By the time children reach class 8, the bulk of them tend to be in the age range of 13 years to 15 years. But in our country, about a quarter of all children in class 8 struggle with reading simple texts and more than half are still unable to do basic arithmetic operations like division. Every year about 25 million young boys and girls from elementary school move into the life that lies for them beyond compulsory schooling. They cannot enter the workforce at least in the organized sector till they are 18. For many families, these children are the first from their families ever to get this far in school. Parents and children expect that such ‘graduates’ from school will go on to high school and college. Hardly anyone wants to go back to agriculture. On the other hand, abilities in terms of academic competencies are far lower than they should be even based on curricular expectations of class 8.
Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
Neither Assumption 1 nor Assumption 2 is valid based on the information provided in the passage.
Assumption 1 posits that parents have a greater role than governments for effective school education. The passage details the academic struggles of Class 8 students, their aspirations for higher education, and the gap between expected and actual competencies. While it mentions parental expectations, the text does not offer any comparative analysis or statement regarding the relative importance of parents' roles versus governments' roles in ensuring effective school education. Therefore, this assumption cannot be inferred from the given text.
Assumption 2 suggests that a school curriculum conforming to today's requirements and uniform for the entire country might address the issues. The passage identifies a significant disparity between students' current academic abilities and the existing curricular expectations for Class 8. However, it does not propose a uniform national curriculum or a revised curriculum as a solution to these problems. The text merely highlights the problem of low learning outcomes relative to established standards, without prescribing specific educational reforms or curriculum design changes. Hence, this assumption is not supported by the passage.
Options (A) 1 only, (B) 2 only, and (C) Both 1 and 2 are incorrect because neither Assumption 1 nor Assumption 2 can be logically deduced or substantiated by the content of the provided passage. The passage primarily focuses on describing the existing educational challenges and student aspirations, rather than offering solutions or comparing the responsibilities of different stakeholders.