Parrho Punjab”, or “Read Punjab” (in Punjabi). The program focused on improving the learning levels of children in basic reading and arithmetic in primary schools across the state. A pilot project in English was also introduced in 2 districts. While moderate results were achieved in the first year(2008-09), continued efforts have led to substantial improvements in the learning levels of children during the academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11. The programme was able to successfully highlight the importance of teaching and learning with time bound goals in government primary schools across Punjab.

During 2009-10, Pratham also initiated an intervention in English for children who were able to read Punjabi fluently (Standards 4 and 5). This intervention aimed to improve their skills in conversation, reading, and writing while building a working vocabulary.

In 2010-11, Parrho Punjab continued for the third consecutive year. The intervention in English was extended to all classes from 1–5. Rigorous monitoring of the program ensured great improvements in learning levels across the state.

Key achievements of the Parrho Punjab program include:

• Reaching 1 million Students in Government Primary Schools across Punjab, resulting in high jumps in learning levels of children, especially in Language and Math.
• Quality of Education: Teachers have adopted concepts of qualitative assessment of children and activity based learning, using Pratham’s methods.
• Ensuring Accountability of Teachers: Strong monitoring and support systems in government schools have increased the accountability of teachers and other authorities.
• Supplementary Reading Material: Innovative and interesting teaching learning materials are made available to each and every child in school. Teachers are provided with manuals for guidance on the new curricula, as well as constant support from regional staff from both Pratham and SSA.
• Mainstreaming Out of School Children: 65,000 children were identified and mainstreamed into government schools after Pratham’s statewide survey in 2009.
  
  

The graph above demonstrates the excellent results of the most recent ‘Parrho Punjab’ program, with significant decreases in the number of children unable to do division.