The Aakhya Weekly #32 | Education in the post-pandemic era
In Focus: Tragedy and Hope in Indian Education
“The pandemic has ruined children’s education.”
This is the common refrain for anyone that has been around children in the last few years. As children were subject to spotty online classes with little structure or accountability, the drop in learning outcomes was palpable.
Thus far, however, this was an abstract notion. With the Annual Survey of Education Report (Rural), 2022 by Pratham and the ASER Centre (available here), however, we now have a concrete sense of the current state of (rural) India’s education. Its findings are both, tragic and hopeful.
The 2022 survey is the first complete survey undertaken since 2018, since the 2020 iteration was shelved because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervening four years saw the nation being thrown, headfirst, into the chaos, disease and economic hardship that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. As it (hopefully) recedes from our lives, the survey provides a good indication of the impact it left behind.
More children are now in school than before the pandemic. In 2018, 2.8% of children between the ages of 6 and 14 were not enrolled in school. This number has now halved to 1.6%. Although children in the 15-16 age group are considered as being at the highest risk of dropping out, the number of children of this age group not enrolled in school dropped from 13.1% to 7.4% between 2018 and 2022. Perhaps because of the economic distress of these years (both, for private schools and families), many children have moved from private to government schooling, with private school enrolment dropping from 30.9% to 25.1%.
Learning outcomes, however, have dropped substantially – though not as significantly as one would have feared. They were unexceptional to begin with; in 2018, for instance, only 37% of children in Standard III could read a Standard I level text. Even though Standard III children today have barely seen any in-person education, this number has dropped only to 30%. 20.5% can read a Standard II text, down from 27.2% in 2018. Similar declines have been observed across the board. Interestingly, the decline in reading levels is substantially higher than that in numeracy - partially since arithmetic skills seem to have recovered much more quickly since schools have reopened.
Many children seem to have bridged the pandemic gap through family support. Hearteningly, many teachers appeared to have gone above the line of duty, visiting children at their homes and sharing material online to ensure that continuity in education is maintained. Many more children have been taking private tuitions as well. While tuition levels were stagnant at 25% for many years, this appears to have jumped to 30% in 2022.
Other positive pre-pandemic trends have continued. Pre-school was once seen as unnecessary, with education, for many, beginning in Standard I. The National Education Policy, 2020 tried to move the needle, placing considerable stress on early childhood education, and integrating pre-school education into the formal schooling framework. This push appears to have borne fruit. 75.8% of 3 yar olds and 82% of 4 year olds are now enrolled in pre-school, increasing from 68.1% of 3 year olds and 76% of 4 year olds in 2018.
In all, the ASER 2022 provides many reasons for both joy and despair. Many more children are going to school than ever before. Our schooling system is severely flawed; many children aren’t at the learning level they should be for their class, and this problem has worsened over the pandemic. It has proved to be resilient, however. Parents and teachers have come together to shield many children from the worst effects of the pandemic. For those looking, there is still much hope to be found in Indian education.
Tracking the G20
In this week’s notable coverage, Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, remarked that “India’s G20 leadership has come at a crucial time, and PM Modi’s leadership is critical in this fractured world”. “India remains a bright spot amid global geoeconomics and geopolitical crises”, he added.
Adam Tooze, a historian and faculty member at Columbia University, in this opinion piece poses the question that is this really India’s moment in the world? And if it is, should we be careful what we wish for? On a similar note, Ugo Astuto, the EU ambassador to India, emphasized India as an “influential voice” while flagging EU’s disagreements with Russia.
ORF put out highlights from the Think20 inception conference held earlier this month where participants underscored the need for multilateral reforms, enhancing transparency in multilateral institutions, and international cooperation in a transition to a multipolar world.
In this week’s operational developments, the Business20 inception meeting kicked off in Gandhinagar. The three day conclave will see 15 events spread across Gujarat.
Top Stories of the Week
Green bonds debut in India this week
Over the last few years, Green Bonds have proved to be integral in financing large scale environmental projects to combat climate change and related challenges. On 25th January 2023, India too joined the race as it auctioned its first ever sovereign green bonds (SGrBs). The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had announced the issuance of SGrBs of ₹16,000 crore in two equal parts. Additionally, it allowed a fully accessible route (FAR) for investments by non-residents in government securities including sovereign green bonds. The FAR includes securities that do not have any capping on holdings by foreign investors. While the auction on Wednesday saw keen participation by local investors, foreign investment remained lukewarm.
The proceeds from this issuance are meant to go towards public sector projects catered to reduce the economy’s carbon footprint.
WIPL bidding opens today
Mumbai is abuzz with excitement as India’s top corporations arrive at the auction for five Women’s IPL (WIPL) teams. The BCCI is expected to earn upwards of Rs. 4000 Cr through the auction of WIPL teams this time. It is reported that 17 groups have submitted technical bids for the coveted top 5 spots, including seven franchises from Men’s IPL - Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Rajasthan Royals. The BCCI has not set a base price for this auction. Bids will be accepted for a period of ten years, but team ownership will be in perpetuity. Bidders will be looking to make one of ten shortlisted cities as their home base for their teams. The cities shortlisted are Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamsala, Guwahati, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai. Hopefuls can bid for more than one city, but will only be awarded the city for which they have placed the highest bid.
This Week in Policy
Macroeconomics and Taxation
In light of delays reported by banks in signing the new bank locker agreement with customers, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the deadline for signing the revised agreement to 31 December, 2023.
Credit rating agencies have approached the RBI asking for specific ‘default recognition’ criteria regarding impact of debt or delayed payments on borrowing.
