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Education in India – A Detailed Analysis

Last updated on April 21, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

This article is a detailed analysis of the Education System of India.

The post covers various aspects of the problems faced by the Indian Education sector, the Constitutional provisions related to education, and the education policies adopted by modern India.

History of Education in India

India has a rich tradition of imparting knowledge.

The ‘gurukul’ was a type of education system in ancient India with shishya (students) living with the guru in the same house. Nalanda has the oldest university system of education in the world. Students from across the world were attracted to Indian knowledge systems.

Many branches of the knowledge system had their origin in India. Education was considered a higher virtue in ancient India.

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However, the renaissance and scientific thinking as happened in Europe didn’t happen in India at that time.

The British who took control of the Indian affairs by that time had different priorities. Education in British India initially lagged a lot.

However, later, the British established the modern education system still followed in India. They replaced age-old systems of education in the country with English ways .

Still, the education system in India needs a lot of reforms.

Current Status of Education in India: Data from Census 2011

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Literacy rate in India as per Census 2011: 74%.
Literacy rate: Male: 82.1%; Female: 65.5%
Kerala tops the rankings, followed by Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
Bihar is the lowest among states, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, etc., however, they are improving their position.
Bihar has a literacy rate of 63.8%, and that of women is 53.3%.
Literacy rates for both adults as well as youths have increased, still, the absolute number of illiterates in India is as much as India’s population was at the time of independence.
The gender gap in terms of literacy began to narrow first in 1991 and the pace has accelerated, however still lags far behind the global female literacy rate of 7% (UNESCO 2015).
There are large state variations in the gender gap.
However, during 2001 – 2011, the male literacy rate increased by 6 percentage points but female literacy increased by nearly 12 percentage points. Achievement in female literacy in Bihar is noteworthy: from 33% in 2001 to 53% in 2011.
Be that as it may, India is still lagging behind the world literacy rate of 86.3%(UNESCO 2015). A major group of states lies in the average rank i.e. just above the national level of 64.8 percent.

Indian Education System: The Present Pyramidal Structure

The Indian education system can broadly be considered as a pyramidal structure:

Pre-primary level: 5-6 years of age.
Primary (elementary) level: 6-14 years of age. Elementary-level education is guaranteed by our constitution under Article 21 A . For this level, the government has introduced Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) under the Right To Education(RTE) Act.
Secondary level: Age group between 14-18. For this level, the government has extended SSA to secondary education in the form of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan .
Higher education: generally of three levels: UG→ PG→ MPhil/PhD. To cater to the requirements of higher education, the government has introduced Rashtriya Uchhattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

Read: Examination System in India

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) related to Education

Goal 4 of SDG : Education for all – ensures equitable, inclusive, and quality education along with the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030.

Provisions in the Indian Constitution related to Education

Under Article 45 in DPSP , it was mentioned that the government should provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years within 10 years from the commencement of the Constitution. As this was not achieved, Article 21A was introduced by the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 , making elementary education a fundamental right rather than a directive principle. Article 45 was amended to provide for early childhood care and education to children below the age of six years.
To implement Article 21A, the government legislated the RTE Act. Under this act, SSA – Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan – got a further impetus. SSA aims to provide Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time-bound manner.
SSA has been operational since 2000-2001. Its roots go back to 1993-1994 when the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was launched. However, under the RTE Act, it got legal backing.

RTE Act 2009

86th Amendment Act 2002 introduced Article 21-A, which provides for free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act was enacted to implement this fundamental right.

Provisions of the RTE Act

‘Compulsory education’ means an obligation of the government to provide free elementary education and ensure compulsory admission, attendance, and completion of elementary education.
Provision for a non-admitted child to be admitted to an age-appropriate class.
Rational deployment of teachers, ensuring that there is no urban-rural imbalance in their postings.
Prohibition of deployment of teachers for non-educational work, other than services like decennial census, elections, etc.
It prohibits (a) physical punishment and mental harassment (b) screening procedures for admission of children (c) capitation fees (d) private tuition by teachers (e) running of schools without recognition.
Development of curriculum in consonance with the values enshrined in the constitution, ensuring all-around development of the child, building a system of child-friendly and child-centered learning.
To further inclusiveness, 25% reservation is provided for disadvantaged students in private schools.

Criticisms of the RTE Act

Even though the RTE + SSA have increased access to schools, resulting in a high enrollment rate, dropout rates increased in tandem. However, there is inadequate attention given to this scenario.
There is a fear of financial burden on the government for teacher recruitment and training.
The grey area of teacher transfer is also not helping the cause.
Since all state holidays are not relevant for all localities, such a calendar preparation by local authorities can increase attendance and can also encourage local panchayats to take ownership of schools.
RTE students in private schools are paying extra fees as the schools claim that the government fund provided for the same is not adequate.
Most private schools treat RTE as charity and demand that the onus of universalizing education should be on the government’s head rather than putting pressure on them.
70% of students are in government schools. So it must be fixed in priority, by providing infrastructure , teacher quality , and targeted learning for children from disadvantaged groups to provide an equitable education system.
Under the RTE Act, till class 8, students should not be failed in exams. This is called the No detention policy. It had reduced dropout rates.
There is growing criticism of the policy resulting in reducing the quality of elementary education. Hence the RTE Act was amended to scrap the policy.
RTE Act prioritized schooling of children only from the age of 6, thus ignoring pre-school education. Kothari Commission had recommended the establishment of a center for the development of pre-primary education in each district.
District Information System for Education (DISE) report states that 30% of primary and 15% of upper primary schools have higher PTRs.
According to the Economic Survey 2018-19, the PTR at the national level for primary schools is 23 and 27 for secondary schools. Thus PTR appears to be satisfactory, as there are sufficient teachers. However, the main issue is a balanced deployment of teachers based on student strength.
Even though the Student-Classroom ratio (SCR) improved in almost all of the States, there is disparity across the country.

Modern Education in India: The Evolution of the System through various policies

The British government had introduced modern education in India. From Macaulay’s minutes to Wood’s dispatch to several commissions like the Sadler Commission, 1904 Indian education policy, etc. built the foundation of the Indian education system during the colonial period.

Radhakrishnan committee

In 1948-49, the University Education Commission was constituted under Radhakrishnan . It molded the education system based on the needs of an independent India. The pre-Independent Indian education value system was catering to colonial masters. There was a need to replace Macaulayism with the Indian value system. ( Macaulayism is the policy of eliminating indigenous culture through the planned substitution of the alien culture of a colonizing power via the education system). Some of the values mentioned in the commission were:

Wisdom and Knowledge
Aims of the Social Order : the desired social order for which youths are being educated.
Love for higher values in life
Training for Leadership

The Independent Indian education system developed along the lines of this value framework. In the present times, where there are imminent threats of political ideologies hijacking the pedagogy of education and commercialization of education eroding value systems, it is appreciable to dust off the values promulgated by the commission. A recent controversial circular by the Central University of Kerala (CUK), directing that research topics for Ph.D. students must be by ‘national priorities’, and research in ‘irrelevant topics’ and ‘privilege areas’ must be discouraged, is a case in point.

Kothari commission

If the Radhakrishnan committee charted out the value system of the Indian education system, it was the Kothari Commission that provided the basic framework of the same. The commission provided for:

Standardization of educational system on 10+2+3 pattern.
Emphasized the need to make work experience and social/national service an integral part of education.
Linking of colleges to several schools in the neighborhood.
Equalization of opportunities to all and to achieve social and national integration .
Neighborhood school system without social or religious segregation and a s chool complex system integrating primary and secondary levels of education.
Establishment of Indian Education Service.
On-the-job training of the teaching staff and efforts to raise the status of the teachers to attract talents into the profession.
To raise expenditure on education from 2.9% of the GDP to 6% by 1985.

This committee report paved the way for the National Educational Policy 1968 which provided the base and roadmap for further development of the education system in India.

National Educational Policy 1968

The policy provided for “radical restructuring” and equalization of educational opportunities to achieve national integration and greater cultural and economic development.
Increase public expenditure on education to 6% of GDP.
Provide for better training and qualification of teachers.
Three-language formula : state governments should implement the study of a modern Indian language, preferably one of the southern languages, apart from Hindi and English in the Hindi-speaking states, and of Hindi along with the regional language and English in the non-Hindi-speaking states. Hindi was encouraged uniformly to promote a common language for all Indians.

National Educational Policy 1985

The policy aimed at the removal of disparities and to equalize educational opportunities, especially for women, SC and ST.
Launching of “Operation Blackboard” to improve primary schools nationwide.
IGNOU, the Open University, was formed.
Adoption of the “rural university” model , based on the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, to promote economic and social development at the grassroots level in rural India.

T.S.R.Subramanium committee report

ECCE is inconsistent across states. So all government schools should have facilities for pre-primary education, which would facilitate pre-school education by the government instead of the private sector.
The policy of no detention should be upheld only till class five and not till class eight.
There is a steep rise in teacher shortage, absenteeism, and grievances.
Need to constitute an Autonomous Teacher Recruitment Board.
Four years integrated B.Ed. the course should be introduced.
There is an inadequate integration of information technology (IT) and the education sector.
The National Skills Qualification Framework should be scaled up.
The choice of vocational courses should be in line with local opportunities and resources .
Bringing formal certification for vocational education at par with conventional education certificates.
All India Education Service.
Existing separate laws governing individual regulators in higher education should be replaced by the said act.
The role of existing regulatory bodies like UGC and AICTE should be revised.
National Accreditation Board (NAB) subsuming the existing accreditation bodies.

Kasturirangan Report On School Education (Draft National Education Policy)

For restructuring the education system in India, the government is preparing to roll out a New Education Policy that will cater to Indian needs in the 4th Industrial Revolution by making use of its demographic dividend. Committee for Draft National Education Policy (chaired by Dr. K. Kasturirangan) submitted its report on May 31, 2019.

