Government Schools Research Articles

Impact of Privatization of Government Schools on Quality and Access to Education: Perceptions of Stakeholders

The government has announced a policy for the privatization of government schools recently. This announcement has raised many concerns about the already compromised quality of education and access to education locally. The current study is an effort to explore the perceptions of teachers, administrators, and parents on the aforementioned phenomenon. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with the respondents selected on the basis of convenience. Later, the themes were generated through transcription and thematic analysis. The responses indicate dissatisfaction of all stakeholders about privatization. The administrators are not clear about their responsibility, teachers are more concerned about their job structure while parents are more concerned about access to education. The study recommends a large-scale study for exploring the concerns and thus reviewing the policy.

Professional Growth Pathways for Primary School Teachers in Multi-grade Environment: Challenges and Solutions

The main objective of the current research was to investigate the professional development of teachers in public schools who teach in classes with several grade levels. Professional development is a crucial aspect of effective multi-grade teaching. Multi-grade teaching is believed to have a substantial influence on both instruction and learning. A descriptive research method was used for the study. The study population consisted of 200 government school instructors, from which a sample of 496 teachers was randomly chosen using simple random sampling. The selection was made from public schools in the Ziarat area of Balochistan, Pakistan. The data were subjected to analysis using factor analysis,ANOVA,and chi-square test. The research findings suggest that instructors with expertise and pedagogical abilities achieve higher levels of teaching and learning outcomes in multi-grade classes. The study suggested that the administration should arrange training programs to augment the pedagogical knowledge and proficiency of instructors in schools.

Scientific Validation of Student Competency Scale (SCS) Questionnaire for Assessing the Impact of Happiness Curriculum in Indian Government Schools

The education systems are experiencing a crisis globally as it is no longer enough for students to develop reading and numeracy skills alone. On the other end, the Happiness Index of India, 2024, showcases a poor stand universally, which has been proven to have a detrimental effect on academic performance and the holistic development of learners. In this line, the Happiness Curriculum (HC) was launched in Delhi, 2018, a first step in broadening the traditional public education system to embrace attention to the wholesome development of its students. This soon branched into Uttarakhand, a state ranked one among the three unhappiest states in the nation, under the name "Anandam Pathyacharya". Later, to measure student competencies developed through HC implementation, Brookings, 2020, developed and validated Student Competency Scale (SCS), a tool with 14 items across four subscales, namely Decision Making, Focus, Empathy and Relationships. Here, the scale was adopted and validated among 140 upper primary students in Uttarakhand, India, by incorporating standardised validation procedures such as Bartletts Test of Sphericity, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Alpha calculation using SPSS AMOS v26. Sample adequacy was confirmed (0.921). CFA confirmed the scales’ four-dimensional structure with strong factor loadings and model fit indices, while the internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was high (0.927). Thus, this validation endeavour establishes the scale as a reliable tool to gauge student competencies in the context of the HC. By highlighting the SCS's scientific foundations and how it might be applied to India's educational system, the study offers a scope to measure HC's impact on learners' development.

The Impact of the Educational Counselor in Promoting Student Achievement Level in Government Schools at Irbid Governorate from School Principal Perspective

One of the purposes and objectives of this research is to identify and assess the impact of the effectiveness of a school counselor on the academic success of students-an effectiveness that is manifested through the provision of academic, psychosocial, and vocational support to students, as well as through the facilitation of the interactions among students, teachers, and parents. In order to accomplish this study, the opinions of 180 public school principals were sought, and they were selected randomly to allow unbiased and generalizable interpretations of the principals in the governorate of Irbid to be the research population. A survey method was employed for data collection, and it consisted of a survey specifically designed for this research study, which contained several paragraphs related to the primary areas of the school counselor's role, as listed above. The responses collected were analyzed by establishing the means and the standard deviations. This research aimed to understand better the significant contribution that school counselors can offer in enhancing the educational process and academic progress within public schools in Irbid. It also confirmed that the multi-faceted support that they provide is essential. Results. In the study evaluating the role of the educational counselor within the scope of the public schools of Irbid, the results of which have been collected from school principals, the work provides a positive evaluation of the perceived influence of the counselors in terms of students' academic achievement across four primary dimensions: academic support that had a mean of 4.2 and a standard deviation of 0.8; psychological support with a mean of 4.0 and standard deviation of 0.9; vocational guidance with a mean of 3.8 and a standard deviation of 0.7; and interaction with parents and teachers with a mean of 4.1 and a standard deviation of 0.6. Such results reveal a high appreciation of the importance of the role of the educational counselor in improving the educational environment and the comprehensive support for the student as the role of the counselor has been exposed as a practical element in supporting the student academically and psychologically, guiding the student professionally, and in addition promoting effective communication between the school and the family.

