cogitoergosum
2010-05-26 21:23:10 UTC
Right to Education Snafu: Sid Harth
http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/right-to-education-snafu-sid-harth/
Day One: Sibal pushes right to education bill
30 May 2009, 0720 hrs IST,Akshaya Mukul,TNN
NEW DELHI: With Arjun Singh’s trademark talisman — Ram kaj kinho bina,
mohu kahan vishram (where do I have rest without doing my job) — no
longer on
the wall to inspire new HRD minister Kapil Sibal, he got down to
business immediately calling for files relating to the Right to
Education and Foreign Education Providers Bill.
While taking over on Friday, Sibal put these two issues among his
priorities. Sibal has been closely connected with the two issues since
UPA’s first term. As science & technology minister, Sibal had headed
the committee of Central Advisory Board of Education that gave its
first draft on the Right to Education Bill.
Similarly, he was asked to prepare Foreign Education Providers Bill
but it could not be taken up due to stiff resistance from the Left.
The bill seeks to regulate admission and fee of foreign educational
institutions setting up their campuses in India. Sibal and Arjun Singh
were not perceived to be on the same page on some crucial issues.
However, on the first day in office, Sibal weighed his words carefully
and even paid respect to his predecessor. ‘‘ Whatever policy has been
started or rules and regulations framed by the previous government
will not be scrapped. I respect my predecessor, who is a respectable
leader of the Congress,’’ he said.
Asked about the unfinished job of reservation in private educational
institutions, something Arjun Singh seemed to be keen on, Sibal was
noncommittal . ‘‘ I will look into it,’’ he said. As for problems
faced by government educational institutions in implementing OBC
reservation, Sibal said, ‘‘ All new policies have teething
problems.’’
However, he opened up a bit on the National Knowledge Commission. ‘‘
NKC has been pivotal in creation of a knowledge economy and knowledge
society. But not everything it says should be embraced,’’ he said,
adding that the ministry would look into its recommendations
carefully. HRD ministry under Arjun Singh did not have a smooth
equation with the NKC.
Sibal said he would stress on synergy between quality and access. He
also talked about education for all.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Day-One-Sibal-pushes-right-to-education-bill/articleshow/4596440.cms
Sibal to hold talks with states on fee structure, teachers' salary
21 Feb 2010, 0046 hrs IST,ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: With a little over a month before the Right to Education
Act is notified, union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal
said that
his ministry would hold consultations with the states to resolve
issues such as fee structure and teachers’ salaries, that are likely
to arise while implementing the Act. Stressing that the government
will take steps to prevent commercialisation of education, Mr Sibal
said that the consultation would be undertaken to evolve a policy so
that “poor, marginalised, and disadvantaged” students are not
adversely affected.
“Our aim is to ensure that all children in India get quality
education, but we are against commercialisation of education.
Incessant hike of fee and overcharging from parents is something we do
not support. I will talk to every state government on issues regarding
implementation of the RTE Act from April 1. I will be meeting Delhi
chief minister Sheila Diskhit on Monday regarding the same,” the
minister said. Mr Sibal drew special attention to the need to provide
some relaxation to “marginal” schools, which are currently not
recognised. The RTE makes it mandatory for all schools to be
recognised. While state laws, such as that of Delhi, require that all
recognised schools pay teachers according to government scales, and
tuition fees of schools be regulated.
This, according to Mr Sibal, would endanger good schools which are
currently not recognised and serving marginal populations. The
minister was of the view that some policy to ensure that such schools
don’t go under needs to be evolved. “Schools should not be closed
because of their poor economic conditions. We don’t want to close down
marginalised, unrecognised schools for poor kids because our aim is
not to marginalise these kids any more. In fact these schools should
be protected. We will, therefore, encourage them to implement the
guidelines of the RTE Act and will give them three years’ time to do
so,” Mr Sibal said.
While the Right to Education states that all schools have to
recognised by the appropriate authority, it is silent on the issue of
fee structure, an issue largely relating to private schools, and
teacher salaries. The minister said, “Each state has its own laws and
we will be requesting them to bring their laws in conformity with the
RTE. In cases where the state law and the RTE law are in conflict, the
RTE will prevail and where there is no conflict, the state law will.”
Drawing attention to issues that require consultation, the minister
said, “for example, the RTE Act says that schools should have
playgrounds. In schools in urban areas, there may not be enough space
for a playground.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/dateline-india/Sibal-to-hold-talks-with-states-on-fee-structure-teachers-salary/articleshow/5597815.cms
Sibal to build consensus for right to education
New Delhi, Feb 20 : Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil
Sibal Saturday said he would try and build consensus among all the
state governments to implement the Right to Education Act, which will
be notified from April 1.
"Our aim is to implement the Right to Education Act from April 1 and
for this, I will talk to every state government," Sibal told reporters
here.
The minister said he would discuss the matter with Delhi Chief
Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday.
--IANS
http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-55461.html
Lok Sabha passes 'historic' Right-to-Education Bill
IANS
Posted on Aug 05, 2009 at 01:48
0 New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed what Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal termed "historic" legislation
providing for free and compulsory education for all children in the
6-14 years of age-group.
"This is the first time an effort has been made to universalise
education in the country," the minister said, adding: "We have been
talking about it for the last 16 years."
He said it was high time "we gave every child a legal right" to
education.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009,
that the Rajya Sabha had cleared July 20 was passed by the Lower House
by a voice vote, and Sibal, who piloted the measure, gave a clarion
call to all states to cooperate with the Central government in
implementing the measure.
There were as many as 20 cut motions from the Left parties against the
proposed legislation but these were defeated on the floor of the
house.
The Bill will now go to President Pratibha Patil for her assent before
becoming law.
"There is no politics here, this is a partnership between the Centre
and the states for India's future," Sibal maintained. "This is a
national enterprise. All state governments, us and civil society
organisations are part of it."
The minister said there were "10 historic things" in the legislation.
Enlisting these, he counted free education, compulsory education,
insistence on having a national curriculum and quality education that
gives three years' time to schools to set up physical infrastructure
or face de-recognition.
Sibal said every school in India would have to fulfil infrastructure
requirements and the states have been advised to set up recognition
authorities. "This is the first time such a leap forward had been
taken," the minister added.
Among other firsts, he said to ensure there were properly qualified
teachers, the legislation would give under-qualified teachers five
years to acquire the necessary academic credentials.
Simultaneously, the states would be told that all new appointments
must meet qualification standards prescribed by an academic authority.
The legislation, in what the minister said was another historic move,
calls for 25 per cent reservation in private schools for disadvantaged
children from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and socially and
educationally backward sections.
He said the states have been given the liberty to decide the
disadvantaged classes whose children would be eligible under the 25
per cent reservation category.
However, the law would make it mandatory when the model rules were
framed for its implementation that children with disabilities were
mandatorily included among the disadvantaged children.
"This will be the first time in India that disabled children are
integrated with the school system," Sibal said.
tags: Education Bill, Kapil Sibal, Right to education Bill, Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill - 2009
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lok-sabha-passes-historic-righttoeducation-bill/98573-3.html
Education is now a fundamental right
NDTV Correspondent, Thursday April 1, 2010, New Delhi
India now joins a select few countries in the world where education is
a fundamental right.
The historic act, the Right to Education (RTE), comes into force
today.
It's one of the most important pieces of legislation to be passed by
the UPA government.
As one of his dream projects enters the implementation stage, Human
Resource and Development Minister Kapil Sibal told NDTV, "This is a
historic occasion. Right to Education Act is about the future on
India. Hence education is a national responsibility." (Watch:
Education is a national responsibility, says Sibal)
The Act promises to ensure education for all children between 6 and
14, a whopping 22 crore children, out of which nearly 1.1 crore are
out of school.
But the road ahead will be a difficult one.
The availability of good teachers has become one of the most crucial
crisis points in the Act's promise to make quality education available
to all.
"In many schools there are hundreds of students in one class and the
gap between the training given to teachers and what they practise on
the ground is huge," says Arshita Dass, a teacher of La Martiniere
school.
The other major infrastructure hurdle will be establishing a balance
between Centre and State.
Several regulatory measures can only be taken after individual inputs
from state governments.
Also, questions about how the responsibilities, both fiscal and
social, will be divided remain unanswered.
"While a nominal ratio of 65 per cent by the Centre and 35 per cent by
the State has been settled, the Centre has to be prepared to shoulder
a 100 per cent burden if the situation should arise. Only that would
show their commitment to the cause," says: Ashok Agarwal, the
Chairperson of the NCERT committee on RTE implementation.
These and other problems litter the path to ensuring a fundamental
right to all children across the country. But the HRD Minister seems
confident.
"Nothing will change overnight, but at least we have created a
framework to take this project forwards," he says.
Neither the letter of law nor a speech from the Prime Minister will
ensure education to all the children in India. But if the many
infrastructure hurdles can be crossed, then the RTE could change the
face of education in the country.
Related
Snubbed Congress says UP Chief Minister is 'Murti-Devi'
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/snubbed-congress-says-up-chief-minister-is-murti-devi-19261.php
Karnataka backs Right to Education Act
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/tough-to-implement-right-to-education-minister-19014.php
Tough to implement Right to Education: Minister
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/tough-to-implement-right-to-education-minister-19014.php
PM to address nation on Right to Education
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/pm-to-address-nation-on-right-to-education-18801.php
Telangana supporters disrupt Sibal meeting
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/telangana-supporters-disrupt-sibal-meeting-17648.php
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/education-is-now-a-fundamental-right-of-every-child-18878.php
Redefining Right to Education in India
POLITICS | May 18, 2010 |
“The fundamental purpose of Education is the same at all times and in
all places. It is to transfigure the human personality into a pattern
of perfection through a synthetic process of the development of the
body, the enrichment of the mind, the sublimation of the motions and
the illumination of the spirit. Education is a preparation for a
living and for life, when and hereafter.” Supreme Court in
Unnikrishnan’s case.
The role of government as an institution for the furtherance of the
common goals of a society had emanated long before, at a time when the
concept of ‘state’ had sprouted up. In meeting its highly deliberated
goals, the Welfare State devised policies attune to the changing needs
demanded by the society like nationalization. This was envisaged with
the ultimate aim of making a knowledgeable society free from the
precincts of inequality, untouchability, caste etc. There is no doubt
that the control of education in the hands of the government has been
fruitful in reaching out education to the majority breaking the
shackles of knowledge accumulation confined to the elites of the
society and had achieved small but significant strides in increasing
the knowledgeable levels of the population. But as times have changed
and the common goals existed earlier has either become archaic or has
outlived its purpose; needs to be redeemed into new goals which points
to limiting the role of the government. This is where the government
needs to re- look its functions as a Regulator. The Education Sector,
in which the state has been monopolizing its function of imparting it,
has become defunct owing to its laxity in bringing changes to the
rapidly changing educational atmosphere created by the ever growing
advancements in science and technology. Neither has it been able to
increase the quantity nor the quality in its true sense. Though the
various Institutions and Committees evolved by the government has
pondered over the question of improving the educational standards and
had devised plans and policies to tackle it, nothing has changed over
the years in this area. This may be attributed to umpteen number of
reasons such as lack of funds, red-tapism, lack of broad vision,
delays in implementing many functions etc. This is the very reason why
the Educational Reforms should be analyzed by re-looking the role of
Government in Public Policy Making.
With the enactment of Right to Education Act (RTE), the Government has
indeed taken a step forward. The RTE has made given voice to the
concerns of the educational needs of 6-14 year old children.
