Investment in Education and health

Investment in Education and health: For India’s large population can become productive by investment in education and training. Educated parents are found to invest more heavily on the education of their children. They are also more aware of their children’s needs of nutrition and hygiene. A virtuous cycle is created in this case. Conversely, uneducated parents keep their children unhygienic and uneducated, thus creating a vicious cycle. Countries like Japan have invested heavily in human resources because they did not have adequate natural resources. They import the natural resources needed by the country. They have invested on people especially in the field of education and health. These people have made efficient use of other resources like land and capital. Efficiency and technology evolved by people have made these countries developed.

Stories of Sakal and Vilas: Following are the cases of two friends who live in village Semapur. The stories illustrate how people can try to become a more productive resource

Story of Sakal: Sakal was a twelve year old boy. His mother Sheela looked after domestic chores. His father Buta Chaudhary worked in an agricultural field. Sakal helped his mother in domestic chores. He also looked after his younger brother Jeetu and sister Seetu. His uncle Shyam had passed the matriculation examination, but was sitting idle in the house as he had no job. Buta and Sheela were eager to teach Sakal. They forced him to join the village school which he soon joined. He started studying and completed his higher secondary examination. His father persuaded him to continue his studies. He raised a loan for Sakal to study a vocational course in computers. After completion of course, he got a job in a private firm. He even designed a new kind of software which helped him increase the sales of the firm. His boss acknowledged his services and rewarded him with a promotion.

Story of Vilas: Vilas was an eleven year old boy. Vilas’s father Mahesh was a fisherman. His father passed away when he was only two year old. His mother Geeta sold fish to earn money to feed the family. She bought fish from the landowner’s pond and sold it in the nearby mandi. She could earn only Rs. 20 to 30 a day by selling fish. Vilas became a patient of arthritis. His mother could not afford to take him to the doctor. He could not go to school either. He was not interested in studies. He helped his mother in cooking and also looked after his younger brother Mohan. After some time, his mother fell sick and there was no one to look after her. There was no one in the family to support them. Vilas too was forced to sell fish in the same village. He like his mother earned only a meagre income.

Observations from the Given Stories: In the two stories, we saw that

1. Sakal went to school and Vilas did not.

2. Sakal was physically strong and healthy; the need for him to visit the doctor frequently. Vilas was a patient of arthritis; he lacked 1 to visit the doctor.

3. Sakal acquired a degree in computer programming and found a job in a private firm. While Vilas continued with the same work as his Mother. He earned a meagre income like his mother to support his family.

Conclusions from the Given Stories: In the case of Sakal, several years of education added to the quality of his labour. This enhanced his total productivity and further added to the growth of the nation’s economy. This in turn paid off through salary or in some other form. In the case of Vilas, there was no education or healthcare in the early part of his life. He spent his life selling fish like his mother; hence, he earns the same amount as unskilled labour.