You can read about the National Education Policy 2020 in detail here .

School Education:

Low accessibility.
The curriculum doesn’t meet the developmental needs of children.
Lack of qualified and trained teachers.
Substandard pedagogy.
Currently, most early childhood education is delivered through anganwadis and private preschools. However, there has been less focus on the educational aspects of early childhood.
Guidelines for up to three-year-old children.
Educational framework for three to eight-year-old children.
This would be implemented by improving and expanding the Anganwadi system and co-locating anganwadis with primary schools.
Expanding the ambit of the Act to all children between the ages of three to 18 years, thus including early childhood education and secondary school education.
There should be no detention of children till class eight. Instead, schools must ensure that children are achieving age-appropriate learning levels.
The current structure of school education is to be restructured based on the development needs of students.
10+2+3 structure to be replaced by 5-3-3-4 design comprising: (i) five years of foundational stage (three years of pre-primary school and classes one and two), (ii) three years of preparatory stage (classes three to five), (iii) three years of middle stage (classes six to eight), and (iv) four years of secondary stage (classes nine to 12).
The current education system solely focuses on rote learning. The curriculum load should be reduced to its essential core content.
Force students to concentrate only on a few subjects.
Do not test learning in a formative manner.
Cause stress among students.
To track students’ progress throughout their school experience, State Census Examinations in classes three, five, and eight should be established.
Restructure the board examinations to test only the core concept. These board examinations will be on a range of subjects. The students can choose their subjects and the semester when they want to take these board exams. The in-school final examinations may be replaced by these board examinations.
Although establishing primary schools in every habitation has increased access to education, it has led to the development of very small schools making it operationally complex. Hence the multiple public schools should be brought together to form a school complex .
A complex will consist of one secondary school (classes nine to twelve) and all the public schools in its neighborhood that offer education from pre-primary to class eight.
These will also include anganwadis, vocational education facilities, and an adult education center.
Each school complex will be a semi-autonomous unit providing integrated education across all stages from early childhood to secondary education.
This will ensure that resources such as infrastructure and trained teachers can be efficiently shared across a school complex.
A steep rise in a teacher shortage, lack of professionally qualified teachers, and deployment of teachers for non-educational purposes have plagued the system.
Teachers should be deployed with a particular school complex for at least five to seven years.
They will not be allowed to participate in any non-teaching activities during school hours.
Existing B.Ed. the program will be replaced by a four-year integrated B.Ed. program that combines high-quality content, pedagogy, and practical training. An integrated continuous professional development will also be developed for all subjects.
Separating the regulation of schools from aspects such as policymaking, school operations, and academic development.
Independent State School Regulatory Authority for each state will prescribe basic uniform standards for public and private schools.
The Department of Education of the State will formulate policy and conduct monitoring and supervision.

Higher Education

According to the All India Survey on Higher Education , the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in India has increased from 20.8% in 2011-12 to 25.8% in 2017-18. Lack of access is a major reason behind the low intake of higher education. The policy aims to increase GER to 50% by 2035.
Multiple regulators with overlapping mandates reduce the autonomy of higher educational institutions and create an environment of dependency and centralized decision-making.
The National Higher Education Regulatory Authority (NHERA) should replace the existing individual regulators in higher education. Thus the role of all professional councils such as AICTE would be limited to setting standards for professional practice. The role of the UGC will be limited to providing grants.
Separate the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) from the UGC into an independent and autonomous body. It will function as the top-level accreditor and will issue licenses to different accreditation institutions. All existing higher education institutions should be accredited by 2030.
Replacing the current system of establishing higher educational institutions by Parliament or state legislatures. Instead, institutions can be set up through a Higher Education Institution Charter from NHERA.
Research universities focus equally on research and teaching.
Universities focus primarily on teaching.
Colleges focus only on teaching at undergraduate levels.
All such institutions will gradually move towards full autonomy.
Total investment in research and innovation in India has declined from 0.84% of GDP in 2008 to 0.69% in 2014. India also lags behind many nations in the number of researchers, patents, and publications.
NRF will act as an autonomous body for funding, mentoring, and building the capacity for quality research.
Undergraduate programs should be made interdisciplinary by redesigning their curriculum to include: a common core curriculum; and one/two area(s) of specialization.
Introduce four-year undergraduate programs in Liberal Arts.
By the next five years, five Indian Institutes of Liberal Arts must be set up as model multidisciplinary liberal arts institutions.
Poor service conditions and heavy teaching loads, augmented by a lack of autonomy and no clear career progression system, have resulted in low faculty motivation.
Introduction of a Continuous Professional Development program and permanent employment track system for faculty in all higher education institutions by 2030.
The student-teacher ratio of not more than 30:1 must be ensured.
All higher education institutions must have complete autonomy on curricular, pedagogical, and resource-related matters.

Read: Institutions of Eminence Scheme

Additional Key Focus Areas:

Additional key focus areas are (1) Technology in Education (2) Vocational Education (3) Adult Education and (4) the Promotion of Indian Languages.

Technology in Education

Improving the classroom process of teaching, learning, and evaluation
Aiding teacher training.
Improving access to education.
Improving the overall planning, administration, and management of the entire education system.
Electrification of all educational institutions paves the way for technology induction.
An autonomous body, the National Education Technology Forum, set up under the Mission, will facilitate decision-making on the use of technology.
Single online digital repository to make available copyright-free educational resources in multiple languages.

Vocational Education

Less than 5% of the workforce in the age group of 19-24 receives vocational education in India, in contrast to 52% in the USA, 75% in Germany and 96% in South Korea.
Vocational courses : All school students must receive vocational education in at least one vocation in grades 9 to 12.
Higher Education Institutions must offer vocational courses that are integrated into undergraduate education programs.
The draft Policy targets to offer vocational education to up to 50% of the total enrolment in higher education institutions by 2025, up from the present level of enrolment of below 10%.
National Committee for the Integration of Vocational Education for charting out plans for the above objectives.

Adult Education

As per Census 2011, India had a total of 26.5 crore adult non-literate (15 years and above).

Establishing an autonomous Central Institute of Adult Education as a constituent unit of NCERT. It will develop a National Curriculum Framework for adult education.
Adult Education Centers will be included within the school complexes.
Relevant courses are made available at the National Institute of Open Schooling.
National Adult Tutors Programme to build a cadre of adult education instructors and managers.

Education and Indian Languages

The medium of instruction must be the mother tongue until grade 5, and preferably until grade 8.
3 language formula be continued and flexibility in the implementation of the formula should be provided. Implementation of the formula needs to be strengthened, particularly in Hindi-speaking states. Schools in Hindi-speaking areas should also teach Indian languages from other parts of India for national integration.
To promote Indian languages, a National Institute for Pali, Persian, and Prakrit will be set up.
The mandate of the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology will be expanded to include all fields and disciplines to strengthen vocabulary in Indian languages.

Transforming Education

The policy talked about the synergistic functioning of India’s education system, to deliver equity and excellence at all levels, from vision to implementation, led by a new Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog.

Education Governance

Revitalize education governance by bringing in synergy and coordination among the different ministries, departments, and agencies.

Constitute the National Education Commission or Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog, as an apex body for education headed by the Prime Minister. It would be responsible for developing, implementing, evaluating, and revising the vision of education and overseeing the implementation and functioning of bodies including the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), National Higher Education Regulatory Authority, and National Research Foundation.
The Ministry of Human Resources and Development must be renamed the Ministry of Education to bring the focus back on education.

Financing Education

The Draft Policy reaffirmed the commitment to spending 6% of GDP as a public investment in education.
The draft Policy seeks to double the public investment in education from the current 10% of total public expenditure to 20% in the next 10 years. 5% will be utilized for higher education, 2% in school education, and 1.4% for early childhood care and education.
There should be optimal and timely utilization of funds through the institutional development plans and by plugging loopholes in the disbursement of funds.

Criticism of the New Education Policy of India

The New Education Policy lacks operational details.
It is not clear from where the funding will be sourced.
Enough importance is not given to innovation, startup culture or economic principles to be added to the curriculum.
One-size-fits for all states can’t be a solution as each state in India is diverse in its educational needs. Controversy on NEET has shown this.
With technological advancement and the democratization of knowledge, the policy should have focused more on how to teach rather than what to teach.
Economic Survey 2017-18 mentioned the perils of the distinction between research institutions and universities in higher education. The policy recommendation of three distinct higher education institutions of research universities, teaching universities, and teaching colleges will further augment the gap between research and universities.
The draft policy is silent on the Institutions of Eminence and agencies like the Higher Education Funding Agency.
The role of Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog should be defined clearly. What would be its role vis-a-vis existing regulators? Also, there are criticisms from some quarters that RSA will open the door to the politicization of education.
Earlier the 3-language formula proposed by the draft policy made Hindi compulsory in non-Hindi speaking states. However, after the furor, the proposal was removed.
Even though the policy talks about bringing “unrepresented groups” into school and focusing on educationally lagging “ special education zones” , it doesn’t comprehensively address the inequalities prevalent in the system. It misses methods to bridge the gaps between rich and poor children.
The policy proposes to remove the provision mandating that primary schools be within stipulated distance from students’ homes and common minimum infrastructure and facility standards that should be met by all schools. If a common minimum standard is not specified, it will create an environment where quality in some schools will fall further thus augmenting the inequalities between schools across the country.

India’s education history is rich with ambitious policies failing at the altar of inadequate implementation of the same. In the absence of a handholding mechanism for states to embark on the path-breaking reforms mentioned in the policy and that too in a short time, will be too much to ask.

Funding requirements and governance architecture pose major challenges in the implementation of the policy. Political commitment is required to increase funding. RTE Act expansion to include preschool should keep in mind the present infrastructure inadequacies and teacher vacancies.

Rashtriya Shiksha Aayog may face administrative problems and turf battles. Also, it will raise questions on the role of new bodies like the National Medical Council.

