Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary…

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Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance ?

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Following Amartya Sen, India should rebuild public provisioning of primary education and health by focusing on learning outcomes, teacher accountability, nutrition, higher public health spending and comprehensive primary care. ASER 2024 shows Class 3 government-school reading levels rising from 16.3% to 23.4%.

**Introduction**

Drèze and Sen, in An Uncertain Glory (2013), argued that India grew fast but lagged on social indicators because it neglected public provisioning of basic education and health. For Sen these are capabilities, backed by Articles 21A and 47.

**Suggestions for Primary Education**

SKETCH: flow | Sen's Public Action Chain
- Public provisioning
- Schooling and health
- Capabilities
- Real freedoms
- Shared growth

1. **Learning, not enrolment**: NIPUN Bharat (2021) should drive schools; ASER 2024 shows Class 3 government-school pupils reading a Class 2 text rose from 16.3% to 23.4%.
2. **Teacher accountability**: Muralidharan and co-authors (2017) found nearly a quarter of teachers absent on surprise visits, so vacancies, training and School Management Committees need attention.
3. **Early childhood and nutrition**: Anganwadis linked to schools, PM POSHAN and Tamil Nadu's breakfast scheme (2022) remove hunger as a barrier to learning.

**Suggestions for Primary Health Care**

1. **Public spending**: Reach the National Health Policy 2017 target of 2.5% of GDP to cut out-of-pocket expenditure.
2. **Comprehensive primary care**: About 1.75 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs should give free screening and medicines, as Kerala's Aardram mission does.
3. **Public health cadre**: Fill specialist shortfalls at CHCs and copy Tamil Nadu's dedicated public health cadre.
4. **Community voice**: ASHAs, Rogi Kalyan Samitis and social audits give citizens a say and keep services responsive, as Sen urged.

**Conclusion**

Public schools and primary health centres are the foundation of human capability, as Kerala shows. Judged by learning and health outcomes rather than outlays, these reforms can turn India's growth into the shared development that SDGs 3 and 4 envisage.

Professor Amartya Sen has advocated important reforms in the realms of primary education and primary health care. What are your suggestions to improve their status and performance ?

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