In 2016, the United Nations published a report on global demographics where the Indian population stood at 1.3Bn, the second most populated country in the world. With a projected growth rate of 1.2%, India, by 2022 could surpass China and become the first major democracy in history to be home to over 1.5 Bn people. Currently, more than 60% of India’s population is below the age of 35 and by 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan.
As we edge closer to 2020, these numbers, facts and figures throw up a poignant question – are we prepared to face the enormity, the gravity of the situation? The challenge, of having to provide education, skills and gainful employment to a growing country, requires detailed planning, a precise approach and a backup counter approach. This brings us to the recently concluded Union Budget 2018.
Of the several distinct themes to foster a pro people and a pro poor agenda, health care seems to have weighed heavily on the government. However, the allocation seems to be insufficient and will find difficult to realise the goals set. Some importance is also laid out on rural population, infrastructure building, employment schemes, security, affordable housing and strengthening the digital economy for speed, accountability and transparency.
Like the Uruguayan novelist, Eduardo Galeano, once said, “I don’t believe in charity, I believe in solidarity. Charity is vertical, it’s humiliating. It goes from the top to the bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other and learns from the other”, no one expects charity in government schemes. There must be a self-sustaining thread that binds all its schemes.
Rural India has three important concerns today – all access is limited, resources are very few and far between but most importantly, the deep-seated ideas are difficult to shake or mould. In such situations, what matters most is education. It refines sensitivities and perceptions that contribute to independence of mind and spirit, deeply entrenching the values of socialism, secularism and democracy. It develops manpower for different levels of economy and is the substrate on which research and development flourish, being the ultimate guarantee of national self-reliance.
The budget allocation for education is, However, less than 4% higher than the revised budget estimate of the current year, of around 82,000 crores. Add inflation and you will find the current allocation even lower than the last year. Treating education holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class XII, is a debatable idea but if this leads to merger of several school schemes in the near future, that may not be a good idea. Integrating schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and teacher education must be done only if a gap analysis shows unfinished or undelivered agenda. Of the total education outlay, school education gets a lion share of Rs 50,000 crore and rest Rs 35,010 crore has gone to the higher education sector. With institutions growing in number and size, how this will suffice is not clear.
A great concept of revitalising education should not remain just a revitalising acronym like RISE that will be financed, via a restructured higher education financing agency (HEFA) that is functioning for the last two months as a non-banking financial company. It aims to lend low-cost funds to government, higher educational institutions. Right now, HEFA is looking to raise Rs 20,000 crore and Thursday’s announcement hikes this number to Rs1 trillion. A very ambitious proposition indeed, but could become a NPA if implemented without feasibility studies.
In the higher education space, the total budgetary allocation has been reduced for IITs—from Rs 8,244.8 crore to Rs 6,326 crore in 2018-19. There is a cut in the budget allocations to IIMs as well as the University Grants Commission. Despite its digital education push, Budget 2018 has cut fund allocation for e-learning from Rs 518 crore to Rs 456 crore in FY19. However, it has pegged an allocation of Rs 250 crore for the World Class Institutions plan which again is woefully inadequate.
Setting up more IIT’s or more IIM’s could have a telescopic effect on students migrating from rural colleges to those that are located in urban areas. Would these add more to vacancies in a system that is already accused of unplanned expansion is any educationist’s guess?
There are several roadblocks that could hamper progress. One such concern is the issue of underdeveloped infrastructure. Villages, with limited access to resources like good teachers, materials etc., growing poverty, child labour, early school dropouts and illiteracy are some of the most basic yet glaring issues. To counter this, adoption of new technology is the only solution. Skills and Skill education touted as the next big thing in the country that could reap demographic dividends seems to have been given a quiet burial. If this is so, we need a rethink.
Black board to Digital board is another concept that stands out in the budget. Digital technology can seamlessly transform even a small paddy field into a classroom, in less than few minutes. A digital Gurukul setup today could work wonders. Children in these new setups can easily learn while also supporting their families, thus help create a perfect work-life balance at an early age, and in order to create this wider channel of change, creating Wi-Fi belts in villages, using television, radio and computers as teaching aids while also assigning a bunch of tech enthusiasts to move around and set these up could definitely be a step towards success. Further, albeit GER at primary school level of more than 95, a lot is left uncovered in quality. Missing basic infrastructure in many government schools, a system of rote learning prevalent in even the best private schools has destroyed any innovation that can come from children. The flipside However, is, teaching should never be left out from the purview of a teacher, as character building and personality development are not digital outcomes.
Lifelong learning, virtual learning or blended/hybrid learning is transforming many a life today. Content available across the best of the Universities can be streamed both in online and offline mode. The Governments effort of developing SWAYAM platform, can certainly bridge a certain gap. All these efforts need appropriate finances.
I would have definitely liked to see schemes to encourage setting up institutes and societies on the Fraunhofer Model which earns about 70% of its income, through contracts with industry or specific government projects and the other 30% of the budget is sourced in the proportion 9:1 from state Land government grants and is used to support preparatory research. Thus the size of the society’s budget would depend largely on its success in maximizing revenue from commissions. This funding model applies not just to the central society itself but also to the individual institutes. This serves both to drive the realisation of the Fraunhofer Society’s strategic direction of becoming a leader in applied research as well as encouraging a flexible, autonomous and entrepreneurial approach to the society’s research priorities.
Opportunities that could have accrued by setting up Max Planck or Fraunhofer model institutes would have paved the way for integrated innovation and “Make in India” / “Start-up” India initiatives. A Make in India hub for productization that would promote massively new products in various sectors like the Defence, Railways, Agriculture and Infrastructure etc. could have been the star of the budget.
I would have personally liked to see more schemes to integrate Skills and Education in our Schools and Colleges, providing for multi-point entry and exit from the formal education system to the Vocational education system and job markets. Further, setting up a National Skills University to integrate all skills-based initiatives of the Government to optimise return on investments would have been an important initiative.
I believe that the government has to write the new chapter in India’s growth and future, by creating a sanctioned charter for the citizens, addressing their needs and carefully enforcing duties. To keep this momentum going, citizens also need to wholly participate in legitimate wealth creation and upholding their moral responsibilities. Budget is a legitimate vehicle in realising these goals.