9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – March 21st, 2023

Mains Oriented Articles

GS PAPER - 2

[Kurukshetra March 2023 Summary] Inclusive Development in Education – Explained, pointwise

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Introduction  

The new reality of the twenty-first century has altered the objectives and standards of education everywhere. Inclusive Development in Education now include Information technologies, especially digital skills and literacy, have become fundamental to daily life. The teacher of the twenty-first century must be adaptable and constructive, continually raising his or her bar, looking for answers, and resolving issues. 

What is the Importance of Quality Education?

Education is not just about gaining knowledge, but also about developing critical thinking, collaboration, and resource management skills.  

It is essential for improving employability, breaking the cycles of poverty and social exclusion, and promoting equality. The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-4) aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for everyone by 2030.  

The National Education Policy 2020 is a policy that aims to address the developmental needs of the country by promoting youth skill acquisition and all-around development in a welcoming, open, and multilingual environment. 

About School Educational Scenario in India

Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged school closures, there have been positive trends in the education sector. For example, access to education is now recognized as a non-negotiable part of a child’s right to education, which is enshrined in law and widely accepted in practice in India.  

Consequently, in 2021-22 the Gross Access ratio (GAR) of schooling facilities at the primary level is 97.49% habitations, 97.01% at the upper primary level, and 95.48% at the secondary level.

What are the UDISE+ findings on Inclusive Development in Education?

The Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE+) and economic survey reported that a) 26.5 crore children were enrolled in schools, b) The enrolment of Children With Special Needs (CWSN) increased by 3.3% in the year 2021-22, c) The number of students dropping out of school has also decreased across all grade levels.  

This achievement is attributed to programmes like Samagra Shiksha, RTE Act, improvements to school infrastructure, residential hostel buildings, teacher availability, regular training, free textbooks, uniforms, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, and the PM POSHAN Scheme.  

Most government schools now have basic facilities, including toilets, drinking water, and hand-washing stations, thanks to the Swachh Bharat Mission and the Samagra Shiksha Scheme.  

The government also provides funding for the construction of smart classrooms and ICT labs, as well as support for hardware, instructional software, and e-content for classrooms. The GER (Gross enrolment ratio) of girls is higher or equal in all stages of school education, ensuring equitable access to education. 

None: Instructional Software (IS) programs include pictures, sounds, animations, and other various stimuli used to enhance the development of skills such as reading, writing and problem solving. IS programs provide individualised experiences used to enhance the general curriculum and mastery of skills through extra practice, simulations, and problem solving opportunities. 

Must read: Ministry of Education released a detailed Report on Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) 2021-22

What are the various initiatives taken recently to ensure Inclusive Development in Education?

PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI)

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for  Foundational Stage: The NCF aligns with the NEP 2020 and the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure, which includes early childhood care and education for children aged 3 to 8. It emphasises the importance of “play” in curriculum organization and the child’s overall experience, with a focus on enhancing developmental outcomes through support from communities, parents, and teachers. 

PRASHAST: It is a mobile app for disability screening. It covers 21 impairments, including the benchmark impairments listed in the 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.  

The National Credit Framework (NCrF): It  incorporates the National Higher  Education Qualification Framework (NHEQF), National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF), and National School Education Qualification Framework. It is an umbrella framework for skilling, re-skilling, up-skilling, accreditation, and evaluation. 

In addition to the above, other initiatives like toy-based pedagogy guidelines, starting Balvatikas in Kendriya Vidyalayas, Vidyanjali- an initiative for improving the quality of school education through community and various intervention under Samagra Shiksha were undertaken to improve the quality of school education sector. 

Must read: Year End Review –Ministry of Education

How India’s FY 2023-24 Budget made Inclusive Development in Education a Priority?

The budget for FY 2023-24 aims to boost education, skill development, entrepreneurship, R&D, digital infrastructure, green growth and job creation. It is critical for transforming India into a technology-driven knowledge-based economy and achieving Sustainable Development Goals. The budget focuses on promoting an equitable and inclusive education system and implementing the National Education Policy 2020. It allocates 13% more funds for education than the previous year. With a young population of 52.3 crores, the budget aims to provide education to all sections of society and transform India into a technology-driven society. Overall, the budget focuses on inclusive growth and development to create a prosperous and inclusive India. 

