2023 State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education Report

 The 2023 State of Teachers, Teaching and Teacher Education Report surveyed 8 states through questionnaires for over 6,000 teachers, principals, teacher colleges and analyzed government data on teachers.

Inadequate Teacher Qualifications

Despite certification requirements, only 46% of primary teachers possessed the diploma mandated to teach. Even among the certified, most scored lowly from 40-50% in exams. Similarly, just 32% passed the Teacher Eligibility Test, indicating subpar quality.

Private Sector’s Shortcomings

While private schools often have better facilities, teachers face low, unequal pay and lack contracts. Over 50% of female teachers work without written agreements, earning half of public school teachers.

Issues Facing Public Education

In government schools, overworked teachers handle multiple classes and grades together. Declining student attendance and unsupportive parents add to difficulties in public education.

A Feminized Workforce

Women far outnumber men in the teaching profession across age groups, forming over 70% of the workforce’s young cohort. This highlights a trend of more women entering teaching.

Failing Recommended Student-Teacher Ratios

Mandated student ratios of 30:1 primary and 35:1 upper primary are not met, with most teachers handling higher numbers across divided classes. This affects student attention and engagement.

Takeaways for Education Reforms

The revelations emphasize India’s need for hiring more qualified teachers in sufficient numbers for its young population, alongside addressing contract disparities, gender imbalances and resource gaps across public and private systems to deliver quality instruction.

Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023

 A recent report published by the United Nations University — Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) has raised a red flag regarding India’s dwindling groundwater levels. The ‘Interconnected Disaster Risks Report 2023’ focuses on six environmental tipping points, including groundwater depletion, and reveals a dire situation worldwide.

Global Aquifer Depletion Crisis

The report highlights a concerning trend: 27 out of the world’s 31 major aquifers are depleting faster than they can be naturally replenished. Groundwater, a vital freshwater resource stored in underground aquifers, serves as a source of drinking water for over two billion people, with 70% of withdrawals directed toward agriculture. Shockingly, more than half of the world’s major aquifers are now being depleted at an unsustainable pace, and groundwater is essentially a non-renewable resource.

Groundwater Crisis in India

In India, the situation is particularly dire. The report indicates that 78% of wells in the state of Punjab are considered overexploited, and the entire north-western region is expected to face critically low groundwater availability by 2025. The impending crisis poses not only a threat to farmers’ livelihoods but also jeopardizes food security and the stability of food production systems.

Understanding the Groundwater Tipping Point

The report emphasizes that the groundwater tipping point is reached when the water table drops below a level accessible by existing wells. This marks a critical turning point where farmers lose access to groundwater for irrigation, leading to potential food insecurity and systemic agricultural failures.

Global Impact of Groundwater Depletion

Approximately 30% of the world’s fresh water is stored as groundwater, which is occasionally brought to the surface through natural springs, lakes, or wells. Alarmingly, groundwater depletion has accelerated since the mid-20th century, contributing significantly to rising sea levels. Moreover, excessive groundwater pumping has even caused the Earth’s axis to tilt, affecting regions across India, China, the United States, Mexico, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and parts of northern Africa.

India’s Key Role in the Crisis

India stands out as the world’s largest user of groundwater, surpassing both the United States and China combined. The north-western region of India, particularly Punjab and Haryana, plays a crucial role in the nation’s food production, contributing 50% of the country’s rice supply and 85% of its wheat stocks. However, rampant overexploitation has left 78% of wells in Punjab in a depleted state, with predictions of critically low groundwater levels in the entire north-western region by 2025.

Global Food Supply Chain Implications

Groundwater depletion is intricately linked to international food supply chains. Many countries that overdraw their groundwater resources export products, grown with this unsustainable water source, to distant regions. For instance, the United States exports 42% of its crops irrigated with depleted groundwater, including corn, to countries such as Mexico, China, and Japan.

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Kindly click on the following link to  access Global Sustainable Development  Report 2016.

