Education System in India

Education System in India

From early-to-end of 20th century, the education systems
in India was based on old pattern and totally depend on
government body or public sector, its growth and
development while there was partial contribution of private
institutions in educational growth of India. But by the end
of 20th century and in the beginning of 21st century, there
are a lot of amendments done by the Indian government to
develop education sector as an industry.
Population:
Current Population 1,210,000,000 (1.21 billion)
of India in 2011
Total Male 623,700,000 (623.7 million)
Population in India
Total Female 586,500,000 (586.5 million)
Population in India
Sex Ratio 914 females per 1,000 males

Age structure
0 to 25 years 50% of India's current
population
Currently, there are about 51 births in India in a
minute.
area km² 3,287,240

2nd country of the India in population

world
Indian school enrollment:
This chart illustrates the percent of Indian children enrolled in school.

Education System in
India:
In current Indian education system, there are lots of
improvements and alterations done in education regulation
bodies to spread its impact on both rural and urban areas.
The whole education system is divided into segments
based on age-group and is tried to maintain balance
between old education system and current education
system.
1. The age group 1-5 years comes under first segment
and various play schools and anganwadi system in India
covers these age group children and educates them.
2. The age group 6-14 years comes under second
segment i.e. primary or elementary education in India
and there are lots of public and private sector primary
schools in India cover this age group.

3.The age group 15-18 years comes under third segment

and there are a number of higher secondary and senior
secondary schools spread all over India cover this age
group of students.
4. The age group 19-21 years comes under forth
segment i.e. higher education or higher studies and
there are more than 20000 government colleges and
diploma institutions cover this pool of age group.
5. And the age group 22 years or more comes under fifth
segment and technical & professional colleges across
India cover this pool of age group.

Stages of education:
Three stages in education.
 Primary level(1-14years):
o Play school
o lower-primary(1-6class)
o Higher primary(7-8class)
 Secondary(15-18years)
o Lower-secondary(9-10class)
o Upper-secondary(11-12class)
 High education(13uper)
Primary / Elementary Education System in India
To improve the education and literacy rate, Indian
government has banned child labor so that the children
falls under primary education age group must go to
schools. The government has allotted 100% subsidy to
public sector primary schools to resolve the education
problem from the gross root level mainly in villages and
rural areas of India. The government also allowed tax-
rebate for those schools that run play-schools or pre-
school activities to create passion about education in
children from the beginning.

Extra facilities to primary schools:

Indian government provide extra facilities to primary

schools like free meal facility, allotted funds to develop
extra curriculum activities, organize events on memorable
dates of India, launched sports facilities to develop
physical skills, organize gift and award distribution
ceremony to boost the children confidence, provide free
books related to primary courses and by doing these all
things, the government is trying to achieve 100% literacy
rate in both male and female of India in next 5-10 years

In elementary and high schools, the school year is

usually from June to March. , while in Universities it is from
August to April. There is a mid–year break during summer,
usually from the end of May to the start of July in Universities and
in elementary and high schools, the vacations range from the
beginning of April and lasts up to the end of May. There is also a
winter vacation of 2 weeks at the end of the year. However, in the
southern states like Karnataka there will be two breaks, one for
Dasara in September/October for 15 days and another for
Christmas in December which ranges from 7–15 days. A
semester system is being implemented in most of the Universities
in India as directed by the University Grants Commission.

Kerala University, MG University and Sri Sankara University have

reached into a consensus and the other universities are also likely
to introduce credit based semester system in Kerala. Delhi
University also introduced this system

Academic grading in India:

In India, many universities and institute rank their students in

percentage of mark they get from the examinations and credits.
Many universities have their ranking based on point system.
declared by the institute:

Equivalent US Grade
Percentage Classification[6]
GPA Equivalent
Distinction /Honors
81 to 100 4.0 A or (A+ for >90%)
**
61 to 80 3.5 B+ First Class
 51 to 60 3.0 B Second Class
33 to 50 2.5 C+ Third Class
< 33 2.0 C Fail ***
 ** Some institutes with difficult curriculum and tough
scoring give 70% scoring as Distinction / Honors.

In India, grades are generally given in percentages to encourage

perfection and good presentation, despite the extra pressure on
the students.

Grading was changed in 2010. According to CCE scheme and

act right to education, students of 10th class don’t have to
give board exams and there will be grading system from A to
F(A-1,A-2,B-1,B-2....). as the grade goes, there is difference of
5% such as A-1 grade means the students has scored
between 96% to 100% and A-2 means student has scored
92% to 95%

Language:

 Primary- 1 to 5 standards.
 I and II - One language: the mother tongue/the
regional language.
 III-V - the mother tongue/the regional language.

