Posted by Ninad on August 16, 2010 under All Posts | 
The latest figures are staggering – 220 million children start schooling in Grade 1 across India. Roughly 80 per cent drop out by the time they reach class 10 and finally, only around 14 million reach college — that is an embarrassing 6 per cent!
So, how can we increase this to at least 30 per cent?
At a recent event in Mumbai, Union HRD Minister urged educational institutions in India and abroad to enter into collaborations in order to ensure that Indian students get access to quality education.
He spoke of the need for India to grow along the lines of the 3 Ss — science, solutions and sustainability. He emphasised that sustainability, which is critical for the development of the entire country can be achieved only through collaborations.
In India, there are a few Institutes which have already collaborated with foreign universities. However, given the sheer gap between the demand for good quality education and supply, there is a greater potential for partnerships across various streams.
Such partnerships can bring the expertise of foreign universities — in terms of courseware, academic inputs, training to Indian teachers etc. Foreign universities will be keen to enter the Indian education market. However, they will definitely evaluate all options before they engage into a partnership.
Eventually, if such partnerships fructify, it can only benefit the Indian student and hopefully, the present number of 14 million will start creeping upwards!
The latest figures are staggering – 220 million children start schooling in Grade 1 across India. Roughly 80 per cent drop out by the time they reach class 10 and finally, only around 14 million reach college — that is an embarrassing 6 per cent!
So, how can we increase this to at least 30 per cent?
At a recent event in Mumbai, Union HRD Minister urged educational institutions in India and abroad to enter into collaborations in order to ensure that Indian students get access to quality education.
He spoke of the need for India to grow along the lines of the 3 Ss — science, solutions and sustainability. He emphasised that sustainability, which is critical for the development of the entire country can be achieved only through collaborations.
In India, there are a few Institutes which have already collaborated with foreign universities. However, given the sheer gap between the demand for good quality education and supply, there is a greater potential for partnerships across various streams.
Such partnerships can bring the expertise of foreign universities — in terms of courseware, academic inputs, training to Indian teachers etc. Foreign universities will be keen to enter the Indian education market. However, they will definitely evaluate all options before they engage into a partnership.
Eventually, if such partnerships fructify, it can only benefit the Indian student and hopefully, the present number of 14 million will start creeping upwards!
Posted by Ninad on May 10, 2010 under All Posts |
Here are some statistics from IDFC-SSKI research report on Indian Education (2009).
- Government spends $ 30 billion on education every year
- Citizens spend additionally $ 50 billion on private education
- K-12 segment is worth $ 20 billion
So, do you want to start a school in India?
A school is a capital intensive business. In a city like Delhi or Mumbai, setting up a school for 1000 children on a 2 acre plot could cost anywhere between Rs. 15-20 crores.
In India, schools can be owned only by a not-for-profit trust or society or government.
Government has over 1 million schools and effectively runs the largest number of schools in the country.
There are a total of 75,000 private schools in India. Only a handful like the Delhi Public School (DPS) has more than 100 locations.
Given these intricacies, how are education entrepreneurs setting up schools?
They simply set up two legal structures. A company owns all the assets of the school and leases it to the trust for a fee. The trust runs the school and books all the expenses.
There are a plethora of new schools which have come up especially in the B and C class cities, where the cost dynamics are more favourable.
Given the big demand for good quality school education, new schools with spiffy facilities are bound to come up with this dual legal structure. Ultimately, this will mean a better choice to parents and their kids.
Posted by Ninad on May 3, 2010 under All Posts |
Currently, around 14 million students attend college. However, given the robust annual growth of GDP of more than 9 per cent, it is estimated that India will need to send 22 million students to college in the year 2014.
Mr. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for HRD has mentioned that he wants to send 30 per cent of India’s college-going-age kids to college. This would mean 30 million more students going to colleges.
India presently has around 350 universities and the National Knowledge Commission has stated that India needs around 1,500 universities.
In 2008, it is estimated that India had around 340 million people in the age group of 25-50 year olds who did not have a college degree. This is expected to rise to 380 million by the year 2014.
Setting up a good quality university is highly capital intensive and time consuming. Although foreign universities are likely to be allowed to come to India; at best, they will meet a fraction of this demand.
So, what is the future of those students who seek a good quality college degree and are unable to get it?
The yawning gap between demand and supply will ensure that aspirants for prestigious institutions like IIT and IIM will be on the rise for many years to come.
If this huge gap is to be met, shouldn’t the government look at changing its model and allowing for-profit institutions in the education sector?