The recent controversy on 3 language formula shows the sensitivity of language education in India and care should be taken to appreciate the emotional overtures while implementing the same.

Politically acceptability, social desirability, technological feasibility, financial viability, administratively doability, and judicially tenability are 6 pillars that will impact the implementation of the policy.

Be that as it may, the new education policy aims to address the challenges of (i) access, (ii) equity, (iii) quality, (iv) affordability, and (v) accountability faced by the current education system. It aims to revitalize and equip the education system to meet the challenges of the 21st century and 4th industrial revolution rather than catering to 19th and 20th century needs of industrialization. Also, India is on the cusp of a demographic dividend, rather than entered into this phase. So the education system catering to these needs is not a luxury that we hope for but rather a dire need at this moment in Indian history.

The Problems associated with the Education System in India

HRD ministry: Over 1.4 million schools and 50,000 higher educational institutions are operating in India. Out of 907 universities, there are 399 state universities, 126 deemed-to-be universities, 48 central and 334 private universities.

Even after more than a hundred years of “ Gokhale’s Bill”1911, where universal primary education was originally mooted, India is yet to achieve this goal.
China had achieved it in the 1970s. As per Census 2011, over 26% of India’s population is still illiterate, compared to 4% in China. About 50% of India’s population has only primary education or less, compared to 38% in China. The 13% of the population with tertiary education at the upper end in India is comparable with China.
Progress has been made in respect of female participation up to secondary level and GER for girls has exceeded that of boys.
But the girl’s enrollment rate is lower than that of boys at the higher education level.
A gap is visible across social categories in terms of enrollment rate at the higher education level.
According to NSSO’s 71st round (2014), drop-out rates are very high for boys at the secondary school level. Reasons for the same are economic activities, lack of interest in education, and financial constraints.
The transition rate from secondary school to senior secondary and further to higher education is very low.

Despite these highly ambitious education policies and elaborate deliberations on the same, the outcomes are rather shaky. Major criticisms and shortcomings of these policies and their implementations are:

Half the population is crowded at the bottom, either illiterate or with only primary education. Meanwhile, a disproportionately large segment is at the upper end with tertiary education.
The 2015 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) reflects this deteriorating quality. The report opines that deficits in foundational reading and arithmetic skills are cumulative, which leaves students grossly handicapped for further education .
India had fared poorly in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test in 2008, and 09.
Education policies in India are focused on inputs rather than on learning outcomes.
Teacher shortages.
Local politics.
Corruption in teacher appointment.
Defects in teacher training.
Socio-cultural factors like caste division, and cynical attitude towards the teaching profession.
There is no accountability, as there is a guaranteed lifetime job independent of performance.
From 1952-2012 , education expenditure as a percentage of total government expenditure increased from 7.92 to 11.7, and as a percentage of GDP increased from 0.64 to 3.31. But it has still not reached 6% of GDP, as was recommended by the Kothari Commission way back in 1964.
Expenditure by the government on elementary education is more than tertiary level, but expenditure per student is more in tertiary. So there is a need to increase expenditure in all segments.
All India survey on higher education has shown that in West Bengal Muslim students in universities are very low. Lack of education at the primary and secondary levels is said to be the main reason.
Even though Article 15(4),(5) provides reservations for SC, ST, and OBC in higher education institutions , the Economic Survey 2018-19 points out their inadequate representation in these institutions.
The suicide of Rohit Vemula, a Ph.D. scholar at the University of Hyderabad, in 2016 had brought forward the discrimination still existing in these institutions.
Also, the representation of teachers at these levels is skewed against the backward class in spite of reservations. Article 16(4) provides for reservations of backward class in jobs.
At the school level, poor children are primarily concentrated in government schools. The poor quality of government schools thus disproportionately affects these children and creates a vicious cycle of illiteracy.
At the higher education level, the situation is more critical. One reason for the introduction of the National Medical Commission Bill is to curb the exorbitant fees charged by medical colleges.
Youths coming out of the higher education system in India are not employable, as they lack relevant industry-level skills.
India’s long-standing neglect of primary and secondary education has limited access to quality basic education. No skill development program can succeed without an underlying foundation of basic education.
National Policy on Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015 (PMKVY) has shown disappointing results.
Budget 2019-20 stated that the government enables about 10 million youth to take up industry-relevant skill training through the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). The Budget has also increased focus on ‘new-age skills’ like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, 3D Printing, Virtual Reality, and Robotic.
Currently, B Tech courses in AI are offered mostly in premier institutions only.
The budget 2019-20 proposed the National Sports Education Board for the development of sportspersons under the Khelo India program (2017).

Now we will look at each rung of the education ladder in India.

Early childhood education

Early childhood education (ECE) is needed for cognitive development in the early stage.
Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) has a component for providing ECE through Anganwadis . But lack of effective regulation in this sector is eroding the quality of ECE.
There is a National Early Childhood Care and Education Policy 2013 . However, the policy has not been properly implemented.
There are multiple service providers but there is no clarity in the types of services provided.
The sprawling of an unregulated private channel, both organized and unorganized, which is also spreading to rural areas, has led to inequitable access, uneven quality, and commercialization of ECE.
Both Anganwadis and private schools focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic rather than cognitive and conceptual development.
There is a decline in the quality and training of teachers.
S.R. Subramanian’s committee report has brought focus to the quality deterioration in this sector.

Primary level

There is an increasing trend of parents choosing private schools for the primary level. However, there is variable quality in private schools. Also, fees vary from school to school and are on the higher side.
Eschew rigid curricula and make them more cognitive and flexible. There should be a broader cognitive approach than rote learning.
There is a need for activity-based learning. Teachers should teach at the right level, rather than teaching for the average learner.
The government has launched Padhe Bharat Bade Bharat – targeting early reading and writing. The twin-track approach of comprehension and math is the main focus.
There is a supply-side problem . The government is pumping funds through government schools thus increasing the number of schools and thus enrollment. However, quality and inclusiveness have dropped and dropout rates increased. These lead to poor learning outcomes.

School Complex

RTE and SSA have resulted in over-access but low-quality primary-level education. Now the aim should be to integrate these into school complexes, as mentioned by the Kasturirangan committee report, thus rationalizing the number of schools in an area.
The ‘Adarsh’ integrated school system of Rajasthan is an example of a school complex system . Here one school provides classes from l to XII under one principal. There is one such school in every gram panchayat.
This is an efficient way to solve teacher shortages and also to address the shortages of secondary schools. It can also address the problem of resource scarcity by integrating and rationalizing resources.
Inclusive learning can be furthered through school.
Also, these complexes can act as a pivot around which new reforms in education can be implemented.

Secondary level

ASER Rural 2017: In 2017, ASER changed the age group of the survey from primary level to secondary level. The report mentions the following:

Enrollment is low in this age group. There is a high digital divide at this level. Low quality also persists at this level. There is a high amount of absenteeism as well.
There is a need to expand RTE to cover the 14-18 age groups.
To realize the demographic dividend, skill education for these groups is necessary.

Economic Survey 2018-19 points out that Indian demography is changing and it requires more quality secondary education system rather than merely an increasing number of primary-level schools.

Private fees

The vagueness in the judgment regarding ‘reasonable surplus’ and ‘commercialization’ of education has watered down the outcome of the judgment.
There are state laws for capping fees. However, implementation problems and litigation make them ineffective.
CAG report mentioned misreporting and mismanagement by private schools. So laws should address this problem through stricter inspection, penalties, etc.

Higher education

There is an increasing number of higher education institutions but their quality is questionable, effectively making ‘islands of excellence amidst the sea of mediocrity. Increased accessibility to a low-quality higher education system has made democratization of mediocrity.

Raghuram Rajan, the ex-RBI governor, argued that India needs idea factories and universities by leveraging India’s inherent strengths like tolerance, diversity, etc. He said that there is a need for strong accreditation agencies and continuing education.

Problems of the higher education system in India

There is a dual problem of both quality and quantity. The gross enrollment ratio (GER) in higher education is only 24.5.
Even though education policy had an elitist bias in favor of higher education, the state of the same is much worse than the state of school education. Unlike school education, there is no national survey of the learning levels of college students.
The desired levels of research and internationalization of Indian campuses remain weak points.
Also, there is a low philanthropic investment in this sector. This creates an exclusive dependency on government funding by universities. This, in turn, reduces the autonomy and vision of these universities.
Privatization of higher education has not been led by philanthropy but the commercial interest that does not have a symbiotic relationship with the vision of universities.
These have led to inadequate human capacity, shoddy infrastructure, and weak institutions. Recommendations of the Narayana Murthy committee, on the role of the corporate sector in higher education, have not been implemented and thus channeling of CSR funds to higher education remains inadequate.
Banks and financial institutions are not giving adequate attention to this area. Giving PSL status to these institutions can be considered.
Indian higher education system is of a linear model with very little focus on specialization.
UGC and AICTE act more as controllers of education than facilitators.
Due to the mushrooming of colleges at a higher rate since the 1980s , there is a regulatory sprawl in higher education.
Poor governance , with mindless over-regulation , is widespread in this sector. Educational institutions responded to this with claims of academic and institutional autonomy for themselves, which was mostly a smokescreen for a culture of sloth in these institutions.
There is a concentration of powers, as these regulatory institutions control all aspects like accreditation, curriculum setting, professional standard-setting, funding, etc.
Compartmentalization and fragmentation of the knowledge system.
Disconnect with society.
Overemphasis on entrance tests.
Absence of innovation in learning methods.
Corrosion of autonomy of universities.
For long basic disciplines across the physical and social sciences and humanities were ignored.
However, the Economic Survey 2017-18 mentioned that there is an increase in Ph.D. enrolment in India in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) due to efforts by the government to increase the number and quantum of fellowships. However, there are still fewer researchers in India in comparison to other countries.
Budget 2019-20 proposes ‘Study in India’ with a focus on bringing foreign students to higher educational institutions in India to make India a “hub of higher education.”
Higher education institutions are used as rewards for loyalists and channels of graft by political parties in power.
Indian higher education system is plagued by unregulated and shoddy coaching institutions. The coaching industry makes around Rs. 24000 crores a year in India. Proper regulation of the same is required.

