Page 36 - EW March 2025

Cover Story

25 MILLION GIFTED CHILDREN
URGENT! ENABLE INDIA'S REAL

DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND NOW

To a nation with education and economy in the doldrums, India's
10-25 million gifted children offer hope of inventing and innovating
sock-it-to-’em killer products and services that will leapfrog the
country to the forefront of the global economic development race

Sridhar Rajagopalan, Swarnali Chakraborty, Nagendra Mopada
& Summiya Yasmeen

I NDIA’S POLITICIANS FROM PRESIDENT stood up” — at $13,000, is several multiples of India’s.

In this connection, it’s pertinent to note that right until
Draupadi Murmu downwards and ministers
1978, India and China’s per capita incomes were on a par
of the ruling BJP/NDA government at the
Centre in particular, proclaim from the roof-
with the enterprising people of both countries — Indians
tops that there’s an inevitability about India
and Chinese are commonly accepted as the world’s best
(“the world’s fastest growing major economy,”
socialist ideologies. But in 1978, China’s bold and visionary
according to Union finance minister Dr. Nir-
mala Sitharaman) attaining the prime minis- tradesmen — cabined, cribbed and confined by communist/
leader Deng Xiaoping took a big risk and led China up the
ter’s Viksit Bharat (‘developed India’) and $30 trillion GDP “capitalist road”. With strong focus on upgrading educa-
targets for 2047, when the Republic will celebrate its cen- tion — especially primary-secondary schooling — deregulat-
tenary of freedom from almost 200 years of debilitating, ing agriculture and MSMEs (micro, small, medium enter-
exploitative British rule. However the auguries for realising prises), Deng ensured that China’s GDP recorded globally
this cherished dream are not reassuring. unprecedented 10 percent-plus compounded annual GDP
Currently, despite its huge population of 1.4 billion and growth for two full decades. As a result with a GDP of $18
the advantage of hosting the world’s largest child and youth trillion and having broken out of the ‘middle income trap’
cohort estimated at 560 million, India is a laggard nation in (per capita income of $12,500), China has transformed into
the international economic development race. India’s per the world’s manufacturing hub with a huge trade surplus
capita GDP is a mere $2,600 per year as against America’s and established itself as the world’s second largest and most
$86,601, UK’s $54,280, Singapore’s $86,248, Indonesia’s competitive economy.
$4,960 and Malaysia’s $13,142. And perhaps the unkindest On the other hand, successive governments in India ne-
cut of all is that the per capita income of our neighbouring glected education, especially primary-secondary learning
People’s Republic of China — which was lower than India’s and the nation’s free enterprise capitalist tradition. In 1991,
in 1949 when the Communist Party of China united the confronted with an inevitable balance of payments crisis
country and Chairman Mao famously declared “China has and prospect of international bankruptcy, the Congress

36 EDUCATIONWORLD MARCH 2025