The Future Of India Depends On Quality Of Its Education System

Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister, recently visited the White House representing one of the world’s rapidly growing major economies. With an annual growth rate of 6%, India is currently the fifth-largest economy globally. The country’s technology industry is thriving, and there is a significant focus on renewable energy with widespread installation of solar panels. India’s attractiveness to multinational companies is evident as Goldman Sachs recently held a board meeting there.

As developed countries and China face aging populations, India’s substantial youth population, with around 500 million individuals under the age of 20, should serve as an additional driving force. However, despite India’s highly educated elite who excel academically, the majority of the population still lacks quality education. This situation poses a risk to India’s economic progress as unskilled and unemployed young people may hinder its development.

India has made progress in enhancing services for its impoverished population. The government has implemented digital initiatives that simplify banking access and the distribution of welfare payments. In terms of education, significant investments have been made in infrastructure. Previously, only a third of government schools had handwashing facilities, and electricity was available in only about half of them. However, these numbers have improved, with approximately 90% of government schools now equipped with both. Additionally, India has established close to 400 universities since 2014, resulting in a 20% increase in enrolment in higher education.

However, despite efforts to improve school infrastructure and increase enrolment, India is struggling to ensure that its students acquire essential skills. Prior to the pandemic, less than half of India’s ten-year-olds were able to read a simple story, even though they had spent several years attending school. In comparison, the literacy rate among ten-year-olds in America was 96%. The situation has worsened due to prolonged school closures lasting over two years.

There are various reasons for this situation. The overcrowded curriculum leaves insufficient time for teaching fundamental subjects like math and literacy. As a result, children who struggle with these basics often struggle to learn other subjects. Teachers are inadequately trained and lack proper supervision, as evidenced by a significant absence rate among staff in rural schools, according to a large-scale survey. Additionally, officials occasionally assign teachers unrelated tasks, such as conducting elections or enforcing social-distancing rules during the pandemic.

Due to these challenges, a significant number of families have opted to enroll their children in private schools, which educate approximately 50% of all Indian children. Although these private schools are cost-effective, they often do not deliver improved outcomes. There have been optimistic expectations that India’s technology industry could bring about an educational revolution. However, relying solely on technology for education poses risks. In recent weeks, Byju’s, India’s largest ed-tech firm that claims to educate over 150 million individuals globally and was previously valued at $22 billion, has experienced a significant decline in valuation due to financial difficulties and statutory issues.

It is increasingly crucial to address the issues in government schools, making it imperative for India to allocate more funds towards education. The previous year witnessed education outlays at a mere 2.9% of GDP, which falls below international benchmarks. Simultaneously, there is a need to revamp the education system by drawing inspiration from successful models in other developing Asian countries.

According to our findings, Vietnamese students have consistently outperformed their counterparts from wealthier nations in international exams for the past decade. Surprisingly, despite spending less time in formal classroom lessons, including homework and additional study, Vietnamese students excel. Furthermore, they also contend with larger class sizes. The key distinction lies in the better preparation, experience, and accountability of Vietnamese teachers, who face consequences if their students fail to meet expectations.

India can make progress by improving its education system, but this requires strong leadership. First, it should focus on accurately assessing students’ learning outcomes, which means politicians must stop disregarding data that doesn’t reflect well on their policies. Additionally, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party should refrain from removing concepts like evolution from textbooks or distorting historical facts to appease Hindu nativists. These distractions only hinder progress. While India is investing in infrastructure like roads, technology campuses, airports, and factories, it must also prioritize developing its human capital. (IPA Service)