What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: View India’s Gender Gap Report ranking as a warning

Context

India must place gender equality at the core of its economic and demographic future.

Introduction

India is now a global economic power, a leader in digital innovation, and hosts the world’s largest youth population. However, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2025) provides a sobering reminder that in terms of gender equality, India still lags significantly behind.

India’s Gender Equality Ranking and Structural Challenges

• India ranks 131 out of 148 countriesin the Global Gender Gap Report, with particularly low scores in economic participation and health and survival — critical pillars for true gender parity.
• These indicators reflect not only social issues but a structural failurethat hinders national progress.

Health and Autonomy of Women

• Despite progress in educational attainment, India struggles to ensure women’s healthand autonomy.
• India’s sex ratio at birthremains one of the most skewed globally, highlighting persistent son preference.
• Healthy life expectancyfor women is now lower than that of men.
• These outcomes suggest chronic neglect in reproductive health, preventive care, and nutrition, especially among women from low-incomeand rural
• There is an urgent need for increased budget allocationsfor health, especially at the primary care level, to improve women’s access to education and basic health services.
• Without good health, economic inclusionis impossible.
• Nearly 57% of Indian womenaged 15 to 49 are anaemic (NFHS-5), reducing their ability to learn, work, and carry pregnancies safely.
• This widespread and correctable issue symbolizes a broader failure to prioritize women’s healthin national development.

Economic Participation and Opportunity

Indicator	India’s Status	Global Projection/Notes
Economic Participation Ranking	143rd	Stubbornly low female labor force participation
Wage Gap	Women earn less than one-third of men	Significant economic disparity
Potential GDP Gain	$770 billion by 2025 (projected)	Lost opportunity at current progress pace
Time to Close Gender Gap	Over a century at current pace	India lags behind global trajectory

• Women’s labor force participationremains low, and wage inequality is significant.
• The McKinsey Global Institute (2015)estimated that closing gender gaps could add $770 billion to India’s GDP by 2025.
• However, as of 2025, India seems to have missed this opportunity.
• At the current pace, it may take over a centuryto close the global economic gender gap, with India falling behind even this slow trajectory.

Women’s Employment Beyond Numbers

• Women are heavily engaged in informaland subsistence work, yet remain grossly under-represented in decision-making spaces such as boardrooms and budget committees.
• This results in a policy ecosystemthat often sidelines women’s lived realities.
• The burden of unpaid care workis a significant drain on women’s time and agency.

Unpaid Care Work and Its Impact

• Indian women perform nearly seven times more unpaid domestic workthan men, according to the Time Use Survey.
• Despite its critical nature, this unpaid labourremains invisible in national accounting and underfunded in public policy.

Need for Investment in Care Infrastructure

• Investing in care infrastructuresuch as childcare centres, elder care services, and maternity benefits would reduce this burden and enable millions of women to enter or re-enter the workforce.
• The lack of these services points to both a genderand economic blind spot.

Policy Recommendations and Global Examples

• Central and State governments must integrate unpaid care workinto economic and social policy frameworksthrough:
  • Time-use surveys
  • Gender budgeting
  • Direct investmentin care infrastructure
• India can learn from countries like Uruguayand South Korea, which have successfully incorporated care economies into their development plans with positive outcomes.

India’s Demographic Shift

• India is at a demographic turning point.
• The percentage of senior citizensis expected to nearly double by 2050, reaching close to 20% of the population.
• This increase will mainly involve very old women, especially widows, who often face high dependency.
• Fertility rateshave fallen below the replacement level, as noted in NFHS-5.

Economic and Social Implications

• The working-age populationwill shrink as the elderly’s care needs
• To sustain economic growth, women—who constitute half the population—must be healthy, supported, and economically active.
• Gender equalityis now a demographic and economic necessity, not just a rights issue.

Risks and Policy Needs

Issue	Impact	Policy Requirement
Women exiting workforce	Increases dependency ratio	Prevent exclusion; promote re-entry
Rising dependency ratio	More strain on fewer workers, fiscal risk	Integrated health, labour, and social protectionpolicies

• Continued exclusion of women from the workforce will raise the dependency ratiofaster, straining fewer workers and threatening fiscal stability.
• Integrated policiesthat connect health, labour, and social protection are essential to reverse this trend.

Conclusion

India does not lack frameworks or ambition—the slogans and commitments are already in place. What is truly needed is substantial investment in public health systems that focus specifically on women’s needs, in care services that help redistribute unpaid work, and in policies that recognize women not merely as beneficiaries but as active builders of the economy. The Global Gender Gap Report serves not just as a ranking but as a crucial warning: unless India places gender equality at the heart of its economic and demographic future, it risks losing the significant gains it has painstakingly achieved so far.

Editorial 2: ​English dreams

Context

Forcing any language as the medium of instruction is not acceptable.

Introduction

English medium education is highly sought after in India, reflecting aspirations for better opportunities. However, state policies on the medium of instruction have been inconsistent, influenced by linguistic diversity, constitutional rights, and political agendas like the three-language policy. This complex debate raises questions about balancing mother tongue instruction, English education, and social equity across regions.

Medium of Instruction in Indian Education

• English medium educationis a strong aspiration for many Indians.
• State policieson the medium of instruction have been inconsistent across different times and regions.
• The ongoing language debatein India is partly driven by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s push for a three-language policy, with the medium of instruction being a key issue.

Educational and Constitutional Perspectives

• Educationists generally believe that teaching children in their mother tonguehelps them learn better in early stages.
• Pedagogical researchsupports mother tongue instruction, but this cannot ignore constitutional rights and real-world factors.
• India’s vast linguistic diversitymakes it difficult to define a child’s mother tongue clearly in many cases.
• The freedom of expression and choiceis also protected under the Constitution.
• In 2014, the Supreme Courtruled against a Karnataka government order (1994) that made Kannada mandatoryuntil Class 4, stating that children have the right to choose their medium of instruction.
• Private schoolshave the right to offer education based on market demand, adding another dimension to this issue.

National Education Policy and English Medium Demand

• The National Education Policy (NEP), promoted strongly by the Centre, has an anti-English stance, which conflicts with popular demand.
• Many states aim to promote their local languages and cultureswhile also supporting English education and English as a medium of instruction.
• States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Naduhave aided English medium schools.
• Demand for English medium educationis rising across India, including Hindi-speaking regions.
• This demand is mainly met by private institutions, which are often expensiveand of lower quality.

Social and Economic Impact of English Education

• English skillsare crucial for individuals and India’s position in the global services sector.
• Subaltern caste groupsespecially see English education as a key to empowerment and upward social mobility.
• When state schoolsdon’t offer English medium education, wealthier families access it through private schools, worsening social inequality.
• Education, instead of reducing inequality, often ends up reproducing or increasing social divides.
• Knowledge of Englishis empowering and can lead to many positive outcomes.
• While there can be debate about whether English should be the medium at the primary level, the most important test for any policy is whether it supports the ambitions of the most disadvantaged sections of society.

Conclusion

The debate over the medium of instruction highlights the challenge of aligning education policies with India’s diverse linguistic landscape and social realities. While mother tongue teaching aids early learning, English remains crucial for empowerment and mobility. Effective policies must prioritize the needs of disadvantaged groups, ensuring equitable access to quality education that supports both cultural identity and global opportunities.