 Upper primary - 6 to 8 standards

 VI - VIII. Three languages: the mother tongue/the
regional language, modern Indian language and
English.

 Secondary Education
  Secondary - 9 and 10standards: Three languages the
mother tongue/the regional language, modern
Indian language and English

 Higher Secondary - 11 and 12 standards

This system of the distribution of languages is not really new from the
recommendations that have been offered in the past.
6. MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

The medium of instruction ideally, ought to be the mother tongue at all the stages
of school education. In case where mother tongue and the regional language are
one and the same for the learners it should be the medium at all the levels or up to
the end of the elementary stage. And in case of the learners whose mother tongue
and the regional languages are different, the regional language may be adopted as
the medium of instruction from the third standard.

Universities in India
The universities in India can be classified in various categories
like Central Universities, State Universities, Deemed
Universities, Private Universities, Agricultural universities,
National Institutes of Importance and Open Universities.

These universities in India can play a very important role not

only in the sustenance of a just and vibrant society but also in
the continuation of its rich democratic tradition. In fact a few
universities in India are playing an excellent job of producing
enlightened citizens for the nation. But with the growth of the
economy, the Indian Universities and other institutes of higher
education have faced with a new challenge.

This is to provide qualified and skilled professionals to the

burgeoning industries and corporate houses. As India is already
very large in terms of population, the need of the hour is
transform the unproductive human resources to productive
human capital. This again calls for making quality and relevant
higher education accessible to a large section of the
population and huge investment in the education sector.
Realizing the urgent need of revamping the Indian higher
education system the Ministry of Human Resources
Development has proposed to establish 8 new Indian Institutes
of Technology, 7 Indian Institutes of Management and thirty
30 Central Universities under the 11th five-year plan. Out of
these 30 Central Universities, 14 would be World class
Universities.

Some of the institutes that are associated with Universities

of India are -

University Grants Commission of India:

The University Grants Commission of India is a body of the

central government that provides support to the government-
recognized universities and colleges with funds. The University
Grants Commission of India or UGC provides recognition to the
universities in India. The office of UGC is headquartered in
New Delhi. The southern regional office is located in
Hyderabad. UGC also conducts the NET exams. This
examination is for the recruitment of teachers in colleges and
universities.

All India Council for Technical Education

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is a

body that is involved in the systematic planning and organized
development of the technical education system in the country.
Presently there is a total of 1,346 engineering colleges all
over India, that have been approved by the All India Council of
Technical Education. The headquarters of AICTE is in Indira
Gandhi Sports Complex, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi.

National Assessment and Accreditation Council

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is a

body that offers recognition to universities. The NAAC is an
autonomous body that is funded by the University Grants
Commission of Government of India, Bangalore.

Association of Indian Universities

The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is an organization

that is located in Delhi. The organization is involved in the
evaluation of courses, standard and syllabus and acts as liaison
between the universities of India and the government.

Private education

According to current estimates, 80% of all schools are

government schools making the government the major
provider of education. However, because of poor quality
of public education, 27% of Indian children are privately
educated. Private schools often provide superior results
at a fraction of the unit cost of government schools.
However, others have suggested that private schools fail
to provide education to the poorest families, a selective
being only a fifth of the schools and have in the past
ignored Court orders for their regulation.

In their favor, it has been pointed out that private schools

cover the entire curriculum and offer extra-curricular
activities such as science fairs, general knowledge,
sports, music and drama. The pupil teacher ratios are
much better in private schools (1:31 to 1:37 for
government schools and more teachers in private
schools are female. There is some disagreement over
which system has better educated teachers. According to
the latest DISE survey, the percentage of untrained
teachers (parameters) is 54.91% in private, compared to
44.88% in government schools and only 2.32% teachers
in unaided schools receive in service training compared
to 43.44% for government schools. The competition in
the school market is intense, yet most schools make
profit.

Homeschooling
Homeschooling is legal in India (Legal as alternative to the
mandatory public school system), though it is the less
explored option. The Indian Government's stance on the
issue is that parents are free to teach their children at
home, if they wish to and have the means.
Secondary education(14-18year) :
In India high school is a grade of education from Standards
IX to XII. Standards XI and XII are also called Secondary
School or Junior College. Usually students from ages 14 to 17
study in this section. These schools may be affiliated to
national boards (like CBSE, ICSE, and NIOS) or various state
boards. Education is compulsory until age 14. Although most
are stand-alone day schools, some popular schools are
residential. Traditional second stage in formal education,
typically beginning at ages 14 – 16 and ending at 16 – 18.