Research and development (R&D)

Economic Survey 2017-18 stated: “To transform from net consumer to net producer of knowledge, India should invest in educating its youth in science and mathematics, reform the way R&D is conducted, engage the private sector and the Indian diaspora, and take a more mission-driven approach in areas such as dark matter, genomics, energy storage, agriculture, and mathematics and cyber-physical systems”.

Although Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) is consistently increasing, as a fraction of GDP it has been stagnant between 0.6-0.7 percent of GDP over the past two decades.
The universities play a relatively small role in the research activities in India. There is a disconnection between research institutes and universities. This results in the compartmentalization of research activities and teaching into two separate silos.
The separation of research from teaching leads to a situation where universities have students but need additional faculty support, while research institutes have qualified faculty but are starved of young students.
India was, at one point, spending more on R&D as a percentage of GDP than countries like China – but currently, India under-spends on R&D.
Doubling of R&D spending is necessary and much of the increase should come from the private sector and universities.

The need of the hour

It is imperative to improve math and cognitive skills at the school level to make a difference at a higher level.
There is a need to expand R&D in India and to go beyond paper presentations and patents to a broader contribution of providing value for society.
There is also a need to encourage Investigator-led Research for funding science research. Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) 2008, a statutory body of DST, is a step in the right direction.
50:50 partnerships with SERB for industry-relevant research under the Ucchatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY) is the right way to go forward.
It would strengthen state universities and provide knowledge in areas specific to a state.
National Research Foundation, to fund, coordinate, and promote research at the college level, is proposed by the Kasturirangan report. It is reiterated in Budget 2019-20 : NRF will ensure the overall research ecosystem in the country is strengthened with a focus on areas relevant to national priorities without duplication of effort and expenditure. The funds available with all Ministries will be integrated into NRF.
Link national labs to universities and create new knowledge ecosystems. Together they can link up with the commercial sectors and help develop industrial clusters.
National Mission on Dark Matter
National Mission on Genomics
National Mission on Energy Storage Systems
National Mission on Mathematics
National Mission on Cyber-Physical Systems
National Mission on Agriculture
Ramanujan Fellowship Scheme.
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research ( INSPIRE ) Faculty Scheme.
Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship.
Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty Scheme ( VAJRA ).
Improve the culture of research thus ‘ ease of doing research’. There is a need for less hierarchical governance systems that encourage risk-taking and curiosity in the pursuit of excellence.
Greater public engagement of the science and research establishment is needed. A greater effort at science communication is needed.

Government initiatives on higher education

The government is trying to revitalize the Indian higher education system and for this many initiatives have been launched. Let’s discuss the importance of them.

National Testing Agency (NTA) 2017

NTA was set up for conducting entrance exams in higher educational institutions. It is based on the recommendations of the Ashok Mishra committee on IIT entrance 2015.
It will conduct JEE, NEET, National Eligibility Test (NET), Common Management Admission Test (CMAT), and Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT).
It will provide diversity and plurality in higher education. It will also ensure independence and transparency in conducting the exams.
However, it should be ensured that the computer-based test should not lead to further exploitation of rural students.
NEET stands for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test . It is for admissions in medical courses by replacing a plethora of medical entrance tests with one national-level test.
Supreme Court had said that NEET should be the sole basis for admission to medical courses.
There is a controversy about whether urban and CBSE students will dominate NEET. The government should pay heed to this criticism.
In Tamil Nadu doctors serving in rural areas get weightage in PG admission. NEET will effectively dislodge this system.
This controversy brought forward the conflict between the fair and transparent system of admission to curb the commercialization of medical education and the socioeconomic goals of the state, which in the case of Tamil Nadu includes ensuring enough doctors for rural areas.
Controversy on NEET has brought the following question to the limelight: should uniformity be thrust upon a country with such vast disparity and diversity? The political leadership should iron out the differences and produce a suitable admission policy. This task should not be left to the judiciary.
Be that as it may, states can’t remain insulated from the need to upgrade their education standard.

RUSA: Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan 2013

About 94 % of students in higher education study in 369 State universities, whereas less than 6% of students study in 150 Centrally-funded institutions.
11th 5-year plan (2007-12) opined that the center’s bias towards premier central institutions had skewed funding for these institutions mainly and thus neglected state-level institutions.
State investment in higher education was declining. UGC’s system of direct release of funds to State institutions bypassing State governments also leads to a sense of alienation for the states.
RUSA tried to correct this bias. The scheme aims at financing state institutions concerning their governance and performance.
RUSA has shown the result in increasing the performance of state institutions and changing the way regulators function for the good. State Higher Education Council(SHEC) made medium-long-term state perspective plans.
Cabinet in 2018 decided to continue the scheme. A renewed focus by the center on RUSA will be a success only if it is impartially administered and states are willing to heed the advice of SHEC.

HECI: Higher Education Commission of India bill

On the recommendation of the Yashpal Committee 2010 for renovation and rejuvenation of higher education, the National Commission on Higher Education and Research bill was introduced but was not passed.
HECI was proposed to act as an overarching regulator of higher education by replacing UGC, which will maintain academic standards, approve new educational institutions, etc. but with no funding powers.
Draft Higher Education Commission of India (Repeal of University Grants Commission Act) Bill, 2018 was introduced in 2018. Budget 2019-20 proposed to bring a bill on HECI this year.
The draft bill had separated funding and placed it under MHRD. This was criticized for the fear of increasing political control and reducing the autonomy of universities.

IoE: Institutions of Eminence 2017

Around 2005, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World University Rankings started, and in 2009 the Academic Ranking of World Universities started. From India, only the Indian Institute of Science was included in the top 500 every year. This prompted the government to introduce NIRF and IoE.
Under IoE, UGC was tasked to select 10 government universities and 10 private ones as IoE. These would be given autonomy in operations.
Selected government institutions would be provided with ₹1,000 crore over five years.
The IoE tag is expected to help them achieve the world’s top 500 higher education institutions in a decade and later into the top 100.
Institutes among the top 50 in the National Institute Ranking Framework rankings or in the top 500 in international ratings were eligible.
The model for the sector remains dependent on state patronage.
Entry into the global education race could now become an overriding concern when many systemic issues are plaguing the sector.
Funding only for public institutions is discriminatory.
Humanities institutions were neglected.
Transparency in the selection process, and the public sharing of benchmarks and guidelines. The furor over the selection of Jio Institute, even before it functioned, had attracted many eyeballs and criticisms.
Separate category to include sectoral institutions like IIM.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2015

NIRF is a methodology adopted by the MHRD to rank higher education institutions in India.

NIRF is common for public and private institutions as well as state and central institutions. Comparison of state-level colleges with central and private colleges may lead to a vicious cycle of low funding, poor performance, and low ranks among state-level institutions because of the resource gap.
So performance index values should be normalized concerning investments and resources that have gone into that institution. Also should consider making another ranking system for state-level institutions.

HEFA: Higher Education Financing Agency 2018

Introduced in Budget 2018-19, HEFA is a joint venture of MHRD and Canara Bank

With an initial capital base of Rs 1,000 crores, it will act as a not-for-profit organization that will leverage funds from the market and supplement them with donations and CSR funds. These funds will be used to finance improvement in infrastructure in top institutions.
It has been tasked with raising ₹1 lakh crore to finance infrastructure improvements in higher education by 2022.

Foreign Education Providers Bill 2013

There is no account of programs delivered by foreign universities in India. Inadequate regulation has led to low-quality courses offered in this sector.
The foreign Institution bill was not been able to pass in Parliament. However,

EQUIP report has mentioned the revival of this bill.

There are many other schemes and initiatives like SWAYAM, which offers open online courses from Class IX to post-graduation free of cost, GIAN and IMPRINT which are primarily focused on elite institutes like IITs and IISc.

APAAR: One Nation One Student ID Card

The Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR) is a transformative initiative introduced in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 and the National Credit and Qualifications Framework (NCrF).

It aims to provide a unified and accessible academic experience for students across India by assigning a unique and permanent 12-digit ID to every student, consolidating their academic achievements in one place.

Other Major Issues connected with the Education sector in India

The Indian education sector is also affected by other issues like the politicization of campuses, gender parity problems, poor-quality standards, etc.

Politicization of campuses

JP movement had provided an impetus to the politicization of students.
In Indian higher education institutions, university politics has become a launchpad for political ambitions.
Though campus politics is vital for democracy, as it makes students better citizens, the negative side of the politicization of campuses has been visible across Indian campuses. Recent incidents at Kerala University are a case in point.
One of the most important problems of student politics in India is that it acts as an appendage to political parties without having an independent identity or autonomy.

Gender Parity

By parents → who send boys to private and girls to government schools. Economic Survey 2018-19: enrollment of girls is higher than that of boys in government schools but the pattern gets reversed in private schools. The gender gap in enrollment in private schools has consistently increased across age groups.
By teachers → who reinforced the belief that boys are quick learners.
Girls are eased out of school to work on home chores or get married.
Economic Survey 2018-19 opines that BBBP has been a success and proposes to extend the cause of Gender equality by coining the slogan of BADLAV (Beti Aapki Dhan Lakshmi Aur Vijay-Lakshmi) to enhance the contribution of women in the workforce and the economy.
For ranking states based on gender disparity, Digital Gender Atlas for Advancing Girl’s Education was launched by MHRD.
In higher education, gender disparities still prevail in enrollment.
Efforts by the Government through programs like Beti Padhao, and Beti Bachao, the GPI has improved substantially at the primary and secondary levels of enrolment.

