The Indian education system is reeling under the negative impacts and repercussions of high paycheques being handed out to its teachers. The reality is much harsher than it seems when talking about the economic angle of the Indian education system. It has often been claimed that one of the prime reasons behind the waywardness of the Indian education system is the miniscule paycheques being handed over to its teachers. Surveys and studies have finally broken this myth and proven that it is in fact the other way round as the teachers get fatter paycheques than many which in turn is costing education dearly.
The myth gets busted
The criticizers of the system felt pride in blaming the poor salaries being handed out to teachers which was a cause of great resentment among them. They felt that such low salaries will never bring out the best from the teachers and hence it is a reason enough for the students getting substandard education owing to the lacking diligence among teachers. The myth has gone bust when studies have proven that in a complete reversal of facts, the teachers of India get much higher pays than most fellow professionals as well as other global teachers!
How well do the teachers stand financially?
The best scale to compare the magnitude of salaries is to compare it with the per capita GDP of the nation. On a global analysis, many facts surfaced regarding the teacher salary and GDP ratio. In China for instance, this ratio was around 1 between the period 2001-2009. In most of the OECD nations, this ratio was approximately around 1.2 while it was a bit higher for the developing nations. Incidentally, the ratio was nowhere found to be in an excess of 3 only with the exception of India. The ratio in India was a global high compared to other nations. Ironically, after the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission in 2009, the same ratio has shot up to almost 5-6.
What do the stats mean?
Such mind numbing stats mean that an average Indian teacher gets paid almost 5 to 6 times of an average Indian. Ironically in some of the most educationally laggard states the ratios are even higher. For example, in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar the ratios are 15.4 and 17.5 respectively. These are truly mind boggling stats indeed, scary enough to stun any economist.
The impacts on education
The humongous salaries have economically crippled the financially weak government who are in no position to recruit new teachers especially after the implementation of the 6th Pay Commission. Thousands of teacher posts lie vacant at present. Substitutes inducted in those vacant positions are paid a nominal fraction of the salaries meant for the teachers themselves. This act compromises with ethics and attitude of the teaching class. The substitutes are either below par individuals who lack basic training or are least apprehensive about education which means that in either way the sole losers are the education and the nation’s children.
The path to reformation
The reforms can be brought only when the governments act financially wise. The economical burden if loosened can help the reorganization of the education system due to the surplus of funds. Rational and logical approach by the government can help the education sector to recover from the repercussions of such statistics. Teachers must be paid well but surely not at the expense of the education of the nation’s children.
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Indian System In Teachers
Gdp Of The Nation
