The celebratory mood with which students are finding their way back to campus needs to be supported by a cerebral mind that puts the policy track in the right pathway. The rate at which Covid has exposed the inequities and inadequacies in the global education system is an eye-opener for the Indian system as well. It is not only the learning loss that has probably reversed 15 years of progress in global education but also the consequential economic impact it can create that makes education a very critical backbone for economic progress.
Renowned policy economist duo specialising in education, Hanushek (Hoover Institution) and Woessmann (University of Munich), in their working paper for the OECD, have estimated huge proportions of the economic impact of learning losses. There is no one straightjacketed input-output formula for this but the future impact for each nation is directly linked to the remediating policy measures of different countries. There is no doubt that all countries will address this learning loss, as education and health are strongly linked to economic growth in a world that respects money.
The present value of economic losses due to learning loss has reached huge proportions and felt more across the disadvantaged communities. A mere reopening of schools and colleges to pre-pandemic levels is grossly inadequate. Betterment of school and higher education system is the key to the amelioration of such losses. Hanushek and Woessmann have used historical data to assess the learning loss impact on economic growth. The learning loss equivalent to one-third of a school year can affect skill loss which is closely linked to productivity resulting in a 1.5 percent drop in GDP for the remainder of the century.
They estimate the present value of this to be 69 percent of the current GDP of any country. That’s really huge and to put this in proper perspective, the 1.5 percent loss of future GDP would be equivalent to a total economic loss of $15.3 trillion for the United States! Thankfully, the Union Budget and the Prime Minister’s recent address in the Ministry of Education-organised webinar seemed to have picked and sent the right signals. Policy action is not just signalling, it’s about moving forward with an actionable framework. The fuel for catalysing this framework is the economic value of education which when translated well ignites the education engine in a multi-stroke mode firing on all cylinders.
PM Modi’s recent address on the Union Budget’s educational sector reforms has set the tone in the right direction. His characterisation of empowering the next generation as empowering India’s future cannot come at a time more appropriate than this as socio-economic empowerment of individuals is the totality of a country’s economic wealth. The PM has clearly laid down the policy road blueprint leaving the actionable fine print in the hands of various statutory and regulatory bodies of the Indian education sector. In this actionable agenda lies the progressive pathway for Indian higher education which is poised for a tectonic change. The policy models of engagement have to be varied as there is no one-size-fits-all formula for a complex and diverse education ecosystem like ours.
The actionable framework differs across nations that are united in purpose—post-Covid education remediation. India is no exception and there is no time better than now to jump into action. OECD’s Education at Glance 2021 offers a rich array of education dimensions that could serve as a good start for policymakers.
The actor-indicator-context matrix provides a versatile framework that can understand the functioning of education at all levels—from the macro educational system to a micro educational classroom. The three distinguishable levels of actors are the education system as a whole, the educational providers and the educational participants. The three indicators are the impact (output/outcome), participation levels and the learning environment. The last dimension of context also has three distinct levels—political, demographic and socio-economic characteristics.
Indian higher education is at a crossroads and on the cusp of progress. The success of its policy decision lies in the cannulated pathway for action for which a model similar to the OECD framework is essential. In short: Indian higher education needs out-of-the-box and not tick-box policy items.
S Vaidhyasubramaniam
vaidhya@sastra.edu
Vice-Chancellor, SASTRA Deemed University