india & china - a comparision

7/31/2019 India & China - A Comparision

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EARLY DEVELOPMENT

China

Educational development in China during thepast five decades has been characterized bybold moves, major shifts and reversals .

In the first 15 years of the new PeoplesRepublic of China, the young Communistgovernment attempted to bring basic educationto the masses and simultaneously prepare agoverning elite through higher education.

These were soon aborted when the GreatCultural Revolution erupted in 1966. Universityeducation was halted, and preparing cadreswith Communist ideals became the primarygoal of education at all levels.

Only when Deng Xiaoping became the nationalleader and initiated the Reform and Opening Up


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CONTD

India

Compared to the Chinese education system,the Indian system was relatively stable.

Independent India inherited a well developedhigher education system from the Britishcolonial era and continued to focus on it.

Primary education received little attention or

resources from policymakers.

Secondary education was only a steppingstone for the college-bound elite.

Since 1986, more strategic priority has beengiven to primary education.


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A TECHNOLOGICAL FOCUS

In 2002, China graduated 2,19,000 engineers (the U.S. figure wasless than 60,000). This represents 39 percent of all collegegraduates.

When physical sciences are included, this figure climbs to 60percent of all degrees awarded (compared with 17 percent for theUnited States)

Indias intake in approved engineering colleges was 360,000 in20022003. The number of college enrolees in science andengineering is more than 30 percent.

Saxenian and Quan (2005) report that between 1995 and 2000alone, the number of doctorates in science and engineeringconferred by Chinese universities increased 140 percent, from 518

to 1,247, surpassing India in 1997, with the field of computerscience gaining faculty and students rapidly.

However, Farrell and Grant (2005) caution that such increasesmight ultimately prove illusory, since fewer than 10 percent ofChinese graduates would be suitable to work in high-end serviceoccupations because of poor English and theoretical, rather thanpractical, knowledge.

Given the increasing technological sophistication and aspirations ofboth economies, the ever-increasing focus on science and


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RAISING THE UNIVERSITY

STANDARDS GLOBALLY

Despite a well-developed tertiary educationsystem, India hosts only about 8,000 foreignstudents in its colleges and universities.

According to the Ministry of Education, in2004 China hosted 110,844 foreign students inits colleges and universities.

It would be interesting to explore the stepsboth countries need to take to achieve world-

class status in their universities and therebyattract more students.

China is luring foreign-trained faculty to itsuniversities in an attempt to make themamong the best in the world (French, 2005).This appears to be a step in the right direction.


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ADULT EDUCATION

Both countries face the daunting task of getting theirsignificant number of uneducated adult population toactively participate in their modernizing economies.

China has employed part- and full-time teachers (45,000 in1998) to provide literacy education to adults. Adult

education has been kept particularly local, with provisionalauthorities supplying more than 50 percent of teachingmaterials, which is still in adequate.

The challenge faced by India, which had close to 260million illiterate people ages 7 and older, is even moresevere.

Literacy campaigns have been launched all over thecountry, especially in the educationally backward states ofBihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

There has been a reliance on the spirit of voluntarism,which has worked well in the district of Ernakulam in the

state of Kerala


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GENDER

Chinas net primary enrollment rate and its netintake rate are slightly higherfor females thanmales.

The respective numbers are 95 percent and 94.3

percent for primary enrollment and 66.7 percentand 65.7 percent for intake rates.

The gender disparity index(female-to-maleenrollment ratio) increased steadily from 0.982 in1991 to 0.999 in 1998.(The overall ratio of women

to men in the population is slightly less than 50percent.)

This decreasing disparity over the years hasreduced the gap in literacy rates: 87 percent ofwomen ages 15+ are now literate, compared with

95 percent of men (UNESCO, undated).


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Absent such egalitarian emphasis, the gendersituation is less rosy in India. Despiteimprovements, the net female enrollment ratein primary education, at 75.7 percent, lagged

behind the male enrollment figure of 88.5percent.

A significant gap is present in gross secondaryenrollment rates as well: 47 percent versus 58percent.

Literacy did grow faster for females (14.4percentage points) than for males (11.2percentage points) from 1991 to 2001.

The difference is, however, still large. Theliteracy rate for women is 48 percent compared


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MINORITIES & ETHNIC

GROUPS

There are 55 minority groups in China whomake up 8.41 percent of the population.Compared with India, which has a highlyheterogeneous population in the dimensions oflanguage, religion, and caste, the Chinesepopulation is relatively homogeneous.

This fact and concerted governmental effortshave kept educational disparities along ethnic

lines in China low.

Indeed, the illiteracy rate among seven nationalminorities is actually lower than the nationalaverage.


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Indian society has been historically structured intosubgroups called castes.of which few havehistorically suffered discrimination so have beenaccorded special status by the Indian government andfall under the categories of Scheduled Castes or

Scheduled Tribes.

Literacy rates increased between 1961 and 2001: from10.27 percent to 54.7 percent for Scheduled Castesand from 8.53 percent to 47.1 percent for ScheduledTribes.

However, these rates fall below the national averageand are dragged down by particularly low literacy ratesfor females.

India has an extensive affirmative action programcalled reservation which attempts to further increase

the literacy rate.


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INCOME

There is a high degree of correlation betweenincome and enrollment.

