Education & Health Sector – Policies & Challenges
🟠 Topic 84: Education & Health Sector – Policies & Challenges
📌 Introduction
A strong education and health sector is the foundation for sustainable economic growth, human capital formation, and social development. Investment in these sectors not only improves quality of life but also enhances productivity, innovation, and national competitiveness. In India, these sectors face systemic challenges, but a series of policy reforms and flagship programs aim to achieve universal access, equity, and quality improvement.
⚫ Education Sector – Policies & Challenges
🔹 Importance of Education in Development
✔️ Enhances economic opportunities and upward mobility.
✔️ Drives innovation and entrepreneurship.
✔️ Promotes social inclusion and equality.
✔️ Strengthens democracy and civic engagement.
🔹 Key Policies and Reforms in Education
1️⃣ National Education Policy (NEP) 2020
✔️ Holistic, multidisciplinary education from preschool to higher education.
✔️ Focus on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN).
✔️ Flexible curricula, blending academic, vocational, and life skills.
✔️ Emphasis on regional languages up to Grade 5.
✔️ Digital education expansion through DIKSHA platform.
✔️ Higher Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) target of 50% by 2035.
2️⃣ Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009
✔️ Free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years.
✔️ Infrastructure norms – teachers, classrooms, toilets.
✔️ Provisions for weaker sections and disadvantaged groups.
3️⃣ Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)
✔️ Integrated scheme for school education (Pre-school to Class 12).
✔️ Focus on: ✔️ School infrastructure improvement.
✔️ Teacher training.
✔️ Digital learning and ICT labs.
4️⃣ Mid-Day Meal Scheme
✔️ Nutritional support for school children.
✔️ Promotes enrolment and retention, especially among girls and SC/ST students.
5️⃣ Higher Education Reforms
✔️ Establishment of National Higher Education Regulatory Council (NHERC).
✔️ Focus on interdisciplinary learning in higher education.
✔️ Expansion of Skill Universities and Vocational Programs.
🔹 Key Challenges in Education Sector
1️⃣ Quality of Education
✔️ Learning outcomes remain poor – ASER reports indicate only 44% of Class 5 students can read Class 2 texts.
2️⃣ Dropout Rates
✔️ High dropouts at secondary level (especially among girls and marginalised groups).
3️⃣ Teacher Shortages & Training
✔️ Large vacancies in government schools.
✔️ Teacher training institutions lack quality.
4️⃣ Digital Divide
✔️ Limited access to digital infrastructure and internet connectivity in rural areas.
5️⃣ Skill Gap
✔️ School curricula not aligned with industry needs, resulting in low employability.
🔹 Health Sector – Policies & Challenges
🔹 Importance of Health for Development
✔️ Healthy population = productive workforce.
✔️ Reduces out-of-pocket expenses and poverty due to medical costs.
✔️ Essential for human development index (HDI) improvement.
🔹 Key Health Policies and Reforms
1️⃣ National Health Policy, 2017
✔️ Universal health coverage goal.
✔️ Increase health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025.
✔️ Focus on preventive and promotive healthcare.
✔️ Expansion of public health infrastructure.
2️⃣ Ayushman Bharat (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana – PMJAY)
✔️ World’s largest health insurance scheme.
✔️ Provides cashless treatment up to ₹5 lakh per family per year.
✔️ Covers over 12 crore families (bottom 40% population).
3️⃣ Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs)
✔️ Aim to create 1.5 lakh HWCs for comprehensive primary care.
✔️ Focus on: ✔️ Maternal & child health.
✔️ Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) screening.
4️⃣ National Health Mission (NHM)
✔️ Focuses on maternal and child health, immunisation, and strengthening primary healthcare.
✔️ Components: ✔️ Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
✔️ Urban Health Mission (NUHM).
5️⃣ Mission Indradhanush
✔️ Targets full immunisation for children under 2 years and pregnant women.
✔️ Focuses on left-out and drop-out communities.
🔹 Key Challenges in Health Sector
1️⃣ Low Public Health Expenditure
✔️ Health spending at ~1.5% of GDP (below global average).
✔️ High dependence on private sector and out-of-pocket expenditure.
2️⃣ Rural-Urban Divide
✔️ 70% of doctors serve in urban areas, though 65% of population lives in rural areas.
3️⃣ Infrastructure Deficiency
✔️ Shortage of: ✔️ Primary health centres (PHCs).
✔️ District hospitals.
✔️ Diagnostics and emergency care lacking in rural areas.
4️⃣ Shortage of Healthcare Workforce
✔️ Deficit of: ✔️ Doctors.
✔️ Nurses and paramedics.
✔️ Skewed distribution towards urban private hospitals.
5️⃣ High Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE)
✔️ ~55% of health spending comes directly from families, pushing millions into poverty annually.
Case Study – Tamil Nadu’s Health Model
- Robust public health infrastructure.
- Strong focus on: ✔️ Primary care & maternal health.
✔️ Regular outreach through village health nurses. - Low maternal and infant mortality rates due to effective public health interventions.
🔹 Combined Role of Education & Health in Human Development
| Sector | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Education | Enhances skills, productivity, awareness |
| Health | Ensures healthy workforce, reduced absenteeism |
| Together | Drives higher HDI, poverty reduction |
🔹 Way Forward
✔️ Increase public expenditure on health and education.
✔️ Enhance teacher training and digital infrastructure.
✔️ Expand health insurance and primary health coverage.
✔️ Focus on early childhood development and preventive healthcare.
✔️ Foster public-private partnerships (PPPs) for quality enhancement.
📚 Practice MCQ
1️⃣ Which of the following is a component of Ayushman Bharat Programme?
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)
- Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs)
- National Nutrition Mission
✅ Options:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
2️⃣ The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 guarantees free and compulsory education for children in the age group of:
✅ Options:
(a) 3-10 years
(b) 6-14 years
(c) 6-16 years
(d) 3-18 years
3️⃣ Under NEP 2020, India aims to achieve 50% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in:
✅ Options:
(a) Primary education
(b) Secondary education
(c) Higher education
(d) Vocational training
