 "Increased education budget led to rise in enrolment rates: Economic Survey")
The 2023-24 Economic Survey released on Monday revealed that while expenditure on education in India has increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4 per cent from FY18 to FY24, student performance has not kept pace, showing a decline for students in Classes 3 and 10.
This comes as the government has reported an increase in higher education institution enrolment among scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST), and other backward classes (OBC), along with providing basic facilities such as toilets, hand wash facilities, and medical checkups, according to the survey.
The survey states that measures such as the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) have helped develop a new education and learning system that is in line with the inspirational goals of the 21st century.
Decline in student performance
Assessments such as the National Achievement Survey (NAS) have highlighted critical gaps in student learning, with a significant decrease observed from NAS 2017 to NAS 2021.
“Among the most concerning are a 13.4 per cent drop in Class 10 Mathematics scores and a 9.1 per cent decrease in Social Science, along with declines in foundational literacy and mathematics among Class 3 students,” the Economic Survey said.
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The Economic Survey states that the government aims to combat these educational challenges through the NEP 2020 by ensuring that all learners aged 3 to 18 have access to high-quality education rooted in Indian culture and addressing performance gaps that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Implementing ECCE, strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy, experiential learning, multilingual education, focusing on interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches, and holistic assessment are some of the major recommendations of the NEP 2020,” the survey stated.
Rising equality in higher education institutes
The survey states a rise in enrolment in higher education has been witnessed between FY15 and FY22, driven by underprivileged sections such as SC, ST, and OBC.
While enrolment rates among SCs increased from 46.1 lakh students in FY15 to 66.2 lakh in FY22, STs saw an increased intake to 27.1 lakh enrolments in FY22, up from 16.4 lakh in FY15.
Similarly, enrolments among OBCs increased from 1.13 crore in FY15 to 1.63 crore in FY22.
The survey also states that female enrolment saw faster growth across all sections between FY15 and FY22.
While female enrolment in higher education increased by 31.6 per cent between FY15 and FY22, the rate of increase in SC, ST, and OBC females between FY15 and FY22 was 51 per cent, 80.2 per cent, and 49.3 per cent respectively.
“The growing equity in higher education implies better employment opportunities for the hitherto backward sections,” the survey said.
Progress in school infrastructure
The survey pointed out that basic facilities in government schools such as separate toilets for boys and girls, hand wash facilities, and medical checkups continued to improve in FY23 over earlier years.
Toilets (girls or boys), drinking water, and hand-washing facilities are now available in most government schools, with 97 per cent of all schools having a girl’s toilet and 95.6 per cent of schools having a boy’s toilet.
Similarly, hand wash facilities were available in 94.1 per cent of government schools in FY23, compared to 36.3 per cent in FY13.
“Priority to drinking water and sanitation in schools under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme and the Swachh Bharat Mission have been instrumental in providing required resources and creating these school assets,” the survey said.
Availability of computer and internet connectivity also increased in FY23, at 47.7 per cent of schools and 49.7 per cent of schools respectively. This is a marked increase from 22.2 per cent of schools having computer availability and 6.2 per cent of schools having internet connectivity in FY13.
“Under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) component of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, the government supports the establishment of smart classrooms and ICT labs in schools, including support for hardware, educational software, and e-content for teaching,” the survey added.