Posted by Ninad on April 26, 2010 under All Posts |
With the Right to Education becoming a fundamental right, a question asked by many educationist is — How much will it cost the government to implement? And, where will it get all the money?
It has been estimated that the government will require around Rs. 171,000 crores over the next five years.
The Thirteenth Finance Commission has provided for Rs. 25,000 crores to the States over five years for implementation of Right to Education. This is over and above allocations for centrally sponsored schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, teacher education and the mid-day meal scheme, which is the largest of its kind in the world.
For the current year, the allocation is Rs. 15,000 crores and the centre will bear upto 55 per cent of this.
Already, many State governments have raised a hue and cry over this stating that they do not have money to implement and comply with the Right to Education. They have asked the Central government to provide more funds.
The Prime Minister and the Minister for HRD have clearly stated that money constraints will not derail Right to Education. This clearly shows intent on the part of the government.
However, there is still a yawning gap. Who will fill it?
Posted by Ninad on April 19, 2010 under All Posts |
With the Right to Education Act, demand for teachers in primary schools will increase dramatically.
It is estimated that around 510,000 additional teachers are required within the next couple of years.
In addition to this, there are around 120,000 primary schools in the country with only one teacher. If we need to merely add one more teacher in each of these schools to improve the learning experience, there will an additional demand for 120,000 teachers.
Where will these schools get so many teachers?
Also, the shortfall for teachers is higher in the rural sector. So, how will schools in the rural sector get so many teachers?
Over the past so many years, the teaching profession has not managed to attract the best of talent partly due to poor pay and also due to poor working conditions.
Due to the huge demand for teachers, it is possible that the compensation levels of teachers may go up, especially in private schools. Schools in cities are witnessing this phenomenon where the salaries for teachers are rising every year and schools are faced with attrition.
Many school managements complain that the teacher training imparted to teachers is woefully inadequate and the schools need to re-train the qualified teachers.
Hence, along with setting up large number of schools, government needs to push the agenda on setting up a large number of teacher training colleges. Indeed, the government should push for a PPP model in teacher training – lest we face a scenario of schools sans teachers!
Posted by Ninad on April 12, 2010 under All Posts |
Mark Twain has popularized this term “Lies, damned lies and statistics”.
With the right to education at primary level becoming a fundamental right, it is interesting to see some statistics connected to primary education in India (source: HRD Ministry). So, read on…
- Total number of children in 6-14 age group in India eligible for primary education: 19 million
- Number of children in the 6-14 age group who do not go to school: 8 million
- Drop out ratios:
- 25% by class V
- 50% by class VIII
- Number of primary schools in India with only one teacher: 120,000
These are staggering numbers. Around 40 per cent of eligible children (8 m) do not go to school.
Here are some more statistics (source: 2008-09 District Information System for Education) of the survey of 1.29 million government and private schools.
- Over 60 per cent did not have electricity
- 46.4 per cent did not have toilets for girls
- 50 per cent did not have boundary walls to ensure safety for students.
So, will the Right to Education change all this?
The gap is so huge that no amount of legislation can change this scenario in a short span of time. It will require consistent commitment from the government and citizens to increase the access and quality of primary education.
Because of the Right to Education law, more funds will certainly get allocated to schools and it will help in raising the capacity.
Posted by Ninad on April 5, 2010 under All Posts |
It’s been a long wait. Nine years!
The Constitution was amended nine years back to make education a fundamental right. On 1st April, 2010, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act became a law. India has now joined a few countries like Chile and Bangladesh which ensure compulsory education.
“I am what I am today because of education” – this is what Dr, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India stated in his address to the nation – an unprecedented gesture.
Undoubtedly, it is a historic moment.
However, there are a lot of doubts on how it will be implemented.
Where are the teachers? Despite the bravado, how will the government fund a total spend of Rs. 171,000 crores (approx. USD) 38 bn? Why cover private unaided schools with an obligation of 25 per cent reservation for the underprivileged?
There are many such questions.
However, there is no doubt that education is now in the forefront of the national agenda. There is a law to back it and the Prime Minister himself had addressed the nation on this issue.
If not anything else, this visibility will ensure that Education now takes its rightful centre-stage in all policy decision-making.
Posted by Ninad on March 22, 2010 under All Posts |
15th March, 2010 is a historic day for the Education industry in India.
India’s cabinet approved a proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India and offer degrees. The Parliament has to still approve the Bill before it becomes a law, and given the fact that many politicians run Higher Educational Institutions in India, the Bill may face some opposition.
This Bill has been in cold storage for many years now and Kapil Sabil deserves kudos for pushing forward this Bill.
So, what does the Bill really contain?
