Much before the commencement of coal mining, the Dhanbad region of the
erstwhile Manbhum Riyasat was like any other village of the country. The education system
was similar to that of medieval India and the quality of education varied from village
to village depending on how qualified and sincere the villagers and guardians
were. Once coal mining activities began in the region, the standard of living of
families living here too improved. After independence, provision of free or highly
subsidized education is one of the most important and widely applauded activities of
the Government of India. Dhanbad became a district of Jharkhand state, which came
into existence on November 15, 2000, with the carving out of the whole Chhotanagpur
and Santhal Pargana from Bihar state. As per 2001 census, the total area of Dhanbad
district is 2,995 sq. km with a population density of 1,167 sq. km and an annual
population growth rate of 2.28%. The district has a male population of 1,278,946 and a
female population of 1,118,156, with a sex ratio of 874. The district is divided into
eight administrative and 17 educational blocks, with 1,345 primary, 552 middle, 92
secondary schools and 18 intermediate and 9 degree colleges.
The quality of government education is always a matter of discussion and
dispute. But this discussion might be based on limited information. The discussion may
further be complicated due to the presence of private sector in education. Thus, we often
find people engaged in discussion on the quality of education in schools. In fact, they
are worried about getting the best school for their wards. The process of identification
of best schools is complex and is based on the comparison made between the schools.
So, it is not surprising to note that the evaluation of relative merits of the
government schools and the choices to be made as to where to enroll their children feature high
in parents' discussions. |
