Union Budget 2022: Education's role in a country's destiny

How does a nation prosper? What pillars should be put in place and nourished for it to be on its way to join the league of successful societies? Focus on health, infrastructure and education come to mind, which together can deliver on any metrics of a country that is concerned about its citizens and can compete in the global marketplace. While not all education can directly be linked to employability, it must be intrinsically connected with the intellectual growth of the individual attending the modules, or the classes, at any level. This seems to be the norm in any developing society aiming to achieve equity for its citizens. However, the ongoing pandemic has thrown the metrics and parameters out of balance for almost all countries in the world.

In the Budget announced on February 1, the Union government has allotted Rs 1.04 lakh crore for education in 2022-23, an increase of 11 per cent from the previous year. This seems like a welcome move, but as they say, the details perpetually give away the intent and the probable impact.

The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) reported in its 2021 analysis that 19.4 per cent of graduates in India were unemployed. This number decreases to 10.3 per cent among those having passed 10th or 12th grades and to 1.5 per cent for those having studied up to 5th or 6th grades. The skilled population in the country is facing higher unemployment as they would perhaps be unwilling to fry fritters or work for low paying jobs. It's a strange conundrum to be faced by any society – the employability of Indians has decreased by the level of education they have achieved. It is futile to add that the trend is usually the reverse of what is being witnessed in India, but I am no economist, and what do I know. Twenty-four per cent of those employed in India are not literate. They are also the least paid owing to the jobs they occupy. Only about 12 per cent of those employed are graduates.

The question remains how does the new Budget prepare the citizens for a more prosperous future? Maybe an investment in sustained education followed up with public-private partnership which allows for increased employability of those graduating from India's 4,000+ universities. The Indian government's emphasis seems to be on digital learning, which is apparent in the reduction of allotment towards teacher training and adult education from Rs 250 crore in 2021-22 to Rs. 127 crore in 2022-23. It is imperative that in view of the current setbacks in education due to the pandemic, the teachers need to be re-skilled to impart knowledge in the best way possible. While all levels of students have undergone obstacles in the past two years, those at the primary level have suffered the most.

The finance minister announced that the number of education-focused television channels catering to classes 1-12 will be increased from 12 to 200. The details on how this will be done are unclear, and more information is awaited. This also comes with the assumption that those left behind have access to a television set. Typically, a poor household purchases a television set after its basic needs like food and clothing have been met. While the impetus on digital learning is in keeping with the times, the overall allocation for the digital India e-learning programme has been lowered to Rs 421.01 crore from Rs 645.61 crores in 2021-22. Did the government not consider the existing digital divide that already exists in India? Further, the outlay for research and innovation has been decreased from Rs 237.40 crore to Rs 218.66 crore.

One of the biggest incentives for the poor for attending schools is the mid-day meal scheme, now renamed the PM Poshan mission. However, going forward, this will be less of an incentive as the allocation for this widely successful welfare measure has been reduced from the earlier Rs 11,500 crore to Rs 10,233.75 crore this financial year. It begs the question: Whether the government's decision assumes that the students will never return to their schools? The UNESCO predicts about 12 per cent of the students globally will not return to their schools after the pandemic is finally over.

These measures reveal the seriousness of the government when it comes to the future of its citizens and what premium is it willing to pay to set them on a path to success. Talking about the glorious past that a country may have had will not propel it forward. Only a sustained investment in education, a thoughtful roadmap, and inspired leadership will take it to newer heights. The efforts must be made ground up by linking education with employment opportunities. Maybe the corporates, who continue to receive tax rebates, could help the government with that aspect. Else, the demographic dividend which the Indian politicians have talked about for the past few decades will peter out, more sooner than later. They need to realize that the future growth of a country is intrinsically linked to the education of its masses. If not led to their natural destinations, the youth can also change the course of a nation's history by taking things into their hands. We sure hope they feel empowered enough to lead India to a better tomorrow.

(The author was a Chief of Communications with the United Nations in New York, where he worked for more than a decade.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.