If primary education ever became an election factor, aspiring legislators of the Assembly would have their task cut out.
A constituency-wise analysis of the state of education over 2008-12 released by non-governmental organisation, IndiaGoverns Research Institute, says Karnataka’s cosmopolitan showpiece Bangalore fares poorly in admitting children from weaker sections of society into private unaided schools.
Right to Education (RTE) Act, which mandates that private unaided schools must have at least 25 per cent of their students from less privileged sections, came into practice in the 2012-13 academic year.
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Yet, looking at this criterion in education, Bangalore has the dubious distinction of taking in just over one per cent of such children in 2011-12 against a State average of seven per cent, the analysis says.
Two BJP constituencies, Shantinagar and Bommanahalli, did not have any student from this section.
Basavanagudi and Jayanagar, which boast educated voters, are in the bottom 10 of this category. Only seven Assembly constituencies elsewhere meet the RTE stipulation.
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The IndiaGoverns analysis presented here on Thursday mirrors a considerably big dropout rate, falling enrolment in government schools and dismal figures for retaining girls in government schools.
Two salutary points of improvement in the four years are the availability of toilets for girls (it rose from 50 per cent to 98 per cent) and drinking water in government schools.
IndiaGoverns executive director Veena Ramanna said that legislators cannot be directly blamed for some of the education-related ills. However, they and their parties had to know this scene well to address the problems in their areas.