Education reforms

Since it's re-election in May 2009 India's United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has announced a slew of reforms in education.  In its 'first 100 days' agenda for education, the government passed landmark legislation on elementary education, launched a major push to provide secondary education to all 15-19 year olds and floated various reform proposals for higher education.

The first major plank in education reform was passage in August 2009 of the Free and Compulsory Education Act. Under the Act, the Central and State Governments will be responsible for ensuring that every child from age six to 14 has access to a good quality education. The new Act prescribes norms and standards for schools in relation to pupil-teacher ratios, days of instruction, school buildings and equipment, and library and sport facilities.

It also requires private schools to reserve a quarter of first year places for pupils from disadvantaged groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities) and poor families. The Government of India will pay for the tuition of these students.

The reform will be costly - with, for instance, 500,000 teachers needing better qualifications.

Other changes are in train with, for example, the Ministry of Human Resource Development is formulating a core curriculum in mathematics and science.

The Government has also launched a scheme to provide secondary education for all 15-19 year olds in the next eight years. The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) will be the first major investment in secondary education since Independence. It aims to open 11,000 new schools over the next five years, and upgrade the infrastructure at a further 44,000. The initiative will require the appointment of 90,000 new teachers and the complete overhaul of teacher education and examination systems.

The Minister for Human Resources Development, Kapil Sibal, has made several statements about changes to higher education. One major reform in train is the establishment of a new overarching authority for regulating higher education to replace two existing bodies - the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education - whose functioning and transparency has been criticised. The body will provide independent financial and academic accreditation to higher education providers.

The Minister has also discussed introducing legislation to allow foreign universities to establish campuses in India. Entry requirements will be established prevent the set up of low-quality, for-profit 'diploma mills.'

Greater participation of the private sector in higher education is also being entertained as a means attract the investment necessary to meet surging demand.

Several other reform ideas are on the table, stemming from the recommendations of two recent commissions - the Yash Pal Committee on higher education and the National Knowledge Commission. One recommendation is to establish a self-regulation regime that gives universities greater autonomy over the appointment of vice-chancellors, fee structures and course expansion.

Why is it important?

India's population is not only very large, but also relatively youthful. (For example 31% of Indians were aged 0-14 years in 2008, compared to 20% of Chinese.) This makes education a strong lever for raising India's productivity, as huge new cohorts enter the workforce equipped with relevant skills and knowledge.

While India has some very high quality educational institutions, the average standard of education has not kept pace with the country's needs. Progress has been hampered by cumbersome educational bureaucracy and regulation, under-investment in educational infrastructure, poor quality teacher training and certification, and out-dated teaching methods.

This combination of the world's largest child population and the scope for improvements in education means India's education policy could have a profound effect on the country's development. It could also have an appreciable impact of the global supply of human capital.

What are the new opportunities?

In the first instance, educational reform will generate demand for:

• School construction and equipment
• Teacher training
• Curriculum development
• Expertise in accreditation regimes

   

  The proposals being considered for higher education reform are new opportunities for New Zealand's education sector to expand in the country as a complement to the well developed "get them over here" business.

   

  
  

  Our services to help with realising the opportunities