It is time to go back to school

It has long and probably rightly been argued that the literacy levels of a nation are a measure of its commitment to social justice and upliftment. This is particularly true for a developing country and even more so for a country like India, with a hugely diverse social content and with a population with 35% illiterates. Coupled with the fact that over 70% of its huge population still lives on less than 2 dollars a day, education poses to be of the utmost importance. And while it may not be the panacea to all the ills plaguing India, it is certainly the single most significant building block in the destiny of the country.

When the Kothari Commission recommended a proposed outlay of 6% of the nation’s GDP earmarked for education way back in the 1960s, it seemed that the country had its heart in the right place when it came to improving education; ground realities, however, have a different story to tell. Actual public spending on this sector never went above 4%. In recent years it has declined to less than 3%. Even as a proportion of the total government expenditure, there has been a decline. Today, India ranks amongst the lowest even among developing nations when it comes to public spending on both primary and higher education per student. Clearly, the finance minister has promises to keep when he opens his briefcase on the 26th of this month.

What is also important is to note that there is something fundamentally missing in our education system. The quality of education be it science or the arts has been rapidly declining. Our current system of education is producing classes of individuals who are very good at database kind of knowledge. As a result, we end up as mere suppliers of manpower to developed countries instead of being technology leaders. While this brings prosperity in the short term, it may not be the most sustainable ways for us to grow. We boast of world class educational institutes but we are among the least innovative countries. Our gross domestic expenditure on research and development is less than 1% of our GDP. This is much below developed economies like Japan and the US and our rival and neighbor China’s which is close to 2%. Spending on R&D must be given adequate attention if we are to build a sustainable success story.

Another factor could be the inadequate base of our education system-the primary and the high school levels. It is these that should be the key thrust areas. The foundations must be built strong for any skyscraper to survive the vagaries of time. It has become imperative to improve the quality and the standards of primary education in government schools. Initiatives like the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Mid Day Meal program are laudable but for the sad reality that there are implementation issues with these schemes. A study of 188 government-run primary schools in central and northern India revealed that 59% of the schools had no drinking water facility and 89% no toilets. About half of the elementary school teachers have themselves not studied beyond the higher secondary level. The government needs to better the utilization of its funds earmarked for education and improve the commitment and accountability towards it. The leaks must be plugged to make the system efficient.

We owe it to our future generations to give them a literate country. It is through education that we can empower the people and unleash the tremendous potential of the country. It is time something as important as education is given its fair share. It is time to go back to the schools.