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2328Global%20Sustainable%20development%20report%202016%20(final).pdf


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India minus Kerala one of the worst places to die: UK report

LONDON PTI





India has been ranked as one of the worst places in the world to die, but Kerala was praised for bucking up the trend by providing good end-oflife care, according to an 80-country “Quality of Death“ study.The `Economic Intelligence Unit' report found the UK to be the best place in the world to die, with developing countries like India towards the bottom of the index of 80 countries.
India and China are ranked 67th and 71st respectively, while Taiwan has the highest rank in Asia, at sixth position.
However, it praised Kerala's provision of palliative care for patients with serious illnesses.
“While India ranks at the bottom of the Index in overall score, and performs badly on many indicators, Kerala, if measured on the same points, would buck the trend. With only 3 per cent of India's population, the tiny state provides two-thirds of India's palliative care services,“ said the 'Quality of Death: Ranking end-oflife care across the world' report.
“Moreover, the state has a formal palliative care policy in place (it is the only Indian state with such a policy) and its government provides fund ing for community-based care programmes,“ it said.
Palliative care advocates from developing countries as well as across the world are studying Kerala's potent combination of government support and civic involvement in end-of-life care, the report said.
The Quality of Death Index, commissioned by the Lien Foundation, a Singaporean philanthropic organisation, is based on qualitative and quantitative indicators and took interviews of over 120 palliative care experts from around the world.

Source: Mumbai Mirror, 8-10-2015

Gujarat tops in biz reforms: Report

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





Gujarat has topped the list of states in rapidly implementing business reforms, a study conducted by the World Bank and the government's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has shown.Key states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been slow in making progress and even lag less-developed states such as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
The first-ever such study which covers the country in an in-depth manner, ` Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms', took stock of reforms implemented by the states from the beginning of January this year to the end of June. It worked out its findings on the progress made on a 98-point action plan that had been agreed upon between various states, union territories and the DIPP towards the end of last year.
The report highlights how states are implementing reforms. “On an average, only 32% of the proposed reforms have been implemented across the country . The implementation of reforms regarding inspection and enforcement of contracts, which necessitate medium term actions, stands at less than 20%,“ the report said.
Other partners in the study, which saw states faring poorly in areas such as setting up electronic courts, included KPMG and industry cham bers CII and FICCI.
The study comes at a time when PM Narendra Modi is attempting to attract investment and create jobs through initiatives such as Make in India. The PM has often referred to the need to make significant progress on ease of doing business.
India ranks 142 among 189 nations in the World Bank's Doing Business report and investors complain about the slow pace of decision making and red tape on approvals.“Thus the need of the day is reform, and the reforms must be led by the government both at central and state levels,“ said Onno Ruhl, World Bank country director in India. Seven out of the top 10 sta tes in terms of imple menting business re orms have the BJP in office supporting the TDP as an al y in Andhra Pradesh). The non-BJP states that cracked he top 10 category included Odisha (ruled by the BJD, ranked 7), Karnataka (Congress, ranked 9) and Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party , ranked 10).
The study assessed the sta es on various key parame ers such as ease of setting up business; allotment of land and obtaining construction permit; complying with environment procedures; comply ng with labour regulations; obtaining infra-related utilities; registering and complying with tax procedures; carry ng out inspections and enforcing contracts.
The assessment shows hat none of the states could achieve distinction or cross he 75% mark (dubbed as `leaders category' in the survey) n the overall assessment on business reforms. The top seven states emerged in the aspiring leaders' category and these were Gujarat (71%), AP (70%), Jharkhand (63%), Chhattisgarh (62%), MP 62%), Rajasthan (61%) and Odisha (52%).
“What this report does ve ry well is to provide a roadmap for states serious about improving their business environment and creating jobs,“ Ruhl said. “But it's also important that the civil servants facilitate business, and make it easy for businesses. This requires a change in mindset.“
The report found that except for the top seven states, all the other regions need to speed up reforms. Nine states, including Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Ta mil Nadu, Punjab and West Bengal, were placed in the ca egory where acceleration is required in reforms implementation. A total of 16 states were placed in the bottom ca egory which need to “jump start“ reforms implementa ion and these included Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Nagaland and Andaman and Nicobar.
“Improving India's regu atory framework for business is a key pre-requisite for ncreasing investment in India and thereby creating obs,“ the report said.
Listing the areas where progress has been made, the report said the states have generally made good progress n terms of tax reforms, which includes mandating eregistration for VAT and cen ral sales tax (CST).
“... online filing and payment of VAT and CST seem to be popular reforms implemented in a vast majority of states. These are joined by clear timelines for building plan approval and construction permits, VAT registration and electricity connection.Finally , a majority of states have established dedicated single windows, backed by legislation or state notifica ions to establish and empower them,“ the report said.

Source: Times of India, 15 Sep 2015