ADRI member-secretary Shaibal Gupta and education minister PK Shahi at the book release. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Education minister P.K. Shahi on Tuesday blamed frequent policy changes by the Centre and the previous RJD government for the dismal scenario of the education sector in the state.

Shahi stressed the need for quality education in state-run schools in the state.

The minister was speaking at a function to release School Education, Pluralism and Marginality: Comparative Perspectives, a book on backwardness of some African and Asian countries in terms of quality education. Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) organised the function.

Shahi said: “I am not an expert in education but a novice. I apply common sense while taking decisions on various issues.”

The education minister said after the implementation of Right to Education Act, the state government is faced with multiple challenges like scarcity of teachers, lack of infrastructure and providing quality education to children.

He said: “There are 22.5 million children in the age group of six to 14 and providing quality education to them is a big challenge for us.”

Shahi said while the enrolment rate in government schools is as high as 90 per cent, attendance in many institutions is even less than 30 per cent. “It is big problem for us that despite the state government spending huge amounts of money in the education sector, the students are not receiving quality education. Forget about students, there are teachers in government schools who cannot even correctly spell the English names of months.”

“The state is committed to providing quality education to students,” he added.