22. Social justice Notes 05

Elaborate Notes

Framework of Education in India

Concept of Quality of Education

The concept of ‘Quality of Education’ transcends mere literacy and numeracy. It is a multidimensional concept that encompasses the development of cognitive, social, emotional, and ethical capacities of learners.

• UNESCO’s Definition: As outlined in the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Reports, quality education is one that ensures all learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to thrive in a sustainable society. It is defined by two key principles: cognitive development and the promotion of values of social cohesion and equity.
• Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach: The Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, in his work “Development as Freedom” (1999), views education as a fundamental ‘capability’. Quality education is not just about acquiring skills for employment but about expanding a person’s freedom to choose and live a life they value. It empowers individuals to participate effectively in social, political, and economic life.
• Indian Context (Kothari Commission, 1964-66): The Kothari Commission report, titled ‘Education and National Development’, was a landmark document that linked education directly to national progress. It emphasized that quality education should be “related to the life, needs and aspirations of the people and thereby make it a powerful instrument of social, economic and cultural transformation.”

Characteristics of Good Quality Education

A robust and effective education system is built upon several foundational pillars:

• Well-designed Curriculum: A quality curriculum must be relevant, flexible, and comprehensive. It should go beyond theoretical knowledge to include vocational skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. The Yash Pal Committee Report (1993), famously titled “Learning without Burden,” strongly advocated for a curriculum that is rooted in the child’s context and discourages rote memorization.
• Moral and Value-Based Education: Education must impart constitutional values, ethics, and a sense of social responsibility. This includes fostering respect for diversity, democratic principles, secularism, and gender equality, which are essential for creating a cohesive and just society.
• Effective Financing and Infrastructure: The Kothari Commission (1966) recommended allocating 6% of GDP to education, a target that India has consistently struggled to meet. Adequate funding is crucial for safe school buildings, libraries, laboratories, sanitation facilities, and digital infrastructure, as mandated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 norms.
• Safe and Secure Learning Environment: This encompasses physical safety from hazards, protection from corporal punishment, bullying, and any form of abuse or discrimination. The POCSO Act, 2012 and guidelines by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) provide legal frameworks to ensure child safety in schools.

Significance of Quality Education

• Human Development: Quality Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is critical for brain development, as highlighted by numerous neurological studies. It lays the foundation for future learning and holistic development.
• Economic Growth: Education enhances human capital. An educated workforce has higher productivity levels, leading to better employment opportunities, higher wages, and an improved standard of living. This creates a virtuous cycle of economic growth and poverty reduction.
• Health and Resilience: Education, particularly for girls, has a strong correlation with improved health outcomes, including lower maternal and infant mortality rates, better nutrition, and increased resilience to diseases. Educated individuals are more likely to make informed health choices.
• Reducing Inequality: Education is a powerful tool for social mobility. By providing equal opportunities, it can help break inter-generational cycles of poverty and disadvantage faced by marginalized communities like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women.
• Gender Sensitization: Quality education can challenge and transform patriarchal norms and stereotypes. It is instrumental in promoting gender equality, empowering women and girls, and fostering a society where all genders can participate equally.

Issues in the Indian Education System

School Education

• Inadequate Attention to Quality: While policy focus has been on enrolment (quantitative expansion), the quality of learning remains a challenge. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), conducted by the NGO Pratham, has consistently highlighted poor learning outcomes. For instance, ASER 2022 revealed that a significant percentage of Class V students in rural India could not read a Class II level text.
• Lacunae in Assessment: The assessment system is heavily skewed towards summative examinations that promote rote learning rather than conceptual understanding or critical thinking. This focus on grades fosters unhealthy competition and immense pressure on students.
• Lack of Infrastructure and Resources: Many schools, particularly in rural and remote areas, lack basic facilities like clean drinking water, functional toilets (especially for girls), electricity, libraries, and laboratories, which are mandated under the RTE Act, 2009.
• Corporal Punishment and Teacher Attitude: Despite being outlawed under Section 17 of the RTE Act, 2009, corporal punishment persists. Prejudiced attitudes of teachers based on caste, class, or gender can create a hostile learning environment and lead to high dropout rates among marginalized students.
• Lack of Accountability and Participation: There is limited participation from parents and the local community in the functioning of School Management Committees (SMCs), which were designed to be key institutions for accountability and governance at the school level.
• Absence of Comprehensive Education: Crucial aspects of holistic development like sex education, nutritional awareness, mental health, and adolescent education are often neglected or treated as extra-curricular, leading to information gaps among students.
• Dearth of Counsellors: There is a severe shortage of trained mental health professionals and career counsellors in schools. This is particularly concerning given the rising stress levels and mental health issues among students, as indicated by data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) on student suicides.
• The Digital Divide: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the stark digital divide in India. While online education offered a solution, it excluded a large number of students from poor and rural backgrounds who lacked access to stable internet and digital devices, thereby exacerbating educational inequality.

