Editoria 1 : A New Classroom
Context: Behind NEP’s success story, the real heroes.
Introduction: As highlighted in the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), the positive trends across Indian states on foundational learning outcomes reflects a focused effort by the Indian government to prioritise quality education.
Key Highlights of ASER 2024
- Positive Trends in Foundational Learning
- Improvement in foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) outcomes, especially in Grade III, across Indian states.
- Significant progress in reading and basic math skills among students.
- State-Level Improvements
- Uttar Pradesh
- Grade III students’ ability to read Grade II-level texts increased from 24% to 34%.
- Proficiency in solving subtraction problems improved from 29% to 41%.
- Odisha: Use of contextualised workbooks led to similar gains in foundational learning.
Role of NIPUN Bharat Mission
- Objective: Launched in 2021, the mission aims to achieve universal foundational literacy and numeracy by 2026-27.
- Key Interventions
- Teaching-Learning Materials (TLM): Allocation of Rs 500 per child for TLMs to create engaging and vibrant lessons.
- Teacher Capacity Building: States receive Rs 5,000 per teacher for workshops and Rs 150 for resource materials.
- Assessment and Monitoring: States are provided Rs 10-20 lakh for comprehensive assessments and tracking learning outcomes.
- Project Management Units (PMUs): Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore allocated for establishing PMUs at state and district levels for effective implementation.
Impact of NIPUN Bharat
- Improved Learning Outcomes: Millions of children across India can now read and solve basic math problems.
- Teacher Empowerment: Innovative teaching methods, such as using songs and contextualised materials, have enhanced classroom engagement.
- Success Stories
- Uttar Pradesh: Ravi Sharma, a primary school teacher, uses songs to teach mathematics.
- Odisha: Students like Shragatika Ghosh, a second-grader, proudly reads Odia stories aloud, her confidence growing with each page.
Challenges and Gaps
- Fragility of Foundational Learning
- Many children struggle with advanced concepts as they transition to higher grades.
- Marginalised communities often lack school readiness and foundational skills.
- Systemic Issues: Sustaining progress requires long-term commitment and systemic reforms.
Way Forward: Recommendations for NIPUN 2.0
- Extend Timeline: Extend NIPUN Bharat’s mission to at least 2030 to deepen its impact.
- Expand Focus: Include Grades III–V to bridge the gap between foundational skills and higher-order learning.
- Invest in Early Childhood Education (ECE): Strengthen preschool education to prepare children for primary school.
- Global Benchmarking: Use NIPUN Bharat as a model to set global standards in foundational learning.
Conclusion
The ASER results prove that progress is possible. With the right tools, resources and policies, India can ensure that every child, regardless of geography or circumstance, has access to quality education. India has the chance to set a global benchmark in foundational learning. But the window for action is narrow. The time to commit to NIPUN 2.0 is now.
Editorial 2 : Domestic Growth, Global Risks
Context: Donald Trump, climate change: Global threats to India’s growth story
Economic Growth Trends: India and the World
- GDP Growth Estimates
- First advance estimate for FY2024: 6.4%, lower than the pre-pandemic decadal average of 6.6%.
- Nominal GDP growth: 9.7%, below the budgeted 10.5%.
- Global Economic Context
- US: Growing closer to its trend rate of 2% by 2025.
- China: Slowing down.
- Europe: Below trend despite some improvement.
- India’s Relative Performance
- Despite moderation, India remains the fastest-growing large economy.
- Multilateral projections
- IMF: 6.5% growth for FY2024 and FY2025.
- World Bank: 6.7% growth for FY2025.
Investment Trends
- Post-Pandemic Recovery
- Driven by public and household investments.
- Private corporate investments yet to show sustained growth.
- Challenges
- Competition for investments from both emerging and advanced economies.
- Need for private sector to take over the investment baton from the government.
Policy Recommendations
- Short-Term Measures
- Continue supporting capital expenditure (capex) in the budget.
- Encourage private investments through policy incentives.
- Long-Term Reforms
- Pursue deregulation to unlock domestic-led growth potential.
- Implement a clear long-term tariff policy for inputs, intermediates, and final products to boost manufacturing.
- Address regulatory hurdles in labour laws, land acquisition, tax regulations, and dispute resolution.
Inflation and Monetary Policy
- Current Inflation Trends
- Headline inflation: Driven by high food inflation (8.4% in December 2024).
- Non-food inflation: Benign at 3.1%.
- Forecast for FY2025
- Expected decline in food-led inflation to an average of 4.4% (Crisil forecast).
- Assumes normal monsoon, stable crude oil prices (~$75/barrel), and no major weather disruptions.
- Monetary Policy Implications: High food inflation is delaying rate cuts.
Agriculture and Food Security
- Challenge: Food inflation remains high due to supply-side constraints.
- Recommendations
- Invest in food processing and cold chain infrastructure to reduce wastage.
- Develop climate-resilient crops to stabilise agricultural output and prices.
Energy Transition and Sustainability
- Need for calibrated approach: Balance between high growth, energy security, and energy transition.
- Challenges in Renewable Energy
- Low domestic production capacity for key solar components (e.g., polysilicon, ingots, wafers).
- Dependence on imports for solar energy infrastructure.
- Opportunities: Technological breakthroughs (e.g., reduction in solar module prices) can accelerate adoption.
Fiscal Consolidation and Spending
- Current Fiscal Performance
- Nominal GDP growth of 9.7% in FY2024, below the budgeted 10.5%.
- Likely to meet or surpass fiscal targets due to lower-than-budgeted spending.
- Recommendations for FY2025
- Adopt a calibrated approach to fiscal consolidation.
- Stagger the fiscal deficit glide path to support economic growth.
Infrastructure and Project Execution
- Challenges: 40% of central sector projects (costing over Rs 150 crore) face cost and time overruns.
- Recommendations
- Focus on shovel-ready projects and better coordination with states.
- Improve efficiency in project execution to reduce delays and cost overruns.
Way Forward and Conclusion
- Address regulatory hurdles to boost investor confidence and leverage initiatives like PM Gati Shakti for improved logistics and infrastructure for ease of doing business.
- Implement reforms across sectors to sustain high growth and attract investments.