NN37, May 2006
Special Theme on Education and Training out of Poverty? A Status Report
POST-ELEMENTARY EDUCATION, POVERTY AND DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA
By Jandhyala B G Tilak NIEPA, New Delhi
There is a general presumption among many policy makers that secondary and higher education is not necessary for economic growth and development. On the other hand, it is literacy and primary education that is argued to be important. Estimates on internal rate of return also contributed to strengthening of such a presumption. Accordingly, secondary and higher education do not figure on the poverty reduction agenda of many poor countries and of the international aid organisations. Indian experience also testifies to all this. Secondary and more strikingly higher education has been subject to neglect by the government.But while primary education gives the basic three r?s, rarely does it provide skills necessary for employment ? self employment or otherwise, that can ensure a reasonable level of wages and economic living. Moreover, most of the literacy and primary education programmes are also found to be not imparting literacy that is sustainable in such a way that children do not relapse into illiteracy. Secondly, primary education rarely serves as a meaningful terminal level of education. Thirdly, even if primary education imparts some valuable attributes, in terms of attitudes and skills, they are not sufficient; and if primary education is able to take the people from below the poverty line to above the poverty line, it is possible that this could be just above the poverty line, but not much above; and more importantly the danger of their falling below poverty line at any time could be high. On the other hand, it is secondary and higher education that consolidates the gains received from primary education; it is secondary and higher education that provides skills that could be useful in the labour market; it is secondary and higher education that can keep the people above poverty line without such a danger of falling back into poverty trap ? educational poverty or income poverty; and in fact, it is secondary and higher education that can take people to much above poverty line, by increasing the social, occupational and economic levels of the households. In all, it can be argued that it is secondary and higher education, besides elementary education, that forms a ?human capability? and a ?human freedom? those Amartya Sen champions, a freedom that helps in attaining other ?freedoms?. In short, without negating the importance of primary education, it can be said that it is secondary and higher education that effectively contributes to, and also at the same time, as the human development specialists argue, constitutes development.
The available limited research evidence shows that the general presumption that post basic education is not necessary for economic growth and development, particularly in developing countries and on the other hand, it is literacy and primary education that is important, is not a correct presumption. But most of the available research concentrated on analyzing (a) the role of literacy and primary education in development ? economic growth, poverty reduction and social development, and (b) the role of secondary and higher education in economic growth, not in poverty reduction and social development.
The analysis by Tilak (2005) of most recently available secondary data on secondary and higher education and economic growth, poverty reduction and human development indicators such as infant mortality and life expectancy clearly leads us to conclude that post elementary education plays a significant role in development. Based on state-wise data on stock of the population with secondary and higher education in 1995-96 and development indicators relating to mostly around 1999-2000, and simple regression equations, Tilak (2005) analysed the relationship between post elementary education and development. Despite some of the limitations of such exercises such as ? they may indicate more of inter-relationship than a causal relationship, it may not be wrong to conclude from the analysis the following:
* Secondary and higher education enhances earnings of the individuals and contributes to economic development.
* Post-elementary education makes a significant contribution to reduction in absolute as well as relative poverty levels.
* Secondary and higher education also influences negatively and significantly infant mortality.
* Life expectancy is also positively related to post-elementary education.
Though thus the contribution of secondary and higher education to development is quite significant, India, like many other developing countries could not pay adequate attention to it. In fact, there has been a strong tendency to neglect secondary and higher education and to focus, rather exclusively on elementary, more particularly primary education. As a result, primary education is nearly universal in India, but the enrolment ratios in secondary and higher education are very small. The gross enrolment ratio in secondary education is 37.5 per cent and that in higher education less than 9 per cent in 2002-03. The growth in enrolment ratio in secondary education also picked up only since the beginning of the 1990s. Otherwise the overall growth is somewhat flat during the 50 odd years of development planning in India.
The implications of the empirical analysis of the study by Tilak (2005) are clear and straightforward: given the importance of post-elementary education, along with literacy and elementary education, it is necessary that attention is paid to development of sound and comprehensive education policies. Public policy has to clearly recognise not only the basic foundation that primary education provides for development, but also the critical importance of secondary and higher education in development, in poverty reduction, human development and economic growth. Coherent long term policies for the development of education, including secondary and higher education, for development of the economy are critically needed.
References
Tilak, Jandhyala B G: Post-Elementary Education, Poverty and Development in India, paper presented in the 8th UKFIET International Conference on Education and Development. Oxford: University of Oxford (13-15 September 2005) [Also available as a Working Paper of the University of Edinburgh]