Bihar’s government schools need much more than science lab modernisation

Science labs have not been functional in the way they were envisioned in many schools, while shortage of teachers and lack of proper school buildings add to woes  Patna, Bihar: “Biology and chemistry practicals are conducted regularly in the science lab of our school, but the study of physics is less. In fact, the subject teacher does not come to the class at all. Even if he ever does, he himself experiments and we children just watch him at work. We never got a chance to do a lab experiment ourselves,” said Sunidhi Kumari*, a class 10 student at the Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) in Sarta of Bihar’s Jehanabad district. Trilok Sharma*, one among the 450 students enrolled in the many divisions of class 10 at Dayanand Boys High School, Mithapur, Patna, also said the teachers did the experiments on their own. There are others like Ashu Kumari* of class 10 of Sarai GHSS, who said, “There is a lab in our school, but practicals are not regular. The dilapidated lab room does not have all the necessary equipment.”In a bid to improve the educational conditions of government schools of Bihar, an agreement was signed between Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Patna, and Bihar Education Project Council on April 28 last year. Under it, IIT Patna would establish model labs of physics and chemistry in 50 government schools of Bihar.  Professor Pritam Kumar, Head of Department, Electrical Engineering, IIT Patna, told 101Reporters that the agreement aimed at modernising science labs in two phases, as per the Bihar School Examination Board syllabus. “In the first phase, seven schools in Patna underwent transformation. The subject teachers of these schools were given a week-long training on teaching science in an interesting manner on the IIT campus. Now, this work will start in 43 more schools in the second phase from December onwards,” he said.Government Girls HSS, Bankipur, Manju Sinha Project Girls' High School, Bakhtiyarpur, RSM Railway Aided High School, Mokama Ghat, Shaheed Rajendra Prasad Singh School, Gardanibagh, Devipad Choudhary Memorial Miller HSS, Patna, TK Ghosh Academy, Patna, and Patna Collegiate School have received lab facilities in the first phase."Science labs play a key role in developing scientific temper in children and helping them grapple with the technical problems of day-to-day life and find solutions,” said Chandan Kumar, Director of Port Lab, a startup that provides portable or temporary lab facilities to children in the schools of Patna where science labs are not present.Manoj Kumar, Director of Secondary Education, told 101Reporters that the estimated cost of the project was Rs 7.96 crore. “In the first phase, Rs 1.05 crore has been spent. The remaining Rs 6.91 crore will be used in the next phase,” he said. Notably, over one-and-a-half years have passed since the agreement to modernise labs was signed, but the benefits have not been witnessed far and wide. Students doing experiments in the science lab (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)Missing teachers According to a report from the National Council of Educational Research and Training, 6,543 of the total 9,765 child scientists in Bihar last year studied in government schools. There is no dearth of talent, be it in preparing new science projects or innovation. However, Zaki Imam, a science teacher at UMS Nawada Boys School, Darbhanga, said merely having labs for science subjects was not enough. “Teachers should be dedicated towards teaching their subjects… In total, we have around 200 students in classes 6, 7 and 8. However, only some necessary tools are at our disposal to make children understand the basic science concepts. We have no separate labs either. We teachers make them do experiments in our own ways,” he said. Bankipur Government Girls High School Principal Meena Kumar told 101Reporters that the project has not brought much change as the school already had a science lab, which girls were utilising. "Yes, some equipment and chemicals have been provided in the physics and chemistry labs,” she said.There is no concept of science labs in middle schools of Bihar. “We try to clear the basic concepts by bringing things such as vinegar, paper, bottles, balloons and matchsticks from our homes,” said Shobha Tiwari, a science teacher at the Government Middle School at Ghirsindi in Aurangabad district. Narayan Kumar*, a class 10 student at Mahadev High School, Khusrupur, Patna, felt the subject got embedded in one’s mind when lab work was done. “It is said that there are separate labs for all three subjects. But the chemistry lab is not functional for the last three months as the chemistry teacher has been on leave. We use the labs of other subjects.”  For the last one year, Kumari Anamika has been teaching physics, chemistry and biology (PCB) at the Upgraded High School, Kharmauli, Begusarai district. “About 1,500 children are enrolled here from class 9 to 12. I am responsible for everyone's lab classes. Competitions are often organised in our school, in which junior teachers also help. There are many vacant posts of teachers at the high school level. Even children do not come after taking admission. Those who come regularly are mostly from the working class,” she said.Gopa Kumari has been teaching PCB at the Upgraded High School at Sabour in Bhagalpur for a decade now. “About 800 to 900 children study here, but there are no teachers in proportion to the number of children. There is a lab, but not all lab equipment is there. When funds were received from the government a year ago, the school administration purchased lab items. However, due to lack of proper care and maintenance, they were stolen,” she said.A class of girls in the science lab (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)Lack of resources“Our school neither has its own building nor lab facility. There are no separate teachers for mathematics and science. The high school also runs in the same building as the middle school and I teach science subjects to the children at both levels. The school has provided us with science kits. We teachers also collect some materials to aid students. Of all the upgraded high schools in Banka district, about 70% do not have labs,” claimed mathematics teacher Anil Kumar at the Upgraded High School in Inarvaran village of Banka district.