Stakeholders’ perception: E-Learning initiatives in school education of Rajasthan state in the course of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased adoption of e-learning in academic institutions, leading to the adoption of digital learning initiatives in Rajasthan. Projects-like SMILE, ‘Shikshadarshan - Educational T-DD Rajasthan’, ‘Shikshavani - Education via Radio’, ‘Hawamahal- Joyful Saturday program’, and ‘YouTube Rajiv Gandhi Career Portal’ were implemented. This study aimed to understand stakeholders’ perceptions of e-learning initiatives in Rajasthan and the global transformation of the education system. A descriptive survey conducted on 308 stakeholders from five government schools in Dungarpur district. The study reveals that 89% of students in Rajasthan state use smartphones for online classes, using WhatsApp video links, e-Raksha apps, YouTube, and open learning sources like Google. However, students often need help with language problems in content provided through e-learning initiatives, possibly due to the absence of their local language. Teachers are aware of e-learning initiatives but must be fully aware of them. Many teachers believe digital teaching-learning approaches make teaching plans and assessments more complex than face-to-face teaching. Parents and community members agree that their children can adopt e-learning comfortably, but 63% are unsatisfied with e-learning during COVID-19. Most participants agree that face-to-face teaching is better than e-learning and that the focus should be on face-to-face learning. The government should consider local languages for online videos and live programs. The department should include training programs for online learning resources in post-service education and teacher training to implement effective online education.

‘No trees around, but we paint some on our walls’: cultivating the ‘green’ image within schoolscapes in India

ABSTRACT Compared to various market, state, and civil society sectors, schools’ experiences of urban ‘greening’ in India remain curiously under-researched, despite the fact that schoolscapes are emerging as both awareness-raising agents for and fantastical visions of ‘green’ living. The paper seeks to address this lacuna in schoolscape scholarship by examining the experiences of four government schools in suburban Mumbai. Drawing on oral testimonies of teachers, and field observations, the paper elucidates a contrast between the ‘green’ vision, and the ground realities of school practitioners. While the official logic of ‘greening’ might have been predicated on the need to establish harmony between human well-being and planetary health, the actual performance of ‘greening’ schoolscapes brings into play dynamic and multifarious imaginings of school-nature relation arising from signifiers which do not fully reflect urban realities and school life in particular, but still engender a desire for those imaginings.

Infrastructure distribution in cities and the improvement of the well-being of citizens in Japan: evidence from the quantile regression

ABSTRACT Urban construction under the aging society needs to provide efficient services for residents. We investigated the heterogenous relationship between various types of municipality-level critical infrastructure and park construction and the subjective well-being of citizens based on quantile regression using original survey data and the Japanese government statistics bureau of 2015-2017. Positive relationships were found in the low-and middle-level life satisfaction regions owing to the construction of museums or libraries, government branches, government services, health centers, police stations, fire stations, schools, hospitals, post offices, disabled and senior centers, and parks. Moreover, citizens were more likely to feel safe if the living community had comprehensive government-related institutions, including government offices, police stations, fire stations, schools, and post offices, among others. Our results indicated that the number of favorable infrastructures should be increased in areas with low levels of life satisfaction and less-safe communities to improve the citizens’ overall well-being.

Augmentation of communicative skills among rural high school students in India

IntroductionThis study aims to focus on government school students, who struggle hard to express themselves in English.MethodsA two-group simple randomized design was used for this study, and an experimental study was carried out among 60 rural high school students. ‘Captivating activities’ (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) have been used to find the effect on learners’ communication skills. Furthermore, a pre-test and a post-test were conducted between groups, and their scores were analyzed. A paired sample t-test was carried out to identify the difference between controlled and experimental groups.ResultsThe results showed that there was a significant average difference observed between the pre-test and post-test scores (t28 = 8.327, p = 0.000, p < 0.01) of the experimental group.DiscussionAs an outcome of the tested strategy, it was understood that an English-speaking environment can help students improve their language skills to some extent. It was concluded that the captivating activities (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are effective for augmenting learners’ communication skills.