Quality of education

Learning outcomes are not assessed in India as numerical outcomes. The 12th Five-Year Plan noted the need for measuring and improving learning outcomes.

Children of illiterate parents can’t supplement school studies at home and also can’t afford expensive tuition, leading to a vicious cycle of illiteracy.
From 2014 to 2018, there was a gradual improvement in both basic literacy and numeracy for Class III students but only a quarter of them are at grade level (ability to read and do basic operations like subtraction of Class II level).
The report also shows that 1 out of 4 children leaving Class VIII are without basic reading skills (ability to read at least a Class II level).

Government initiatives

Central Rules under the RTE Act were amended in February 2017 to include the defined class-wise and subject-wise learning outcomes.
Nationwide sub-program of SSA to improve comprehensive early reading, writing, and early mathematics programs for children in Classes I and II.

Teacher Training

Teachers play the most critical role in a student’s achievement.
The need is for better incentives for teachers, investments in teacher capacity through stronger training programs, and addressing the problems in the teaching-learning process.
However, teachers in India, especially in government schools, are considered a cog in the way to efficient governance. There is an inadequate focus on their motivation and skill updation.
NCERT study shows that there is no systematic incorporation of teacher feedback into designing pieces of training. Also, there is no mechanism to check whether this training is translated into classroom performance.
These results in de-professionalizing the teaching profession and curb a teacher’s “internal responsibility” — the sense of duty to the job.
World Development Report on Education (2018) opined that both teaching skills and motivation matter. Individually targeted continued training is important. In line with this, MHRD and the National Council for Teacher Education launched the National Teacher Platform, or Diksha in 2017 . It is a one-stop solution to address teacher competency gaps.
However, the current training through Diksha follows a one-size-fits-all approach. Even though the platform is designed to democratize both access to and creation of content by teachers, its real benefits are in the ability to provide continuous professional development which complements existing physical training.
This technology-enabled platform allows training to become a continuous activity rather than an annual event and also creates a feedback loop ensuring the effectiveness of the material.
Diksha has the potential to re-engineer in-service teacher training in India. It is important to create good content and also to ensure technology consumption by teachers, the role of headmasters in promoting teachers’ professional development, etc.

As India participates in the PISA in 2021, it is to be made sure that we recognize the importance of teachers and their role in education outcomes.

Private Schools vs Public Schools: The Big Debate in Education

At least 30% of students between the 6-14 age groups are in the private sector.

There is an increasing perception that the quality of teaching in private schools is better than that of public schools. Thus there is a clamour for increasing the number of private schools and simultaneously limiting public spending on government schools.
However, the claim on the quality of private schools is debatable as there is a wide disparity of the same among these schools.

Research paper by Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, professor of education and international development at the Institute of Education, London, offers insights into private-public school education in India:

The paper points out that between 2010-11 and 2015-16, the average enrolment in government schools declined from 122 to 108 students per school, while in private schools it rose from 202 to 208.
Nevertheless, according to the District Information System for Education (DISE), 65% of all school-going children, 113 million, get their education from government schools.
The study points out that the migration to private schools is due to the belief among parents that these schools offer better value for money in terms of quality.
IndiaSpend, in 2016, reported that despite the Rs 1.16 lakh crore spent on SSA, the quality of learning declined between 2009 and 2014. It also points out that less than one in five elementary school teachers in India are trained. Also, the contractual teachers, who are high in number in government schools, are likely to be less motivated and accountable.
Preference for private school tutoring is there.
The quality of schools varies between states. In 2016, in Kerala, the proportion of children enrolled in primary government schools increased from 40.6% in 2014 to 49.9% according to ASER 2016.
States with better-functioning government schools have more expensive private schools as there is no market for the ‘low-fee’ budget private schools. Around 80% of private schools in India are ‘low’ fee schools.
ASER 2016 has shown small improvements in learning outcomes in government schools.
Between 2010-11 and 2015-16, the number of private schools grew by 35% – to 0.30 million. On the other hand, the number of government schools grew only by 1%, to 1.04 million. The migration out of government schools has left many of these economically unviable.
Government teachers in India earn four times that of China but don’t perform as well. Up to 80% of India’s public expenditure on education is spent on teachers. There is a need to link teacher salaries to their accountability.
However, the salary of private teachers is very low compared to their government counterparts. This is due to the “bureaucratically-set high ‘minimum wage’, which is being influenced by strong unions of government school teachers.
Another reason for the low salary of private school teachers is that the private education sector offers salaries based on market factors of demand and supply. Since 10.5% of graduates are unemployed in India, there is a high supply of teachers.
Rather than merely increasing the budget outlay for education, the need is to revise the Education policy for better accountability and monitoring mechanisms.
Gandhi argued that a Public-private partnership (PPP) model may be the solution, with public sector funding and private resources for education, since reforming the present system may not be politically feasible.

Rather than debating about private versus public schools, the focus should be to enable the private sector to set up more schools under the scrutiny of regulatory authorities. There is no point in driving off the private initiative in schooling given the limited resources of the states. Private investment should be encouraged but made accountable for quality and conduct.

The above discussion showed the challenges of the Indian education system. A workforce that India wants to create in this digital age requires reforms in education at all levels. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2016 opined that India is expected to achieve universal primary education in 2050. India is 50 years late in achieving its global education commitments. If the nation wants fundamental changes in the education system, it has to meet the 2030 SDG targets on education. There is an urgent requirement for greater evolution in education in India.

Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP): How to transform Education in India?

EQUIP is a five-year vision plan on education, released by MHRD, by the Prime Minister’s decision to create a five-year vision plan for each Ministry.

The EQUIP project is crafted by ten expert groups led by experts within and outside the government:

Group 1: Strategies for expanding access
Group 2: Towards global best teaching/learning process
Group 3: Promoting Excellence
Group 4: Governance reforms
Group 5: Assessment, Accreditation, and Ranking Systems
Group 6: Promotion of research and innovation
Group 7: Employability and Entrepreneurship
Group 8: Using Technology for Better Reach
Group 9: Internationalisation
Group 10: Financing Higher Education

The groups have suggested initiatives to transform the education system completely. The goals set by the groups are:

Double GER in higher education and resolve the geographically and socially skewed access to higher education institutions.
Upgrade the quality of education to global standards.
Position at least 50 Indian institutions among the top 1000 global universities.
Introduce governance reforms in higher education for well-administered campuses.
Accreditation of all institutions as an assurance of quality.
Promote Research and Innovation ecosystems for positioning India in the top three countries in the world in matters of knowledge creation.
Double the employability of the students passing out of higher education.
Harness education technology for expanding the reach and improving pedagogy.
Promote India as a global study destination.
Achieve a quantum increase in investment in higher education.

We can see that each of the above goals has been known to us for a long time. The problem is its implementation. The political class and all other stakeholders should come together to achieve these goals. The plethora of government initiatives on higher education is a sure sign of the importance given by the political class in the reform of the education system of India. Let’s hope that a new dawn of Indian education is around the corner which will bring back the glory of ancient times when India was the centre of knowledge production.

As the Economic Survey 2016-17 points out, lack of health, malnourishment, etc. affects the cognitive ability of children. This will, in turn, have a detrimental effect on their future educational prospects. This leads to a vicious cycle of inter-generational illiteracy, poor health, and ultimately poverty. So education and health are complementary to each other and reforms in one sector should invariably be preceded and followed by reforms in other sectors. Human development as a whole can be considered as a wholesome development and we must appreciate the interlinkages of each section of human capital formation, be it health, education, digital literacy, skills, etc.

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Reader Interactions

November 27, 2019 at 10:33 pm

Wow what the largest matter of education is?. Very nice thank u sir

November 28, 2019 at 12:09 pm

Nice article but it is too long we need around 400 words which explains education in india,challenges,way forward only It is very hard to remember and segrate from given imp because all points look like imp please try to make it around 400 words only

November 28, 2019 at 2:00 pm

@MKM – The aim was to cover almost everything about Education in India as a comprehensive post. The post covers: (a) History of Education in India (b) Current Status of Education in India: Data from Census 2011 (c) RTE Act (d) Various Educational Policies in the past (e) The New National Educational Policy (NEP) (f) The Problems associated with the Education System in India (g) Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP): How to transform Education in India?

Though ClearIAS prefers short and crisp articles, for important areas like Education, we felt a detailed write-up would be useful.

Thank you for your feedback. We will continue to create concise articles as well.

November 28, 2019 at 12:35 pm

Good Source thank you Team.

November 28, 2019 at 1:56 pm

November 28, 2019 at 2:41 pm

November 29, 2019 at 7:45 am

This is a very nice and comprehensive information on education.

November 29, 2019 at 2:21 pm

Such a nice article sir thank you..

December 16, 2019 at 5:31 pm

March 30, 2020 at 12:48 pm

Sir,a small corrrection regarding literacy rate ranking, Kerala (93%)tops its followed by Lakshadweep(92 %), Mizoram (91 %) , Tripura (87.7 %) and Goa (87.4 %) as 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th places repectively according to 2011 census.

June 16, 2020 at 12:20 am

Excellent Work

August 31, 2020 at 1:14 pm

Thank you vry much team.🤗 You provide excellent data ,analysis,facts,etc…evrything at one doc.

November 16, 2020 at 10:47 pm

Absolutely amazing stuff. Can’t believe.. Thanks from the bottom of my heart ❤️❤️

May 27, 2021 at 12:38 pm

Great article about Education very informative thanks for sharing

May 31, 2021 at 11:55 pm

Well and easy to understand…thank u for the team

September 12, 2021 at 10:37 am

Very good and such a broad information thank u 💖.. Lots of love

December 16, 2021 at 11:10 am

Need to update with current data eg how much percentage of school/ children get access of online education in pandemic Era COVID challanges others family support etc thank

January 28, 2022 at 10:32 am

Thank you so much for your birthday support

February 27, 2022 at 5:33 pm

good information

June 10, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Nice article very informative…traditional classroom study should be changed into a smart classroom online

July 14, 2022 at 8:55 pm

December 18, 2022 at 1:05 am

Absolute coverage article, Kindly keep it up for your determined spectators.