“Our lab is a makeshift facility working out of a dilapidated building. The government process is so slow that even after complaining several times, repairs have not been done. Labs of all three subjects operate at one place. I take both practical and theory classes. Till now, we were dependent on traditional laboratory techniques to teach science, but after attending a workshop in Pune, we have learned how to teach children basic science by using things around us,” said Shashi Prakash Saroj, a teacher at the Upgraded High School at Paiga in Bhojpur district for the last eight years.  In January-February, 65 teachers from across the state participated in a 10-day iRISE training programme organised at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune. Its objective was to enrich the scientific outlook of teachers and to familiarise them with the techniques of imparting science education even with limited resources.“We have only one small science lab here, in which practicals of all three subjects are conducted. A new building has been constructed, but the school has not been shifted due to lack of road connectivity. There are no teachers for physics and biology. So, I teach both chemistry and biology, while the mathematics teacher takes physics classes. This is the situation here ever since I joined six years ago,” said Atulit Singh, a chemistry teacher at Upgraded High School at Mukundera in Buxar district. Students looking through the microscope, studying biology (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)Where are the students?Anjani Pandey, who has been teaching chemistry for a decade at the Higher Secondary School, Misir Batraha, Gopalganj district, said many new equipment were purchased after receiving state government funds about three years ago. “Overall, the arrangements here are satisfactory. We have about 2,000 children enrolled in classes 9 to 12, but only on the register. Very few are seen in the classes. This is more or less the condition in the entire Bihar.""Most of the higher secondary students go for coaching in Patna, Delhi and Kota. They are seen only during examinations. During inspections, satisfactory attendance is shown by somehow getting students from here and there. This situation can change only if 75% annual attendance is made mandatory and it is strictly implemented,” Pandey said.Biochemistry graduate Anuradha Kumari has been teaching science at SSRS High School, Khagaria, for the last seven years. There are about 450 students in her school. A proper lab facility is also present. However, children do not attend regularly.S Ambastha, Principal, Upgraded High School, Korra Phulwari Sharif, said there is a science lab, but no lab incharge and proper facilities. Funds have been received under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, but it is not sufficient. “Most of the teachers just provide food in the classroom in the name of studies. Even if some teachers want to teach, resources are not available to them."  Considering these prevalent issues, it could be safely assumed that there is a need for improvement in science education in Bihar. There is a shortage of teachers, especially for science subjects. The condition in state capital Patna is somewhat good, but schools in villages and towns are in a  deplorable state. In proportion to the number of students in government schools, the posts of about 3,000 teachers are vacant, while the recruitment is only 300. The basic reason for this is the education policy of Bihar government, in which the increase in the number of children enrolled in schools has been accepted as the criterion for educational achievement, but the government does not pay any attention to whether they get quality education or not.*Names changed to protect privacy Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover Photo - Shobha Tiwari with her students (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)

In Bihar, menstrual hygiene still an obstacle for girls to attend school

Despite the HC order to install sanitary pad vending machines in all middle, high and higher secondary schools, the state government has not prioritised it Patna, Bihar: Neeta Kumari* (15) is a class 10 student at Kalanand High School in Dhurvapur village of Bihar’s Purnia district. Every time there is an ‘emergency’, the teacher reluctantly gives her a sanitary pad, only on the condition that another will be deposited later.“We have demanded several times that a sanitary pad vending machine be installed, but the teachers here decline it with the excuse that when they installed an LCD screen for smart classes a few years ago, it was stolen. The school is no longer interested in getting machines,” she said.There are many schools in Bihar, where girls or even teachers have no idea about sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators required to burn used pads. This, despite a Patna High Court order in April, directing the state government to install such machines in all middle, high and higher secondary schools. Apart from ensuring adequate menstrual hygiene facilities in proportion to the number of enrolled students, the court also asked the government to ensure clean toilets and clean drinking water.Nevertheless, little seems to have happened on the ground. “We have separate washrooms for boys and girls, but they are very dirty. Thankfully, for drinking water, there is a reverse osmosis system as well as a hand pump,” said Neeta.Bihar was the first state in India to introduce menstrual leave, a revolutionary step in the 1990s. But when it came to menstrual hygiene, the state has lagged behind in facilitating an effective programme. “If we are in school when the periods begin, we take leave and go back home. Naturally, studies suffer in those few days,” Anu Kumari*, a class 11 student of Ramdayalu Adarsh High School of Damodarpur village in Vaishali district, told 101Reporters.“Teachers do not discuss ‘such issues’ with us. Whatever I know about menstruation, I learnt from my elder sisters and mother,” said Anu in a hushed voice, as her father was present while she talked to this reporter.At 59%, Bihar ranks lowest in India in terms of adoption of menstrual hygiene practices among women. Only 7% of the state’s total budget is allocated for health and family welfare, out of which Rs 2 crore is dedicated for menstrual hygiene schemes.  