State control of school education in colonial and post-colonial India

Studies have indicated that local governments and communities can play a legitimate role in governing publicly-funded schools, although debates continue in relation to where and how decentralization operates across different contexts. In the Indian context, it has been argued that educational decentralization received a significant boost following the constitutional amendments of 1992, which mandated local government school management in rural and urban areas across India. However, drawing from the history of school management in India, we show that in colonial India, government-funded schools were locally managed by district boards and municipal bodies. By studying the education Acts of Indian states post-independence, we show that nearly all states adopted a centralized management system with state-controlled appointment and transfer of teachers and funding. Nationally, about 77% of government schools are managed by the state Department of Education, while only 18% of schools are controlled by local bodies. By analyzing sections of the Right to Education Act of 2009, we show that while the Act advocates for decentralized management of schools, it fails to devolve funds and functionaries to the local level. We argue that India's constitutional structure, weak fiscal devolution to local bodies, centralized appointment of functionaries, bureaucratic mistrust of local authorities, fear of local elite capture, upper caste control, and teacher union lobbying have led to centralized state control of education.

Prevention and Control of Rheumatic Fever in India – A Blue Print for Introduction of a Pragmatic Program with Limited Resources

“Eliminate rheumatic fever (RF) and minimize the burden of rheumatic heart disease by 2025” is the goal of World Heart Federation (WHF). The most important step to achieve the goal of WHF is the implementation of the prevention and control of RF in India. The program can be implemented with minimal fund allocation from government making use of the existing man power in the government and private health sector and schools with the concurrence of National Health Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Public Education and under the guidance of Cardiological Society of India, National Rheumatic Heart Consortium, Rheumatic Heart Club India, Association of Physicians of India, Indian Academy of Pediatrics, and Association of Otolaryngologists of India. By the successful implementation of this program, the children of 5–15 years in India can be protected from RF. India eradicated small pox in 1980 and Polio 2012. With this program, we can start our efforts to eliminate RF by 2025.

“You don’t have to say much; paint it then!”: A Thematic Analysis of Mural Arts in Iraq (Mosul and Erbil as a Case)

People find themselves in need of adding some inspiration indoors; interior designers likely let their customers immerse in the charm of some wall art decor with sweet family room wall quotes like “Love begins at home”. The art of filling walls exceeds the interior spaces for decoration, including outdoor spaces where different forms of artistic expression are used. This wall art matters among populations globally as it conveys different messages to the public and the decision-makers as well. The current article investigates Mural Arts (MAs) in Mosul and Erbil, Iraq. The researchers aim to (1) interpret the variety of themes that Mosuli Artists (MoAs) and Erbili Artists (ErAs) communicate via painting and (2) figure out the shared and distinctive theme in MoAs and ErAs’ artwork. This study employed a qualitative approach to grasp the themes of MAs in both Mosul and Erbil. The researchers gathered 60 Mixed Mural Arts MMA samples (verbal and visual); 38 in Mosul and 22 in Erbil in four months (from 8 August to 20 November 2023). They purposefully covered a broad range of sites including street walls, building facades, government institution walls, school walls, and bridge side walls in both cities. The researchers employed the Thematic Analysis Approach (TAA)by Braun and Clarke (2006) benefiting from NVivo 11(1999-2017) software to induce themes in Mosul and Erbil. This study revealed a total of 13 themes in both Mosul and Erbil in Mosul and 5 in Erbil. 2 themes, viz. ‘Environmental Sustainability’ and ‘Patriotism’ were shared. Other 6 themes viz, ‘The Transformative Power of Knowledge’, ‘The Horse as a Symbol of Nobility’, ‘Reviving the City of Mosul’, ‘Women Abuse’, ‘Unity for Iraq’, and ‘Martyrdom’ were said to be distinctive in Mosul whereas 3 other themes, viz. ‘The Role of Women in Society’, ‘Music Therapy’, and ‘Motivation in Learning’ were interpreted in Erbil.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) AND SMART ACOUSTIC SENSOR PERFORMANCE FOR UAV DETECTION

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) pose significant security challenges, especially in sensitive areas such as government buildings, schools, kindergartens, and borders. Effective detection and identification of UAVs are critical to protect sensitive areas from unauthorized access or hostile use. In terms of the ability to effectively detect the activity of suspected UAVs in these critical areas, there are two frequency-based detection technologies: acoustic sensors and program-defined radio (SDR). This study presents a comparative analysis of these technologies and evaluates their effectiveness in UAV identification. By analyzing UAV acoustic signatures and radio frequency (RF) emissions, the authors attempted to evaluate the strengths, limitations, and practical applications of each system. The findings indicate that although both technologies are effective, the choice between them depends on environmental conditions, UAV characteristics, and specific use cases. The researchers also attempted to analyze their effective performance sides to combine both for reliable recognition.

