CAPF AC 2020 Q60: Indian Economy – Human Development, Poverty & Employment Schemes
Which one of the following educational development indicators is currently used by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to construct Human Development Index?
- (a) Level of Literacy
- (b) Gross Enrolment Ratio
- (c) Mean Years of Schooling
- (d) Dropout rate
Answer: (c) Mean Years of Schooling
Explanation
Education in the Human Development Index
How to think: the question says currently.
The education measures were changed in 2010.
Two of the options are the old measures.
| Period | Education indicators in the index |
|---|---|
| Before 2010 | Adult literacy rate and gross enrolment ratio |
| Since 2010 | Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling |
The three dimensions of the index:
| Dimension | Indicator |
|---|---|
| Long and healthy life | Life expectancy at birth |
| Knowledge | Mean years of schooling (adults of 25 and above) and expected years of schooling (children) |
| Decent standard of living | Gross National Income per person (purchasing power parity) |
The index is published by UNDP in the Human Development Report, first brought out in 1990.
Answer: (c) Mean Years of Schooling.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Level of literacy was used before 2010, not at present.
- (b) Incorrect. Gross enrolment ratio was used before 2010, not at present.
- (c) CORRECT. Mean years of schooling is one of the two education indicators used now.
- (d) Incorrect. The dropout rate has never been part of the index.
Key point
HDI (UNDP, since 1990): life expectancy at birth; mean and expected years of schooling; GNI per person (PPP). Before 2010, education used literacy and gross enrolment.
Remember
HDI education = mean years + expected years of schooling.
Common mistakes
- Choosing literacy, the indicator used before 2010.
- Writing GDP per person; the index now uses Gross National Income.
- Forgetting the second education indicator, expected years of schooling.
Exam tip
The word currently is the clue. It tells you an older measure sits among the options.
Sources
- United Nations Development Programme — Human Development Report, Technical Notes (calculating the HDI)
- NCERT Class XII Geography — Fundamentals of Human Geography (Human Development)