Interestingly, when the Government was going aggressive with its
Universalization of education (Sarva Siksha Abhyan), by limiting the
same to children with the defined limits stultifies and undermines the
existence of the movement. Further the said RTE is only a statutory
right and departs from the fundamental right as was inserted under
Article 21 A in the Indian Constitution. The following concerns are
however been eschewed by the Central and also the state governments by
fighting itself on the issue of allocation. Going by the statistics,
the Centre cannot accommodate the issues raised by various states for
the simple reason that they do not have the financial viability for
the same. Almost Rs 21,000 Crores is the additional burden created on
the Centre once the Act goes into the execution stage. The Centre
levies an Educational Cess of 2 percent and is pumped funds from World
Bank and other International institutions. However the fact that they
are highly indebted to them owing to the high interest rates and
cannot repay it for a while shows the conundrum in which the state has
been into.
This envisages the need to open up the sector for private parties who
have the financial resources at stake. The Tatasand Reliance would be
interested as a matter of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to
invest in the future generation. While such corporates are proposing
Finishing Schools to absorb them, the said pattern is not possible at
the lower level. Unfortunately, the present laws of the country do not
enable an individual to start a school!! Only an institution with a
minimum capital ( approx Twenty lakhs) can ever think of starting a
school and has to follow obsolete laws like getting permission from
other schools (within the vicinity of 5km), which departs from the
reality. Unless the Government creates a unique model of Public
Private Partnership (PPP) taking the larger public interest involved
and the major issue of literacy and unemployment at stake, can India
ever achieve the comforts of the biggest global economy taking the
lead.
Madhu S
[Image courtesy: Loading Image...
]
Home » NationIndia needs 35,000 more colleges: Sibal
Updated on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 20:47 IST
Tags: india, college, sibalBuzz up! Share New Delhi: India needs an
additional 600 universities and 35,000 colleges in the next 12 years
to ensure that greater percentage of students take up higher
education, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said today.
"The Right to Education (RTE) Act, which will come into force from
April, is based on the premise that India cannot wait to get the
critical mass of students in the 18-24 age group to move to the
university level. An additional 600 universities and 35,000 colleges
will be required over the coming 12 years," the minister said at a
seminar organised by CII.
The union minister said there were 480 universities and 22,000
colleges at present but these were not sufficient and asserted that
private sector participation would be an essential element in coming
years.
Related Stories
IIM-A, IIM-B hike fee for academic year 2010-2012
http://www.zeenews.com/news615335.html
40% children must be enrolled for higher education: Sibal
http://www.zeenews.com/news615210.html
"In every developing country the Gross Development Ratio requires
that out of 100 students at least 40 should be able to go to college,"
Sibal said, adding that in India, the GDR aim is 30 per cent but at
present only 12.4 per cent students go to college.
Education cannot be a sectoral enterprise but must be a national
endeavour, he said and called for a change in mindsets, openness to
fresh ideas, liberalisation and involvement of the community at the
local level.
The minister endorsed an independent accreditation system and
legislation to check education misdemeanours. He called for a "self
disclosure format" for education institutes for assets, faculty,
teacher-pupil ratio and fee structure. In case the institutions
furnish wrong information, there should be laws to punish them, Sibal
said.
The minister also stated that the RTE Act entails the local people to
take onus of the school. 75 per cent of the management committee will
be locals, including mothers. Government will provide a framework, but
the onus of effective functioning would be on the people, he said.
A state-level framework for providing loan assistance to students was
also an inclusive agenda of education, Sibal said.
He asserted that north India had immense potential in power
generation, water management, sugar, ethanol, leather, and wheat and
suggested that textile hubs like Ludhiana could open institutes.
He maintained that there was a need to move away from textual learning
and adopt a multiple disciplinary approach.
PTI
http://www.zeenews.com/news615294.html
Education in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It has been suggested that Private school (India and Sri Lanka) be
merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
This article may need to be updated. Please update this article to
reflect recent events or newly available information, and remove this
template when finished. Please see the talk page for more information.
(April 2010)
Education in Republic of Bharat
Ministry of Human Resource Development (India)
Union Minister for Ministry of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal
National education budget (2010)
Budget: Rs. 45267.40 million (2007)
General Details
Primary Languages: Hindi, English, or State language
System Type: National and States
Literacy (2001[1])
Total: 66%
Male: 76.9%
Female: 54.5%
Enrollment ((N/A))
Total: (N/A)
Primary: (N/A)
Secondary: (N/A)
Post Secondary: (N/A)
Attainment
Secondary diploma 15%
Post-secondary diploma 12.4%
v • d • e
Education in India has a history stretching back to the ancient urban
centres of learning at Taxila and Nalanda. Western education became
ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of the British
Raj. Education in India falls under the control of both the Union
Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the
Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various articles
of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental
right. Most universities in India are Union or State Government
controlled.
India has made a huge progress in terms of increasing primary
education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two
thirds of the population.[2] India's improved education system is
often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of
India.[3] Much of the progress in education has been credited to
various private institutions.[4] The private education market in India
is estimated to be worth $40 billion in 2008 and will increase to $68
billion by 2012.[4] However, India continues to face challenges.
Despite growing investment in education, 35% of the population is
illiterate and only 15% of the students reach high school.[5] As of
2008, India's post-secondary high schools offer only enough seats for
7% of India's college-age population, 25% of teaching positions
nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college professors lack either a
master's or PhD degree.[6] As of 2007[update], there are 1522 degree-
granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake
of 582,000,[7] plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of
265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty and
concerns have been raised over the quality of education.[8]
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 Primary Education [9] is
a nation wide initiative that seeks to facilitate rural empowerment
through provision of responsive information, products and services in
local languages.
Three Indian universities were listed in the Times Higher Education
list of the world’s top 200 universities — Indian Institutes of
Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, and Jawaharlal Nehru
University in 2005 and 2006.[10] 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 Asiaweek.
[11] The Indian School of Business situated in Hyderabad was ranked
number 12 in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London in
2010[12] while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been
recognized as a global leader in medical research and treatment.[13]
History
Monastic orders of education under the supervision of a guru was a
favored form of education for the nobility in ancient India.[14] The
knowledge in these orders was often related to the tasks a section of
the society had to perform.[15] The priest class, the Brahmins, were
imparted knowledge of religion, philosophy, and other ancillary
branches while the warrior class, the Kshatriya, were trained in the
various aspects of warfare.[15] The business class, the Vaishya, were
taught their trade and the lowest class of the Shudras was generally
deprived of educational advantages.[15] The book of laws, the
Manusmriti, and the treatise on statecraft the Arthashastra were among
the influential works of this era which reflect the outlook and
understanding of the world at the time.[15]
Apart from the monastic orders, institutions of higher learning and
universities flourished in India well before the common era, and
continued to deliver education into the common era.[16] Secular
Buddhist institutions cropped up along with monasteries.[15] These
institutions imparted practical education, e.g. medicine.[15] A number
of urban learning centres became increasingly visible from the period
between 200 BCE to 400 CE.[17] The important urban centres of learning
were Taxila and Nalanda, among others.[17] These institutions
systematically imparted knowledge and attracted a number of foreign
students to study topics such as logic, grammar, medicine,
metaphysics, arts and crafts.[17]
By the time of the visit of the Islamic scholar Alberuni (973-1048
CE), India already had a sophisticated system of mathematics and
science in place, and had made a number of inventions and discoveries.
[18]
With the arrival of the British Raj in India a class of Westernized
elite was versed in the Western system of education which the British
had introduced.[19] This system soon became solidified in India as a
number of primary, secondary, and tertiary centres for education
cropped up during the colonial era.[19] Between 1867 and 1941 the
British increased the percentage of the population in Primary and
Secondary Education from around 0.6% of the population in 1867 to over
3.5% of the population in 1941. However this was much lower than the
equivalent figures for Europe where in 1911 between 8 and 18% of the
population were in Primary and Secondary education.[20] Additionally
literacy was also improved. In 1901 the literacy rate in India was
only about 5% though by Independence it was nearly 20%.[21]
Following independence in 1947, Maulana Azad, India's first education
minister envisaged strong central government control over education
throughout the country, with a uniform educational system.[22]
However, given the cultural and linguistic diversity of India, it was
only the higher education dealing with science and technology that
came under the jurisdiction of the central government.[22] The
government also held powers to make national policies for educational
development and could regulate selected aspects of education
throughout India.[23]
The central government of India formulated the National Policy on
Education (NPE) in 1986 and also reinforced the Programme of Action
(POA) in 1986.[24] The government initiated several measures the
launching of DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and SSA
(Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,[25] India's initiative for Education for All)
and setting up of Navodaya Vidyalaya and other selective schools in
every district, advances in female education, inter-disciplinary
research and establishment of open universities. India's NPE also
contains the National System of Education, which ensures some
uniformity while taking into account regional education needs. The NPE
also stresses on higher spending on education, envisaging a budget of
more than 6% of the Gross Domestic Product.[24] While the need for
wider reform in the primary and secondary sectors is recognized as an
issue, the emphasis is also on the development of science and
technology education infrastructure.
Overview
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is
the apex body for curriculum related matters for school education in
India.[26] The NCERT provides support and technical assistance to a
number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of
education policies.[27] In India, the various curriculum bodies
governing school education system are:
The state government boards, in which the majority of Indian children
are enrolled.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
board.
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board.
International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate
Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations.
Islamic Madrasah schools, whose boards are controlled by local state
governments, or autonomous, or affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband.
Autonomous schools like Woodstock School, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and
Ananda Marga Gurukula.
In addition, NUEPA (National University of Educational Planning and
Administration)[28] and NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education)
are responsible for the management of the education system and teacher
accreditation.[29]
Primary education
The Indian government lays emphasis to primary education up to the age
of fourteen years (referred to as Elementary Education in India.[30])
The Indian government has also banned child labour in order to ensure
that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.[30] However,
both free education and the ban on child labor are difficult to
enforce due to economic disparity and social conditions.[30] 80% of
all recognized schools at the Elementary Stage are government run or
supported, making it the largest provider of education in the Country.
[31] However, due to shortage of resources and lack of political will,
this system suffers from massive gaps including high pupil teacher
ratios, shortage of infrastructure and poor level of teacher training.
Education has also been made free[30] for children for six to 14 years
of age or up to class VIII under the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act 2009.[32]
There have been several efforts to enhance quality made by the
government. The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was
launched in 1994 with an aim to universalize primary education in
India by reforming and vitalizing the existing primary education
system.[33] 85% of the DPEP was funded by the central government and
the remaining 15 percent was funded by the states.[33] The DPEP, which
had opened 160000 new schools including 84000 alternative education
schools delivering alternative education to approximately 3.5 million
children, was also supported by UNICEF and other international
programmes.[33] This primary education scheme has also shown a high
Gross Enrollment Ratio of 93–95% for the last three years in some
states.[33] Significant improvement in staffing and enrollment of
girls has also been made as a part of this scheme.[33] The current
scheme for universalization of Education for All is the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan which is one of the largest education initiatives in the
world. Enrollment has been enhanced, but the levels of quality remain
low.
Secondary education
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, has provided for
environment awareness, science and technology education, and
introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian
secondary school system.[34] Secondary education covers children 14-18
which covers 88.5 million children according to the Census, 2001.
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.[35] 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.[36] 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.[26] 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.
[26]
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 [39] is a nation wide
initiative that seeks to facilitate rural empowerment through
provision of responsive information, products and services in local
languages.
