Education In India PRASHANT MISTRYComputer Science

Gurukula System

In ancient times, India had the Gurukula System of education. In which anyone who wished to study went to a Guru (Teacher) house and requested to be taught. If accepted by Guru, he would than stay at the guru’s place and help in all activities at home. And, the Guru taught everything the child wanted to learn from Sanskrit to the Holy scriptures and Mathematics to Metaphysics. All learning was closely linked to nature and life.

The Modern School System

The modern school system was brought to India, including the English language, originally by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s. The curriculum was confined to “modern” subjects such as science and mathematics, and subjects like metaphysics and philosophy were considered unnecessary.

Current Education System

The educational structure in India is generally referred to as the Ten + Two + Three (10+2+3) pattern. The first ten years provide undifferentiated general education for all students. The +2 stage, also known as the higher secondary or senior secondary, provides for differentiation into academic and vocational streams and marks the end of school education. In +3 stage, which involves college education, the student goes for higher studies in his/her chosen field of subject.

Drop-out Rate:Primary (I-V): 31.47%Middle (I-VIII): 52.32%Secondary (I-X): 62.69%

Education System

India is divided into 28 states. As per the constitution of India, school education was originally a state subject —that is, the states had complete authority on deciding policies and implementing them.

The role of the Government of India (GoI) was limited to coordination and deciding on the standards of higher education. This was changed with a constitutional amendment in 1976 so that education now comes in the so-called concurrent list. That is, school education policies and programs are suggested at the national level by the GOI though the state governments have a lot of freedom in implementing programs.

Elementary Educaion

A government-sponsored study found that in half of the government schools no apparent teaching activity was taking place and the head teacher was not present when visited.

A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the schools had no drinking water and 89% had no toilets.

90 percent of the children who enroll in primary school annually have no choice but to attend ill-maintained government school.

Secondary Education

The Secondary Stage consists of grades 9-12.

India has more than one hundred thousand secondary and senior secondary schools serving 30 million students. (the average teacher to student ratio is 1:34)

Public exams at the end of grades 10 and 12 drive instruction at the school level.

The majority of students exit school after grade 10. For those who stay, schooling becomes differentiated. Based on performance on the 10th grade subject exams, student enter an upper-secondary stream for their last two years of schooling before university.

Secondary education and Governing bodies

Secondary schools are affiliated with Central or State boards which administer examinations at the end of grade 10 resulting in the award of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), the All-India Secondary School Certificate.

There are three national examination boards: the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) and the National Open School (NOS) for distance education.

Secondary Education

The most prestigious stream (which has also the highest cut-off in terms of marks required in the grade 10 exams) is the science stream, the second is commerce, and the third is humanities (arts)… Upper secondary education is conducted in schools. The curriculam for upper secondary institutions are determined by State or Central Boards of Secondary Education.

The rich people childrens are typically enrolled in high technology equipped English-medium schools affiliated with the upscale CBSE (all India) and examination boards which offer globally accepted syllabuses and curriculums.

University education

This massive system of higher education in India constitutes of 342 universities (211 State, 18 Central, 95 deemed universities) 17,000 colleges and 887 polytechnics. University Grant Commission (UGC), a national body, coordinates and looks after the maintenance of standard of university education in India. The university education in India starts with undergraduate courses. Depending upon the nature of course pursued its duration may vary from three to five and a half years.

Facts of Education in India

India spends only 3.3 percent of its GDP on education, compared to an average 5.8 percent in developed countries. GOI had made a commitment to spend 6% of GDP on education in 1968, however the highest spend made so far is 4% of GDP.

Of the 32 million children that began school in 2004, less than half will complete the compulsory 8 years of education. The common reasons given by 3 out of four drop-outs for leaving school are a) High cost of private education b) Need to work to support their families c) No interest in studies.

Reason for Poor Education

In India, only 53% of habitation has a primary school. Only, 20% of habitation has a secondary school. On an average an upper primary school is 3 km (1.5 miles) away in 22% of areas under habitations.

In nearly 60% of schools, there are less than two teachers to teach Classes I to V. On an average, there are less than three teachers per primary school. They have to manage classes from I to V every day. So, Parents kind of got in forced to put their kids in Private school for better education. But, the high cost of Private education increasing the drop out rates in India.

Projects for Education

Right to Education: The Constitution Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine.

SSA (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan)has been operational since 2000-2001. SSA interventions include opening of new schools and alternate schooling facilities, construction of schools and additional classrooms, provisioning for teachers, periodic teacher training and academic resource support, textbooks and support for learning achievement.

Projects for Education

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA): This scheme was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. The implementation of the scheme started from 2009-10. This project achieved an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage within 5 years of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation.

There are other projects to which came in effect which are very important for example ICT project, model school scheme, national incentive to girls.

Predictions for the Future

As of 2011, the average literacy rate for India was 74.04% will increase to 92% by 2022.

When literacy rate is high, people can have better jobs, thus increasing the GDP and per capita income aside from providing a decent life. The government can concentrate in solving problems in other fields like education instead of trying to solve the problem on poverty.

Predictions for the future

India has increased their GDP per capita average annual growth rate of 4.9 from 2.1 in last 20 years.

As far as more people will become educated and if they will their living standards will go up as well, so India will eventually grow their economy faster than other developing countries.

Facts about Indian Education History

Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to the world and 'charaka' is known as the father of Ayurveda. He developed this system some 2500 years back.

Takshila was the first university of world established in 700 B.C.

Indian language Sanskrit is considered to be the mother of many modern languages of world.

India was the country, which invented number system. Aryabhatta, the Indian scientist, invented digit zero. Trigonometry, algebra and calculus studies were originated in India.

citations

kumar , S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.gnu.org/education/edu-system-india.html

http://www.mapsofindia.com/india-education.html 

http://www.giftafuture.org/facts-on-education/ 

http://smilefoundationindia.org/Education_for_Poor_Children.htm 

http://mhrd.gov.in/

Citations

just a sanyal’s blog :

http://sanyaldk.wordpress.com/doing-it-in-open-source-way/14-facts-about-indian-education-system-and-a-remedy/

 

http://presidentialruleinindia.blogspot.com/2011/07/causes-of-bad-education-system-of-india.html