May 28, 2023 at 9:10 pm

desserstation on education/slums/miagration par hindi me pdf mil sakta hai

January 23, 2024 at 8:06 pm

The analysis provides a comprehensive overview of India’s education system, highlighting its pyramid structure and alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. Constitutional provisions like Article 21A and the RTE Act aim for universal education. However, the RTE Act faces criticism. To enhance educational outcomes, addressing these concerns and ensuring effective implementation are imperative. Schools in Pataudi Gurgaon focus on quality, inclusivity, and overcoming criticisms can lead Indian education to new heights. Thank You Samriddhi Sharma

February 7, 2024 at 7:44 pm

It’s crucial to delve into the challenges confronting the Indian education sector and understand the constitutional framework and policies guiding it. Exploring these aspects sheds light on the complexities and opportunities within the system. However, it’s equally important to consider how these discussions translate into action at the grassroots level, especially in local communities like Rajajinagar, Bangalore. How are schools in rajajinagar bangaloreaddressing these systemic issues and implementing reforms to ensure quality education for all students? This intersection of policy discourse and on-the-ground realities is where meaningful change happens.

March 8, 2024 at 6:22 am

Is there any data on how many states provide free education to girls till grade X and how many provide it till grade XII?

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India’s National Education Policy 2020: A reformist step forward?

Subscribe to the center for universal education bulletin, urvashi sahni urvashi sahni nonresident fellow - global economy and development , center for universal education @urvashi_sahni.

October 2, 2020

The recent National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in India comes 34 years after the previous policy, announced in 1986 and revised in 1992. It took six years of work and consultations with thousands of educators, policymakers, and members of civil society. It was truly a democratic effort and is highly aspirational, aiming for India to “have an education system by 2040, that is second to none, with equitable access to the highest quality education for all learners, regardless of social and economic background.”

The NEP’s chief purpose is to reform the education system and bridge the gap between current learning outcomes and those desired. Recognizing the need to keep up with a rapidly changing world and knowledge landscape, the NEP 2020 articulates that “[t]he purpose of the education system is to develop good human beings capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive and plural society as envisaged by our constitution.”

Such strong emphasis on equity and quality is laudable, as is the effort to broaden the scope of “quality education.” The policy proposes a move away from content-heavy curricula in order “to make space for critical thinking, more holistic, inquiry-based, discovery-based, discussion-based and analysis-based learning.” Giving equal importance to co-curricular activities (i.e., arts, sports, vocational skills), it mandates a shift toward multidisciplinary education, away from rigid silos of “arts,” “science,” and “commerce” streams, with renewed focus on 21st century skills. This is a welcome breath of fresh air, given that the current system is strongly driven by rote learning and content-based examinations, divorced from any real application to life.

Below are the most notable points of reform proposed by the NEP 2020:

Inclusion of early childhood education : Education will begin at age 3, rather than at age 6 for students in first grade, to focus on children’s foundational years (ages 3-8). Previously, children’s right to education applied to grades one through eight (6-14 years); the NEP aims to extend this right to children ages 3-18. This is particularly relevant for public schools, which serve a majority of children from low-income families and who, compared to middle-class families, often lack preschool education, thereby widening the gap between them further.
A focus on equity and inclusion: An entire section is devoted to the inclusion of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups (SEDGs), broadly categorized as girls, transgender and children with special needs, children from rural areas, Dalits, and victims of trafficking. Additionally, it recognizes that children with disabilities are not receiving the attention required to learn and thrive in schools, primarily because teachers are simply not trained or equipped to address their learning needs. Thus, it makes an effort to ensure teachers are adequately prepared in the area of special education. Lastly, the NEP recognizes that children in SEDGs are those who most frequently are unenrolled, drop out, and learn less and “recommends that the policies and schemes designed to include students in SEDGs … should be especially targeted towards girls.”
An expanded concept of “quality”: Given the poor basic literacy and numeracy outcomes reported , the new NEP aims to create a solid foundation for children during their early development by establishing a National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy that would prioritize “the development of communication and early language, literacy and numeracy.” The NEP also calls for much-needed teacher education reform, including an overhaul of pre-service programs, including the B.Ed, and for the first time, mental health and social-emotional learning receive a strong mention. The need to leverage technology is also recognized, along with intentions to extend optical fibers to the remotest villages and achieve universal digital access and literacy.

The NEP 2020 is ambitious and progressive, as was the NEP 1986 and the Right to Education Act 2009. There is an enormous opportunity for India’s considerable young population to become its biggest strength. However, to achieve this, the government must fully commit itself to the policy’s implementation with the political will and urgency it deserves.

While the document takes great strides in advocating a more inclusive and equitable system, especially for girls, it does not go far enough. “Gender sensitivity” is mentioned repeatedly throughout the document, but it does not address the need for systemic change. Strong patriarchal social and political structures—and their inherent discrimination and violence against women—must be questioned, critiqued, and recognized as contradictory to India’s constitutional values of equality. The same is true of castes: Though the NEP recommends special efforts to help castes access and remain in schools as SEDGs, there is no mention of caste prejudice, nor of the need to work toward its eradication. Teacher training programs and school curricula should include a focus on eradicating a discriminatory caste consciousness and hierarchical caste identities. Similarly, education focused on gender power dynamics should be compulsory in school curricula in order to develop egalitarian mindsets in boys and girls from a young age, including in early childhood education . This is imperative if we are to change the “social customs and mores,” as the policy euphemistically refers to the discriminatory social structures.

Given the enormity of India’s school system (1,522,346 schools, 8,691,922 teachers, and 260 million students) and the country’s regional, linguistic, and cultural diversity, universalizing quality education is a challenge; yet, the policy says little on the issue of governance and management. Robust systems for managing the large public school system have yet to be developed, and governance represents the government’s greatest challenge. Data collection, monitoring, and accountability systems are weak and inadequate. Without the strong, efficient governance of a well-functioning public school system, the reforms outlined above will fail.

Furthermore, serious political commitment must be demonstrated, including adequate budgetary allocation, personnel training, and improved curriculum development and infrastructure. While the NEP commits to increasing the education budget from its current 4-6 percent of the GDP, this was also promised earlier but never materialized. Additionally (and more importantly), efficient and judicious marshaling and management of all available resources is needed, including in the private sector.

Similar to the policy’s development, a democratic approach should be followed during the NEP’s implementation. The Uttar Pradesh state government has solicited recommendations from civil society organizations, and I recommend it go one step further by partnering actively with civil society organizations, private foundations, the corporate sector, private schools, and communities. To improve both access to and quality of education, particularly in the pubic school system, the government should harness innovative solutions, including through the use of technology, developed by several NGOs .

Education is a public good. Everyone is a stakeholder and should therefore be invited to contribute to actualize the vision of the NEP to make India’s education system strong, inclusive, and equitable.

Explained: How will NEP 2020 change the education system in India

Nep 2020 is a milestone in the history of education system in india. here is how it will change the education system in india..

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Explained: How will NEP 2020 change the education system in India

NEP2020 aims to recognise the need to evaluate "higher order skills" such as creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, visualisation, and idea generation.
NEP 2020 emphasises on multidisciplinary learning and no separations are made between vocational and academic streams.

Long overdue, the New Education Policy 2020 is on the lines of universalising education from pre-school to secondary level. It replaces a 34-year-old policy to become a more inclusive, holistic, comprehensive, and far-sighted policy to make India a knowledge hub by the end of this decade.

Under the new policy, the government aims to bridge social gaps in participation, access, and learning outcomes in school education with a target of 100 percent Gross Enrolment Ratio (GEER) or zero school drop outs by 2030.

Multiple entry and exit options in degree courses
Discontinuation of MPhil Programs
Single regulator for higher education institutes
Low stakes Board Exams
Common entrance exams for Universities

Impact of NEP 2020 on Indian education system

2. Integrate Technology with Learning and Teaching Process

A regulatory body NEAT (National Educational Alliance for Technology) has been set up to integrate technology for better learning outcomes. NEAT aims to use Artificial Intelligence to personalize learning experience depending on learner's requirement.

3. Assessment

PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review, and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development), a national assessment centre has been proposed to set up to keep a regular check on the education system.

NEP2020 aims to recognise the need to evaluate "higher order skills" such as creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, visualisation, and idea generation.

4. Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction

NEP 2020 focuses on the use of mother tongue as the instruction medium however, not mandating the use of a particular language on anyone.

5. Science, Arts and Commerce gets blurred

NEP 2020 emphasises on multidisciplinary learning and no separations are made between vocational and academic streams. ACadru, one of the best online learning platforms offer free access to multi-disciplinary modules that help users to build unique careers for future jobs.

6. Teacher Training

The new education system is an evolved blend of the digital and traditional learning system. Educators, therefore, have to be trained digitally to blend into the new digital learning processes.

NEP 2020 is a milestone in the history of the education system in India. It will provide the much-needed tectonic shift in the pedagogical structure emphasising experiential and practical learning that will instill 21st-century skills in children. ACadru is currently the only platform that offers a multidisciplinary learning platform with skill-building activities for senior school and college students starting from grade 9.

Authored by Kamini Vidisha, Founder, Acadru.