Tertiary education
Our 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 per
cent 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 favouritism and corruption.
– Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007[40]
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.India's higher education
system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United
States.[41] 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.[42] Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12
autonomous institutions established by the University Grants
Commission.[43]
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.[42] Other institutions include 16000 colleges, including
1800 exclusive women's colleges, functioning under these universities
and institutions.[42] The emphasis in the tertiary level of education
lies on science and technology.[44] Indian educational institutions by
2004 consisted of a large number of technology institutes.[45]
Distance learning is also a feature of the Indian higher education
system.[45]
Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs), have been globally acclaimed for their standard of
education.[45] 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]
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 prey to these institutes
and colleges.[47][dead link]
Technical education
From the first Five Year Plan onwards India's emphasis was to develop
a pool of scientifically inclined manpower.[48] 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.[49] At the level of the
centre the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes
of Information Technology are deemed of national importance.[49] The
Indian Institutes of Management are also among the nation's premier
education facilities.[49] Several Regional Engineering Colleges (REC)
have been converted into National Institutes of Technology.[49] 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.[50]
Literacy
Main article: Literacy in India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_India
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".
According to this criterion, the 2001 survey holds the National
Literacy Rate to be around 64.84%.[51] Government statistics of 2001
also hold that the rate of increase in literacy is more in rural areas
than in urban areas.[51] Female literacy was at a national average of
53.63% whereas the male literacy was 75.26%.[51] 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.[51] The
2001 statistics also indicated that the total number of 'absolute non-
literates' in the country was 304 million.[51]
Attainment
World Bank statistics found that fewer than 40 percent of adolescents
in India attend secondary schools.[2] The Economist reports that half
of 10-year-old rural children could not read at a basic level, over
60% were unable to do division, and half dropped out by the age 14.
[52]
Only one in ten young people have access to tertiary education.[2] Out
of those who receive higher education, Mercer Consulting estimates
that only a quarter of graduates are "employable".[53]
An optimistic estimate is that only one in five job-seekers in India
has ever had any sort of vocational training.[54]
Higher education
As per Report of the Higher education in India, Issues Related to
Expansion, Inclusiveness, Quality and Finance [55], the access to
higher education measured in term of gross enrolment ratio increased
from 0.7% in 1950/51 to 1.4% in 1960-61. By 2006/7 the GER increased
to about 11 percent. By 2012, (the end of 11th plan objective) is to
increase it to 15%.
Private education
According to current estimates, 80% of all schools are government
schools[31] making the government the major provider of education.
However, because of poor quality of public education, 27% of Indian
children are privately educated.[56] According to some research,
private schools often provide superior results at a fraction of the
unit cost of government schools.[52][57][58] 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[59] In
their favour, 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.[56] 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.
[60] There is some disgreement over which system has better educated
teachers. According to the latest DISE survey, the percentage of
untrained teachers (paratechers) is 54.91% in private, compared to
44.88% in government schools and only 2.32% teachers in unaided
schools receive inservice training compared to 43.44% for government
schools. The competition in the school market is intense, yet most
schools make profit.[56]
Even the poorest often go to private schools despite the fact that
government schools are free. A study found that 65% of schoolchildren
in Hyderabad's slums attend private schools.[58]
Private schools are often operating illegally. A 2001 study found that
it takes 14 different licenses from four different authorities to open
a private school in New Delhi and could take years if done legally.
[58] However, operation of unrecognized schools has been made illegal
under the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act[32]
which has also significantly simplified the process of obtaining
recognition.
Women's Education
Girls in school near Baroda, Gujarat.
See also: Women in India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India
Women have much lower literacy rate than men. Far fewer girls are
enrolled in the schools, and many of them drop out.[61] According to a
1998 report by U.S. Department of Commerce, the chief barrier to
female education in India are inadequate school facilities (such as
sanitary facilities), shortage of female teachers and gender bias in
curriculum (majority of the female characters being depicted as weak
and helpless)[62]
The number of literate women among the female population of India was
between 2-6% from the British Raj onwards to the formation of the
Republic of India in 1947.[63] Concerted efforts led to improvement
from 15.3% in 1961 to 28.5% in 1981.[63] 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.[64] 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.
Sita Anantha Raman outlines the progress of women's education in
India:
Since 1947 the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for
girls’ school attendance through programs for midday meals, free
books, and uniforms. This welfare thrust raised primary enrollment
between 1951 and 1981. In 1986 the National Policy on Education
decided to restructure education in tune with the social framework of
each state, and with larger national goals. It emphasized that
education was necessary for democracy, and central to the improvement
of women’s condition. The new policy aimed at social change through
revised texts, curricula, increased funding for schools, expansion in
the numbers of schools, and policy improvements. Emphasis was placed
on expanding girls’ occupational centers and primary education;
secondary and higher education; and rural and urban institutions. The
report tried to connect problems like low school attendance with
poverty, and the dependence on girls for housework and sibling day
care. The National Literacy Mission also worked through female tutors
in villages. Although the minimum marriage age is now eighteen for
girls, many continue to be married much earlier. Therefore, at the
secondary level, female dropout rates are high.[65]
Sita Anantha Raman also maintains that while the educated Indian women
workforce maintains professionalism, the men outnumber them in most
fields and, in some cases, receive higher income for the same
positions.[65]
Rural education
A primary school in a village in Madhya Pradesh.Following
independence, India viewed education as an effective tool for bringing
social change through community development.[66] 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.[66] A Block Development Officer oversaw a
geographical area of 150 square miles which could contain a population
of as many as 70000 people.[66]
Setty and Ross elaborate on the role of such programmes, 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.[66]
Despite some setbacks the rural education programmes continued
throughout the 1950s, with support from private institutions.[67] 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.[68] Nursery schools,
elementary schools, secondary school, and schools for adult education
for women were set up.[68] The government continued to view rural
education as an agenda that could be relatively free from bureaucratic
backlog and general stagnation.[68] However, in some cases lack of
financing balanced the gains made by rural education institutes of
India.[69] Some ideas failed to find acceptability among India's poor
and investments made by the government sometimes yielded little
results.[69] Today, government rural schools remain poorly funded and
understaffed. Several foundations, such as the Rural Development
Foundation (Hyderabad), actively build high-quality rural schools, but
the number of students served is small.
Issues
One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of
public sector medical workers were absent during the survey. Among
teachers who were paid to teach, absence rates ranged from 15% in
Maharashtra to 71% in Bihar. Only 1 in nearly 3000 public school head
teachers had ever dismissed a teacher for repeated absence.[70] A
study on teachers by Kremer etc. found that 'only about half were
teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative
sample of government primary schools in India.'.[70]
Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote
learning rather than problem solving. BusinessWeek denigrates the
Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning.[71] and
ExpressIndia suggests that students are focused on cramming.[72]
A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the
schools had no drinking water and 89% had no toilets.[73] 2003-04 data
by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration
revealed that only 3.5% of primary schools in Bihar and Chhattisgarh
had toilets for girls. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, rates were 12-16%.[74]
Fake degrees are a problem. One raid in Bihar found 0.1 million fake
certificates.[75] In February 2009, the University Grant Commission
found 19 fake institutions operating in India.[76]
Only 16% of manufacturers in India offer in-service training to their
employees, compared with over 90% in China.[77]
[edit] Initiatives
Boys seated in school near Baroda, Gujarat.
The madrasah of Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna.Following India's
independence a number of rules were formulated for the backward
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes of India, and in 1960 a list
identifying 405 Scheduled Castes and 225 Scheduled Tribes was
published by the central government.[78] An amendment was made to the
list in 1975, which identified 841 Scheduled Castes and 510 Scheduled
Tribes.[78] The total percentage of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes combined was found to be 22.5 percent with the Scheduled Castes
accounting for 17 percent and the Scheduled Tribes accounting for the
remaining 7.5 percent.[78] Following the report many Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes increasingly referred to themselves as Dalit, a
Marathi language terminology used by B. R. Ambedkar which literally
means "oppressed".[78]
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are provided for in many of
India's educational programmes.[79] Special reservations are also
provided for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India, e.g.
a reservation of 15% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Castes and
another reservation of 7.5% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Tribes.
[79] Similar reservations are held by the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes in many schemes and educational facilities in India.
[79] The remote and far-flung regions of North East India are provided
for under the Non Lapsible Central pool of Resources (NLCPR) since
1998-1999.[80] The NLCPR aims to provide funds for infrastructure
development in these remote areas.[80]
The government objective for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), started
in 2001, is to provide education to children between 6–14 years by
2010.[81] The programme focuses specially on girls and children with
challenged social or financial backgrounds.[81] The SSA also aims to
provide practical infrastructure and relevant source material in form
of free textbooks to children in remote areas.[81] The SSA also aims
at widening computer education in rural areas.[81] SSA is currently
working with Agastya International Foundation - an educational NGO -
to augment its efforts in making science curriculum current and
exciting. However, some objectives of the SSA, e.g. enrollment of all
children under the scheme in schools by 2005 remain unfulfilled.[81]
Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education
are components of the SSA.[81]
Women from remote, underdeveloped areas or from weaker social groups
in Andra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat,
Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, fall under the Mahila Samakhya Scheme,
initiated in 1989.[82] Apart from provisions for education this
programme also aims to raise awareness by holding meetings and
seminars at rural levels.[82] The government allowed 340 million
rupees during 2007–08 to carry out this scheme over 83 districts
including more than 21, 000 villages.[82]
Currently there are 68 Bal Bhavans and 10 Bal Kendra affiliated to the
National Bal Bhavan.[83] The scheme involves educational and social
activities and recognising children with a marked talent for a
particular educational stream.[83] A number of programmes and
activities are held under this scheme, which also involves cultural
exchanges and participation in several international forums.[83]
India's minorities, especially the ones considered 'educationally
backward' by the government, are provided for in the 1992 amendment of
the Indian National Policy on Education (NPE).[84] The government
initiated the Scheme of Area Intensive Programme for Educationally
Backward Minorities and Scheme of Financial Assistance or
Modernisation of Madarsa Education as part of its revised Programme of
Action (1992).[84] Both these schemes were started nationwide by 1994.
[84] In 2004 the Indian parliament allowed an act which enabled
minority education establishments to seek university affiliations if
they passed the required norms.[84]
Central government involvement
Budget
As a part of the tenth Five year Plan (2002–2007), the central
government of India outlined an expenditure of 65.6% of its total
education budget of Rs. 438250 million, or (Rs. 287500 million) on
elementary education; 9.9% (Rs. 43250 million) on secondary education;
2.9% (Rs. 12500 million) on adult education; 9.5% (Rs. 41765 million)
on higher education; 10.7% (Rs. 47000 million) on technical education;
and the remaining 1.4% (Rs. 6235 million) on miscellaneous education
schemes.[85]
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.[86]
See also: Education in India Five Year Plan Expenditure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Education_in_India_Five_Year_Plan_Expenditure
Public Expenditure on Education in India
In recent times, several major announcements were made for developing
the poor state of affairs in education sector in India, the most
notable ones being the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The announcements are;
(a) To progressively increase expenditure on education to around 6
percent of GDP. (b) To support this increase in expenditure on
education, and to increase the quality of education, there would be an
imposition of an education cess over all central government taxes. (c)
To ensure that no one is denied of education due to economic
backwardness and poverty. (d) To make right to education a fundamental
right for all children in the age group 6–14 years. (e) To
universalize education through its flagship programmes such as Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal.
