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By
R.N.Bhaskar
November 7, 2006 (published in
the DNA). pdf version available here (2006_11_DNA_India_isn't_an_open_society_yet_946kb.pdf)
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While population grows by at least 22 million each year,
we manage to churn out just 10.5 million graduates, half of them not
employable.
Also, the total number of all graduates accounts for just around 2.43%
of the population.
In freedom of press, the country is ranked at a sad 105 among the 168
countries surveyed by Reporters without Borders for Press Freedom.
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How open is India’s economy? Many
economists believe that India is quite open.
But sociologists disagree. They
believe that the openness of a society can
best measured by other parameters like access to justice, education and
statistical data.
Access to justice is very hard to quantify. Hence, even though this remains the most
critical parameter, it may make sense to look at the other benchmarks
first. Which makes it necessary for us to
take a
harder and critical look at education.
<> Education,
say sociologists come through two means – one
through the formal schooling system, and the other through the informal
information system like newspapers, radio, television, periodicals and
even
other well informed people. That is why
the data presented before the entire world by an organisation called
“Reporters
without borders for Press Freedom” becomes extremely relevant (http://www.rsf.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=639). A look at this website shows that even the
US currently ranks 53rd in freedom of the press, far behind Panama, El
Salvador, Chile and a number of former Soviet block countries. But it
is way
ahead of India, which stands at a sad 105 of the 168 countries surveyed. But India still stands ahead of other
countries like Thailand (122), Mexico (132),
Sri Lanka
(141), Singapore (146), Russia (147), and Pakistan (157).
<>
That is why it may be necessary to look at formal education
as well. And this is where alarm bells
start ringing. <>
First, notwithstanding the government’s claims of having
achieved 65% literacy, it must be remembered that the government
defines a
person as being literate if he can read and write the alphabets of his
(or her)
own name. Thus if Ram knows to read and
write just the three alphabets of his name, he is considered literate. The definition is absurd!
That is why many believe that actual
literacy may be well below the 25% level. <>
Second, look at some more alarming data (table 1). ‘
Table 1: Estimated Stock of Manpower by
major categories - 1999
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Figures in 000s
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India's
population
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1,000,000
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Total
Graduates
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24349.0
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Medicine
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369.9
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Dentistry
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21.8
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Agricultural science
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223.8
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Veterinary science
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44.0
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Post Graduates
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5040.7
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Arts
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3526.3
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Science
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730.6
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Commerce
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783.8
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Graduates
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15979.7
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Arts
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8023.0
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Science
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3655.4
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Commerce
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4301.3
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Engineers
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2158.7
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Degree holders
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845.6
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Diploma holders
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1313.1
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Nursing Personnel
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510.4
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General nurses
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260.0
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Auxiliary nurses & mid-wives
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227.0
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Health visitors
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23.4
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Total Graduates as % of
population
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2.43
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Note: Based on estimates
by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research, New Delhi.’ The manpower
stock is at the beginning of the year.
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<>
As the data (for 1999) shows, the total number of all
graduates account for just around 2.43% of our population.
This is far too small a number for any
country to sustain a healthy economic rate of growth year after year. Unless this percentage goes up, India’s
economic growth could falter. So is the
government doing something about it? <>The next table is even
more alarming:
Table 2 : Growth of higher education
institutions and
enrolment in India
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Year
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Universities
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Colleges
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Total HEIs*
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<>Enrolment
( in Million) |
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1947-48
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20
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496
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516
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0.2
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1950-51
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28
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578
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606
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0.2
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1960-61
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45
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1,819
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1,864
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0.6
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1970-71
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93
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3,277
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3,370
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2.0
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1980-81
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123
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4,738
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4,861
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2.8
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1990-91
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184
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5,748
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5,932
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4.4
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2000-01
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266
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11,146
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11,412
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8.8
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2005-06
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348
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17,625
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17,973
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10.5
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Source:
Trade in Education Services; a consultation paper on Higher Education
In India and GATS: an opportunity Prepared by the Trade Policy Division,
Department of Commerce, Government of India, Sept 2006;
(*)HEI – Higher education institution
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<> Clearly,
while enrolment in Higher Educational
Institutions (HEIs) has increased to
10.5 million,
it has not kept pace with the growth in India’s population. Thus while India’s population growth of 2% annually adds at least 22 million people
each year, we manage to churn out just 10.5 million graduates. What is worse, the quality of these
graduates has been slipping alarmingly, causing industry to reject at
least
half of them as being unemployable.
And
yet India’s ministers continue to talk about
reservations on the one hand, and becoming a world power on the other! Something is horrifyingly wrong with India’s
governance and planning. If some of
these numbers do not change, India’s bid for becoming a world power
might
become a joke!
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