Indian economy
is growing fast and its education system, undoubtedly, plays a huge role in
this occurrence.
Today, over 14
lakh schools function in India. Some of
them are funded and managed by the Government, while some are run privately and
aided by the Government. Apart from
these two sections, thousands of private-aided schools also function across the
nation.
School education
in India has improved over the past few years. A national survey showed an
increase in student enrolment in schools from 20.30 crore in 2002 to 23 crore
in 2013. Several factors have contributed to this occurrence and some of them
include The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009,
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) 2000-2001 and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme.
Introduction of
mid-day meals in schools has helped improve school enrolment, nutritional
status of children, student concentration, and performance. The Government has partnered with Non-Governmental
Organization like The Akshaya Patra
Foundation to implement the scheme across India. During 2013-14, about
10.45 crore children from 11.58 lakh Schools were benefitting from the scheme.
Though education
system in India has advanced since independence, it is yet to reach the top
level. Some of the challenges faced by
school education in India include poor infrastructure, high drop-out rates,
low-quality education, lack of schools in rural areas and low participation of
female children.
Additionally, India
also stands far behind in the world regarding education spending. India was spending 3.3% GDP in 2010 compared
to 4.9 percent of GDP spent on education globally.
Why India has to change this picture?
School education
is the foundation of a country. Mismanagement or negligence of this sector can
leave lasting impact on its growth and push its economy backwards.
There exists
evidence to show importance of good schools on development of a nation.
Research conducted by an International
team found that quality of human capital in a country directly influenced
its growth. In the study, countries which scored high in cognitive skill tests
(performance in math and science tests) had higher growth rates than countries
which scored less.
School
attainment, for sure, has a role in economic growth, but only when it helps in
learning or improving cognitive skills. Quality education is a must as only
qualified individuals or skilled professionals can withstand the increasing
demands of the fast growing world economy. South Korea is a perfect example to
show this.
In India, Government
has taken some efforts to improve skills of its youth. Establishment of the
National Skill Development Corporation in 2008 and introduction of Skill India
scheme on July 15, 2015 are some of them. There is no doubt that these
initiatives will give good results, but the concern is that whether they will
last for a long period.
Educated citizens are wealth of a nation. So, to
go further, to improve the Indian economy and to become a super power in the
world, the nation has to increase public expenditure on school education and encourage
private investment in the education sector.
Reference:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/education/news/Enrolment-in-schools-rises-14-to-23-crore/articleshow/18123554.cms
http://www.akshayapatra.org/
http://mdm.nic.in/
http://www.business-standard.com/budget/article/jaitley-slashes-education-health-spending-115030200569_1.html
http://educationnext.org/education-and-economic-growth/