Read: Education experts give thumbs up to Union Budget, welcome NEP thrust, seek more help for school-returning students

How COVID-19 deepens the digital education divide in India

A girl, who has missed her online classes due to a lack of internet facilities, sits on the ground in a circle drawn with chalk to maintain safe distance as she listens to pre-recorded lessons over loudspeakers, after schools were closed following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Dandwal village in the western state of Maharashtra, India, July 23, 2020. Picture taken July 23, 2020. REUTERS/Prashant Waydande - RC2P6I9O9AW2

A girl, who has missed her online classes due to a lack of internet facilities, listens to pre-recorded lessons over loudspeakers in the western state of Maharashtra Image: REUTERS/Prashant Waydande

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A total of 320 million learners in India have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and have transitioned to e-learning;
With huge regional and household disparities in access to the internet and technology, this transition has not been possible for all students and educators;
The rapid shift to e-learning prompted by the pandemic has resurfaced long-standing issues of inequality and a digital divide in India that must be addressed by future economic, education and digitalization policies.

The education system in India is facing a new crisis thanks to COVID-19. Besides the effect on short-term learning outcomes, extended school closures will result in a loss in human capital and diminished economic opportunities in the long run.

Have you read?

This innovative solution is helping indian children get an education during the pandemic, india's superpower is education. here's why it must build on this, covid-19 has intensified the digital divide.

Literature suggests that for countries with already low learning outcomes, high dropout rates, low resilience to shock and inadequate infrastructure to build back better the impact on education will be felt even more deeply.

What does this mean for India and its people?

India has the world’s second-largest school system, after China . Shutting schools to maintain social distancing amidst the COVID-19 crisis was the most logical solution to avoid community transmission. However, this prolonged closure has a disproportionately negative impact on the most vulnerable students. The pandemic has not only caused the wide rift in educational inequality to balloon but also exacerbated existing disparities .

A total of 320 million learners in India have been adversely affected and transitioned to the e-learning industry, which comprises a network of 1.5 million schools . An NSSO 2014 report highlights that 32 million children were already out of school before the pandemic — the majority of them belonging to the socially disadvantaged class in the country.

While the government endorses India as the flag-bearer of the digital revolution and acknowledges that it is a diverse and multilingual country, as supported by the recently drafted new education policy , e-learning platforms cannot replicate the various dialects, varied contexts and different lived experiences that are brought together by physical classrooms. If e-learning is the “new normal”, the policy must go further to address the feasibility of digitalization to ensure equity and quality in education.

The operational burden

E-learning, as the name suggests, relies on the availability and accessibility of technology, but little or no availability of electricity is a significant challenge to taking advantage of education online. In a recent 2017-18 survey , the Ministry of Rural Development found that only 47% of Indian households receive more than 12 hours of electricity and more than 36% of schools in India operate without electricity. This suggests that while students from families with better means of living can easily bridge the transition to remote learning, students from underprivileged backgrounds are likely to succumb to inefficiency and a lack of adaptation, either because of the inaccessibility of the technology or the low education of their parents to guide them through tech-savvy applications.

Aside from the stresses of access and affordability, a daunting task for a student is to keep up with their studies and peers. Unlike an active classroom setting, e-learning does not accommodate one-to-one discussions or problem solving with tutors. Reports emphasize that the receivers (students) are not the only ones struggling – teachers are too. Teachers and institutions are not always trained and equipped to transition to online teaching. Many teachers are unqualified when it comes to using new technologies and interfaces.

The digital divide and gender bias

NSSO 2014-2015 data suggests that economic factors are critical to children dropping out of school in India. The pandemic and lockdown have affected 1.4m migrant workers and others working in the unorganized sector (90% of India’s population is engaged in disorganized work). The migrant workers have either moved back home along with their children or are unable to send remittances home this season. In such a situation, the emphasis on technology-driven education is preventing many children in the country from continuing school education.

According to the Key Indicators of Household Social Consumption on Education in India report , based on the 2017-18 NSSO, fewer than 15% of rural Indian households have internet access (as opposed to 42% urban Indian households). A mere 13% of people surveyed (aged above five) in rural areas — just 8.5% of females — could use the internet. Girls in vulnerable households face increased domestic duties inducing their inability to access online education either because of inadequate access to the internet and gadgets or because the male child and his teaching are prioritized. This silent exclusion of children belonging to families in distress may cause child labour and child marriage.

Regional disparities in internet access in India

Economic reform policies have always leaned towards hyper-digitalization. For a long time, they have discussed how to innovate working and studying with at-home technologies. However, the implementation of these policies has not addressed the educational inequalities that have today emerged as a crisis in the caste and class struggle in India.

The scope of e-learning is enormous and can help realize the potential of each student. There lie both opportunities and challenges for the government and the private sector. The aim should be to ensure equal and adequate access to such platforms as the country continues to globalize and catch up with advanced economies. If the Indian education system aims to transit to online learning in the future, it must emphasize policies that bridge the digital divide and move the country closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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State of the Education Report for India 2023

Launch of UNESCO 2023 State of the Education Report for India: Seeds of Change

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) New Delhi Regional Office launched the fifth edition of its annual flagship report, Seeds of Change - UNESCO 2023 State of the Education Report for India on Education to address Climate Change .

This year’s report delves into the role of education in tackling the increasingly complex and intensifying challenges posed by climate change. India, like many parts of the world, continues to bear witness to the dire consequences of climate change through climate disasters and biodiversity losses. Education’s full potential to shape a generation that understands the gravity of this urgent issue and equip them with the tools to combat it must be realized now.

Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education

The National Education Policy 2020 underscores the importance of making environmental education an integral part of school curricula at all stages. In order to address climate change in India, the Ministry of Education strongly believes in the role that education can play in resolving impacts of climate change. This report by UNESCO is very timely as it comes at a time when India is making significant strides in working on the issue of climate change.

Education is a transformational tool in our fight against climate change – when we know better, we can do better. Educational systems must adapt to equip younger generations with the knowledge, skills and competencies to prepare them for the impacts of climate change. This year’s UNESCO State of the Education Report for India is dedicated to the pivotal role of education in addressing climate change. We can see from the research that India has already taken some significant steps in this direction, and in doing so, is helping to promote sustainable and long-term solutions to this global challenge.

Tim Curtis, Director and UNESCO Representative of the UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office

The National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) commitment to addressing climate change through school education aligns seamlessly with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The NCERT is delighted to know that the UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office has developed this report on the pivotal theme of education to address climate change and I trust this report will be an informative guide for programmes directed towards climate change education.

In 2023, India ranked eighth out of 59 countries and the European Union (collectively accounting for 92% of global greenhouse gas emissions) on climate performance according to the Climate Change Performance Index, rising two spots from the previous year. The country’s new National Curriculum Framework revised in 2023 mentions climate change 52 times. Today, India is a country well-suited for an exploration of climate education innovations, and UNESCO’s report highlights its best practices and future opportunities to do just that.

UNESCO - has long promoted the mobilization of intersectoral partnerships, political commitments, and youth empowerment as key drivers for fully leveraging education in building a greener and more sustainable future. Its global programme, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), contributes to this end by laying the foundation for global collaboration and policy innovation. Additionally, the Greening Education Partnership (GEP), launched by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2022, provides a practical framework for education stakeholders to take further action and UNESCO serves as the secretariat to the Greening Education Partnership (GEP).

To date, 80 Member States have joined the Partnership, for which UNESCO serves as the secretariat with strong commitment to green education systems, structured around four pillars of transformative education:

Greening schools

Greening curriculum

Greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities

Greening communities

The four pillars of the GEP are used as a guide with which the report analyzes India’s state of education to address climate change. The report is a synergy between UNESCO’s globally informed framework and the local expertise cultivated by the research team from the Centre for Environmental Education, India who authored this report.

The report concludes with ten concrete recommendations for education sector stakeholders, which we hope will facilitate immediate actions to enhance education’s role in addressing climate change. We also hope that the recommendations will inspire stakeholders in the environmental sector to further engage with education in their policy initiatives.

The ten recommendations are:

Emphasize the urgent need for collective action to address climate change through education

Include a climate change education component in all development policies

Integrate climate change education at all stages of education

Support educational institutions to be green and climate-ready

Embed climate change perspectives into green skills and vocational education programmes

Empower teachers with comprehensive climate change education training and resources

Engage with the youth to build a green future

Incorporate local and traditional knowledge that supports low-carbon lifestyles in climate change education

Promote partnerships to foster innovations in climate change education

Strengthen and create education-centred portals to provide reliable information on climate change

The launch event also showcased an engaging exhibition highlighting various initiatives taken to develop education to address climate change in India.

UNESCO New Delhi Regional Office extends its gratitude to UNICEF India, British Council India, and the Mobius Foundation for their support and cooperation.

To illustrate the report in an accessible manner, the following audio-visual package is also available free of copyright on UNESCO New Delhi’s YouTube channel :

Summary video underlining the recommendations of the report

Short capsules highlighting the key recommendations of the report

Seeds of Change - 2023 State of the Education report for India on Education to Address Climate Change

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Explained: Why Education System in India needs urgent reform

India's education system needs to be remodelled as per the requirements and aspirations of today's world, instead of taking it back to the old ages.

What is education? Answer to this question is multifaceted. Some say that it is the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values and habits. Swami Vivekananda rightly said that, "Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in men."

Mahatma Gandhi said:

"Education is the basic tool for the development of the consciousness and the reconstitution of society".

However, recent moves by our policy and decision makers try to belie this belief, as these moves seem aimed at taking India back to the old ages.

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Education is a journey, which gives the art of living, not just the livelihood. It makes us learn how to nurture our life and be more creative. Education makes us understand our conflicts. Thus, education is not merely learning of facts but is to train our mind to think. Education systems must provide opportunities to each and every individual to learn through experience and should help to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills.

However, in India the education system has evolved in a completely different manner. Instead of focussing on critical thinking, expressing new ideas and debating and writing critically on any issue, our students are forced to learn through the rote route.

This concept of education in India goes back to the British colonialists, who wanted an army of clerks with basic understanding of the language and mathematics, to support their administrative system. However, this concept got roots in India and instead of focussing on developing mental and critical thinking faculties of the students and promoting research, our education system turned into one where you amass degrees by cramming.

