Policy initiatives to promote universal education amongst India’s youth population have led to significant improvement in school enrolment statistics of the country. Almost six and a half decades post-independence, India hosts one of the largest school systems in the world, with over 195,000 secondary and higher secondary schools. The Right to Education (RTE) Act of [...]
April 19, 2013
After a slew of scams and controversies for India’s ruling UPA (United Progressive Alliance) coalition, the newly unveiled 2013-2014 budget signals a return to the UPA’s primary agenda of economic growth. At various points in his speech, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram assured investors and voters that the UPA government was firmly committed to the “Indian [...]
April 19, 2013
Sharadha, aged 14, lives in one of Hyderabad’s slums. Her mother works as domestic help in local housing complexes. Sharadha likes going to school and aspires to be a teacher someday. However, because she has a poor attendance record, she may not be able to move onto the next grade. She has invariably been skipping [...]
March 20, 2013
India’s landmark Right to Education (RTE) Act was legislated in 2010, and since then, central and state governments have been working together and independently to support the cause of universal education. Over 220 million Indian children between the ages of six and 14 are recipients of a sub-par education. This is overwhelmingly due to issues [...]
February 26, 2013
Many countries face a dead-end in terms of resources, natural or otherwise, due to an unprecedented population growth rate. In recent decades, Pakistan seems to be getting closer to this end. In 1947 when Pakistan was born, its population was recorded at 32 million. Today, 66 years later, the country’s population has risen to approximately [...]
February 26, 2013
Despite a sustained period of high economic growth and significant expenditure on the social sector — nearly 19% of total central government expenditure in 2011-2012 — India today is faced with a multipart development conundrum. Even the most conservative estimates on poverty reveal staggering figures: the Tendulkar Committee, whose report was accepted by the Planning [...]
May 20, 2013
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