The distinction between elementary and secondary education

has gradually become less marked because of the proliferation
of middle schools, junior high schools, and other divisions.
However, enrolment figures show that only 31 million of
these children were attending schools in 2001–02, which
means that two-third of the population remained out of
school

A significant feature of India's secondary school system is

the emphasis on inclusion of the disadvantaged sections
of the society. Professionals from established institutes
are often called to support in vocational training. Another
feature of India's secondary school system is its emphasis
on profession based vocational training to help students
attain skills for finding a vocation of his/her choosing. A
significant new feature has been the extension of SSA to
secondary education in the form of the Madhyamik
Shiksha Abhiyan[37]

A special Integrated Education for Disabled Children

(IEDC) programme was started in 1974 with a focus on
primary education.[19] but which was converted into
Inclusive Education at Secondary Stage[38] Another notable
special programme, the Kendriya Vidyalaya project, was
started for the employees of the central government of
India, who are distributed throughout the country. The
government started the Kendriya Vidyalaya project in 1965
to provide uniform education in institutions following the
same syllabus at the same pace regardless of the location
to which the employee's family has been transferred.[19]

A multilingual web portal on Primary Education is available

with rich multimedia content for children and forums to
discuss on the Educational issues. India Development
Gateway is a nationwide initiative that seeks to facilitate
rural empowerment through provision of responsive
information, products and services in local languages.
Higher education

Indian university system is, in many parts, in a state of

disrepair...In almost half the districts in the country, higher
education enrollments are abysmally low, almost two-third
of our universities and 90 percent of our colleges are

rated as below average on quality parameters... I am

concerned that in many states university appointments,

including that of vice-chancellors, have been politicised

and have become subject to caste and communal
considerations, there are complaints of favoritism and
corruption.

India's higher education system is the third largest in the

world, after China and the United States. The main
governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants
Commission (India), which enforces its standards, advises
the government, and helps coordinate between the centre
and the state. Accreditation for higher learning is overseen
by 12 autonomous institutions established by the
University Grants Commission.

As of 2009, India has 20 central universities, 215 state

universities, 100 deemed universities, 5 institutions
established and functioning under the State Act, and 13
institutes which are of national importance. Other
institutions include 16000 colleges, including 1800
exclusive women's colleges, functioning under these
universities and institutions. The emphasis in the tertiary
level of education lies on science and technology. Indian
educational institutions by 2004 consisted of a large
number of technology institutes. Distance learning is also
a feature of the Indian higher education system.

Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of

Technology (IITs), have been globally acclaimed for their
standard of undergraduate education in engineering. The
IITs enroll about 8000 students annually and the alumni
have contributed to both the growth of the private sector
and the public sectors of India.[46] However IITs barely has
any contribution in fundamemtal scientific research and
innovation. Some Institute of Basic research like Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Science(IACS), Indian
Institute of Science IISC), Tata Institute of Fundamental
Research (TFIR) has acclaimed for their standard of
research in basic science. However, India has failed to
produce world class universities like Harvard or
Cambridge.[47]

Besides top rated universities which provide highly

competitive world class education to their pupil, India is
also home to many universities which have been founded
with the sole objective of making easy money. Regulatory
authorities like UGC and AICTE have been trying very
hard to extirpate the menace of private universities which
are running courses without any affiliation or recognition.
Students from rural and semi urban background often fall
victim to these institutes and colleges.[48]

Three Indian universities were listed in the Times Higher

Education list of the world’s top 200 universities —
1.Indian Institutes of Technology, 2. Indian Institutes of
Management, and 3. Jawaharlal Nehru University in 2005
and 2006. Six Indian Institutes of Technology and the
Birla Institute of Technology and Science – Pilani were
listed among the top 20 science and technology schools in
Asia by Asia week. The Indian School of Business situated
in Hyderabad was ranked number 12 in global MBA
rankings by the Financial Times of London in 2010 while
the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been
recognized as a global leader in medical research and
treatment.

Technical education:

From the first Five Year Plan onwards India's emphasis

was to develop a pool of scientifically inclined manpower.
India's National Policy on Education (NPE) provisioned for
an apex body for regulation and development of higher
technical education, which came into being as the All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 1987 through
an act of the Indian parliament. At the level of the centre
the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian
Institutes of Information Technology are deemed of
national importance.

The Indian Institutes of Management are also among the

nation's premier education facilities.[54] Several Regional
Engineering Colleges (REC) have been converted into
National Institutes of Technology.[54] The UGC has inter-
university centres at a number of locations throughout
India to promote common research, e.g. the Nuclear
Science Centre at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.[55]

In addition to above institutes, efforts towards the

enhancement of technical education are supplemented by
a number of recognized Professional Engineering
Societies like: (i) the Institution of Engineers (India); (ii)
The Institution of Chemical Engineering (India); (iii) The
Institution of Electronics and Tele-Communication
Engineers (India); (iv) The Indian Institute of Metals; (v)
The Institution of Industrial Engineers (India); (vi) The
Institute of Town Planners (India); (vii) The Indian Institute
of Architects etc., who conduct Engineering/Technical
Examinations at different levels(Degree and diploma) for
working professionals desirous of improving their technical
qualifications
Literacy

According to the Census of 2001, "every person above the

age of 7 years who can read and write in any language is
said to be literate".

Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian

literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule
in 1947.[2][3] Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the
level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, [4] and India
currently has the largest illiterate population of any nation on
earthFemale literacy was at a national average of 53.63%
whereas the male literacy was 75.26%. Within the Indian
states, Kerala has shown the highest literacy rates of
90.02% whereas Bihar averaged lower than 50% literacy,
the lowest in India. The 2001 statistics also indicated that
the total number of 'absolute non-literates' in the country
was 304 million.

Women's education

Women have much lower literacy rate than men. Far fewer
girls are enrolled in the schools, and many of them drop
out.

By 2001 literacy for women had exceeded 50% of the

overall female population, though these statistics were still
very low compared to world standards and even male
literacy within India. Recently the Indian government has
launched Saakshar Bharat Mission for Female Literacy.
This mission aims to bring down female illiteracy by half of
its present level.

The education of women in India plays a significant role in

improving livings standards in the country. A higher
women literacy rate improves the quality of life both at
home and outside of home, by encouraging and promoting
education of children, especially female children, and in
reducing the infant mortality rate. Several studies have
shown that a lower level of women literacy rates results in
higher levels of fertility and infant mortality, poorer
nutrition, lower earning potential and the lack of an ability
to make decisions within a household. Women’s lower
educational levels are also shown to adversely affect the
health and living conditions of children. A survey that was
conducted in India showed results which support the fact
that infant mortality rate was inversely related to female
literacy rate and educational level. The survey also
suggests a correlation between education and economic
growth.

In India, it was found that there is a large disparity

between female literacy rates in different states. For
example, while Kerala actually has a female literacy rate
of about 86 percent, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have female
literacy rates of less than 30 percent. These values are
further correlated with health levels of the Indians, where it
was found that Kerala was the state with the lowest infant
mortality rate while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are the states
with the lowest life expectancies in India. Furthermore, the
disparity of female literacy rates across rural and urban
areas is also significant in India. Out of the 24 states in
India, 6 of them have female literacy rates of below 25
percent. The rural state Rajasthan only has a female
literacy rate of less than 12 percent.

Rural education

Following independence, India viewed education as an

effective tool for bringing social change through
community development. The administrative control was
effectively initiated in the 1950s, when, in 1952, the
government grouped villages under a Community
Development Block—an authority under national
programme which could control education in up to 100
villages. A Block Development Officer oversaw a
geographical area of 150 square miles (390 km2) which
could contain a population of as many as 70000 people.

Setty and Ross elaborate on the role of such

programmers, themselves divided further into individual-
based, community based, or the Individual-cum-
community-based, in which microscopic levels of
development are overseen at village level by an appointed
worker:
 The community development programmes comprise
agriculture, animal husbandry, cooperation, rural
industries, rural engineering (consisting of minor
irrigation, roads, buildings), health and sanitation
including family welfare, family planning, women
welfare, child care and nutrition, education including
adult education, social education and literacy, youth
welfare and community organisation. In each of these
areas of development there are several programmes,
schemes and activities which are additive, expanding
and tapering off covering the total community, some
segments, or specific target populations such as small
and marginal farmers, artisans, women and in general
people below the poverty line.[70]

Despite some setbacks the rural education programmes

continued throughout the 1950s, with support from private
institutions.[71] A sizable network of rural education had
been established by the time the Gandhigram Rural
Institute was established and 5, 200 Community
Development Blocks were established in India. Nursery
schools, elementary schools, secondary school, and
schools for adult education for women were set up.

Budget
The central government of India outlined an expenditure of
65.6% of its total education budget of  438.25 billion
(US$9.73 billion) i.e.  287.5 billion (US$6.38 billion) on
elementary education; 9.9% i.e. 43.25 billion
(US$960.15 million) on secondary education; 2.9% i.e.
12.5 billion (US$277.5 million) on adult education; 9.5%
i.e. 41.765 billion (US$927.18 million) on higher
education; 10.7% i.e.  47 billion (US$1.04 billion) on
technical education; and the remaining 1.4% i.e. 6.235
billion (US$138.42 million) on miscellaneous education
schemes.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific

and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), India has the lowest
public expenditure on higher education per student in the
world.

Now India is the second fastest growing in the world and

third largest economy in Asia with huge budget in so-called
education and research.