However, even after five years of implementation of NCMP, not much
progress has been done on these promises or announcements. The public
expenditure on education has actually declined from around 3.23
percent of GDP in 2000-2001 to 2.88 percent in the recent times. As a
proportion of total government expenditure, it has declined from
around 11.1 percent in 2000-2001 to around 9.98 percent during UPA
rule. A policy brief issued by [Network for Social Accountability
(NSA)][87] titled “[NSA Response to Education Sector Interventions in
Union Budget: UPA Rule and the Education Sector][88]” provides
significant revelation to this fact. Due to a declining priority of
education in the public policy paradigm in India, there has been an
exponential growth in the private expenditure on education also. [As
per the available information, the private out of pocket expenditure
by the working class population for the education of their children in
India has increased by around 1150 percent or around 12.5 times over
the last decade].[89]
Legislative framework
Article 45, of the Constitution of India originally stated:
“ The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years
from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory
education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen
years.[22] ”
This article was a directive principle of state policy within India,
effectively meaning that it was within a set of rules that were meant
to be followed in spirit and the government could not be held to court
if the actual letter was not followed.[90] However, the enforcement of
this directive principle became a matter of debate since this
principle held obvious emotive and practical value, and was legally
the only directive principle within the Indian constitution to have a
time limit.[90]
Following initiatives by the Supreme Court of India during the 1990s
the Ninety-third amendment bill suggested three separate amendments to
the Indian constitution:[91]
The constitution of India was amended to include a new article, 21A,
which read:
“ The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all
children of the age of six to fourteen years in a such manner as the
State may, by law, determine.[92] ”
Article 45 was proposed to be substituted by the article which read:
“ Provision for early childhood care and education to children below
the age of six years: The State shall endeavour to provide early
childhood care and education for all children until they complete the
age of sixteen years.[92] ”
Another article, 51A, was to additionally have the clause:
“ ...a parent or guardian [shall] provide opportunities for education
to his child or, as the case may be, [a] ward between the age of six
to fourteen years.[92] ”
The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of
the Indian parliament, on November 28, 2001.[93] It was later passed
by the upper house—the Rajya Sabha—on May 14, 2002.[93] After being
signed by the President of India the Indian constitution was amended
formally for the eighty sixth time and the bill came into effect.[93]
Since then those between the age of 6–14 have a fundamental right to
education.[94]
Article 46 of the Constitution of India holds that:
“ The State shall promote, with special care, the education and
economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in
particular of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and shall
protect them from social injustice and all forms of social
exploitation'.[51] ”
Other provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes can be
found in Articles 330, 332, 335, 338–342.[51] Both the 5th and the 6th
Schedules of the Constitution also make special provisions for the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[51]
Controversy
In January 2010, the Government of India decided to withdraw Deemed
university status from as many as 44 well known universities from all
over the country. The Government claimed in its affidavit that
academic considerations were not being kept in mind by the management
of these institutions and that "they were being run as family
fiefdoms".[95]
Notes
^ Estimate for India, from India, CIA World Factbook
^ a b c "Education in India". World Bank.
http://www.worldbank.org.in/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/INDIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:21493265~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:295584,00.html.
^ India achieves 27% decline in poverty, Press Trust of India via
Sify.com, 2008-09-12
^ a b Lesson Plans, by Anuradha Raghunathan of Forbes, 09.11.08
^ India still Asia's reluctant tiger, by Zareer Masani of BBC Radio 4,
27 February 2008
^ SPECIAL REPORT: THE EDUCATION RACE, by Newsweek, August 18–25, 2008
issue
^ "Science and Technology Education". Press Information Bureau.
http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2007/May07/2007050113.pdf. Retrieved
2009-08-08.
^ How To Save The World's Back Office, by Sramana Mitra of Forbes,
03.14.08
^ {http://www.indg.in/primary-education}
^ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=161
^ Asia's Best Science and Technology Schools.
^ "MBA global Top 100 rankings - FT". ft.com.
http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings.
Retrieved 2009-03-04.
^ "Medical Meccas: An Oasis for India's Poorest | Newsweek Health for
Life | Newsweek.com". Newsweek.com. http://www.newsweek.com/id/45114.
Retrieved 2008-11-03.
^ Blackwell, 90
^ a b c d e f Prabhu, 24
^ Blackwell, 89
^ a b c Prabhu, 25
^ Blackwell, 89–91
^ a b Blackwell, 91–92
^ Ferguson, Niall (2003). Empire: How Britain made the Modern World.
Penguin. p. 191. ISBN 0141007540.
^ "Literacy Scenario in India (1951 - 1991)".
http://www.education.nic.in/cd50years/y/3T/9U/3T9U0301.htm. Retrieved
December 29, 2009.
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 150
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 150–151
^ a b India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 208
^ {ssa.nic.in}
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 233
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 230–234
^ {www.nuepa.org}
^ {www.ncte-india.org}
^ a b c d Blackwell, 93–94
^ a b {http://www.dise.in/ar2005.html}
^ a b http://education.nic.in/Elementary/free%20and%20compulsory.pdf
^ a b c d e India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 215
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 231
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/sec_overview.asp}
^ Blackwell, 94–95
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/Framework_Final_RMSA.pdf}
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/sec_iedc.asp}
^ {http:// http://www.indg.in/primary-education/}
^ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "PM’s address at the 150th
Anniversary Function of University of Mumbai". http://pmindia.nic.in/speech/content.asp?id=555.
^ "India Country Summary of Higher Education". World Bank.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1121703274255/1439264-1193249163062/India_CountrySummary.pdf.
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 237
^ Higher Education, National Informatics Centre, Government of India.
^ Blackwell, 95–96
^ a b c Blackwell, 96
^ Vrat, 230-231
^ Fake and Cheat Universities in India, Think Ahead.
^ "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India,
30
^ a b c d "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in
India, 31
^ "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India,
32
^ a b c d e f g h India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 225
^ a b "A special report on India: Creaking, groaning: Infrastructure
is India’s biggest handicap". The Economist. 2008.
http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12749787.
^ "Mere 25% graduates in India are employable: Mercer Consulting".
2008. http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/21182309/Mere-25-graduates-in-India-ar.html.
^ "A special report on India: An elephant, not a tiger". The
Economist. 11 December 2008. http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12749735.
^ 12. Report of the HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA Issues Related to
Expansion, Inclusiveness, Quality and Finance, May 2008
^ a b c "Private Education in India can Benefit Poor People".
http://www.globalenvision.org/library/8/767.
^ Geeta Gandhi Kingdon. "The progress of school education in India".
http://www.gprg.org/pubs/workingpapers/pdfs/gprg-wps-071.pdf.
^ a b c Amit Varma (2007). "Why India Needs School Vouchers". Wall
Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116882502361976702.html.
^ {http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FC02Df03.htm.}
^ {http://www.dise.in/Downloads/Publication%202007-08/Rural0708/
teacher_part1.pdf}
^ Kalyani Menon-Sen, A. K. Shiva Kumar (2001). "Women in India: How
Free? How Equal?". United Nations. http://www.un.org.in/wii.htm.
Retrieved 2006-12-24.
^ Victoria A. Velkoff (October 1998). "Women of the World: Women's
Education in India" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce.
http://www.census.gov/ipc/prod/wid-9801.pdf. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
^ a b Raman, 235
^ Raman, 236
^ a b Raman, 238
^ a b c d Setty and Ross, 120
^ Setty and Ross, 121
^ a b c Setty and Ross, 122
^ a b Setty and Ross, 125
^ a b Kremer etc. (2004), "Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot",
Journal of the European Economic Association.
^ "India". BusinessWeek. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_22/b3885015.htm.
^ "‘Rote system of learning still rules the roost’". ExpressIndia.
2008. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/rote-system-of-learning-still-rules-the-roost/375996/.
^ "Combating India's truant teachers". BBC. 2004-11-29.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4051353.stm. Retrieved
2010-01-03.
^ "Education cess: Are govt schools any better now?". The Times of
India. 7 April 2005. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1070939.cms.
^ "100,000 fake certificates found in Bihar".
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=9dc2ff8a-268d-44e1-9737-a42efeb5da9d&MatchID1=4924&TeamID1=4&TeamID2=2&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1244&PrimaryID=4924&Headline=100%2c000+fake+certificates+found+in+Bihar.
^ "22 universities across India fake: UGC". ExpressIndia.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/22-universities-across-India-fake-UGC/425697/.
^ "Country Strategy for India (CAS) 2009-2012". World Bank.
http://www.ukibc.com/ukindia2/files/India60.pdf.
^ a b c d Elder, 227
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 226–227
^ a b India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 236–237
^ a b c d e f India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 211
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 216
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 218
^ a b c d India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 239
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 223
^ "Higher education spending: India at the bottom of BRIC". Rediff.
2005. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/feb/05edu.htm.
^ http://www.nsa.org.in
^ http://www.nsa.org.in/Policybrief/2009/345NSARUBEDU1.htm
^ http://www.nsa.org.in/Policybrief/309NSAResearchTeam1.htm
^ a b Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 149–50
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 152–154
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 154
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 156
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 149
^ http://www.livemint.com/2010/01/18232326/44-institutions-to-lose-deemed.html
References
Blackwell, Fritz (2004), India: A Global Studies Handbook, United
States of America: ABC-CLIO, Inc., ISBN 1-57607-348-3.
Elder, Joseph W. (2006), "Caste System", Encyclopedia of India (vol.
1) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 223-229, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31350-2.
"Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India
edited by R.K. Suri and Kalapana Rajaram (2008), New Delhi: Spectrum,
ISBN 81-7930-294-6.
India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), New Delhi: Additional
Director General (ADG), Publications Division, Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting, Government of India, ISBN 978-81-230-1557-6.
Prabhu, Joseph (2006), "Educational Institutions and Philosophies,
Traditional and Modern", Encyclopedia of India (vol. 2) edited by
Stanley Wolpert, 23–28, Thomson Gale: ISBN 0-684-31351-0.
Raman, S.A. (2006). "Women's Education", Encyclopedia of India (vol.
4), edited by Stanley Wolpert, 235-239, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31353-7.
Setty, E.D. and Ross, E.L. (1987), "A Case Study in Applied Education
in Rural India", Community Development Journal, 22 (2): 120–129,
Oxford University Press.
Sripati, V. and Thiruvengadam, A.K. (2004), "India: Constitutional
Amendment Making The Right to Education a Fundamental Right",
International Journal of Constitutional Law, 2 (1): 148–158, Oxford
University Press.
Vrat, Prem (2006), "Indian Institutes of Technology", Encyclopedia of
India (vol. 2) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 229-231, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31351-0.
External links
India Education News http://www.educationmaster.org/
Indian Education News website http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in/
India International Education Fair http://www.eduworldwideindia.com/
Portal of Indian Universities and Colleges http://www.education-hub.org/
Government official education website. http://www.education.nic.in/
E-Learning Division of the Department of IT, Ministry of
Communications & IT, Govt. of India
http://www.mit.gov.in/default.aspx?id=26
India / Indian Colleges, Universities and Institutions http://mycollege.in/
Education India Online http://www.educationindiaonline.info/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India
...and I am Sid Harth
http://navanavonmilita.wordpress.com/right-to-education-snafu-sid-harth/
Day One: Sibal pushes right to education bill
30 May 2009, 0720 hrs IST,Akshaya Mukul,TNN
NEW DELHI: With Arjun Singh’s trademark talisman — Ram kaj kinho bina,
mohu kahan vishram (where do I have rest without doing my job) — no
longer on
the wall to inspire new HRD minister Kapil Sibal, he got down to
business immediately calling for files relating to the Right to
Education and Foreign Education Providers Bill.