- Foreign Universities can now set up a campus in India and provide degrees to students in India
- Foreign University will need to deposit Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) as corpus fund and cannot take back the surplus generated from education activities in the country.
- Each institute will have to be registered with the university Grants Commission or any regulatory body in place at the time of registration.
- The bill has a provision under which the government can reject an application of a university if it feels that venture will have an adverse impact on national security.
- The proposed law sets out rules and regulations that foreign educational institutions would have to follow before opening in India. The process would take at least eight months.
More than 160,000 students travel abroad for higher education ever year and the Minister hopes that this number will reduce as foreign universities start operations in India. More than 30 per cent of India’s 1.1 billion people are estimated to be under 14 and it is a large market for graduate courses.
Presently, several foreign universities are already offering courses in India through partnerships with Indian institutions, but they are not allowed to grant foreign degrees.
Kapil Sibal has been quoted as saying — “A revolution larger than the one in the telecom sector awaits the education sector.”
Will this revolution really happen?
I believe it can – IF there is transparency in the entire regulation process.
Posted by Ninad on March 2, 2010 under All Posts |
The Finance Minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, made his Budget speech in the Parliament today – 26th February, 2010.
Most of the corporate world had very low expectations from the Budget. However, the education sector was expected to receive a strong boost in this Budget. Unfortunately, that did not happen.
It was refreshing to see “Education” being mentioned in the Budget speech a couple of times. I have been following the Budget speeches for many years now and I have never heard Education being mentioned so often in the Budget speech.
Also, in the initial portion of the speech, the Finance Minister mentioned about government being an enabler. I thought that this was a precursor to a substantial announcement on a PPP model for the Education sector. Alas, that did not happen.
The only real substantial announcement for the Education sector was the increase in outlay for school education from Rs. 26,000 crores to Rs. 31,000 crores.
Is this increase of Rs. 5000 crores good? Yes. Is it good enough? Certainly not!
Other than this, there is nothing in the Budget for the Education sector.
There is a special mention in the Budget for the infrastructure sector, which has received a whooping Rs. 173,000 crores. Compare this to the spend on Education sector – it is really inadequate.
So, what could have been done? A lot – here are some thoughts:
- Education sector could have been declared as an Infrastructure sector. Ultimately, it is social infrastructure or soft infrastructure.
- A better framework is required for educational loans to needy students. We need to move from the collateral based education loan system to a government guaranteed loan system prevalent in the US, where more than 80 per cent of the loans are given on this basis.
- Implementation of the Right to Education Act requires massive funding, which should be addressed.
- Weaker sections of society need more inclusive support in terms of bridging the skill gaps required to seek admission in higher learning institutions.
- Higher education also needs a massive dose of funding.
- PPP model for education needs to be spelt out as a clear policy objective.
There is a lot more that can be done. Hopefully, we don’t need to wait till the next Budget to see some of these initiatives being implemented by the government.
Posted by Ninad on December 21, 2009 under All Posts |
Enrollment in primary school has shot up to nearly 95 per cent level in recent years, due to a massive effort by the government, NGOs and other initiatives. However, there is a big bottleneck in the secondary education as enrollment drops to 50 per cent in grade 9 and 10.
Enrollment for girl student is particularly poor at the secondary level and drop outs of girls rise significantly due to distance, safety and lack of sanitation.
For the primary level, government has launched Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBV). This is a residential school which caters primarily to girls who are first generation learners from disadvantaged castes. These schools provide free teaching, lodging and boarding until class 8. It is part of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the Central government’s program which aims at ensuring that all children between 6 and 14 years enter primary school.
The government has recently launched a sponsored scheme for secondary education – Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), which aims at setting up a mass secondary education structure. If the girls’ hostel scheme is extended beyond class 8 and if RMSA is successfully implemented, it could make a huge impact on secondary education in India.
Here are some facts on secondary education in India:
- Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) for secondary education at 40 per cent is lower than 70 per cent in East Asia and 82 per cent in Latin America. It varies widely between States: Kerala (92 %), Bihar (22%), Jharkand (4%).
- 40 million children were enrolled in secondary education in 2008. Majority of them were boys from urban areas with privileged background
- 37 per cent of secondary students fail and 11 per cent dropout before the exam.
- There are 3 National Boards and 34 State and Union Territory Boards, with their own curriculum.
- 60 per cent of the secondary school system is privately managed
There is enough evidence to prove the importance of secondary education, particularly for girls, in bringing about social and economic change at the grass root level.
As Sam Carlson of the World Bank has commented:
“Secondary Education is vital for breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and provides hugely beneficial social impacts… It is a very high return on investment”
