The 'paper' schools of Madhya Pradesh

Here's an example of how policy can go so wrong on the ground. The landmark Right to Education Bill, once passed, will guarantee a primary school for every neighbourhood.

In Madhya Pradesh, NDTV finds that there are several primary schools in villages, except they are a perfect parody of our education system. And it's a proof of the fact that creating requisite number of schools in each area is no guarantee that the children will be educated.

At Biliya Primary School in Shajapur, there is a long single room where two teachers teach students between Standard I and V. These who don't like the noisy lessons have an option. There is a method to the madness.

"We have lined up Standard III students in one row. We dedicate half-an-hour to them. Then we move on to Standard II students. We allot 30 exclusive minutes to each standard," said Amita Joshi, a teacher at the school.

Twenty km away, in Tanorhiya Primary School, there are 158 students in Standard I and V. Most don't get to attend classes, as the two classrooms are too small to seat all of them. Two guest teachers manage the classes. Their incentive is Rs 100 per day, which is just about what a labourer earns under NREGA.

When NDTV asked one of the students, Pooja, what the syllabus for Standard IV English classes is, her reply was alphabets.

"My son has learnt nothing in the last three years. He does not know the alphabets and cannot even write his name," said a parent.

In Piplon Kalan Middle School, the computer lab was inaugurated in 2004. No one has opened it since.

"How do we learn if there is no computer?" said Farmaan, a student.

Take a trip to any village and how each school runs is a baffling story unto itself. The schools have been created to fulfill the government's targets on paper. In reality there are no teachers, no classrooms, no funds and no mid-day meals. No wonder, 65 per cent of the students in the state failed this year's board exams.

So what should be the barometer - quality education or big number of schools? Because these paper schools are merely documenting our failures.