The Hindu Editorial Analysis, India Needs Public Policy Education

The Hindu Editorial Analysis: The editorial analysis of The Hindu Newspaper Editorial Articles aimed at simplifying various concepts relevant to the UPSC and other State PSC Exams. The Editorial Analysis helps in expanding the knowledge base as well as framing better quality mains answers. Today’s Hindu Editorial Analysis discusses need for an effective public policy education system in the government in order to ensure better policy formulation and hence effective implementation of policies so formulated.

Indian Foreign Policy and Foreign Relations

Public Policy Education in India

The India Needs Public Policy Education article presents some recommendations to promote public policy education in India. The term “public management” is used interchangeably to denote both public policy and public administration.

Need for Public Policy Education

India’s bureaucracy comprises numerous talented individuals operating at various levels.

• Despite this, there is a general belief that governance lags behind private sector management when it comes to efficiency and effectiveness, primarily due to insufficient training in public management.
• A comprehensive understanding of public management is crucial for most executive positions in the organized sector, which are predominantly found in government or government-owned agencies.
• Unfortunately, the availability of formal education in public management is limited compared to business management education.

Status of Formal Public Policy Education in India

Unfortunately, there is a lack of emphasis on public policy education in India, and only a small number of civil service officers, who are policymakers, receive formal training in public policy and administration.

• According to data from the All-India Council for Technical Education-
  • There are 3,182 institutions that offer business management programs with an approved intake of 4.22 lakh, &
  • There are only approximately 130 universities offering public administration programs, both public and private, as well as not-for-profit.
• Moreover, only 29 institutes provide public policy programs, out of which 17 are private, four are semi-private, and eight are state-funded institutions.
• Typically, public policy courses have a batch size ranging from 20 to 60 students.

Why Public Policy Education not Favoured?

Universities do not offer a wide range of public management programs mainly because there are limited job opportunities for individuals pursuing such courses.

• The private sector has few openings in government advisory roles, consulting, and Corporate Social Responsibility, whereas public sector opportunities require students to clear competitive exams.
• As a result, neither educational institutions nor students have any motivation to prioritize public management courses over technical or management courses that provide more attractive prospects in the private sector.

Overseas Opportunities for Indian Civil Servants

Although there are a limited number of options for civil service officers to pursue public management studies in India and overseas, some opportunities do exist.

• According to the capacity-building commissions’ records over the past decade (2012-2021), 194 civil service officers, including 86 from the IAS, pursued Master’s level public management studies abroad.
• Additionally, the government sponsored 194 civil service officers for full-time public policy courses in five institutions across the country in the last three years.
• However, these numbers are low in comparison to the current count of 1.3 lakh Group A officers in the Government of India.

Steps to Promote Public Policy Education in India

Following three steps can help in promoting a comprehensive public policy education culture in Bureaucracy in particular and in India in general-

Introduce Public Policy as Compulsory Subject in UPSC Exam

The government should introduce public policy as a compulsory subject in the Civil services exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). One may question whether it is reasonable to introduce public policy as a compulsory subject for UPSC aspirants.

• However, based on the data from the past three years, it is fair to do so, as on average, 50% of the aspirants chose an optional subject other than their graduation subject for the UPSC main exam, indicating their readiness to acquire new knowledge for the sake of success in the exam.

Public Policy as Part of Induction Training

The second suggestion is to incorporate a larger component of public policy education in the existing training institutions of the government, as part of their induction training. Additionally, these institutions should build a case study bank for training purposes.

Create Opportunities

Thirdly, the government can create specialized positions for public policy analysts, which can be filled by graduates of public policy programs from the market. This will create new job opportunities for these graduates.

Conclusion

The future of a country is greatly influenced by government policies. Effective public policies can lead to economic growth, improved public welfare, and enhanced quality of life for citizens.

Public Policy Education in India FAQs

Q. What is public policy education?

Ans. Public policy education is an interdisciplinary field that trains individuals in policy analysis, program evaluation, and policy implementation. It involves developing skills in research, analysis, and advocacy to create and implement policies that promote social welfare.

Q. What are the career opportunities after pursuing a public policy course in India?

Ans. Some of the career opportunities after pursuing a public policy course in India include working in government agencies, NGOs, research organizations, think tanks, consulting firms, and international organizations. One can also work in areas such as policy analysis, program evaluation, policy advocacy, and social entrepreneurship.

Q. What are some of the popular public policy courses in India?

Ans. Some of the popular public policy courses in India are Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Arts (MA) in Public Policy, Master of Public Administration (MPA), Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Management (PGDPPM), and Post Graduate Diploma in Public Policy and Sustainable Development (PGDPPSD).

Q. Which are some of the top institutes in India that offer public policy courses?

Ans. Some of the top institutes in India that offer public policy courses are Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore, Indian School of Public Policy (ISPP) Delhi, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai, National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore, and Centre for Public Policy (CPP) Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

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