Darkness after sunset could soon be a matter of the past in some elementary schools in villages.

The education department has decided to install solar lamps at elementary schools in some villages so that children could study in the evening. Most villages plunge into darkness after sunset and children cannot complete their homework.

Education department principal secretary Amarjeet Sinha told The Telegraph: “Solar lights will be installed at the elementary schools in some villages. The idea is to help village children study in the evening. If the children spend at least two hours in studying after completing their homework, it will be a big turnaround.”

Associating education with light, Sinha said: “The new initiative is an attempt to provide quality education to the children at the elementary-level. Reports published by various agencies pointed out a bleak picture of the government schools in Bihar. We want to turn the picture around.”

Sources said the villages where the pilot project would be initiated would be selected soon.

According to Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2011, almost half the total number of children will pass out of primary school without the ability to read Class II-level texts. In mathematics, the state projects a dismal picture at the elementary school level. Over 60 per cent of Class V students face difficulty in solving basic division problems, which are usually taught in Class III.

Sinha attributed the dismal picture to the poor attendance of students in government schools. He said: “On any given day, about 50 per cent of enrolled students are not present. Compared to other states and all-India figures, the percentage (in Bihar) is very low.”

The all-India figure of enrolled children attending school on a day is 71.9 in 2011. Even in neighbouring Jharkhand, the percentage is 55.1, higher than Bihar.

“Assistance of groups such as Taleem-e-Markaz and tola sevaks in Mahadalit localities will be taken, who will help assemble the guardians and children for the evening classes. The department will also arrange for carpets so that students, along with their parents, can sit on them,” the principal secretary said, adding that during classes, efforts would be taken to provide education in the language that is familiar to students.

The ASER report has also mentioned that attendance is the most important factor in children’s learning and not the number of students enrolled, as the number helps asses if students are attending classes.

Shaileshwar Sati Prasad, a retired Patna University teacher and also an eminent academic, said: “For bringing changes in primary education, with the assistance of the Union government, the state should prepare a roadmap and stress on bringing about a change at the grassroots.”

The academician pointed out that models such as Kilkari Bal Bhavan, which aims at providing education to slum children, should be expanded. “Every village as well as urban area of the state should have a Kilkari unit.”

Kilkari develops creativity among children through plays, paintings, dance, songs, sports and other extracurricular activities.