Eradicating poverty seems like a never-ending battle for India. A considerable decrease has been observed over the years but there still exists a major part of the Indian demographic that spends the entirety of their lives working hard but ends up in poverty. It pains us to say that the aphorism “the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer” stays true even in this day and age.
65% of Indians are a part of rural India and about 24% of that population is financially literate. Education is an effective way to boost the poverty-driven demographic of India. Transforming the way education is perceived and imparted to all and ensuring educational equity is imperative in alleviating poverty.
‘E’ In Education also corresponds to the Economy: Role of Education in Economic Development
Economic prosperity does not solely depend on an increase in physical capital as previously believed. Education is a crucial component in the development of the Indian economy. Investing in education in order to make it accessible to all will reap profitable returns. The formation of human capital alongside physical capital is equally necessary. This is important to achieve a fast-progressing economy and comprehensive nation-building.
Education allows a person to boost their skills and confidence. A well-educated individual boosts productivity as well as one’s overall income. 65% of rural India remains high in the uneducated spectrum.
Presently, the situation of the low-income demographic education remains dire and needs improvement. The role of education in economic development of rural India is a crucial step in order to increase literacy and consequentially the overall situation of the economy.
The agricultural sector of India is of great significance, and a large section of rural India is actively involved in this sector. There are many agricultural workers who perform tasks tirelessly despite being devoid of adequate technology or the knowledge to use it. They are uneducated and unaware of the prospects of their field that do not reward their efforts adequately and hence they spend most of their lives if not the entirety of it in poverty.
In addition to the agricultural sector, the MSME sector too contributes greatly to the economy comprising 30% of the total GDP. It remains an imperative determinant of the economic situation and requires good educational facilities in order to flourish.
Poverty is one of the major obstacles to economic development. Education being the foundation that helps alleviate poverty, is hence a significant determinant of economic development.
A Pen is mightier than a Sword
Education exposes an individual to new ideas and helps them adapt to the changing and growing world. It is seen as an effective pathway that caters to the empowerment of an individual.
Education provides the values, confidence, skills, and knowledge required for the development of an individual and of society. When a person understands the ways of the world and utilizes their abilities to the best, it nurtures an individual’s self-confidence.
Role of Education in Economic Development and the Importance of Equity
Educational equity is of high importance to achieve this. It is the right of every person to be educated. India needs to mend the wound the pandemic has left in the education sector. This wound has deeply impacted the Indian economy as well as poverty in India and globally. Around 100 million children have been subjected to poverty due to inaccessible educational facilities during the pandemic.
Proper training programs should be introduced for the low-income demographic that faces issues in acquiring education. They should focus on all three factors– accessibility, affordability, and quality of education in order to be effective for a larger number of people.
Youth, no doubt, should have access to these facilities, but in addition to them, poverty-stricken adults too require adequate facilities that provide them with knowledge with respect to earning better for their families and children’s education.
Additionally, the education provided should be approached holistically with equal importance to rote and practical learning.
The data on poverty still remains ambiguous but it is no secret that poverty is an acute problem for India. As a developing nation with one of the fastest-growing economies, India should focus on improving the quality of education and educational equity so that the country gives birth to self-empowered individuals that will help it to grow further.
Education will lead to rewarding the people who are working without breaking a sweat. Education will help empower the ones whose voices the world needs to hear. It will help them climb the ladder of success, leaving behind poverty in the dust.
The Road to Dimish Poverty
Ensuring each child is educated to the reading and writing level can result in a 15% decline in poverty a year. Education opens the door to new ideas and makes a person realize their worth. Education is not only necessary for a person to get a job but also to perform better at their job and earn better. An educated person has a better understanding of how a particular task can be completed easily and how it may yield better outputs.
Education also helps alleviate the gender bigotry this country faces. An educated individual is more likely to understand that women are equal to men and not inferior, they too deserve an education and have the right to earn, and that it is not a waste to educate a girl child. This will improve the overall literacy rate and consequentially decrease poverty.
Poverty is a huge impediment to the progress of India’s development and requires urgent attention. The government has introduced certain poverty alleviation programs. Some of which are–
- Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojna
- National Social Assistance Programme
- Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna
- Integrated Rural Development Programme
- Food for Work Programme
- National Social Assistance Programme
These schemes have been implemented with sheer goodwill and dedication to cater to the problem of poverty, but have fallen short somewhere or the other of completely eradicating the issue. Initiatives like these will not prove to be very beneficial unless greater attention is paid to education.
Why wait for Tomorrow when we can do it Today
There are always two sides to a coin. For states like Mumbai, the most evident of these two are the high-rise buildings and the slums, and investment in physical capital alone is of no use. Building new machines and equipment might make it easier. Easier to destroy slums and build more high-rise buildings, but it will not eradicate the problem of poverty. It is time to address the role of education in economic development for uprooting this issue.
Smile Foundation believes that education is the starting point to true empowerment and in that effort is educating lakhs of children through our flagship programme Mission Education (ME). If your core too believes that children of all social classes should be in schools, you can make a small donation here.