Higher Education

• Rural-Urban Divide: Premier higher education institutions (HEIs) are concentrated in urban centres, leaving rural students with limited access to quality education, perpetuating regional imbalances.
• Poor Employability: There is a significant mismatch between the skills imparted by HEIs and the requirements of the industry. The India Skills Report 2023 noted that only about 50.3% of Indian graduates were found to be employable, highlighting the lacunae in curriculum, pedagogy, and industry-academia linkages.
• Social Inequity: Despite reservation policies, access to premier institutions for students from marginalized sections remains a challenge due to socio-economic barriers, lack of quality school education, and subtle forms of discrimination within campuses.
• Low Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER): Although improving, India’s GER in higher education (28.4% in AISHE 2021-22) is lower than the global average and that of many developed and developing nations, indicating a large section of the eligible population is still out of higher education.
• Faculty Shortage and Quality: There is a chronic shortage of qualified faculty in HEIs across the country. Issues include ad-hoc appointments, low pay scales in many private institutions, and a lack of focus on continuous professional development for teachers.
• Sub-optimal Research Ecosystem: India’s investment in R&D is low (around 0.7% of GDP). The research ecosystem is plagued by inadequate funding, bureaucratic hurdles, a lack of quality research journals, and a culture that does not adequately incentivize innovation.
• Governance and Accountability: Many HEIs suffer from over-regulation by bodies like the UGC and AICTE, coupled with political interference, which stifles autonomy and innovation. Issues of transparency and accountability in administration are rampant.

Way Forward and Government Efforts

Key Educational Surveys

• All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE):
  • Conducted annually by the Ministry of Education as a Central Sector Scheme.
  • It is a web-based survey where institutions voluntarily upload their data onto a dedicated portal.
  • It covers all HEIs in the country, providing data on enrolment, faculty, infrastructure, etc.
  • Recent Findings (2021-22): GER in higher education increased to 28.4%. The Gender Parity Index (GPI) stood at 1.05, indicating more females are enrolled than males.
• Annual Status of Education Report (ASER):
  • A citizen-led, household-based survey conducted annually by the NGO Pratham.
  • It is unique as it assesses learning outcomes of children (aged 3-16) irrespective of whether they are in school or out of school.
  • Its focus is primarily on rural districts across India.
  • Recent Findings (2022): Basic reading ability of Class III students declined from 27.2% in 2018 to 20.5% in 2022. Basic arithmetic ability for the same class also fell. However, infrastructural indicators like the availability of drinking water and usable girls’ toilets in schools showed significant improvement. Gross enrolment remained high.

Way Forward for Education System

• Pedagogical Reforms: Shift from rote learning to competency-based education. Implement engaging, interactive, and technology-driven pedagogy. Teacher training must be continuous and focus on modern teaching methods.
• Mother Tongue Instruction: As emphasized by NEP 2020, instruction in the mother tongue or local language at the foundational stage improves comprehension and learning outcomes.
• Hybrid Learning: Judiciously blend offline and online modes of education to leverage the benefits of technology while ensuring equity and social interaction.
• Investment and Resources: Strive to achieve the target of public investment in education at 6% of GDP, as envisioned by the Kothari Commission (1966) and reiterated by NEP 2020.
• Accreditation and Governance: Strengthen and expand the capacity of accreditation bodies like NAAC and NBA. Introduce performance-based funding for HEIs.
• Eligibility Enrolment Ratio (EER): This concept, proposed by scholars, suggests focusing on the enrolment of those who are eligible for higher education (i.e., have completed secondary schooling), providing a more accurate measure of access and transition rates than the overall GER.

National Education Policy, 2020

NEP 2020 is the first education policy of the 21st century, replacing the 34-year-old National Policy on Education, 1986. It aims for a comprehensive overhaul of the education sector.