While taking over on Friday, Sibal put these two issues among his
priorities. Sibal has been closely connected with the two issues since
UPA’s first term. As science & technology minister, Sibal had headed
the committee of Central Advisory Board of Education that gave its
first draft on the Right to Education Bill.
Similarly, he was asked to prepare Foreign Education Providers Bill
but it could not be taken up due to stiff resistance from the Left.
The bill seeks to regulate admission and fee of foreign educational
institutions setting up their campuses in India. Sibal and Arjun Singh
were not perceived to be on the same page on some crucial issues.
However, on the first day in office, Sibal weighed his words carefully
and even paid respect to his predecessor. ‘‘ Whatever policy has been
started or rules and regulations framed by the previous government
will not be scrapped. I respect my predecessor, who is a respectable
leader of the Congress,’’ he said.
Asked about the unfinished job of reservation in private educational
institutions, something Arjun Singh seemed to be keen on, Sibal was
noncommittal . ‘‘ I will look into it,’’ he said. As for problems
faced by government educational institutions in implementing OBC
reservation, Sibal said, ‘‘ All new policies have teething
problems.’’
However, he opened up a bit on the National Knowledge Commission. ‘‘
NKC has been pivotal in creation of a knowledge economy and knowledge
society. But not everything it says should be embraced,’’ he said,
adding that the ministry would look into its recommendations
carefully. HRD ministry under Arjun Singh did not have a smooth
equation with the NKC.
Sibal said he would stress on synergy between quality and access. He
also talked about education for all.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Services/Day-One-Sibal-pushes-right-to-education-bill/articleshow/4596440.cms
Sibal to hold talks with states on fee structure, teachers' salary
21 Feb 2010, 0046 hrs IST,ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: With a little over a month before the Right to Education
Act is notified, union human resource development minister Kapil Sibal
said that
his ministry would hold consultations with the states to resolve
issues such as fee structure and teachers’ salaries, that are likely
to arise while implementing the Act. Stressing that the government
will take steps to prevent commercialisation of education, Mr Sibal
said that the consultation would be undertaken to evolve a policy so
that “poor, marginalised, and disadvantaged” students are not
adversely affected.
“Our aim is to ensure that all children in India get quality
education, but we are against commercialisation of education.
Incessant hike of fee and overcharging from parents is something we do
not support. I will talk to every state government on issues regarding
implementation of the RTE Act from April 1. I will be meeting Delhi
chief minister Sheila Diskhit on Monday regarding the same,” the
minister said. Mr Sibal drew special attention to the need to provide
some relaxation to “marginal” schools, which are currently not
recognised. The RTE makes it mandatory for all schools to be
recognised. While state laws, such as that of Delhi, require that all
recognised schools pay teachers according to government scales, and
tuition fees of schools be regulated.
This, according to Mr Sibal, would endanger good schools which are
currently not recognised and serving marginal populations. The
minister was of the view that some policy to ensure that such schools
don’t go under needs to be evolved. “Schools should not be closed
because of their poor economic conditions. We don’t want to close down
marginalised, unrecognised schools for poor kids because our aim is
not to marginalise these kids any more. In fact these schools should
be protected. We will, therefore, encourage them to implement the
guidelines of the RTE Act and will give them three years’ time to do
so,” Mr Sibal said.
While the Right to Education states that all schools have to
recognised by the appropriate authority, it is silent on the issue of
fee structure, an issue largely relating to private schools, and
teacher salaries. The minister said, “Each state has its own laws and
we will be requesting them to bring their laws in conformity with the
RTE. In cases where the state law and the RTE law are in conflict, the
RTE will prevail and where there is no conflict, the state law will.”
Drawing attention to issues that require consultation, the minister
said, “for example, the RTE Act says that schools should have
playgrounds. In schools in urban areas, there may not be enough space
for a playground.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/the-sunday-et/dateline-india/Sibal-to-hold-talks-with-states-on-fee-structure-teachers-salary/articleshow/5597815.cms
Sibal to build consensus for right to education
New Delhi, Feb 20 : Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil
Sibal Saturday said he would try and build consensus among all the
state governments to implement the Right to Education Act, which will
be notified from April 1.
"Our aim is to implement the Right to Education Act from April 1 and
for this, I will talk to every state government," Sibal told reporters
here.
The minister said he would discuss the matter with Delhi Chief
Minister Sheila Dikshit Monday.
--IANS
http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-55461.html
Lok Sabha passes 'historic' Right-to-Education Bill
IANS
Posted on Aug 05, 2009 at 01:48
0 New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed what Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal termed "historic" legislation
providing for free and compulsory education for all children in the
6-14 years of age-group.
"This is the first time an effort has been made to universalise
education in the country," the minister said, adding: "We have been
talking about it for the last 16 years."
He said it was high time "we gave every child a legal right" to
education.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2009,
that the Rajya Sabha had cleared July 20 was passed by the Lower House
by a voice vote, and Sibal, who piloted the measure, gave a clarion
call to all states to cooperate with the Central government in
implementing the measure.
There were as many as 20 cut motions from the Left parties against the
proposed legislation but these were defeated on the floor of the
house.
The Bill will now go to President Pratibha Patil for her assent before
becoming law.
"There is no politics here, this is a partnership between the Centre
and the states for India's future," Sibal maintained. "This is a
national enterprise. All state governments, us and civil society
organisations are part of it."
The minister said there were "10 historic things" in the legislation.
Enlisting these, he counted free education, compulsory education,
insistence on having a national curriculum and quality education that
gives three years' time to schools to set up physical infrastructure
or face de-recognition.
Sibal said every school in India would have to fulfil infrastructure
requirements and the states have been advised to set up recognition
authorities. "This is the first time such a leap forward had been
taken," the minister added.
Among other firsts, he said to ensure there were properly qualified
teachers, the legislation would give under-qualified teachers five
years to acquire the necessary academic credentials.
Simultaneously, the states would be told that all new appointments
must meet qualification standards prescribed by an academic authority.
The legislation, in what the minister said was another historic move,
calls for 25 per cent reservation in private schools for disadvantaged
children from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and socially and
educationally backward sections.
He said the states have been given the liberty to decide the
disadvantaged classes whose children would be eligible under the 25
per cent reservation category.
However, the law would make it mandatory when the model rules were
framed for its implementation that children with disabilities were
mandatorily included among the disadvantaged children.
"This will be the first time in India that disabled children are
integrated with the school system," Sibal said.
tags: Education Bill, Kapil Sibal, Right to education Bill, Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill - 2009
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/lok-sabha-passes-historic-righttoeducation-bill/98573-3.html
Education is now a fundamental right
NDTV Correspondent, Thursday April 1, 2010, New Delhi
India now joins a select few countries in the world where education is
a fundamental right.
The historic act, the Right to Education (RTE), comes into force
today.
It's one of the most important pieces of legislation to be passed by
the UPA government.
As one of his dream projects enters the implementation stage, Human
Resource and Development Minister Kapil Sibal told NDTV, "This is a
historic occasion. Right to Education Act is about the future on
India. Hence education is a national responsibility." (Watch:
Education is a national responsibility, says Sibal)
The Act promises to ensure education for all children between 6 and
14, a whopping 22 crore children, out of which nearly 1.1 crore are
out of school.
But the road ahead will be a difficult one.
The availability of good teachers has become one of the most crucial
crisis points in the Act's promise to make quality education available
to all.
"In many schools there are hundreds of students in one class and the
gap between the training given to teachers and what they practise on
the ground is huge," says Arshita Dass, a teacher of La Martiniere
school.
The other major infrastructure hurdle will be establishing a balance
between Centre and State.
Several regulatory measures can only be taken after individual inputs
from state governments.
Also, questions about how the responsibilities, both fiscal and
social, will be divided remain unanswered.
"While a nominal ratio of 65 per cent by the Centre and 35 per cent by
the State has been settled, the Centre has to be prepared to shoulder
a 100 per cent burden if the situation should arise. Only that would
show their commitment to the cause," says: Ashok Agarwal, the
Chairperson of the NCERT committee on RTE implementation.
These and other problems litter the path to ensuring a fundamental
right to all children across the country. But the HRD Minister seems
confident.
"Nothing will change overnight, but at least we have created a
framework to take this project forwards," he says.
Neither the letter of law nor a speech from the Prime Minister will
ensure education to all the children in India. But if the many
infrastructure hurdles can be crossed, then the RTE could change the
face of education in the country.
Related
Snubbed Congress says UP Chief Minister is 'Murti-Devi'
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/snubbed-congress-says-up-chief-minister-is-murti-devi-19261.php
Karnataka backs Right to Education Act
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/tough-to-implement-right-to-education-minister-19014.php
Tough to implement Right to Education: Minister
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/tough-to-implement-right-to-education-minister-19014.php
PM to address nation on Right to Education
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/pm-to-address-nation-on-right-to-education-18801.php
Telangana supporters disrupt Sibal meeting
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/telangana-supporters-disrupt-sibal-meeting-17648.php
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/education-is-now-a-fundamental-right-of-every-child-18878.php
Redefining Right to Education in India
POLITICS | May 18, 2010 |
“The fundamental purpose of Education is the same at all times and in
all places. It is to transfigure the human personality into a pattern
of perfection through a synthetic process of the development of the
body, the enrichment of the mind, the sublimation of the motions and
the illumination of the spirit. Education is a preparation for a
living and for life, when and hereafter.” Supreme Court in
Unnikrishnan’s case.
The role of government as an institution for the furtherance of the
common goals of a society had emanated long before, at a time when the
concept of ‘state’ had sprouted up. In meeting its highly deliberated
goals, the Welfare State devised policies attune to the changing needs
demanded by the society like nationalization. This was envisaged with
the ultimate aim of making a knowledgeable society free from the
precincts of inequality, untouchability, caste etc. There is no doubt
that the control of education in the hands of the government has been
fruitful in reaching out education to the majority breaking the
shackles of knowledge accumulation confined to the elites of the
society and had achieved small but significant strides in increasing
the knowledgeable levels of the population. But as times have changed
and the common goals existed earlier has either become archaic or has
outlived its purpose; needs to be redeemed into new goals which points
to limiting the role of the government. This is where the government
needs to re- look its functions as a Regulator. The Education Sector,
in which the state has been monopolizing its function of imparting it,
has become defunct owing to its laxity in bringing changes to the
rapidly changing educational atmosphere created by the ever growing
advancements in science and technology. Neither has it been able to
increase the quantity nor the quality in its true sense. Though the
various Institutions and Committees evolved by the government has
pondered over the question of improving the educational standards and
had devised plans and policies to tackle it, nothing has changed over
the years in this area. This may be attributed to umpteen number of
reasons such as lack of funds, red-tapism, lack of broad vision,
delays in implementing many functions etc. This is the very reason why
the Educational Reforms should be analyzed by re-looking the role of
Government in Public Policy Making.
With the enactment of Right to Education Act (RTE), the Government has
indeed taken a step forward. The RTE has made given voice to the
concerns of the educational needs of 6-14 year old children.