The major announcements of the budget 2023-24 for the education sector are as below: 

Inclusive Development in Education: School Education

Pandemic-related school closures have severely impacted India’s school-going children, particularly in government schools and rural areas. The education sector is now focusing on learning recovery, with the budget providing priority areas to be emphasized, like: 

Re-envisioning Teachers’ Training: The NEP 2020 emphasizes the importance of training teachers to improve primary education and ensure high-quality teacher preparation. District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) will play a crucial role in this by providing pre-service and in-service teacher training and becoming centers of excellence for research and dissemination of best practices. The budget has allocated more funds for teacher training, including new pedagogy, ongoing professional development, and the use of ICT. 

National Digital Library for children and Adolescents: NEP emphasizes the importance of reading and the availability of diverse books for all students. To achieve this, a national digital library will be created with books by reputable Indian and international authors, including Braille and Braille translation tools. States will also be encouraged to establish physical libraries and provide access to the digital library’s resources.

The National Book Trust and Children’s Book Trust will donate non-curricular books to these libraries to foster a reading culture and compensate for pandemic-related learning loss. NGOs and financial organizations will also be involved in promoting literacy and financial literacy. 

Aspirational Blocks Programme: The government has launched this Programme to provide public services, such as health, education, and infrastructure, in 500 blocks prioritizing tribal groups and disadvantaged pupils. This builds on the success of the Aspirational Districts Program. 

Eklavya Model Residential Schools: Over the next three years, the government will appoint 38,800 teachers and support personnel for the 740 Eklavya Model Residential Schools, which serve 3.5 lakh tribal students, to improve access to education for the last mile. 

Inclusive Development in Education: Higher Education 

This budget clearly reflects the Indian Prime Minister’s vision of “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan, Jai Vigyan, and Jai Anusandhan. “The government has laid emphasis on new age technologies, like: 

Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence: To achieve the goal of “Make Al in India” and “Make Al work for India,” the government plans to establish three Artificial Intelligence Centres of Excellence in prestigious educational institutions. This will foster a robust AI ecosystem, promote multidisciplinary research, and address scalable issues in various sectors. 

Lab Grown Diamonds (LGDs): A research and development grant for indigenous production is given in recognition of the ITs’ pioneering role in the nation’s research excellence. One of the lITs will get equipment and seeds from Lab Grown Diamonds (LGD) for a period of five years. 

5G Services: The government plans to set up 100 labs in engineering schools across India to develop apps using 5G services in areas like healthcare, education, and transportation. This aims to revolutionize engineering education, boost employment, and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship among young engineers.  

National Data Governance Policy: To unleash innovation and research by start-ups and academia, a National Data Governance Policy will be brought out. This will enable access to anonymised data. 

In addition to the above announcements, Multidisciplinary courses in medical devices and programmes to promote research in pharmaceuticals, with both industry and government funding will further strengthen the ‘Jai Anusandhan’ motto. 

Conclusion  

India has made notable progress in ensuring access to primary education and is striving to achieve equitable, inclusive, and quality secondary education for all by 2030. The Union Budget 2023-24 aims to support these efforts and advance the objectives of NEP 2020 and SDG 4 by promoting infrastructure improvements, educational technology developments, and raising the standards of instruction and learning. This will create new opportunities for teachers, students, and researchers, and revolutionize K-12 (K stands for Kindergarten and 12 stands for 12th grade)  and higher education in a positive way. 

Source: Kurukshetra

Syllabus: GS 2 – Social Justice: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Education.

Opportunity for reforms at World Bank

Source: The post is based on the article “Opportunity for reforms at World Bank” published in “Business Standard” on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS 2 – Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate. 

Relevance: Institute of global economic governance 

News: With Ajay Banga nominated to be the next World Bank president, there is great hope in his abilities to revamp this vital global institution. 

What are the issues with the functioning of the World Bank? 

Today, the world needs a global institution for global transformation towards a sustainable planet and promoting shared prosperity. The WB is largely missing in action in the climate fight.  

Instead, the WB is now seen as a multi-purpose development bank that tries to provide support to countries for their perceived needs. It does not have a broad strategic vision.  

It used to be a leader in thinking on economic development but has not been able to address these issues. 

WB is overly conservative and too risk-averse in the use of its capital base. It has not been able to leverage private capital flows for infrastructure and climate change. 

It has underutilised its guarantees and focused largely on loans. It has not financed insurance facilities as much as it could have.  

It’s also been criticised for being too slow. Bureaucratic procedures of the WB cause costly delays to its borrowers.  

