15 hours ago
CSEP study highlights the need for Karnataka to widen State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education
A study on the drivers of State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education in urban areas during the last decade has highlighted the need for Karnataka to widen the range of initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education.
This is important to provide government-funded primary health and elementary education to all in Karnataka, and not just the poorest, the study stated.
The paper titled 'Drivers of primary healthcare and elementary education initiatives in Karnataka (2014–2024)' by Priyadarshini Singh, research fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), was discussed by a panel of experts at a seminar on 'Policy options for urban health and education' on Wednesday.
The panel, which was comprised of public health and education experts Sudha Chandrashekar and Sanjay Kaul, discussed the implications of the study's findings for improving urban public health and education services in Karnataka and beyond.
Recommendations
The working paper, which recommends additional pathways from which new State-level initiatives can emerge, is part of a three-State (Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Odisha) study that examined the drivers of State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education, focusing specifically on urban areas from 2014-2024.
'The paper investigates three questions in the case of Karnataka — the key initiatives that focus on the overall primary health and elementary education system; ground-level issues in the working of Urban Primary Health Centres and schools, and the reason that drove the emergence of these initiatives,' said Ms. Singh, pointing out that the study is based on extensive fieldwork in two urban municipal corporations — one each in north and south Karnataka.
'Effective social welfare, whether in the areas of education, health, sanitation, water, or nutrition, is not only dependent on how well existing programmes are implemented and governance systems function but also on the extent to which social welfare is prioritised by the State and Central governments. Prioritisation is reflected in forms such as increased budget allocation, mission-mode implementation of existing programmes, or the development of new initiatives that solve specific challenges,' she said presenting the paper.
Sluggish performance
Pointing out that Karnataka is often praised in nationally prominent indices as a progressive State with strong fiscal, health, and education indicators, she said, 'However, our analysis questions this categorisation, suggesting that Karnataka's good performance is limited to certain indicators, where it is only marginally better than the national average. In many other health and education indicators, such as out-of-pocket expenditure and learning levels, Karnataka's performance is sluggish.'
The researcher said Karnataka exhibits stark intra-State disparities, and the uptake of public health and education facilities compared to private ones is poor. 'Despite historically undertaking prominent initiatives, Karnataka is not a national leader in health and education. We analyse the drivers of State-level initiatives to understand why Karnataka has not become a national leader with high uptake and quality of primary health and elementary education in urban areas,' she explained.
