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Lessons from India for Governor Pawlenty Many readers have followed the Governor’s Trade Mission to India this month. I applaud Governor Pawlenty for the forward thinking that allowed Minnesota businesses to gain a prominent stage in one of the largest, and fastest growing, economies in the world. Hopefully, the governor learned what I did while traveling to the same cities as the Minnesota delegation, just two weeks earlier. He should have learned that the sustainability of India’s growth is directly linked to whether or not they can educate their population, and then made the connection to his home state of Minnesota. At a time when our public schools are begging for funding at the polls, our leader should be returning from India with the message that education is the driver of today’s knowledge economy, and investing in one of Minnesota’s best resources: our children. Unlike China, whose literacy rate is 91%, only 61% of India’s population can read and write (The Economist 2008). China’s more literate population is driving the economy on the back of manufacturing through the export of low cost goods. India is taking an unorthodox route towards development, on the back of services, most recognizably through information technology outsourcing. However, IT services only supply approximately one million jobs for a labor force of 400 million. If India is to sustain its economic growth goal of 8% or more per year, it must move towards manufacturing. Unfortunately, the majority of the population cannot make the transition from the farm to the factory because they lack rudimentary reading skills needed for manufacturing jobs. The United States stopped being a low cost manufacturer decades ago, and is now dependent on services and specialized manufacturing. Technological, political and economic changes in the last two decades have now enabled services to be outsourced to places like India, for one fifth of the cost. But even India is now outsourcing those jobs, as high demand has increased wages of the Indian technician and call center employee. In the end, no country can remain the low cost producer in one area forever and must reinvent itself in order to survive. If a country, like the United States, is at the highest level of the supply chain, it needs to do more. It must be an innovator of processes, products and services that have yet to be invented. This requires a highly educated workforce. Governor Pawlenty made a great step towards being successful in the new world order that is being shaped by emerging economies like India and China. India has great potential for Minnesota companies, with over one billion people and a growing middle class. However, Minnesota students are the best resources we have to be successful in a truly global economy. Hopefully our governor will seize the opportunity to learn from India’s situation and continue his manner of forward thinking. Robert Manning, Principal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Helping parents have a voice at the places where school policy and funding decisions are made. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