Its country focus has improved performance but neglects its ability to meet global and regional financing needs.  

The WB and other regional banks now provide a small share of net flows to emerging markets. They have been overly conservative in their equity-to-loan ratios. 

What is the way forward to improve the functioning of the World Bank? 

It needs a substantial overhaul of its objectives and much more innovative use of its capital base and financial instruments. 

There is a need for actions on a much larger scale internationally for energy and ecological transformation for a more sustainable planet.  

Its new role should be as the global institution for climate change and sustainability. It must also be able to provide monitoring and advice on climate action in the entire world. These include a range of issues such as climate adaptation, mitigation, carbon pricing, environmental, social, and corporate governance and net-zero transformation.  

It is not sufficient to create a climate change department in the WB to continue with a business-as-usual approach. The entire organisation must be transformed to make it the premier global institution for dealing with climate change and shared prosperity. 

The WB must also shift the focus from lending to catalysing resource flows. It must help build the institutions and regulatory systems. These will help to draw in more capital from the private sector and from sovereign wealth funds.  

Its success must be judged how much resources it can catalyse to address social and physical infrastructure and climate finance needs.  

More innovative use of its financing instruments is needed especially in the way it books and uses guarantees and insurance backstops.  

The International Finance Corporation, is also a big player in private finance. It should spend much more effort on helping develop systems for SME finance, which can attract international capital.  

The WB must continue its country-based assistance and also focus more on global problems. The WB has huge power to address these issues by working in partnership with specialised agencies at the UN. It may need new and more innovative sources of financing for this purpose, including green bonds. 

The WB’s capital base must also be increased, and there must also be changes to the way it uses its capital.  

The emerging economies could also be allowed more leeway in the use of capital by changing their capital adequacy ratios without hurting their credit ratings.

The wide disparities in human development

Source: The post is based on the article “The wide disparities in human development” published in “The Hindu” on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS2- Human resources 

Relevance: Human development-related issues 

News: India is now one of the fastest­ growing economies globally. However, this growth has not resulted in a corresponding increase in its Human Development Index.  

What are some facts related to HDI?

Must read: Human Development Index (HDI) and other Indices of UNDP

According to the Human Development Report of 2021­-22, India ranks 132 out of 191 countries. It is behind Bangladesh (129) and Sri Lanka (73).  

What method is used in the current article to measure HDI?

The HDI is calculated using four indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling,expected years of schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.  

Life expectancy estimates are taken from the Sample Registration System. Mean and expected years of schooling are extracted from NFHS-­5.  

For GNI per capita, gross state domestic product (GSDP) per capita is used as a proxy indicator to measure the standard of living. 

The methodology involves calculating the geometric mean of the normalised indices for the three dimensions of human development. HDI scores range from 0 to 1. Higher values indicate higher levels of human development. 

What is the performance of various states on Human Development as per the methodology used in this article? 

While some States have made considerable progress, others continue to struggle. Delhi occupies the top spot and Bihar occupies the bottom spot. Bihar, unlike the previous HDI reports, is no longer considered a low human development State. 

The five States with the highest HDI scores are Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Sikkim, and Chandigarh. Delhi and Goa have HDI scores above 0.799, which makes them equivalent to countries in Eastern Europe with a very high level of human development.  

Nineteen States, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, have scores ranging between 0.7 and 0.799. These can be classified as high human development States. 

The bottom five States are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Assam, with medium levels of human development. This category also includes States such as Odisha, Rajasthan, and West Bengal, which have HDI scores below the national average.  

The scores of these low performing States resemble those of African countries such as Congo, Kenya, Ghana, and Namibia. 

Despite having the highest GSDP per capita among larger States, Gujarat and Haryana have failed to translate this advantage into human development. They rank 21 and 10, respectively. 

Kerala stands out with consistently high HDI values over the years. It can be attributed to its high literacy rates, robust healthcare infrastructure, and relatively high income levels. 

The impact of COVID­-19 on subnational HDI is not captured here. It will be known when post-pandemic estimates are available. 

What are the reasons for the poor performance of some states on HDI?

One of the main reasons is that economic growth has been unevenly distributed. The top 10% of the Indian population holds over 77% of the wealth. This has resulted in significant disparities in access to basic amenities, like healthcare and education. 

Another reason is the quality of services provided by the government such as health and education. For example, while the country has achieved near universal enrolment in primary education, the quality of education remains low. 

What is the way forward to improve HDI? 

