9. Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance?(CSE Mains 2016)GS-II 2016
9. Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance?(CSE Mains 2016)GS-II 2016
Professor Amartya Sen theorizes capacity building as freedom. He believes real freedom is freedom from necessities. He has advocated that state should engage and provide basic health care and education so that individuals can realise their true potential.
Primary Health care and education have a cascading impact on the quality of life for citizens.
Primary education
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Increased Awareness
↓
Higher education
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Improved employment opportunities
↓
Increased income
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Growth and prosperity
Similarly Primary Health Care also has a multiplying effect on productivity of citizens
Primary Health Care
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Increased health and nutrition
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Increased productivity
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Faster growth and development
National Health Mission (NRHM and NUHM) aim at providing equitable Primary Health Care. Government has also increased the network of Primary Health centres to reach even the remotest villages.
Some suggestions to improve them are:
- Enhancement of public infrastructure and coverage
- Increased spending in health( Indian expenditure on health as compared to percentage of GDP is one of the lowest among Nations)
- National Health Mission should be strengthened
- Provide insurance schemes and safety net for vulnerable sections to reduce out of pocket expenditure in health
With the enactment of Right to Education Act 2009 there has been an increase in Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), but the quality of education has not been up to the standards (ASER report). Reports have shown learning deficit gap in government school. There is an urgent need to bridge the widening gap between the government and private schools.
Some suggestions to improve them are:
- Should focus away from rote learning to activity based learning.
- Monitor and improve quality of education
- Improve Teacher-pupil ratio
- Incorporate Yashpal committee(2009) recommendations which have been approved
Professor Amartya Sen has criticize that decrease spending in education and health would not allow India to reap the benefits of it's demographic dividend. He cites that a well educated, healthy and energetic population can be an asset but poorly educated and unhealthy population would become an liability.