It is proved that a country’s development is primarily based on its people and its resources.
Anika Kasat Student-Grade 11, Prometheus School, Noida
However, it ultimately depends on the people only as to what extent they can use the scarce resources efficiently in order to achieve a rapid rate of development and breakthroughs in innovation. As people play the most important role in shaping the status of the country, education is responsible for shaping a person. Therefore, education is the backbone of any country; it plays a crucial role in technological development and imparts various skills, values, and awareness. If a country has a higher literacy rate, it will lead to a lower unemployment rate and greater GDP growth. Today, countries face various issues, including terrorism, discrimination, global warming, poverty, and gender inequality. Proper education for everyone can eradicate these problems from its roots and would lead to a better country with higher standards of living. In the long term, education reaps greater benefits. Educated kids today will develop a very civilized and moral society tomorrow. The human mind has a great potential to achieve radical developments in society. To reap the benefits of the human mind, education is the most important step to work. It is an investment which is crucial for the development of every being. Education has the ability to transform a person and provide a perspective to see their lives from a different view. Education has always been a critical component in the economic development of a nation. In the same context, the Indian school system, with 265 million students, is one of the largest in the world. We have more than 9.8 million teachers working in over 1.48 million pre-primaries to Higher secondary level schools. Make no mistake. Key to economic progress is not restricted only to the numeric presence of educational possibilities but also the qualitative enhancement they offer. We, as a nation of 1.42 billion, should understand clocking up the numbers is just a start.
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Data Source: - Department of School Education &Literacy, Ministry of Education.
https://www.education.gov.in
India is a young country, Possibility is immense.
Perhaps realising this potential, our experts, while introducing India's first National Policy on Education (NPE) in 1968, have suggested investing 6% of our national income. Even the recently introduced National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP) advocated for public investment in education to 6% of GDP. Though the spending has increased in absolute terms over the years, it is still far from what has been recommended.
To meet the 6% of GDP criteria, the education budget for 2022-23 should have been almost double that of last year’s allocation. It is important to understand that a substantial portion of our education spends already funded by a 3% Education cess on payable income tax. It is being used to fund teaching and non-teaching staff salaries, mid-day meals, infrastructure, special schemes, and top educational institutions in the country. Then why do not we provision more from our financial budget?
Data Source: -https://data.worldbank.org/ & https://www.usnews.com
Yes, we are struggling. The rank of 32 for the 5th largest economy is very humiliating. While we have grown as an economy, our per capita income is much below our contemporaries. Implying most of our people will need external support to afford quality education.
While we have covered a lot of ground and have been doing reasonably well in terms of basic infra, i.e., Electricity, Toilet, Drinking water and availability of Library etc. All credit to the sustained efforts of the Government. We have travelled a long path. Unfortunately, this is not enough.
Data suggests there has been a steady decline in the number of operational schools. Educational Institutions do not have enough funds to recruit permanent teachers to fill vacant posts. Very little money is spent on teacher training. The result is poor learning outcomes. For years, children have been unable to read text or complete activities at their grade level. Placing the onus only on teachers for low learning outcomes is not fair.
The question is, are we doing enough to justify? Are the available resources adequate?
Data Source: - Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education.
https://www.education.gov.in
Way ahead.
Identify & eliminate the real cause of the drop in the number of schools. Hire an adequate number of teachers and staff in every school. Increase in spending on teachers ‘training. Qualitative pedagogy and best practices from top schools in the world should be introduced at early stages. We need to train the trainer and provide the required resources like a good laptop, internet connection, scientifically designed course content and a digitally advanced monitoring system.
NEP 2020 has emphasized on multiple initiatives that can positively revamp our current education system. To break ground, funds are needed at every level. The assigned budget may not be enough. The government will have to push towards the target of spending 6%, which has been suggested over the years. We have little choice. Increasing education spending is inevitable.
Nalanda was the oldest university system of education in the world. Students across the globe were fascinated by the Indian knowledge systems. Let us bring the glory back. It is not just an emotional appeal but a pressing priority for creating a successful future economy. No one can take education away from a person, it will always help and reap benefits. Parents should provide their children with the best possible education as an investment which will only benefit the whole of society in the future. Thus, education is the most important step in the development of a country, and everyone must promote it to the greatest levels.
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