This is an extract from a discussion document to develop a world class education sector that is capable of attracting investment in the development of Kerala as an ‘education destination’ for students in India and from overseas. Kerala already has achieved near total literacy, free and universal primary education, low dropout rates at the school level, easy access to educational institutions, gender equality in access etc. on a par with developed countries. Societal demand for and supply of education in Kerala has been supported by social reform movements, missionary activities, the Malayalee diaspora, and various organized and unorganized movements that have supported the establishment of a large number of competing education institutes in the state and private sectors.
Kerala's education system has emerged as the single largest economic activity in the state. Education accounts for more than one third of the total revenue expenditure of the state. Nearly one fifth of the population is students. The education sector is also one of the biggest employers in the state. The number of teachers forms more than 50 per cent of the total number of workers in registered factories. Teachers constitute nearly 18 per cent of total employment in the organized sector. Kerala has the highest the ratio of teachers to total workers, among all the states in India.
These developments in Kerala and the proposal to develop the state as an educational destination need to be set against the context of national developments as recommended by the National Knowledge Commission (2010) of which the terms of reference include:
1) Building excellence in the educational system to meet the knowledge challenges of the 21st century and to increase India’s competitive advantage;
2) Promoting the creation of knowledge in science & technology; and
3) Promoting knowledge applications in agriculture and industry.
These three terms of reference form an important basis for this proposal for the development of clusters or hubs of educational institutions in Kerala that could be developed through a Public Private Participation strategy; supervised by an appropriate governance structure, and for which a novel approach to the payment of education fees through a voucher system is proposed.
Kerala as an Educational Destination: Institutional Structure
The institutional structure of an education destination needs to satisfy a wide range of educational needs, to provide a rich choice of educational paths, and to develop a critical mass to attract quality faculty and students, and potential employers of graduates. Figure 1 depicts such an institutional structure which includes primary and secondary schools, tertiary education colleges and universities, national and international tertiary level institutes, research and development centres, training and development centres offering short courses for industry, and a variety of institutes/centres offering specialist training certificates/diplomas to meet the highly specific needs of various occupations and industries such as in agriculture, tourism, port development and transport, health services, the finance and IT industries, and new developments in biotechnologies and environmental sciences.
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