Governments must prioritise human development alongside economic growth to ensure that the benefits of growth are more evenly distributed.  

This requires a multi-faceted approach. It should a) address income inequality and gender inequality, b) Improves access to quality social services; and c) addresses environmental challenges.  

There is a need to provide for greater investment in social infrastructure such as healthcare, education, and basic household amenities including access to clean water, improved sanitation facility, clean fuel, electricity and Internet in underdeveloped States. 

India must prioritise investments in human development and job creation, particularly for its youth. 

India as a UNSC member: Concluding on a high note, in Manhattan

Source: The post is based on the article “Concluding on a high note, in Manhattan” published in “The Hindu” on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS2- Important international institutions 

Relevance: About India as a UNSC member.

News: India has concluded its eighth stint in the United Nations Security Council at the end of December 2022. 

What were the priorities for India at UNSC?

The focus was on maritime security, terrorism, UN peacekeeping, reformed multilateralism and the Global South. 

India was elected Chair of three important UNSC Committees: the Taliban Sanctions Committee, Libyan Sanctions Committee and Counter­terrorism Committee. 

What are the important contributions of India as a UNSC member? 

Maritime issues: The Prime Minister of India chaired for the first time a UNSC meeting on maritime security. India’s statement for the first time is a direct reference to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. It called it international law setting out the legal framework in the context of maritime activities.  

It also called for freedom of navigation, anti­piracy and combating terror and transnational crime at sea. 

Major conflicts: In case of major conflicts over the world, the Council stood polarised and unable to act decisively. India tried to bring them on the same page. 

There was a military takeover in Myanmar in 2021. India ensured balanced and comprehensive Council pronouncements. It finally culminated in a resolution on Myanmar in December 2022. 

In August 2021, the Taliban forcefully seized power in Afghanistan. India was able to steer the Negotiations. It resulted in UNSC Resolution 2593. The resolution lays down benchmarks for stopping cross-border terrorism from Afghan soil; protecting the rights of women, minorities and children; ensuring an inclusive government, and providing humanitarian assistance.  

During the Ukraine conflict, India took an independent stand. It called for dialogue and peace. India spoke out against such sanctions on oil, food and fertilisers.  

Terrorism: India has enhanced its focus on terrorism. As Chair of the UNSC Counter­ terrorism Committee, its meeting was organised in India in October 2022. India’s proposal to list Abdul Rehman Makki, Deputy Chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba under UNSC Resolution 1267 sanctions was approved by the UNSC.  

Peacekeeping: India has been the largest contributor to UN peacekeepers. Its launching of the UNITE Aware technology platform to strengthen the real­time protection of peacekeepers is to be noted. In 2021, India piloted the first UNSC resolution, calling for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. India gifted two lakh vaccines to all UN peacekeepers. 

Climate change: In 2021, India thwarted a move by the West. It wanted to take out climate change from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change process and brought it under the ambit of the UNSC. The draft resolution was defeated in the Council when India and Russia voted against.

A change in religious extremism: India also raised the issue of a contemporary form of religiophobia in the Council. It condemned phobia against Abrahamic religions and called for the need to combat rising hate crimes and phobias against non-­Abrahamic religions. 

Who’ll grade NAAC?: Complaints of wrongdoing have piled up too high. UGC & education ministry must step in

Source: The post is based on an article “Who’ll grade NAAC?: Complaints of wrongdoing have piled up too high. UGC & education ministry must step in” published in The Times of India on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS 2 – Issues Related to Education System  

Relevance: problems with National Assessment and Accreditation Committee (NAAC). 

News:  The article discusses the problems associated with the National Assessment and Accreditation Committee (NAAC). 

What is NAAC? 

Click Here to Read 

What are the problems with NAAC? 

There have been complaints about its accreditation system, i.e., they are unreliable and corrupted. For example, a private university has received the highest achievable grade within just over a few years of establishment. 

Further, accreditation is granted to institutions for the papers they claim to have published without questioning them about the linkages between their research and industry. 

No verifications are made for the patents won by the institutions, or about the creation of new products/procedures claimed by the institutions. It assesses outcomes poorly.  

The Joreel committee has also drawn attention to the fact that NAAC depends on institutional processes for assessment rather than using scientific methods to validate the data. Hence, NAAC is adopting opacity in its system of accreditation. 

Must Read: The controversy over NAAC’s system for assessing higher education 

What can be the course of action? 

