Answer

The quality of education in India’s public schools remains uneven despite high enrolment. Challenges such as poor learning levels, teacher absenteeism, and limited accountability mechanisms hinder outcomes. A stronger focus on systematic accountability is essential to ensure equitable, efficient, and outcome-oriented public education in a non-market-driven context.

Role of Accountability in Improving Public School Education

• Enhances Learning Outcomes: Accountability helps identify learning gaps and set performance goals for teachers and schools, ensuring students acquire age-appropriate skills.
• Promotes Teacher Accountability: Tracking teacher attendance and linking it with performance fosters commitment and reduces absenteeism in public schools.
  Example: Delhi’s Mission Buniyaad improved foundational literacy by holding teachers accountable through periodic assessments.
• Empowers Community Participation: Active involvement of parents in school affairs improves transparency and responsiveness of school staff to local concerns.
  Example: School Management Committee (SMC), mandated under the RTE Act, monitors school spending and ensures accountability in states like Tamil Nadu.
• Ensures Resource Utilization: Monitoring ensures efficient use of government funds and infrastructure meant for education delivery.
  Example: Gunotsav Assam audits school facilities, classroom practices, and fund utilization to improve performance.
• Facilitates Data-Driven Decisions: Systematic data collection helps policymakers identify gaps and plan interventions for underperforming schools.
  Example: UDISE+ provides granular data on over 14 lakh schools to guide evidence-based policy and funding.
• Reduces Corruption and Mismanagement: Public audits and transparency discourage leakages and malpractices in school administration.
  Example: Social audits in Jharkhand uncovered discrepancies in school meal schemes and infrastructure grants.
• Builds Trust in Public Education: When schools are accountable, parents are more willing to enrol their children, improving the credibility of government institutions.
  

Implementing Accountability Without Market-Driven Systems

• Strengthen Decentralized Governance: Local governments can oversee school functioning, ensuring contextual solutions and quick corrective actions.
  Example: Panchayati Raj Institutions in Kerala actively monitor school activities, including staff deployment and student learning.
• Institutionalize Community Monitoring: Community involvement ensures bottom-up accountability and encourages ownership over school quality.
• Leverage Technology for Transparency: Digital dashboards and real-time data can highlight school performance, enabling timely interventions.
  Example: The Shaala Siddhi portal facilitates school self-evaluation and action planning.
• Implement Performance-Based Incentives: Linking teacher evaluation with classroom performance motivates better teaching and reduces absenteeism.
• Regular Capacity Building: Ongoing training ensures that teachers remain updated on pedagogical practices and are accountable for student outcomes.
  Example: The NISHTHA 3.0 envisions covering nearly 25 Lakh Teacher and School Heads at Pre-Primary and Primary Level across all states and UTs.
• Public Disclosure of School Performance:
  Publishing report cards ensures transparency and makes schools answerable to stakeholders.
  Example: UDISE+ publishes school-wise report cards, enabling parent and community oversight.
• Engage Civil Society Organizations: NGOs can support monitoring and training, creating independent layers of accountability.
  Example: Pratham’s ASER survey revealed rural learning deficits, prompting large-scale government reforms.

Improved accountability is central to reforming public education. By combining community oversight, data transparency, and capacity building, India can overcome the absence of a market-based framework and ensure all children access quality education in a fair, efficient, and inclusive manner.