Tapping On The Potential Of The Youth

The Hindu     12th July 2021     Save    

Context: World Population Day is marked on July 11 to focus attention on the importance of population­related issues. It is critical that we safeguard young people’s well-being because India’s welfare hinges on them.

India’s demographic dividend potential: At 253 million, India’s adolescent population is among the largest. Over 62% of India is aged between 15 and 59 years, and the median age of the population is less than 30 years.

  • Huge economic potential:  This opens up the potential for economic growth based on the age structure of the population. For E.g. East Asia’s economic rise of 1965-90 was due to a favourable demographic structure.

Population related issues: There are certain challenges in efficient utilisation of demographic dividend -  

      

  • Narrowing window for leveraging demographic dividend:As last year UNDP report and The Lacent study cites, India will stabilise its population 12 years earlier than expected.
  • Underfunded education system: 
    • According to World Bank, public expenditure on education constituted 4.4% of GDP in 2019 and only 3.4% of GDP in 2020.
    • Another report revealed that India stands 62nd in terms of public expenditure per student and fares badly in quality of education measures such as student-teacher ratios.
  • Pandemic impacts on adolescents: 
    • Impact on mental well-being: International Labour Organization survey reveals that 17% of young people are likely to be suffering from anxiety and depression.
    • Rise in dropout: Especially girls to drop out—a  significant number of 15.8 crore female learners in India are unlikely to go back to school due to increased poverty and spurt in early marriages.
    • Learning loss: ILO survey reveals that 65% of adolescents worldwide reported having learnt less during pandemic.
    • Shadow pandemic: Adolescent girls at higher risk of gender-based violence, vulnerability to abuse and trafficking etc.

        Way forward

        • Recalibrate pandemic mitigation measures: Policymakers need to balance risks of transmission through children with the harm of prolonged school closures. Different policy measures to look into include- 
          • Prioritising vaccination of teachers and school support staff.
          • Decentralised approach: District-level officials may reopen schools based on local transmission rates in a phased manner. In Odisha, community schools have reopened in some areas.
          • Innovation and creativity in learning: Opening schools with a mix of online and offline options.
        • Coordination across departments and ministries:
          •  Implement delivery of mid-day meal schemes during school closures through collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
          • Teachers can work as volunteers for collaborating with frontline health workers to distribute sanitary napkins to girls.
          • Address mental health of adolescents through outreach via existing helplines and by enabling conversations on critical issues regarding their reproductive and sexual health.