Kerala leads, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh falling behind

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has topped the Unified District Information System for Education Plus report released by the Union Ministry of Education. Kerala is ahead in the areas of academic quality of school students, study continuity, school infrastructure and gender equality. While the national average of those who get admission in the first class reaching the tenth class is 62.9 percent, it is 99.5 percent in Kerala.

The national average of students who reach the twelfth class is 47.2 percent, and it is 90 percent in Kerala. While the national average of schools that have access to computers for study purposes is 57.9, it is 99.1 in Kerala. The national average of this facility in government schools is 52.7 percent, and in Kerala it is 99.3 percent. 91.7 percent of schools in Kerala have internet access.

The Gender Parity Index, an index of gender equality, ranks Kerala above '1' at all levels of school education. This shows that the participation of girls in school is equal to or higher than that of boys. Kerala is at the forefront in the quality of teachers and basic facilities in schools. The report shows that schools in Kerala are far ahead in libraries, playgrounds, toilets for boys and girls, electricity connections and digital systems.

Gujarat stands behind

In Gujarat, which is cited as a model of development, only 71.2 percent of the children who enter class 1 reach class 10. Only 42.3 percent reach class 12. In Uttar Pradesh, only 49.6 percent of children reach class 10. Only 42.8 percent reach higher secondary. In Uttar Pradesh, only 45.9 percent of schools have internet access. In government schools, it is 35.6 percent.