Last year, the state education department launched a pilot project to install sanitary pad vending machine and incinerator in schools. As many as 93 schools got the machines in the first phase of the project and 243 in phase two. Each school was given Rs 40,000 to purchase the machines. Maintenance was the responsibility of the schools. Bihar has 90,000 government schools, of which about 40,000 are middle, high and senior secondary schools. In that context, a vending machine in less than 350 schools is like a drop in the ocean, said activists working on menstrual health.“Even in schools that have vending machines and incinerators, the staff do not know how to use them. Sometimes, sanitary pads are not available. The government, apart from giving machines, also needs to organise training sessions for teachers. Otherwise this project might not last long,” Amrita Singh, chairperson of Nav-Astitva Foundation in Patna, told 101Reporters. The foundation has been working on menstrual hygiene awareness in Bihar for the last eight years.Apart from vending machines and incinerators, other WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) components like clean toilets and safe drinking water are also a struggle to achieve in many Bihar schools, making lives difficult for girls in the age group of 12 to 18.Condition of toilets in the schools (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)No regular support staff is available in schools to clean toilets. “There are five washrooms in our schools, but not one is usable. They are extremely dirty and remain shut most of the time. Students are forced to use toilets in the old school building. A few days ago, a teacher came from Pune for a teacher training programme. When she raised the issue, the management unlocked the toilets and got them cleaned,” said a teacher of Mahavir Middle School in Lutaha village of East Champaran district, on condition of anonymity.  The situation is no different at the middle school located at Makandpur in Bhagalpur district. “There are separate toilets for boys and girls, but the boys’ toilet is non-functional so they have to go out in the fields. Even the staff toilet is in bad shape. For drinking water, we have a hand pump and a water tank connected to a borewell, but both are not operational. So we have to depend on water decanters,” Riya Rani, a science teacher in the school, told 101Reporters.“I have no idea about a vending machine and we do not have a pad bank in our school. Many girls take a period leave… I try to hold discussions on menstruation, puberty and conception with both boys and girls, but I see that boys are hesitant to talk about these issues. Sometimes, they make inadvertent comments," she added.Teacher and student making pad bank for ensuring menstrual hygiene (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)Government initiativesThe state government organised the Teenage Girls’ Health Awareness Programme in Patna last year, in which some teachers from each district participated. All the participants were distributed four packets of 10 sanitary pads each for use in their schools. Given that most middle and high schools have more than 100 girls, this meagre quantity stood out starkly, raising a question on the state government’s seriousness about menstrual hygiene.Bihar also runs Mukhyamantri Kishori Swasthya Yojana, under which Rs 300 is deposited annually in the bank accounts of girls studying in classes 7 to 12  for buying sanitary napkins. The amount was increased from Rs 150 this year. “But we do not get it regularly. Anyway, this amount is too less to buy good quality sanitary napkins throughout the year,” said Reena Kumari*, a class 10 student of Shambhupur Higher Secondary School in Vaishali district.Teachers felt that for students coming from a weak economic background, even this small grant was used for other things. “For people who cannot afford basic food, clothing and housing, menstruation has always been a secondary issue,” said Sapna, a teacher at the Girls’ Secondary School, Khagaul, Patna.“The government has been running a strong campaign for full attendance in schools for the last few months, but it is still difficult to get girls to attend schools. Unless there are proper toilets in schools, girls will not be able to have full attendance. There should be a mandatory pad bank in each school,” said Rashmi Jha, a gender expert based in Patna.She said the government should promote start-ups working in the field to provide reasonably priced sanitary pads or set up its own production unit where women from Naari Niketan (a shelter for women and children)  can make sanitary pads. UNICEF has instituted meena manch and bal sansad platforms to involve girls and schoolchildren in creating awareness about health, hygiene and WASH issues. “We do not have a vending machine but we do run a pad bank in school with the cooperation of school management and teachers. We also discuss puberty issues with teenagers,” said Kavita Kumari, a teacher at Bariyapur Middle School in Munger district. Since 2015, Kavita has been a government appointed state trainer under the Bihar Disaster Management Campaign to educate children on health.Outside a middle school in Fatehpur (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)The Women and Child Development Corporation (WCDC) plans to install sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators in all Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas, the residential schools run by the Central government for girls from economically weaker backgrounds. “The WCDC’s main responsibility is to create awareness about menstruation. We are working on a major policy around it. However, for the supply of resources for menstrual hygiene in schools, the education department is responsible,” said Bandana Preyasi, Managing Director, WCDC, Bihar. “Socio-economic status has a deep connection with education. Good education means better access to information and financial resources. To improve menstrual health in India, there is a need to invest in girls’ education as well as campaign for behavioural and social change on a large scale, so that people are more vocal on the issue,” said Dr Arundhati Muraleedharan of the Menstrual Health Alliance India. *Names changed to protect identityEdited by Ravleen KaurCover Photo - Pump water used for maintaining hygiene at a middle school in Fatehpur (Photo - Rachna Priyadarshini, 101Reporters)