EDUCATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN: ORDERED LOGIT ESTIMATION OF READING ABILITY AND MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Abstract

The prevalence of poor educational performance and wide inequality in the academic achievement of children in primary education between social and economic groups in India challenges the objective of a leaned Indian society. This paper analyses the academic achievement gap in the reading ability and mathematical skills of children in primary education using the IHDS-II data applying the ordered logit method of estimation. The results show substantial differences in reading and arithmetic skills among children from different socioeconomic, demographic and religious backgrounds. The backward community children are not much disadvantaged relative to the upper community children. The scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and Muslim children are the most disadvantaged groups in achieving academic ability. Children studying in public schools and non-English medium instruction schools have less chance of being in the higher categories of educational performance. Children from urban residences and with higher educated adults tend to perform better than the child from rural areas with lower educated adults in the household. The asset holding of the household has a positive impact on the educational performance of a child. Much of the disadvantages of the learning ability and skill acquisition of children in primary education stems from the poor socio-economic background of the family and lower parental education.