Interestingly, when the Government was going aggressive with its
Universalization of education (Sarva Siksha Abhyan), by limiting the
same to children with the defined limits stultifies and undermines the
existence of the movement. Further the said RTE is only a statutory
right and departs from the fundamental right as was inserted under
Article 21 A in the Indian Constitution. The following concerns are
however been eschewed by the Central and also the state governments by
fighting itself on the issue of allocation. Going by the statistics,
the Centre cannot accommodate the issues raised by various states for
the simple reason that they do not have the financial viability for
the same. Almost Rs 21,000 Crores is the additional burden created on
the Centre once the Act goes into the execution stage. The Centre
levies an Educational Cess of 2 percent and is pumped funds from World
Bank and other International institutions. However the fact that they
are highly indebted to them owing to the high interest rates and
cannot repay it for a while shows the conundrum in which the state has
been into.
This envisages the need to open up the sector for private parties who
have the financial resources at stake. The Tatasand Reliance would be
interested as a matter of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to
invest in the future generation. While such corporates are proposing
Finishing Schools to absorb them, the said pattern is not possible at
the lower level. Unfortunately, the present laws of the country do not
enable an individual to start a school!! Only an institution with a
minimum capital ( approx Twenty lakhs) can ever think of starting a
school and has to follow obsolete laws like getting permission from
other schools (within the vicinity of 5km), which departs from the
reality. Unless the Government creates a unique model of Public
Private Partnership (PPP) taking the larger public interest involved
and the major issue of literacy and unemployment at stake, can India
ever achieve the comforts of the biggest global economy taking the
lead.
Madhu S
[Image courtesy: Loading Image...
]Home » NationIndia needs 35,000 more colleges: Sibal
Updated on Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 20:47 IST
Tags: india, college, sibalBuzz up! Share New Delhi: India needs an
additional 600 universities and 35,000 colleges in the next 12 years
to ensure that greater percentage of students take up higher
education, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said today.
"The Right to Education (RTE) Act, which will come into force from
April, is based on the premise that India cannot wait to get the
critical mass of students in the 18-24 age group to move to the
university level. An additional 600 universities and 35,000 colleges
will be required over the coming 12 years," the minister said at a
seminar organised by CII.
The union minister said there were 480 universities and 22,000
colleges at present but these were not sufficient and asserted that
private sector participation would be an essential element in coming
years.
Related Stories
IIM-A, IIM-B hike fee for academic year 2010-2012
http://www.zeenews.com/news615335.html
40% children must be enrolled for higher education: Sibal
http://www.zeenews.com/news615210.html
"In every developing country the Gross Development Ratio requires
that out of 100 students at least 40 should be able to go to college,"
Sibal said, adding that in India, the GDR aim is 30 per cent but at
present only 12.4 per cent students go to college.
Education cannot be a sectoral enterprise but must be a national
endeavour, he said and called for a change in mindsets, openness to
fresh ideas, liberalisation and involvement of the community at the
local level.
The minister endorsed an independent accreditation system and
legislation to check education misdemeanours. He called for a "self
disclosure format" for education institutes for assets, faculty,
teacher-pupil ratio and fee structure. In case the institutions
furnish wrong information, there should be laws to punish them, Sibal
said.
The minister also stated that the RTE Act entails the local people to
take onus of the school. 75 per cent of the management committee will
be locals, including mothers. Government will provide a framework, but
the onus of effective functioning would be on the people, he said.
A state-level framework for providing loan assistance to students was
also an inclusive agenda of education, Sibal said.
He asserted that north India had immense potential in power
generation, water management, sugar, ethanol, leather, and wheat and
suggested that textile hubs like Ludhiana could open institutes.
He maintained that there was a need to move away from textual learning
and adopt a multiple disciplinary approach.
PTI
http://www.zeenews.com/news615294.html
Education in India
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
It has been suggested that Private school (India and Sri Lanka) be
merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
This article may need to be updated. Please update this article to
reflect recent events or newly available information, and remove this
template when finished. Please see the talk page for more information.
(April 2010)
Education in Republic of Bharat
Ministry of Human Resource Development (India)
Union Minister for Ministry of Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal
National education budget (2010)
Budget: Rs. 45267.40 million (2007)
General Details
Primary Languages: Hindi, English, or State language
System Type: National and States
Literacy (2001[1])
Total: 66%
Male: 76.9%
Female: 54.5%
Enrollment ((N/A))
Total: (N/A)
Primary: (N/A)
Secondary: (N/A)
Post Secondary: (N/A)
Attainment
Secondary diploma 15%
Post-secondary diploma 12.4%
v • d • e
Education in India has a history stretching back to the ancient urban
centres of learning at Taxila and Nalanda. Western education became
ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of the British
Raj. Education in India falls under the control of both the Union
Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with the
Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various articles
of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a fundamental
right. Most universities in India are Union or State Government
controlled.
India has made a huge progress in terms of increasing primary
education attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two
thirds of the population.[2] India's improved education system is
often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of
India.[3] Much of the progress in education has been credited to
various private institutions.[4] The private education market in India
is estimated to be worth $40 billion in 2008 and will increase to $68
billion by 2012.[4] However, India continues to face challenges.
Despite growing investment in education, 35% of the population is
illiterate and only 15% of the students reach high school.[5] As of
2008, India's post-secondary high schools offer only enough seats for
7% of India's college-age population, 25% of teaching positions
nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college professors lack either a
master's or PhD degree.[6] As of 2007[update], there are 1522 degree-
granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake
of 582,000,[7] plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual intake of
265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty and
concerns have been raised over the quality of education.[8]
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 Primary Education [9] is
a nation wide initiative that seeks to facilitate rural empowerment
through provision of responsive information, products and services in
local languages.
Three Indian universities were listed in the Times Higher Education
list of the world’s top 200 universities — Indian Institutes of
Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, and Jawaharlal Nehru
University in 2005 and 2006.[10] 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 Asiaweek.
[11] The Indian School of Business situated in Hyderabad was ranked
number 12 in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London in
2010[12] while the All India Institute of Medical Sciences has been
recognized as a global leader in medical research and treatment.[13]
History
Monastic orders of education under the supervision of a guru was a
favored form of education for the nobility in ancient India.[14] The
knowledge in these orders was often related to the tasks a section of
the society had to perform.[15] The priest class, the Brahmins, were
imparted knowledge of religion, philosophy, and other ancillary
branches while the warrior class, the Kshatriya, were trained in the
various aspects of warfare.[15] The business class, the Vaishya, were
taught their trade and the lowest class of the Shudras was generally
deprived of educational advantages.[15] The book of laws, the
Manusmriti, and the treatise on statecraft the Arthashastra were among
the influential works of this era which reflect the outlook and
understanding of the world at the time.[15]
Apart from the monastic orders, institutions of higher learning and
universities flourished in India well before the common era, and
continued to deliver education into the common era.[16] Secular
Buddhist institutions cropped up along with monasteries.[15] These
institutions imparted practical education, e.g. medicine.[15] A number
of urban learning centres became increasingly visible from the period
between 200 BCE to 400 CE.[17] The important urban centres of learning
were Taxila and Nalanda, among others.[17] These institutions
systematically imparted knowledge and attracted a number of foreign
students to study topics such as logic, grammar, medicine,
metaphysics, arts and crafts.[17]
By the time of the visit of the Islamic scholar Alberuni (973-1048
CE), India already had a sophisticated system of mathematics and
science in place, and had made a number of inventions and discoveries.
[18]
With the arrival of the British Raj in India a class of Westernized
elite was versed in the Western system of education which the British
had introduced.[19] This system soon became solidified in India as a
number of primary, secondary, and tertiary centres for education
cropped up during the colonial era.[19] Between 1867 and 1941 the
British increased the percentage of the population in Primary and
Secondary Education from around 0.6% of the population in 1867 to over
3.5% of the population in 1941. However this was much lower than the
equivalent figures for Europe where in 1911 between 8 and 18% of the
population were in Primary and Secondary education.[20] Additionally
literacy was also improved. In 1901 the literacy rate in India was
only about 5% though by Independence it was nearly 20%.[21]
Following independence in 1947, Maulana Azad, India's first education
minister envisaged strong central government control over education
throughout the country, with a uniform educational system.[22]
However, given the cultural and linguistic diversity of India, it was
only the higher education dealing with science and technology that
came under the jurisdiction of the central government.[22] The
government also held powers to make national policies for educational
development and could regulate selected aspects of education
throughout India.[23]
The central government of India formulated the National Policy on
Education (NPE) in 1986 and also reinforced the Programme of Action
(POA) in 1986.[24] The government initiated several measures the
launching of DPEP (District Primary Education Programme) and SSA
(Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,[25] India's initiative for Education for All)
and setting up of Navodaya Vidyalaya and other selective schools in
every district, advances in female education, inter-disciplinary
research and establishment of open universities. India's NPE also
contains the National System of Education, which ensures some
uniformity while taking into account regional education needs. The NPE
also stresses on higher spending on education, envisaging a budget of
more than 6% of the Gross Domestic Product.[24] While the need for
wider reform in the primary and secondary sectors is recognized as an
issue, the emphasis is also on the development of science and
technology education infrastructure.
Overview
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is
the apex body for curriculum related matters for school education in
India.[26] The NCERT provides support and technical assistance to a
number of schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of
education policies.[27] In India, the various curriculum bodies
governing school education system are:
The state government boards, in which the majority of Indian children
are enrolled.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
board.
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) board.
International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate
Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations.
Islamic Madrasah schools, whose boards are controlled by local state
governments, or autonomous, or affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband.
Autonomous schools like Woodstock School, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and
Ananda Marga Gurukula.
In addition, NUEPA (National University of Educational Planning and
Administration)[28] and NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education)
are responsible for the management of the education system and teacher
accreditation.[29]
Primary education
The Indian government lays emphasis to primary education up to the age
of fourteen years (referred to as Elementary Education in India.[30])
The Indian government has also banned child labour in order to ensure
that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.[30] However,
both free education and the ban on child labor are difficult to
enforce due to economic disparity and social conditions.[30] 80% of
all recognized schools at the Elementary Stage are government run or
supported, making it the largest provider of education in the Country.
[31] However, due to shortage of resources and lack of political will,
this system suffers from massive gaps including high pupil teacher
ratios, shortage of infrastructure and poor level of teacher training.
Education has also been made free[30] for children for six to 14 years
of age or up to class VIII under the Right of Children to Free and
Compulsory Education Act 2009.[32]
There have been several efforts to enhance quality made by the
government. The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was
launched in 1994 with an aim to universalize primary education in
India by reforming and vitalizing the existing primary education
system.[33] 85% of the DPEP was funded by the central government and
the remaining 15 percent was funded by the states.[33] The DPEP, which
had opened 160000 new schools including 84000 alternative education
schools delivering alternative education to approximately 3.5 million
children, was also supported by UNICEF and other international
programmes.[33] This primary education scheme has also shown a high
Gross Enrollment Ratio of 93–95% for the last three years in some
states.[33] Significant improvement in staffing and enrollment of
girls has also been made as a part of this scheme.[33] The current
scheme for universalization of Education for All is the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan which is one of the largest education initiatives in the
world. Enrollment has been enhanced, but the levels of quality remain
low.
Secondary education
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, has provided for
environment awareness, science and technology education, and
introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian
secondary school system.[34] Secondary education covers children 14-18
which covers 88.5 million children according to the Census, 2001.
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.[35] 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.[36] 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.[26] 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.
[26]
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 [39] is a nation wide
initiative that seeks to facilitate rural empowerment through
provision of responsive information, products and services in local
languages.
Tertiary education
Our 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 per
cent 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 favouritism and corruption.
– Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2007[40]
Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.India's higher education
system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United
States.[41] 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.[42] Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 12
autonomous institutions established by the University Grants
Commission.[43]
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.[42] Other institutions include 16000 colleges, including
1800 exclusive women's colleges, functioning under these universities
and institutions.[42] The emphasis in the tertiary level of education
lies on science and technology.[44] Indian educational institutions by
2004 consisted of a large number of technology institutes.[45]
Distance learning is also a feature of the Indian higher education
system.[45]
Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs), have been globally acclaimed for their standard of
education.[45] 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]
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 prey to these institutes
and colleges.[47][dead link]
Technical education
From the first Five Year Plan onwards India's emphasis was to develop
a pool of scientifically inclined manpower.[48] 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.[49] At the level of the
centre the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes
of Information Technology are deemed of national importance.[49] The
Indian Institutes of Management are also among the nation's premier
education facilities.[49] Several Regional Engineering Colleges (REC)
have been converted into National Institutes of Technology.[49] 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.[50]
Literacy
Main article: Literacy in India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literacy_in_India
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".
According to this criterion, the 2001 survey holds the National
Literacy Rate to be around 64.84%.[51] Government statistics of 2001
also hold that the rate of increase in literacy is more in rural areas
than in urban areas.[51] Female literacy was at a national average of
53.63% whereas the male literacy was 75.26%.[51] 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.[51] The
2001 statistics also indicated that the total number of 'absolute non-
literates' in the country was 304 million.[51]
Attainment
World Bank statistics found that fewer than 40 percent of adolescents
in India attend secondary schools.[2] The Economist reports that half
of 10-year-old rural children could not read at a basic level, over
60% were unable to do division, and half dropped out by the age 14.
[52]
Only one in ten young people have access to tertiary education.[2] Out
of those who receive higher education, Mercer Consulting estimates
that only a quarter of graduates are "employable".[53]
An optimistic estimate is that only one in five job-seekers in India
has ever had any sort of vocational training.[54]
Higher education
As per Report of the Higher education in India, Issues Related to
Expansion, Inclusiveness, Quality and Finance [55], the access to
higher education measured in term of gross enrolment ratio increased
from 0.7% in 1950/51 to 1.4% in 1960-61. By 2006/7 the GER increased
to about 11 percent. By 2012, (the end of 11th plan objective) is to
increase it to 15%.
Private education
According to current estimates, 80% of all schools are government
schools[31] making the government the major provider of education.
However, because of poor quality of public education, 27% of Indian
children are privately educated.[56] According to some research,
private schools often provide superior results at a fraction of the
unit cost of government schools.[52][57][58] 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[59] In
their favour, 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.[56] 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.
[60] There is some disgreement over which system has better educated
teachers. According to the latest DISE survey, the percentage of
untrained teachers (paratechers) is 54.91% in private, compared to
44.88% in government schools and only 2.32% teachers in unaided
schools receive inservice training compared to 43.44% for government
schools. The competition in the school market is intense, yet most
schools make profit.[56]
Even the poorest often go to private schools despite the fact that
government schools are free. A study found that 65% of schoolchildren
in Hyderabad's slums attend private schools.[58]
Private schools are often operating illegally. A 2001 study found that
it takes 14 different licenses from four different authorities to open
a private school in New Delhi and could take years if done legally.
[58] However, operation of unrecognized schools has been made illegal
under the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act[32]
which has also significantly simplified the process of obtaining
recognition.
Women's Education
Girls in school near Baroda, Gujarat.
See also: Women in India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_India
Women have much lower literacy rate than men. Far fewer girls are
enrolled in the schools, and many of them drop out.[61] According to a
1998 report by U.S. Department of Commerce, the chief barrier to
female education in India are inadequate school facilities (such as
sanitary facilities), shortage of female teachers and gender bias in
curriculum (majority of the female characters being depicted as weak
and helpless)[62]
The number of literate women among the female population of India was
between 2-6% from the British Raj onwards to the formation of the
Republic of India in 1947.[63] Concerted efforts led to improvement
from 15.3% in 1961 to 28.5% in 1981.[63] 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.[64] 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.
Sita Anantha Raman outlines the progress of women's education in
India:
Since 1947 the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for
girls’ school attendance through programs for midday meals, free
books, and uniforms. This welfare thrust raised primary enrollment
between 1951 and 1981. In 1986 the National Policy on Education
decided to restructure education in tune with the social framework of
each state, and with larger national goals. It emphasized that
education was necessary for democracy, and central to the improvement
of women’s condition. The new policy aimed at social change through
revised texts, curricula, increased funding for schools, expansion in
the numbers of schools, and policy improvements. Emphasis was placed
on expanding girls’ occupational centers and primary education;
secondary and higher education; and rural and urban institutions. The
report tried to connect problems like low school attendance with
poverty, and the dependence on girls for housework and sibling day
care. The National Literacy Mission also worked through female tutors
in villages. Although the minimum marriage age is now eighteen for
girls, many continue to be married much earlier. Therefore, at the
secondary level, female dropout rates are high.[65]
Sita Anantha Raman also maintains that while the educated Indian women
workforce maintains professionalism, the men outnumber them in most
fields and, in some cases, receive higher income for the same
positions.[65]
Rural education
A primary school in a village in Madhya Pradesh.Following
independence, India viewed education as an effective tool for bringing
social change through community development.[66] 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.[66] A Block Development Officer oversaw a
geographical area of 150 square miles which could contain a population
of as many as 70000 people.[66]
Setty and Ross elaborate on the role of such programmes, 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.[66]
Despite some setbacks the rural education programmes continued
throughout the 1950s, with support from private institutions.[67] 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.[68] Nursery schools,
elementary schools, secondary school, and schools for adult education
for women were set up.[68] The government continued to view rural
education as an agenda that could be relatively free from bureaucratic
backlog and general stagnation.[68] However, in some cases lack of
financing balanced the gains made by rural education institutes of
India.[69] Some ideas failed to find acceptability among India's poor
and investments made by the government sometimes yielded little
results.[69] Today, government rural schools remain poorly funded and
understaffed. Several foundations, such as the Rural Development
Foundation (Hyderabad), actively build high-quality rural schools, but
the number of students served is small.
Issues
One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of
public sector medical workers were absent during the survey. Among
teachers who were paid to teach, absence rates ranged from 15% in
Maharashtra to 71% in Bihar. Only 1 in nearly 3000 public school head
teachers had ever dismissed a teacher for repeated absence.[70] A
study on teachers by Kremer etc. found that 'only about half were
teaching, during unannounced visits to a nationally representative
sample of government primary schools in India.'.[70]
Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote
learning rather than problem solving. BusinessWeek denigrates the
Indian curriculum saying it revolves around rote learning.[71] and
ExpressIndia suggests that students are focused on cramming.[72]
A study of 188 government-run primary schools found that 59% of the
schools had no drinking water and 89% had no toilets.[73] 2003-04 data
by National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration
revealed that only 3.5% of primary schools in Bihar and Chhattisgarh
had toilets for girls. In Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, rates were 12-16%.[74]
Fake degrees are a problem. One raid in Bihar found 0.1 million fake
certificates.[75] In February 2009, the University Grant Commission
found 19 fake institutions operating in India.[76]
Only 16% of manufacturers in India offer in-service training to their
employees, compared with over 90% in China.[77]
[edit] Initiatives
Boys seated in school near Baroda, Gujarat.
The madrasah of Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna.Following India's
independence a number of rules were formulated for the backward
Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes of India, and in 1960 a list
identifying 405 Scheduled Castes and 225 Scheduled Tribes was
published by the central government.[78] An amendment was made to the
list in 1975, which identified 841 Scheduled Castes and 510 Scheduled
Tribes.[78] The total percentage of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes combined was found to be 22.5 percent with the Scheduled Castes
accounting for 17 percent and the Scheduled Tribes accounting for the
remaining 7.5 percent.[78] Following the report many Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes increasingly referred to themselves as Dalit, a
Marathi language terminology used by B. R. Ambedkar which literally
means "oppressed".[78]
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are provided for in many of
India's educational programmes.[79] Special reservations are also
provided for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India, e.g.
a reservation of 15% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Castes and
another reservation of 7.5% in Kendriya Vidyalaya for Scheduled Tribes.
[79] Similar reservations are held by the Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes in many schemes and educational facilities in India.
[79] The remote and far-flung regions of North East India are provided
for under the Non Lapsible Central pool of Resources (NLCPR) since
1998-1999.[80] The NLCPR aims to provide funds for infrastructure
development in these remote areas.[80]
The government objective for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), started
in 2001, is to provide education to children between 6–14 years by
2010.[81] The programme focuses specially on girls and children with
challenged social or financial backgrounds.[81] The SSA also aims to
provide practical infrastructure and relevant source material in form
of free textbooks to children in remote areas.[81] The SSA also aims
at widening computer education in rural areas.[81] SSA is currently
working with Agastya International Foundation - an educational NGO -
to augment its efforts in making science curriculum current and
exciting. However, some objectives of the SSA, e.g. enrollment of all
children under the scheme in schools by 2005 remain unfulfilled.[81]
Education Guarantee Scheme and Alternative and Innovative Education
are components of the SSA.[81]
Women from remote, underdeveloped areas or from weaker social groups
in Andra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat,
Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, fall under the Mahila Samakhya Scheme,
initiated in 1989.[82] Apart from provisions for education this
programme also aims to raise awareness by holding meetings and
seminars at rural levels.[82] The government allowed 340 million
rupees during 2007–08 to carry out this scheme over 83 districts
including more than 21, 000 villages.[82]
Currently there are 68 Bal Bhavans and 10 Bal Kendra affiliated to the
National Bal Bhavan.[83] The scheme involves educational and social
activities and recognising children with a marked talent for a
particular educational stream.[83] A number of programmes and
activities are held under this scheme, which also involves cultural
exchanges and participation in several international forums.[83]
India's minorities, especially the ones considered 'educationally
backward' by the government, are provided for in the 1992 amendment of
the Indian National Policy on Education (NPE).[84] The government
initiated the Scheme of Area Intensive Programme for Educationally
Backward Minorities and Scheme of Financial Assistance or
Modernisation of Madarsa Education as part of its revised Programme of
Action (1992).[84] Both these schemes were started nationwide by 1994.
[84] In 2004 the Indian parliament allowed an act which enabled
minority education establishments to seek university affiliations if
they passed the required norms.[84]
Central government involvement
Budget
As a part of the tenth Five year Plan (2002–2007), the central
government of India outlined an expenditure of 65.6% of its total
education budget of Rs. 438250 million, or (Rs. 287500 million) on
elementary education; 9.9% (Rs. 43250 million) on secondary education;
2.9% (Rs. 12500 million) on adult education; 9.5% (Rs. 41765 million)
on higher education; 10.7% (Rs. 47000 million) on technical education;
and the remaining 1.4% (Rs. 6235 million) on miscellaneous education
schemes.[85]
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.[86]
See also: Education in India Five Year Plan Expenditure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Education_in_India_Five_Year_Plan_Expenditure
Public Expenditure on Education in India
In recent times, several major announcements were made for developing
the poor state of affairs in education sector in India, the most
notable ones being the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP) of the
United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The announcements are;
(a) To progressively increase expenditure on education to around 6
percent of GDP. (b) To support this increase in expenditure on
education, and to increase the quality of education, there would be an
imposition of an education cess over all central government taxes. (c)
To ensure that no one is denied of education due to economic
backwardness and poverty. (d) To make right to education a fundamental
right for all children in the age group 6–14 years. (e) To
universalize education through its flagship programmes such as Sarva
Siksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal.