In both countries, geographic disparities parallelincome disparities.

For instance, the low-enrollment interior regions ofChina and the north-central states of India are alsopoorer than their high enrollment counterparts.

Income disparities might matter more as anindependent dimension for India, which has not had

quite the same egalitarian economic outlook thatChina has had.

Chinas inequality is lower, but is higher in ruralthan in urban areas, a rare phenomenon.

Poor families often expect children to contribute to

family income either by working in the field orengaging in child labor. The main cost of sending a


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AGE

Both countries have huge stocks of uneducatedpeople, especially among the older segments ofthe population.

As the two economies develop and the youngerworkers are better educated, the older uneducatedpeople will find it increasingly difficult to competein labor markets.

Though this issue has not received the attention it

warrants, policymakers in both countries should beconcerned with the inequality of income by agelikely to emerge from current educational anddemographic trends.

Ignoring it could result in social strife, as well aspopular resentment against further economic


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EDUCATION

INFRASTRUCTURE

Increasing enrollments at the primary and secondarylevels, and the pressure this places on tertiaryenrollment, argue for increased physical infrastructurein education in both India and China.

The Ministry of Education, Peoples Republic of China(2001) identifies grossly inadequate educationalinput as one of the main problems facing Chineseeducation.

The situation in India, especially in the rural areas, iseven more dismal, despite the institution of schemessuch as Operation Blackboard in 1987 to improveschool infrastructure.

While problems with infrastructure should not beoveremphasized, schools that lack even the basicamenities are unlikely to encourage enrollment andcompletion.

Given funding constraints, both countries may need tothink creativel to find solutions such as for in


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TECHNOLOGY

The governments of China and India both reportincreased technological content in their education(UNESCO, 2004).

Indeed, an argument has been made that thetechnology integrated into the curriculum in Indiais too high and even inappropriate (Konana andBalasubramanian, 2002).

Technology, in addition to being integrated withthe curriculum, also needs to be viewed as a toolfor reaching a larger segment of students.

Falling costs of computing and communication(including television broadcasting) provideopportunities for distance learning, especially inrural areas.

What is more encouraging is the fact that 20

percent of all higher education enrollees in Indiaare in distance education (UNESCO, 2004).


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IMPORTANT STRENGTHS

CHINA

With a history of egalitarianism and povertyreduction, Chinas achievements in primaryeducation have been spectacular. The primary

enrollment rate is close to 100 percent. This hasallowed large segments of the Chinese populationto benefit from manufacturing- and service-sectoremployment in a fast-growing economy.

The reduction in the gender gap in education hasbeen equally impressive. Given the importance of

female education and literacy in economicdevelopment, China has built a strong foundationfor sustained growth and development. Educationequality along ethnic lines has likewise beenimpressive.

The decentralization of schooling administration,despite state-run schools and a bloatedbureaucrac cou led with an incentive-based


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INDIA

A strong tradition of higher education coupled withan English medium of instruction has put India on

the map of the global economy. It has allowed it toposition itself as a knowledge-driven economy withemphasis on information technology andbiotechnology.

Indias belated realization that elementary

education cannot be neglected has alreadyproduced results, with increases in primaryenrollment and attainment.

The large-scale prevalence of private education

provides India a flexible platform on which to enactcurriculum and other reforms, even if this


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IMPORTANT

CHALLENGES CHINA

The challenge of educating close to 90 million adultilliterates and integrating them into the moderneconomy is a daunting one. However, with low fertilityrates and an aging population, this is a priority thatcannot be ignored. Given the greater prevalence ofilliteracy in the interior, indicators of regionalinequality are much worse than those for gender andethnic inequality.

Further improvements in enrolment in secondaryeducation and the quality of its delivery are needed.China still has some distance to go to catch up withother East Asian countries such as South Korea. Stronggrowth in productivity is crucial for sustained economicgrowth; this demands a better-educated labour force.

As educational emphasis moves to tertiary education,and financing moves toward tuition and fees, betterfinancing options need to be available to students andtheir families. Chinas o enin u in the financial


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INDIA

Education of girls and improvement of literacyamong the young adult women is of primaryimportance. This would result in benefits such as

decreased fertility, decreased infant mortality,increased education, and increased HIV/AIDSawareness.

Increasing enrolments will count for little if qualityindicators are not improved. Dealing with dropouts,repeaters, and teacher absenteeism is crucial. An

incentive-based wage structure for teachers andmore intense monitoring of schools are required.

Inequality along all dimensionsgender,geography, and ethnicityneeds to be reduced.Without a uniformly well-educated labour force,Indias demographic advantage of a youthfulpopulation will remain illusory. Broad-basededucation is more likel to build a consensus on


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IMPORTANT

OPPORTUNITIES

CHINA

With stellar achievements in primary education,China has the opportunity to take education to

the next level and join the ranks of economiessuch as South Koreas by increasing secondaryand tertiary education.

Increases in tertiary education and English

education would allow China to compete withIndia as a global outsourcing destination in theknowledge sectors by increasing the relevantlabour base.

As its universities expand, China can not onlyretain its own students who go to the United


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A PRESENTATION BY

ANU SREE DEVI & PREETHI ,II MBA

india & china - a comparision

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