A HARD LESSON
India Education Report Card (2014-2023):
Is India truly on the path to success, or are there underlying concerns? Can an economy aspiring for annual double-digit growth and aiming for a 5 trillion-dollar valuation afford to maintain a backward education system?
Let’s go through some facts sourced from UGC, AISHE, and RBI Reports.
- In 2023, India’s population surged from 121 crores to approximately 139 crores, marking a significant growth of 14.64%.
- In 2014, the count of government schools in India stood at 12.04 lakhs, but by the close of 2022, it dwindled to 11.28 lakhs. Despite a population increase of approximately 15%, the number of public schools decreased by 7%, exacerbating the disparity.
- Correspondingly, the count of private schools surged from 2.55 lakhs to 3.35 lakhs, marking a substantial growth of 32%.
- Despite expectations for an organic increase in enrollments due to population growth, the actual numbers did not match. In 2014, total school enrollments stood at 268.30 lakhs, but by 2022, they declined to 265.24 lakhs, indicating a decrease of 1.2%.
- In 2014, the combined number of schools in the northern Indian states of UP, MP, and Rajasthan was 5.22 lakhs. However, by 2022, this figure dropped to 4.80 lakhs, marking an 8% decline. Over the period from 2011 to 2023, the population in these three states surged from 34.1 crores to 40.3 crores, indicating a growth of 18%.
- In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend towards elitism in the CBSE education system. In 2014, there were 4,053 government schools affiliated with the CBSE board. By 2022, this number had risen to 4,715, reflecting a growth of 16%. Conversely, private schools under the CBSE board saw a substantial surge from 10,728 in 2014 to 20,874 in 2022, marking an impressive growth of 95%.
- The expense associated with education, particularly at the school level, has witnessed a significant surge. According to the National Sample Survey, the cost of primary education escalated by 30.7% between 2014 and 2018. Extrapolating this trend over a decade suggests a staggering increase ranging from 75% to 90%.
The situation painted by the data is rather bleak. While our population surged by 15%, the number of government schools plummeted by 8%. Enrollments witnessed a slight decline of 1.2%, and the cost of education nearly doubled. Moreover, the northern states seem to be lagging.
As we look towards 2047, when India, the world’s youngest country demographically, will celebrate its centenary, there’s a lofty aspiration to become the most influential nation globally. This ambition hinges significantly on the concept of a “demographic dividend.” However, the evident gap between the privileged and the underprivileged, as highlighted in the data, indicates that we might be drifting towards a concerning “demographic divide.”
Beware – Opinions can be divided, but not the demographic.
