Raising primary education to Class VIII

On the face of it, the government's thoughts on restructuring primary education by extending it up to Class VIII sounds pretty good. If, however, children now at the primary level (and that is up to Class V) do not learn much or what they get to learn is not of good quality, then what guarantee is there that adding a few more stages to primary-level education will make a big difference in the children's learning process?
The question leads one to thoughts of what actually needs to be done to improve the quality of primary education. If indeed the authorities feel that three extra years will solidify pupils' grasp of the subjects they are taught, one will have little reason to argue with the proposition. But such a plan must then also take into account the matter of whether the resources needed to implement it are in place. The first point here is the quality of teaching as well as classroom materials that will be needed to achieve the objective. It cannot altogether be denied that the primary system of education as it works now is flawed, one reason being the generally poor quality of teaching imparted to the young. Then, of course, comes the question of whether at the end of the eight years, students will truly move on to the secondary level armed with more knowledge than they have so far had. In other words, the proposed changes in the primary education system must come in a package in order to have any effect. Then there is the issue of dropouts at the primary level, which is disturbingly high. Any change in the system must therefore ensure that this problem is handled well. Essentially, therefore, a remodelling of the primary education system should be taking all factors affecting it into consideration. Such remodelling must also take into account the need for a revised syllabus catering to present-day needs.
Education, like health, has by and large been an Achilles' heel where policy-making or prioritising is concerned. We expect that this time round a concrete and substantive primary education policy will be forged. The government need to put in place an adequate infrastructure, equipment base and a pool of trained teachers before embarking on an extension of primary education content. Let it not be an exercise in putting the cart before the horse.