Economic Survey on Education and Skilling
Context:
The Economic Survey emphasized the need to implement the New Education Policy (NEP) to achieve learning outcomes and align them with skilling outcomes to enhance the job prospects of India’s youth.
Relevance:
GS-2 (Education, and Employment)
Prelims:
- New Education Policy (NEP)
- Academic Bank of Credits (ABC)
- Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR)
Key Highlights:
Employment and Education:
- The Chief Economic Adviser, V. Anantha Nageswaran, stated that only 51% of India’s graduates are employable.
- The Survey highlights the need to synchronize learning outcomes with skilling outcomes to leverage the young workforce, whose median age is 28.
New Education Policy (NEP) 2020:
- NEP 2020 aims to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy for every child by the third standard.
- The Survey stresses the urgency of improving learning outcomes and addressing the learning loss induced by COVID-19.
Skilling Perception:
- Skilling is often incorrectly perceived as relevant only to dropouts and academically underperforming students. Changing this perception is crucial to boosting employability.
Learning Gaps:
- The Survey notes a significant gap between class standards and learning levels, which has widened since COVID-19.
- Compared to the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2017, student performance dropped significantly in NAS 2021, with notable declines in mathematics, science, social science, language, and environmental studies scores.
Expenditure on Education:
- In the financial year 2023-24, total expenditure on education was ₹60,000 crore lower than Budget estimates, with rural development and education taking the brunt.
- Overall, the total Central expenditure on education has been hovering at 2.8% of GDP over the years, with a slight dip last year.
Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) and APAAR:
- As of July 2024, 2,037 higher education institutions have onboarded the Academic Bank of Credits.
- 30.13 crore APAAR IDs have been created for higher and school education and skill institutes to boost mobility across institutions.
Significance:
- Boosting Employability: Aligning learning and skilling outcomes is vital for enhancing the employability of graduates, addressing the current low employability rate.
- Addressing Learning Loss: The focus on foundational literacy and numeracy and improving learning outcomes is critical, especially in the context of COVID-induced learning losses.
- Changing Perceptions of Skilling: Redefining skilling as relevant for all students, not just dropouts or underperformers, is essential for a more employable and versatile workforce.
- Educational Investments: Addressing the gap between budget estimates and actual expenditure on education is crucial for sustaining educational reforms and improvements.
Way Forward:
- Implement NEP 2020 Effectively: Ensure comprehensive implementation of NEP 2020 to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy and enhance overall learning outcomes.
- Close Learning Gaps: Develop targeted interventions to address the learning gaps highlighted by the National Achievement Surveys, focusing on subjects with significant declines.
- Promote Skilling for All: Initiate campaigns to change the perception of skilling and promote it as an essential component of education for all students.
- Increase Educational Expenditure: Ensure that educational expenditure meets budget estimates and focus on increasing the overall percentage of GDP allocated to education.
- Leverage Technology: Utilize platforms like the Academic Bank of Credits and APAAR to enhance mobility, flexibility, and access to education and skilling opportunities across institutions.