The education system is about to undergo a rapid transformation due to the advancement of AI and other technologies. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate the universities properly before granting them accreditation. 

UGC and the education ministry must step in to check the corruption involved in the accreditation system. 

GS PAPER - 3

Schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between richer and poorer states

Source: The post is based on the article “Schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between richer and poorer states” published in “The Indian Express” on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS 3 – Indian economy  

Relevance: Issues related to fiscal federalism 

News: Recently, there are demands in some states to implement OPS. Some states like Himachal and Rajasthan have implemented it. 

What are the differences between centre and states over fiscal autonomy?

States want to make their own decisions such as the type of pension scheme, the freedom to decide welfare programmes and so on.  

But, states neither have the financial resources to implement their decisions nor the freedom to mobilise finances on their own. They are dependent on the Centre for resources.  

This is responsible for the current standoff between the Union government and states over various issues such as “freebies” versus welfare, reversion to the old pension scheme, and imposition of conditions for financial grants on states. 

Must read: Comparison of National Pension Scheme with Old Pension System – Explained, pointwise

What are fiscal issues related to the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme by some states? 

The poor financial condition of states: States such as Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bengal want to implement the old pension scheme (OPS). 

But large states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat are resisting pressure from their government employees to revert to OPS 

Paradoxically, states that want to implement OPS have much higher debt levels (40% of GDP) than the states that are reluctant to switch to OPS (22%).  

Punjab has a debt of 48% of GDP. It spends nearly one-fifth of its income on just pensions for government employees.  

When these states spend so much of their income on pensions, they will not have enough resources to cater to the basic needs of the remaining population. It forces them to borrow more money. 

States that are implementing OPS do not have the financial strength for it. They are dependent on the Centre to provide funds either through devolution of taxes collected from other states or by borrowing and lending.  

Read more: State elections and the troubling return of the old pension scheme

The financial gap between states: Just four large states; Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Gujarat are net contributors to the Union government’s tax pool. Most other states are net takers.  

When the Punjab or Himachal government claims it has the right to decide on OPS, it is actually paid for indirectly by the future generations of people in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through the Union government. 

The purpose of such redistribution is to close the gap between these states over time. But, the gap between the “net giving” and the “net taking” states has only increased.  

For example, the gap between the debt levels of states that have implemented OPS vis-à-vis the states that have resisted OPS has increased from 13% in 2003 to 20% of GDP in 2023.  

This pattern of the richer states giving and the needier states taking more and more over time without closing the gap is unsustainable and dangerous. Profligate schemes like OPS will only exacerbate the gap between the richer and poorer states. 

At some point, the richer states will start to question the efficacy of such redistribution and the need for them to continue to fund regressive schemes in poorer states.  

Read more: Why the Old Pension Scheme is both bad economics and bad politics

Cereal solution – Dietary shifts are slow processes, and India must let all grains grow

Source: The post is based on an article “Cereal solution – Dietary shifts are slow processes, and India must let all grains grow” published in The Hindu on 21st March 2023. 

Syllabus: GS 3 – Agriculture 

Relevance: challenges with promoting millets 

News: The PM recently inaugurated a global conference on millets. The United Nations has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the Budget 2023-24 has called millets as ‘Shree Anna’.  

What are millets and their benefits? 

Click Here to Read  

Despite their benefits, they were not promoted during the green revolution. 

Why were millets not promoted during the Green Revolution? 

They were not promoted because of the food security provided by high-yielding varieties of rice and wheat. 

High-yielding varieties of rice and wheat along with guaranteed procurement by the government enabled India to be food secure even in droughts and climate uncertainties. 

However, this food security came at the cost of exploitation of groundwater, excessive use of pesticides and decreasing remunerations for the average farmer over the years. 

As a result, the government is attempting to promote millet to support sustainable agriculture, however, there are challenges to overcome. 

What are the challenges associated with promoting millets? 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, rice-wheat-maize constitutes 89% of global cereal production. So, millet production needs to be much higher in order to compete with it. 

Further, despite the existence of hybrid varieties of jowar and bajra, the yields have not risen. Hence, it is unrealistic to expect that growth will increase through simple technological advancements. 

Moreover, dietary shifts are slow processes and promoting millets as superior to other grains might have economic consequences and may create hype about them similar to what was observed with cash crops. This can have consequences for marginal farmers.  

Hence, it is preferable to market all grains equally, with an emphasis on expanding the customer base and giving them access to the cereals they want. 

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