SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION IN

INDIA

Prepared by:
RICHEL D. QUISTO
DEV.ED.D
Education in India
India has the world’s oldest and largest
education system.
• Establishment of the world’s first
university in Takshila in 700 BC.
10,500 students
60 subjects
• Nalanda University in Southeast Patna
( 4-12 centuries)
10,000 students
2,000 teachers
Indian Philosophers
• Yajnavalkya- “ Only that is education that
gives a sterling character to an individual
and renders him useful to the world.
• MK Ghandi- “ Education is drawing out
the best in a child and man. It is holistic.”
• “ Literacy is not the end of
education, not even the beginning. It is
one of the means whereby one can be
educated.”
 Common Concepts of Education In
India And in the West:
• Education is..
• a life long process
• unfolding
• based on child’s psychology
• individual as well as social
• total development
Education and Religion
Education and spirituality go side by
side in India.
• A.S. Altekar-“ Education has always
been a source of illumination and
power which yields a holistic
transformation.”
• Vivekanand- “ Religion is the
innermost core of education.”
Functions of Education in India

• Maintain communal interests and

traditions
• Similarity of political ambitions
• Diffusion of emotional unity
• Development of national language
 Functions of Education in
India

• Respects to all religions

• Training for leadership
• Fulfilling the need for skilled workers
• Consciousness of duties
• Evolution of national feeling
Aim of Education in India

• “ Pursuit of integral knowledge and

liberation, which has been a
constant endeavour of Indian
culture, is also the central objective
of education.”
 Brief History Indian
Educational System
1. Gurukula System (Ancient)
Teacher: Guru
Student: chosen by the Guru
Place of Instruction: House of Guru
Subjects: Sanskrit, Hioly Scriptures,
Math, Metaphysics (nature & life)
No memorization
Relationship: close
Brief History Indian Educational
System
2. Modern School System (1830s)
• Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay -
brought the modern school system in India
by introducing the English language
– Subjects: modern subjects like Science and
Math
– Lessons: depart from nature
– Place of instruction: classroom
– Relationship of teacher & students: not so
close/formal
 Brief History Indian
Educational System

2. Modern School System (1830s)

– Language: English language
– Improvement: establishment of teacher
training schools for all levels of
instruction
– led to nationalism of universities
– Disadvantage: education lost its own
esteem and Indian touch
 Brief History Indian
Educational System

3. Organization of the Central Board of

Secondary Education ( 1920s- 1950s)
 CBSE decide sthe curriculum,
textbooks and examination system
 lead role in the evolution and
monitoring of education policies and
programs
 The School System
Four levels of Education:
• Lower Primary (age 6-10 yrs. old)-
5 standards/grade levels
• Upper Primary ( 11- 12 yrs. old)-
2 grade levels
• High (13-15 yrs. old)- 3 grade levels
• higher secondary ( 17-18 yrs. old)-
2 grade levels
Languages to Learn: English, Hindi and
mother tongue
 State Schools
• Government Schools- low fees
• Private Schools- high fees
• Grant-in-aid ) private- provided grant-
in-aid by government)- reduced fees
• Exclusive Schools
expensive residential schools
with fabulous infrastructure
low student-teacher ratio
foreign teachers
Types of Education
1. Formal- education provided by
educational institution according to
some pattern (4-25 yrs.)
• educators-teachers
• educands- students
• particular place and time to learn
• according to syllabus and curriculum
Formal Education
• Pros: large number of students at the
same time
• Cons: in the contemporary pattern of
formal education in India- the formal
education one receives, the more
useless he becomes in facing real life
challenges.
Types of Education
2. Informal- no specific time and place, and
educator
• How: learning while playing in the field,
talking to family mebers, roaming around
• Span: Never comes to an end
• no evaluation
• no certificate or degree
• gradual
• general subject
Types of Education
3. Non-Formal
• In July 1979, the Central Board of
Secondary Education, New Delhi
started the Open School
• Open School- set up to bring the
flexibility and openness in the
educational system and to extend
educational opportunities to the
marginalized sections in the society.
 Classroom Etiquette
• No noise
• No eating in class/ no chewing gum
• No drinking of alcoholic beverages
• No wearing of shorts
• No free conversation with or question
the opinion or ideas of the professors
• It’s normal for teachers to scold or
disagree with students
 Recent updates and studies on
Indian education
• Title: The Indian middle classes and educational
advantage: Family strategies and practices
• Author: Geetha B. Nambissan
• Summary: Despite the educational inequalities sin India
such as structural location, cultural marginalization and
institutional neglect, a section of the ‘middle classes’ is
received a special highlight in international field of
information technology, medicine, and engineering.
This is a fruition of the family strategies and practices of
sending their children to ‘ public’ private schools which
exclusive English medium of instruction.
 Recent updates and studies on
Indian education
• School education expenditure in recent
years is around 3% of the GDP which is
reportedly very low.
• According to Express News Service, India
being the first world’s largest democracy
and the second most populous next to
China produces more people and higher
literacy rate. However, it was reported
that the decrease in literacy rate began in
2001.
 References
• Stephen Ball, (1981) The Sociology of Education in Developing
Countries, The British Journal of Sociology of Education Vol. 2,
No. 3.retreived
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0142569810020307
• Nambissan, G. (2010). The Routledge International Hnadbook
of the Sociology of Education: Part 3 Inequalities and
Resistance- The Indian middle classs and educational
advantage: family strategies and practices: Routledge (USA
and Canada)Pages 285-295.
• Chandra, S.S & Sharma, R.K .(1996). Sociology of Education.
Retrieved from books.google.com.ph
• India-History Background-Education. Retrieved from
https://education.stateuniversity.com