THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- September 26, 2016- Topic 1
Current educational
attainments remain far from adequate for the enhancement of personal well-being
and social progress, according to a report of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development. Immigrant populations are especially
disadvantaged, an area that deserves particular attention given the recent
scramble for shelter and succour among millions of refugees. The findings in
the OECD’s Education
at a Glance 2016 report make for
sober reading all round, viewed against data on the many rewards individuals
and societies are able to reap when endowed with higher qualifications. For
instance, people with a master’s degree stand a close to 90 per cent wage
advantage in the 35 countries of the OECD. Correspondingly, their governments
receive over a lifetime about €100,000 in taxes and social contributions more
than they invest on a graduate. There has been a 4 percentage point increase in
the rate of enrolment in tertiary education in the decade ended 2014. These are
encouraging facts; the logical case therefore should be for greater public
investment in this sector. But across the spectrum the trend is clearly in the
opposite direction. While the report shows an 8 per cent rise in real-term
spending per child in the five years up to 2013, it also notes a 14 per cent
increase in private expenditure in the region in the same period. Private
spending by students and households is estimated at some 30 per cent in the
tertiary education sector alone. This has to be viewed against the backdrop of
the relentless regime of economic austerity in the years following the
financial crisis, with serious implications for equity and the knowledge
economies of the future.
A broader issue mentioned in
the report, which covers besides OECD members, partner-countries including
India, is the likelihood that states may not be able to realise the 2030
Sustainable Development Goal pertaining to the provision of quality education. This
concern is echoed in the Unesco 2016 report. The need to achieve the targets
relating to SDG 4, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, cannot
be overstated, given that it is the pivot on which the realisation of several
other fundamentally important developmental objectives remains. Indeed, almost
the entire success of the 2030 agenda rests squarely on the education target.
The objectives of reduction of poverty, alleviation of hunger, expansion of
employment, empowerment of women and gender equality are all influenced by the
qualifications and skills that men and women possess. And of course at another
level, without an educated and empowered populace, the dream of an enlightened,
more tolerant and peaceful world would forever remain elusive.
Vocabulary
Adequate: satisfactory or acceptable in quality or quantity.
Example: This office is perfectly adequate for my needs
Synonyms: sufficient, enough, requisite; acceptable, passable, reasonable
Deserves: do something or have or show qualities worthy of (reward or punishment).
Example: The referee deserves a pat on the back for his bravery
Synonyms: merit, earn, warrant, rate, justify, be
worthy of, be entitled to, have a right to
Scramble: a difficult or hurried clamber up or over something.
Example: An undignified scramble over the wall
Synonyms: clamber, climb, trek
Succour: assistance and support in times of hardship and distress.
Example: Victims' families had no protection, no succour or support.
Synonyms: aid, help, a helping hand, assistance, comfort, ease, relief, support
Sober: not affected by alcohol; not drunk.
Example: That coffee
sobered him up
Synonyms: quit drinking, dry out, become sober
Reap: cut or gather (a crop or harvest).
Example: Large numbers of men were employed to reap the harvest
Endowed: give or bequeath an income or property to (a person or institution).
Example: He endowed the church with lands
Relentless: oppressively constant; incessant.
Example: The relentless heat of the desert
Synonyms: persistent, continuing, constant, continual, continuous, nonstop
Austerity: sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
Example: He was noted for his austerity and his authoritarianism
Pivot: turn on or as if on a pivot.
Example: The sail pivots around the axis of a virtually static mast
Synonyms: rotate, turn, swivel, revolve, spin
Enlightened: having or showing a rational, modern, and well-informed outlook.
Example: The more enlightened employers offer better terms
Synonyms: well-informed, aware, sophisticated, advanced, developed
Elusive: difficult to find, catch, or achieve.
Example: Success will become ever more elusive
Synonyms: difficult to find, evasive, slippery, always
on the move