However, even after five years of implementation of NCMP, not much
progress has been done on these promises or announcements. The public
expenditure on education has actually declined from around 3.23
percent of GDP in 2000-2001 to 2.88 percent in the recent times. As a
proportion of total government expenditure, it has declined from
around 11.1 percent in 2000-2001 to around 9.98 percent during UPA
rule. A policy brief issued by [Network for Social Accountability
(NSA)][87] titled “[NSA Response to Education Sector Interventions in
Union Budget: UPA Rule and the Education Sector][88]” provides
significant revelation to this fact. Due to a declining priority of
education in the public policy paradigm in India, there has been an
exponential growth in the private expenditure on education also. [As
per the available information, the private out of pocket expenditure
by the working class population for the education of their children in
India has increased by around 1150 percent or around 12.5 times over
the last decade].[89]
Legislative framework
Article 45, of the Constitution of India originally stated:
“ The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten years
from the commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory
education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen
years.[22] ”
This article was a directive principle of state policy within India,
effectively meaning that it was within a set of rules that were meant
to be followed in spirit and the government could not be held to court
if the actual letter was not followed.[90] However, the enforcement of
this directive principle became a matter of debate since this
principle held obvious emotive and practical value, and was legally
the only directive principle within the Indian constitution to have a
time limit.[90]
Following initiatives by the Supreme Court of India during the 1990s
the Ninety-third amendment bill suggested three separate amendments to
the Indian constitution:[91]
The constitution of India was amended to include a new article, 21A,
which read:
“ The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all
children of the age of six to fourteen years in a such manner as the
State may, by law, determine.[92] ”
Article 45 was proposed to be substituted by the article which read:
“ Provision for early childhood care and education to children below
the age of six years: The State shall endeavour to provide early
childhood care and education for all children until they complete the
age of sixteen years.[92] ”
Another article, 51A, was to additionally have the clause:
“ ...a parent or guardian [shall] provide opportunities for education
to his child or, as the case may be, [a] ward between the age of six
to fourteen years.[92] ”
The bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of
the Indian parliament, on November 28, 2001.[93] It was later passed
by the upper house—the Rajya Sabha—on May 14, 2002.[93] After being
signed by the President of India the Indian constitution was amended
formally for the eighty sixth time and the bill came into effect.[93]
Since then those between the age of 6–14 have a fundamental right to
education.[94]
Article 46 of the Constitution of India holds that:
“ The State shall promote, with special care, the education and
economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in
particular of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and shall
protect them from social injustice and all forms of social
exploitation'.[51] ”
Other provisions for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes can be
found in Articles 330, 332, 335, 338–342.[51] Both the 5th and the 6th
Schedules of the Constitution also make special provisions for the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.[51]
Controversy
In January 2010, the Government of India decided to withdraw Deemed
university status from as many as 44 well known universities from all
over the country. The Government claimed in its affidavit that
academic considerations were not being kept in mind by the management
of these institutions and that "they were being run as family
fiefdoms".[95]
Notes
^ Estimate for India, from India, CIA World Factbook
^ a b c "Education in India". World Bank.
http://www.worldbank.org.in/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/INDIAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:21493265~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:295584,00.html.
^ India achieves 27% decline in poverty, Press Trust of India via
Sify.com, 2008-09-12
^ a b Lesson Plans, by Anuradha Raghunathan of Forbes, 09.11.08
^ India still Asia's reluctant tiger, by Zareer Masani of BBC Radio 4,
27 February 2008
^ SPECIAL REPORT: THE EDUCATION RACE, by Newsweek, August 18–25, 2008
issue
^ "Science and Technology Education". Press Information Bureau.
http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2007/May07/2007050113.pdf. Retrieved
2009-08-08.
^ How To Save The World's Back Office, by Sramana Mitra of Forbes,
03.14.08
^ {http://www.indg.in/primary-education}
^ http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=161
^ Asia's Best Science and Technology Schools.
^ "MBA global Top 100 rankings - FT". ft.com.
http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings.
Retrieved 2009-03-04.
^ "Medical Meccas: An Oasis for India's Poorest | Newsweek Health for
Life | Newsweek.com". Newsweek.com. http://www.newsweek.com/id/45114.
Retrieved 2008-11-03.
^ Blackwell, 90
^ a b c d e f Prabhu, 24
^ Blackwell, 89
^ a b c Prabhu, 25
^ Blackwell, 89–91
^ a b Blackwell, 91–92
^ Ferguson, Niall (2003). Empire: How Britain made the Modern World.
Penguin. p. 191. ISBN 0141007540.
^ "Literacy Scenario in India (1951 - 1991)".
http://www.education.nic.in/cd50years/y/3T/9U/3T9U0301.htm. Retrieved
December 29, 2009.
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 150
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 150–151
^ a b India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 208
^ {ssa.nic.in}
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 233
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 230–234
^ {www.nuepa.org}
^ {www.ncte-india.org}
^ a b c d Blackwell, 93–94
^ a b {http://www.dise.in/ar2005.html}
^ a b http://education.nic.in/Elementary/free%20and%20compulsory.pdf
^ a b c d e India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 215
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 231
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/sec_overview.asp}
^ Blackwell, 94–95
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/Framework_Final_RMSA.pdf}
^ {http://www.education.nic.in/secedu/sec_iedc.asp}
^ {http:// http://www.indg.in/primary-education/}
^ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "PM’s address at the 150th
Anniversary Function of University of Mumbai". http://pmindia.nic.in/speech/content.asp?id=555.
^ "India Country Summary of Higher Education". World Bank.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1121703274255/1439264-1193249163062/India_CountrySummary.pdf.
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 237
^ Higher Education, National Informatics Centre, Government of India.
^ Blackwell, 95–96
^ a b c Blackwell, 96
^ Vrat, 230-231
^ Fake and Cheat Universities in India, Think Ahead.
^ "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India,
30
^ a b c d "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in
India, 31
^ "Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India,
32
^ a b c d e f g h India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 225
^ a b "A special report on India: Creaking, groaning: Infrastructure
is India’s biggest handicap". The Economist. 2008.
http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12749787.
^ "Mere 25% graduates in India are employable: Mercer Consulting".
2008. http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/21182309/Mere-25-graduates-in-India-ar.html.
^ "A special report on India: An elephant, not a tiger". The
Economist. 11 December 2008. http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=12749735.
^ 12. Report of the HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIA Issues Related to
Expansion, Inclusiveness, Quality and Finance, May 2008
^ a b c "Private Education in India can Benefit Poor People".
http://www.globalenvision.org/library/8/767.
^ Geeta Gandhi Kingdon. "The progress of school education in India".
http://www.gprg.org/pubs/workingpapers/pdfs/gprg-wps-071.pdf.
^ a b c Amit Varma (2007). "Why India Needs School Vouchers". Wall
Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116882502361976702.html.
^ {http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FC02Df03.htm.}
^ {http://www.dise.in/Downloads/Publication%202007-08/Rural0708/
teacher_part1.pdf}
^ Kalyani Menon-Sen, A. K. Shiva Kumar (2001). "Women in India: How
Free? How Equal?". United Nations. http://www.un.org.in/wii.htm.
Retrieved 2006-12-24.
^ Victoria A. Velkoff (October 1998). "Women of the World: Women's
Education in India" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce.
http://www.census.gov/ipc/prod/wid-9801.pdf. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
^ a b Raman, 235
^ Raman, 236
^ a b Raman, 238
^ a b c d Setty and Ross, 120
^ Setty and Ross, 121
^ a b c Setty and Ross, 122
^ a b Setty and Ross, 125
^ a b Kremer etc. (2004), "Teacher Absence in India: A Snapshot",
Journal of the European Economic Association.
^ "India". BusinessWeek. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_22/b3885015.htm.
^ "‘Rote system of learning still rules the roost’". ExpressIndia.
2008. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/rote-system-of-learning-still-rules-the-roost/375996/.
^ "Combating India's truant teachers". BBC. 2004-11-29.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4051353.stm. Retrieved
2010-01-03.
^ "Education cess: Are govt schools any better now?". The Times of
India. 7 April 2005. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1070939.cms.
^ "100,000 fake certificates found in Bihar".
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=9dc2ff8a-268d-44e1-9737-a42efeb5da9d&MatchID1=4924&TeamID1=4&TeamID2=2&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1244&PrimaryID=4924&Headline=100%2c000+fake+certificates+found+in+Bihar.
^ "22 universities across India fake: UGC". ExpressIndia.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/22-universities-across-India-fake-UGC/425697/.
^ "Country Strategy for India (CAS) 2009-2012". World Bank.
http://www.ukibc.com/ukindia2/files/India60.pdf.
^ a b c d Elder, 227
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 226–227
^ a b India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 236–237
^ a b c d e f India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 211
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 216
^ a b c India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 218
^ a b c d India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 239
^ India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), 223
^ "Higher education spending: India at the bottom of BRIC". Rediff.
2005. http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/feb/05edu.htm.
^ http://www.nsa.org.in
^ http://www.nsa.org.in/Policybrief/2009/345NSARUBEDU1.htm
^ http://www.nsa.org.in/Policybrief/309NSAResearchTeam1.htm
^ a b Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 149–50
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 152–154
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 154
^ a b c Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 156
^ Sripati and Thiruvengadam, 149
^ http://www.livemint.com/2010/01/18232326/44-institutions-to-lose-deemed.html
References
Blackwell, Fritz (2004), India: A Global Studies Handbook, United
States of America: ABC-CLIO, Inc., ISBN 1-57607-348-3.
Elder, Joseph W. (2006), "Caste System", Encyclopedia of India (vol.
1) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 223-229, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31350-2.
"Infrastructure: S&T Education", Science and Technology in India
edited by R.K. Suri and Kalapana Rajaram (2008), New Delhi: Spectrum,
ISBN 81-7930-294-6.
India 2009: A Reference Annual (53rd edition), New Delhi: Additional
Director General (ADG), Publications Division, Ministry of Information
and Broadcasting, Government of India, ISBN 978-81-230-1557-6.
Prabhu, Joseph (2006), "Educational Institutions and Philosophies,
Traditional and Modern", Encyclopedia of India (vol. 2) edited by
Stanley Wolpert, 23–28, Thomson Gale: ISBN 0-684-31351-0.
Raman, S.A. (2006). "Women's Education", Encyclopedia of India (vol.
4), edited by Stanley Wolpert, 235-239, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31353-7.
Setty, E.D. and Ross, E.L. (1987), "A Case Study in Applied Education
in Rural India", Community Development Journal, 22 (2): 120–129,
Oxford University Press.
Sripati, V. and Thiruvengadam, A.K. (2004), "India: Constitutional
Amendment Making The Right to Education a Fundamental Right",
International Journal of Constitutional Law, 2 (1): 148–158, Oxford
University Press.
Vrat, Prem (2006), "Indian Institutes of Technology", Encyclopedia of
India (vol. 2) edited by Stanley Wolpert, 229-231, Thomson Gale: ISBN
0-684-31351-0.
External links
India Education News http://www.educationmaster.org/
Indian Education News website http://www.indiaeducationdiary.in/
India International Education Fair http://www.eduworldwideindia.com/
Portal of Indian Universities and Colleges http://www.education-hub.org/
Government official education website. http://www.education.nic.in/
E-Learning Division of the Department of IT, Ministry of
Communications & IT, Govt. of India
http://www.mit.gov.in/default.aspx?id=26
India / Indian Colleges, Universities and Institutions http://mycollege.in/
Education India Online http://www.educationindiaonline.info/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_India
...and I am Sid Harth