Labour
The Union Home Ministry has asked all Union Territories (save for J&K and Ladakh) to formulate rules on two of the Labour Codes. The parliamentary committee on labour is expected to meet on Friday to ascertain the status of implementation of the Labour Codes.
Rajasthan’s rural development and panchayat raj department has requested the Central Government to revise the labour budget for the MGNREGA scheme for the ongoing financial year.
Agriculture and FMCG
Government to launch digital crop survey across ten states this kharif season to collect information on different crops sown by farmers via an automated process. Eventually, it will incorporate the existing “patwari agency” system of collecting crop area statistics.
The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund mobilises more than Rs.30,000 crore for projects in the agriculture infrastructure sector with a sanctioned amount of Rs.15,000 crore within 2 years of its implementation.
Healthcare
Ayush Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to promote medical tourism in India and training for ITDC officials on Medical Value Travel in Ayurveda and other traditional medicines.
All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) revises recruitment rules, allowing doctors from other hospitals to be deputed as Superintendents at AIIMS Delhi.
Foreign affairs
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is in India this week as a guest of honour at the annual Republic Day Parade on 26 January 2023 in New Delhi.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s solidarity with Sri Lanka in his visit to Colombo earlier this week and also underscored India’s “neighbourhood first” policy.
Technology, Media and Telecommunications
MeitY this week is spearheading India’s maiden digital stack developers’ conference in Delhi, which will put ‘Made in India’ digital public services such as Aadhaar and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) put on offer for countries around the world that are looking to develop their digital public infrastructure.
The Law Commission of India has informed MeitY that it will come out with a comprehensive report on online gaming regulations and has asked MeitY to put on hold its online gaming policy, which was recently notified through amendments to the IT Rules, 2021.
International trade and commerce
Indian government publishes revised export-import data, which narrows the trade deficit by about US$10 billion.
UK Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch says that the India-UK FTA negotiations are “back on track” and that the impasse between the two countries has been broken following her visit to New Delhi last month.
Banking, Finance and Insurance
Shares of India’s biggest listed companies set to move to a faster, trad-plus-one (T+1) settlement cycle versus a T+2 process earlier, becoming the second major market after China to do so.
Under its outreach program on municipal bonds and municipal finance, SEBI launches an information database on municipal bonds in an effort to develop bond markets.
Logistics and Infrastructure
On 24th January, Nitin Gadkari chaired the 10th meeting of the Group of Infrastructure Committee to address existing inter-ministerial issues on the implementation of various infrastructure projects in the country.
Government sets up India’s G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development. The task force will be co-chaired by India’s G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant and Infosys Chairman, Nandan Nilekani.
Sustainability
India to extend remission of duties and taxes on export products (RoDTEP) scheme to domestic green hydrogen fuel manufacturers once exports begin.
Visakhapatnam’s railway station receives the ‘Green Railway Station Certification’ as it tops categories like sustainable facilities, health, hygiene, energy and water efficiency, smart green initiatives, innovation, and development.
Upcoming Events
Future of Mobility: India's Journey towards Net Zero
30 January | FICCI Federation House, New Delhi
FICCI is organising a conference on ‘Future of Mobility: India’s Journey Towards Net Zero’ on 30th January 2023 at FICCI Federation House, New Delhi. The conference aims to highlight solutions in leveraging technology for building sustainable and connected urban transport systems. It will explore the role of e-mobility in achieving India’s commitment to Net Zero Emission and discovering alternative fuels for decarbonising transportation sector. Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, GoI, will deliver the keynote address. More Information | Registration Link
Raisina Dialogue 2023
2-4 March | G20 Think Tank Town Hall, New Delhi
ORF, in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, is organising the 2023 edition of Raisina Dialogue on March 2-4, 2023 at the G20 Think Tank Town Hall, New Delhi. The dialogue is an annual convergence of eaders in politics, business, media, and civil society to discuss the state of the world and explore opportunities for cooperation on a wide range of contemporary matters. The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, who are joined by thought leaders from the private sector, media and academia. Registrations close on January 31. More Information | Registration Link
Foreign Higher Educational Institutions’ Route to India: Discussing UGC's Draft Regulations
27 January | Virtual
Nishith Desai Associates is organising an interactive webinar to discuss the key aspects of the UGC draft regulations for Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (“FHEI”) to set up operations in India on January 27 in a virtual format. Focus areas for the discussion will include how these regulations help FHEI for their operations in India, potential challenges and strategies for FHEIs, and areas for further improvements in the regulations. More Information | Registration Link
A Few Good Reads
The Mint analyses the calculations behind India’s bid for settlement of trade in Indian Rupees and the prospects of promotion the rupee as a global currency.
Gurwinder Bhogal (The Prism) reflects on TikTok as a “weapon of mass distraction” as a concerted response to the opium wars of the yesteryears.
Kai Schultz and Vrishti Beniwal (Bloomberg) offer a well-balanced analysis of India’s rapid economic transformation and the challenges and opportunities that it faces.
Tamal Bandhopadhyay writes in the Business Standard about the rising deposit rates of banks and advocates for a change in strategy.
Zach Carter reviews Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century by J. Bradford DeLong (Fall 2022).
Tweets of the Week
Yousuf Nazar tweets his article in thread format on the crisis brewing in Pakistan:
The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer provides a fascinating insight into polarisation of societies in 28 countries:
Did you know that 26 January is also Australia’s national day? Here is a heartwarming greeting from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP to Indians celebrating Republic Day:
Key Notifications
Ministry of Corporate Affairs notifies amendments to the Companies (Registration of Foreign Companies) Rulesand Companies (Prospectus and Allotment of Securities) Rules.
Centre releases endorsement guidelines for celebrities and social media influencers