• Key Provisions:

  • School Education Restructuring: Replaces the 10+2 structure with a 5+3+3+4 curricular structure corresponding to ages 3-8, 8-11, 11-14, and 14-18 years respectively. This brings the crucial early years (ages 3-6) under the formal schooling framework.
  • Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN): Establishes a National Mission on FLN to ensure every child achieves basic literacy and numeracy by Grade 3.
  • Medium of Instruction: Emphasizes instruction in the mother tongue/local language until at least Grade 5, preferably till Grade 8.
  • Higher Education Governance: Proposes the creation of a single overarching regulator, the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), with four independent verticals for regulation, accreditation, funding, and academic standard-setting.
  • Curriculum Flexibility: Introduces a multi-disciplinary and flexible curriculum in higher education with multiple entry and exit points and an Academic Bank of Credit.
  • Internationalization: Facilitates the entry of top-ranked foreign universities to operate in India.
  • Equity and Inclusion: Aims to ensure equitable access through measures like a Gender Inclusion Fund and Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions.
  • Promoting Indian Languages: Emphasizes the promotion of Indian languages, arts, and culture.

• Challenges in Implementation:

  • Fear of Privatization: Critics argue that provisions encouraging private philanthropy and autonomy could lead to increased commercialization and make education unaffordable.
  • Legislative Coherence: There is a lack of clarity on how NEP 2020 will align with the existing Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which only covers ages 6-14. NEP’s vision extends from age 3 to 18, requiring amendments to the RTE Act.
  • Federalism Concerns: Since education is a Concurrent Subject, the successful implementation of NEP requires consensus and active cooperation from state governments, which may have their own priorities and concerns.
  • Implementation Hurdles: Past failures, such as the rollback of the 4-year undergraduate program by the University of Delhi a few years ago, highlight the practical challenges in implementing major structural reforms.

Private Sector Participation in Education

The role of the private sector in education is a subject of intense debate.

• Rationale: Proponents argue that private participation can bring in fresh investment, innovation in pedagogy, and competition, thereby improving quality and choice. Collaboration between industry and academia can enhance curriculum relevance and employability.

• Challenges:

  • Marginalization and Equity: Unregulated privatization often leads to high fees, making quality education inaccessible for the poor and marginalized, thus deepening social inequalities.
  • Inefficient Regulation: The regulatory framework for private schools and colleges is often weak, leading to issues of commercialization, exploitation of teachers, and dilution of standards.
  • Issue of Black Money: The education sector, particularly with capitation fees in professional colleges, has been associated with the circulation of unaccounted money.

• Way Forward: A robust policy is needed that encourages genuine philanthropic investment while establishing a strong, transparent regulatory environment to ensure quality, equity, and affordability. Establishing dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) cells can channel corporate funds effectively toward educational initiatives.

EdTech (Education Technology)

EdTech refers to the use of technology to facilitate and enhance learning processes.

• Growth Drivers: The EdTech industry in India has witnessed explosive growth, driven by increasing internet penetration, affordable data, and a large student population. It promises personalized learning, reduced costs, and improved accessibility.
• Need for Regulation: The rapid, unregulated growth of the EdTech sector has raised several concerns:
  • Cyber Threats and Data Privacy: The collection of vast amounts of student data poses significant privacy risks, and cybersecurity measures are often inadequate.
  • Exacerbating Inequality: It can worsen the digital divide and restrict the development of crucial social and interpersonal skills that are learned in a physical classroom.
  • Biased Content and Predatory Practices: There are concerns about the quality and neutrality of content, as well as predatory marketing practices targeting vulnerable parents. The Government of India issued an advisory in 2021 cautioning against misleading advertisements and auto-debit features used by some EdTech companies.