Role of Teacher’s Sensitization Program for the Mental Well-Being of Students: A Study of Government School Teachers in India

Role of Teacher’s Sensitization Program for the Mental Well-Being of Students: A Study of Government School Teachers in India

STUDY OF OCCUPATIONAL STRESS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN RELATION TO THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND JOB SATISFACTION

The job of the teachers is complex as it has to meet the expectations of parents, teachers, policy makers and address their once needs. These twin concerns make the life of teachers demanding and stressful. This becomes an important problem in the context of diversity of school system operative in India. A teacher performs outstandingly on being satisfied with the job. However, job satisfaction is concerned with certain aspects and attitude is one of them. It is mandatory for a teacher to have satisfaction on job performance and should develop a positive attitude towards education. Only satisfied, well adjusted and mentally healthy teacher can think of the well being of the students. In the present study, random sampling technique has been employed. Against this backdrop this study was planned to investigate aspects of occupational stress of secondary school teachers in relation to their mental health and job satisfaction. A sample of about 200 teachers from different type of schools (government and private) of Gurdaspur city was selected for the purpose of the study. Toanalyze the data varied statistical techniques have been employed such asstatistics viz; Mean, Standard Deviation have been used to ascertain the nature of distribution of scores, descriptive Pearson product moment correlations have been calculated, the t-test was applied to find out the difference between means, ANOVA (two way) was applied to compute the data. Findings of the study showed that government schools teachers have better mental health and job satisfaction in comparison to teachers of private schools, whereas female schools’ teachers have better mental health in comparison to male school’s teachers.

Extent of Use of Virtual Field Trips in Instruction of History and Government Among Secondary Schools in Murang’a County, Kenya

The use of field trips for instruction has been limited by the cost of trips, logistical planning, time taken in traveling, and learners’ safety concerns. This has led to the adoption of Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) that offer opportunities for learners to virtually visit historical sites for learning. However, the utilization of VFTs in teaching and learning History and Government in secondary schools has not been sufficiently researched and documented in Kenya thus the essence of the study. The study was guided by Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge Theory (TPACK) and adopted a Quasi-Experimental Design targeting thirty-five public sub-county secondary schools. Schools and teachers were purposively sampled while learners were randomly selected. A sample size of 372 respondents took part in the study. Learners’ questionnaires, interview schedules for teachers, and classroom observation schedules were used to collect data. The study found that majority of teachers and learners were not aware of the use of VFTs for teaching and learning. Further, even after training, teachers were not able to effectively use VFTs in instruction. Against these findings, this study recommended that the Ministry of Education and Teachers Service Commission should team up and organize training for teachers to equip them with ICT skills for preparation and use of VFTs for teaching and learning. Also, teacher training institutions should endeavor to equip teacher trainees with ICT skills to exploit VFTs in their specific teaching-learning areas.

Fragile legitimacy of multi-academy trusts in England: the case for a clear set of indicators to engender trust in the academised school system

ABSTRACT The UK 2019–2024 Conservative Government’s ambition was for all schools in England to be part of a multi-academy trust (MAT), a publicly funded body outside of local authority control (Department for Education 2022a). The preference for larger, geographically widespread MATs has resulted in a centralised system, where governance and management of schools is potentially detached from local views and concerns, leading to questions over the legitimacy of these organisations as providers of education. Through the use of phenomenology and organisational theory, this paper explores conceptions of legitimacy for stakeholders in four MATs. It highlights the fragility of an education system over-reliant on the reputation and expertise of the founding CEO, and trustees who often lack educational and pedagogical knowledge, with limited understanding of local issues. This article argues that the lack of plurality and representation on trust boards, limits agency for academy leaders and diminishes space for local voices to be heard. The inadequacies of applying organisational theory to identify legitimacy are exposed. A more insightful model is presented, including a set of ‘MAT legitimacy indicators’: appropriate knowledge, expertise and values of those in management and governance; cultural and demographic representation in governance; plurality through diversity of voice and dissensus.