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Prelims Pointers

• Kothari Commission (1964-66): Recommended public expenditure on education to be 6% of the GDP.
• Yash Pal Committee (1993): Known for its report “Learning Without Burden,” which criticized rote learning.
• Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009: Makes education a fundamental right for children aged 6 to 14 years under Article 21-A of the Constitution.
• All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE):
  • Conducted by: Ministry of Education.
  • Frequency: Annual.
  • Nature: A voluntary, web-based survey.
  • It is a Central Sector Scheme.
  • Key finding (2021-22): GER in higher education is 28.4%; Gender Parity Index (GPI) is 1.05.
• Annual Status of Education Report (ASER):
  • Conducted by: NGO Pratham.
  • Nature: Citizen-led, household-based survey.
  • Scope: Focuses on rural India.
  • It assesses learning outcomes of children (in school and out of school) aged 3-16.
• National Education Policy (NEP), 2020:
  1. Replaces the National Policy on Education, 1986.
  2. Proposes a new school structure: 5+3+3+4.
  3. Aims to create a single regulator for higher education (excluding medical and legal): Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).
  4. Sets a target of public spending on education at 6% of GDP.
  5. Focuses on mother tongue/local language as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5.
• Education as a Subject: Education was moved from the State List to the Concurrent List by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1976.
• EdTech Industry: India’s EdTech market is projected to be one of the largest in the world.

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Mains Insights

The Perennial Debate: Access vs. Quality

• Cause-Effect Relationship: For decades, India’s primary policy thrust (e.g., Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan) was on increasing enrolment and ensuring universal access. This led to a significant increase in GER at the primary level but often at the cost of quality. Overcrowded classrooms, lack of trained teachers, and inadequate infrastructure led to poor learning outcomes, as consistently highlighted by ASER reports. The challenge now is to shift focus from mere schooling to actual learning.
• Historiographical Viewpoint: The ‘access-first’ approach was rooted in the post-independence goal of nation-building and literacy for all. However, contemporary discourse, influenced by global benchmarks like SDG-4 (Quality Education), argues that access without quality is a hollow achievement and fails to build genuine human capital. NEP 2020 marks a significant policy pivot towards prioritizing foundational learning and quality.

NEP 2020: A Transformative Vision or an Implementation Quagmire?

• Analytical Perspective:
  1. Strength (Vision): NEP 2020 is lauded for its holistic and multi-disciplinary vision, its focus on early childhood education, and its attempt to de-silo the education system. The creation of HECI could reduce regulatory cholesterol.
  2. Weakness (Implementation): The policy’s success is contingent on massive financial investment (6% of GDP), which remains an elusive target. Furthermore, its implementation requires strong Centre-State coordination, a potential friction point in India’s federal structure. The ‘how’ of implementing complex reforms like the Academic Bank of Credit and multiple entry-exit systems across a diverse and vast higher education landscape remains a formidable challenge.
  3. Debate (Language Policy): The emphasis on mother tongue instruction is pedagogically sound but politically contentious. It has raised concerns about national integration and the mobility of students and professionals across states, reigniting the three-language formula debate.

Privatization in Education: A Necessary Evil or a Detriment to Equity?

• Cause-Effect Relationship: The inability of the public sector to meet the burgeoning demand for education, especially in the higher and professional spheres, created a vacuum that the private sector filled. While this expanded access, the profit motive often overshadowed educational goals.
• Divergent Viewpoints:
  • Pro-Privatization: Argues that private institutions bring efficiency, innovation, and much-needed capital. They offer choice to consumers and can be more responsive to market demands (e.g., industry-relevant courses).
  • Anti-Privatization: Contends that education is a public good, not a commodity. Privatization leads to the commercialization and commodification of education, making it inaccessible to the poor and reinforcing existing social hierarchies. It shifts the focus from pedagogy to profitability.
• Way Forward Analysis: The optimal path lies not in choosing between public and private but in creating a robust regulatory framework (as envisioned partially in NEP 2020) that allows private players to operate while ensuring they adhere to norms of quality, equity, and transparency.

EdTech: The Great Equalizer or the New Divider?

• Analytical Perspective: EdTech holds immense potential to democratize education by taking quality content to remote areas. However, its effectiveness is predicated on access to digital infrastructure (devices, internet), digital literacy, and supportive home environments.
• Cause-Effect Relationship: The unregulated and rapid rise of EdTech during the pandemic has amplified the ‘digital divide’. Students from affluent, urban backgrounds with digital access benefited, while those from poor, rural backgrounds were left behind, leading to a ‘learning gap’. This digital divide is no longer just about access to devices but also about the quality of access and the ability to use technology effectively, creating a new axis of inequality.
• Ethical Dimension (GS Paper IV): The EdTech boom raises ethical questions about data privacy of minors, the psychological impact of increased screen time, predatory marketing targeting aspirational parents, and the long-term impact on the social and emotional development of children who miss out on peer interaction in a physical classroom environment. Regulation must address these ethical dimensions, not just the economic ones.