Comparing Physical Education Facilities: an Assessment of Government and Non-Government Schools in Tripura

Comparing Physical Education Facilities: an Assessment of Government and Non-Government Schools in Tripura

Women’s Education: Curriculum and Content in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries India

The initiation and expansion of women’s formal instruction in India in the pre-Independence time is the legacy of both colonialism and the nineteenth-century reform movement among Indians. The latter, to an extent, was a response to the Westernisation embedded in the colonial processes. In pre-colonial India, institutional and formal education was a rarity for womenfolk, and until the mid-nineteenth century, zenana education or instruction imparted at home was the accepted norm. Several scholars have noted that the nineteenth century saw an intense debate on women’s schooling, especially in relation to the wisdom of educating women, the form it should take, and the purpose it should serve. Historically, women’s education was viewed by most communities as meaningless. Large sections of the population of both Hindu and Muslim communities were content with extending conventional approaches of learning to women and were vehemently opposed to changing it in favour of a modern education either in government schools or missionary schools. At home, women were taught to read religious scriptures and to read and write the vernacular language, although the focus was on learning home crafts and subjects of domestic and practical utility.

Internet Addiction and Sleep Quality Among School Children in South India.

Today's internet is an unavoidable component of educational sources, the entertainment field, and telecommunication processes. Internet usage is more likely among adolescents and young adults in the form of surfing, chatting, playing games, and fulfilling their social needs. The present study has been planned to assess the effect of internet addiction (IA) on sleep quality in school children. This cross-sectional school-based study was conducted amongschool students in Pondicherry. A total of 350 school students of both genders studying in grades six to 10 and having access to at least one device with internet for more than one year were recruited from government and private schools located in five randomly selected communes in Pondicherry by convenient sampling method. Assessment of IA was done using Young's Internet Addiction Test (YIAT). The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PQSI) questionnaire assessed the participants' sleep quality. All the data was tested for normality using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Chi-square and unpaired t-tests were used for analysis. The average age of the participants is 13 years. 49 (26.1%) are children and 139 (73.9%) are adolescents. The majority of them are females belonging to the adolescent age group(169, 89.4%). Around 17 (19.5%) children and 70 (80.5%)adolescents reported mild IA. Thirteen (59.1%)childrenand nine (40.9%)adolescents reported moderate IA. There is no significant difference in sleep quality between children and adolescents (4±2.33 vs. 3.62±2.61, p=0.37)but there is a considerable difference in their levels of IA(32.98±21.06 vs. 25.6±15.08, p=0.01). Conclusion: This study found a significant relationship between IA and poor sleep quality among adolescents. Thus, adolescents, parents, school authorities, and researchers should understand the importance of regulating internet usage and encouraging sleep hygiene. Thus, appropriate measures should be taken to address the effects of IA on sleep quality.

The Impact of the Educational Counselor in Promoting Student Achievement Level in Government Schools at Irbid Governorate From School Principal Perspective

One of the purposes and objectives of this research is to identify and assess the impact of the effectiveness of a school counselor on the academic success of students-an effectiveness that is manifested through the provision of academic, psychosocial, and vocational support to students, as well as through the facilitation of the interactions among students, teachers, and parents. In order to accomplish this study, the opinions of 180 public school principals were sought, and they were selected randomly to allow unbiased and generalizable interpretations of the principals in the governorate of Irbid to be the research population. A survey method was employed for data collection, and it consisted of a survey specifically designed for this research study, which contained several paragraphs related to the primary areas of the school counselor's role, as listed above. The responses collected were analyzed by establishing the means and the standard deviations. This research aimed to understand better the significant contribution that school counselors can offer in enhancing the educational process and academic progress within public schools in Irbid. It also confirmed that the multi-faceted support that they provide is essential. Results. In the study evaluating the role of the educational counselor within the scope of the public schools of Irbid, the results of which have been collected from school principals, the work provides a positive evaluation of the perceived influence of the counselors in terms of students' academic achievement across four primary dimensions: academic support that had a mean of 4.2 and a standard deviation of 0.8; psychological support with a mean of 4.0 and standard deviation of 0.9; vocational guidance with a mean of 3.8 and a standard deviation of 0.7; and interaction with parents and teachers with a mean of 4.1 and a standard deviation of 0.6. Such results reveal a high appreciation of the importance of the role of the educational counselor in improving the educational environment and the comprehensive support for the student as the role of the counselor has been exposed as a practical element in supporting the student academically and psychologically, guiding the student professionally, and in addition promoting effective communication between the school and the family.