Educational advance in India

Education and the right to education is one of the fundamental rights of our country's citizens. It is compulsory for children aged between 6-14 to have an education. Over the many years, especially after independence, India has managed to increase its literacy rates to nearly 75 per cent by 2021, and some states even boast of 100 per cent literacy rate.

Most important focus in the recent decades has been on enhancing infrastructure, incentivising enrolments in schools by providing benefits such as midday meals, etc. The private sector with government support has played a significant role in the expansion of the Indian education system and improving its quality. But it can also be credited with corporatising the education system, thus making education accessible to a privileged few.

In the research domain, India lags behind many countries. Our universities and colleges lack a multi-disciplinary approach to stimulate enquiry-based research skills. Absence of a proper framework for developing industry linkages with academia to promote research, further limits the faculty and students to work in this area.

We can perceive that most measures are more on paper with no tangible results evident. In 2004, the then UPA government had imposed an Educational Cess of 2 per cent on every transaction in the country. In a three-year period this cess generated 32,000 crore rupees. But how this amount was used, nobody knows and if one asks then vague answers are given. In fact if this amount had been used prudently, we would have a well-equipped and well-staffed middle-level school functioning in every village of the country. Similarly, for the last ten years, every taxpayer is bound to pay a 1.5 per cent education cess on his total income tax. Where this money goes, nobody knows.

Tinkering with school syllabus

Last year, in a completely uncalled for move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) revised its syllabus for students of Classes 9th to 12th in the name of handling the stressful situation of teachers and students in view of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, and in the name of rationalising the syllabus.

Some of the important chapters that have been deleted include: Federalism, citizenship, nationalism and secularism from Class 11th political science subject besides India's foreign relations with neighbouring countries and citizenship, besides Social and New Social Movements chapter in India from Class 12th political science paper. Demonetisation from Class 12th Business Studies paper. Colonialism and the countryside colonial cities and understanding partition from Class 12th History subject have been deleted.

The irrational exclusions smack of a political tone, aimed at keeping a large and young part of the population unaware of these issues. We should not forget that depriving the young generation of its right to increase its knowledge base is not only authoritarian but it might also boomerang. Most of the deleted topics form the foundation of democratic societies and students need to learn about these to enhance their knowledge base.

National Education Policy 2019 and 2020

The national educational policy came into force in 1968 to make education accessible to the masses. It was aimed to strengthen national integration through a unified culture of learning. Since then constant measures have been taken to reform the Indian education system to provide better education services in the country, the latest being the National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 and 2020.

However, if we analyse critically the NEP 2019 and 2020 , the overall intent and decision maker's mindset, in tandem with the moves taken last year, will be clearer.

A critical study of the 484-page NEP 2019 reveals an issue deserving of wider, more heated debate. The words "secular" or "secularism" are not found anywhere in the NEP 2019. Though a clear reference to secular education was vital to be seen as the base for these ambitious reform proposals.

The absence of the word "secular" in the NEP 2019 becomes all the more pronounced when seen in contrast to the earlier policies of mentioning secularism as a core Indian value for the Indian education. The omission of the words "secular" and "secularism" in the NEP 2019 is ominous, along with the frequent affirmation of its aim of inculcating constitutional values in the education system, making it doubly odd.

The NEP 2019 was launched last in its new avatar as NEP 2020, but many of the contentious issues still remain.

In contemporary India, which has seen a sharp rise in caste and religious violence, the curriculum and teaching methods in Indian classrooms clearly have a key role to play in making caste and religious prejudices in society irrelevant and out of times. The challenge is to find fresh and creative ways of making young minds grasp these difficult contemporary social realities.

You have to understand that you can't hide history by giving it a new twist. Even in countries like the UK there are demands to teach medieval history to the school students again. If you feel that by hiding the truth on your controversial decisions you'll be able to befool people or hide your misjudgements then you are wrong, as history will ultimately judge you, whether you like it or not.

(Asad Mirza is a political commentator based in New Delhi. He writes on Muslims, educational, international affairs, interfaith and current affairs. The views expressed are personal)

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Moving beyond exams: indian education system needs to focus on innovation.

The key to future success is innovation, critical thinking, experimentation and the willingness to fail and learn from failings. These stand in direct opposition to the examination track and field as things mostly stand now in the Indian education arena. Along with celebrating those who score the most, India must devise an education system that can reward understanding and the ability to translate that understanding into knowledge.

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Breaking barriers, fostering inclusivity: Need to transform higher education in India with constitutional values and NEP 2020

India’s higher education system has faced significant criticism for its lack of inclusivity, with marginalised communities such as so-called lower castes, religious minorities, and women facing significant barriers to accessing higher education. The National Education Policy, 2020 has emphasised the need for inclusivity, but a lot more needs to be done to bring about a more equitable and inclusive higher education system in India.

THE recent suicide of Darshan Solanki, an 18-year-old chemical engineering student at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, belonging to a Scheduled Caste (SC), has once again sparked a debate on caste-based discrimination in particular and inclusion in general at prestigious higher education institutions (HEIs) of the country.

The heart-wrenching tale of Darshan’s suicide is far from an isolated occurrence. Within the sphere of India’s higher education, the poignant narratives of Rohith Vemula , a Dalit research scholar at the University of Hyderabad, Muthukrishnan , also a Dalit research scholar at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Dr Payal Tadvi , a medical student pursuing her master’s degree in Mumbai, who belonged to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) Tadvi Bhil, serve as sombre reminders. Each of these bright minds, hailing from marginalised communities, was driven to the tragic decision of ending their lives after enduring relentless caste-based discrimination at HEIs.

Even the Chief Justice of India, Dr D.Y. Chandrachud expressed concern last month at the pattern of students from Dalit, Adivasi and other marginalised backgrounds at top HEIs taking their lives.

Caste-based discrimination exists not only among students, but is also experienced by faculty members belonging to marginalised or minority communities.

The rampant suicides prevailing amongst the marginalised communities at HEIs is a symptom of a larger problem, which concerns the often ignored but relevant issue of ‘inclusion’ in higher education in India.

Caste-based discrimination exists not only among students, but is also experienced by faculty members belonging to marginalised or minority communities. In 2019, it was reported that when counted together, SCs, STs, and OBCs make up just 9 percent of the total faculty at IITs and 6 percent at IIMs. Similarly, the representation of SCs, STs, and OBCs in Ph.D. programmes at IITs and IIMs remains poor and below the constitutionally mandated norms . Thus, inclusion and lack of diversity at HEIs in India are clearly pertinent issues that require the immediate attention of policymakers and academics.

Also read: Dismantling casteism: role of law in protecting students

What is meant by ‘inclusion’?

Inclusion can mean many things to different people. For a layperson, inclusion could mean a state of being valued, respected, and supported. Its dictionary meaning is “ the action, practice, or policy of including any person in an activity, system, organisation or process, irrespective of race, gender, religion, age, ability, etc .”

Particularly in the context of higher education, inclusion stands for continually transforming the process of upgrading educational institutions to fulfil the needs of everyone, especially those belonging to marginalised groups.

Why do we need ‘inclusion’ in HEIs in India?

A number of individual and socio-economic factors can hamper a person’s ability to access and engage in higher education. These factors might be based on gender, caste, race, religion, socio-economic status, special needs and place of residence, among other things. Inclusion in higher education demands that these factors must not limit an individual’s ability to access and pursue higher education.

Lack of access to higher education can have several cascading effects, including reduced earning potential, discontentment with life, substance abuse, and a greater reliance on public assistance. Entry into quality HEIs can open up a number of suitable opportunities for individuals and provide them with a decent standard of living. Thus, inclusion today is seen as a basic human need.

Socially and economically disadvantaged groups continue to lag in their access to education at HEIs. These inequalities exist because of regional, socio-economic and gender-based considerations.

In the Indian context, the discourse of social inclusion in HEIs becomes all the more relevant considering its diverse population comprising many different religious, caste, cultural and linguistic groups. Thus, by virtue of its function as a public good, higher education must reflect the richness of this diversity by being socially inclusive.

The current state of inclusion in HEIs in India

While access to higher education has improved across all segments of the Indian population, a 2019 research paper titled ‘ Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education in India ’ from the Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education at the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA) has comprehensively demonstrated that socially and economically disadvantaged groups continue to lag in their access to education at HEIs. These inequalities exist because of regional, socio-economic and gender-based considerations.

Regional inequalities

In India, a preference for urban areas for the location of HEIs has reinforced the elite nature of higher education, as physical distance is a barrier for many people, especially those from disadvantaged groups. This urban bias has resulted in rural–urban disparities in access to higher education.

Social inequalities: Caste, religion and class

Expanding higher education in India has not eliminated social inequities. Although social inequalities in access to higher education have not worsened, they remain significant in contrast to regional disparities. For example, the gross enrolment ratio (GER) of upper castes is nearly twice that of STs and 1.5 times that of SCs, as per the NIEPA research paper. The GER increases as one progresses up the caste hierarchy, demonstrating graded access to the resources required for enrolment in HEIs.

Also read: Scrutinising the problem of abysmal Muslim representation at National Law Universities: a question of diversity and inclusion

Income inequalities

Income levels are another factor contributing to inequalities in access to higher education, in addition to social and regional group differences. For instance, in 2014, the GER for those in the group with the highest monthly income was seven times more than that for people in the group with the lowest monthly income, as per the NIEPA research paper. Consequently, the likelihood of enrolling in HEIs in India continues to be significantly influenced by one’s economic position.

Gender inequalities

The gender divide in access to higher education is another instance of inequality. At the national level, access to higher education continues to favour men (GER of 32.14 percent) over women (GER of 27.73 percent), notes the NIEPA research paper. In addition, women from lower castes experience more disadvantages than those from higher castes when it comes to access to higher education.

One of the main criticisms of the NEP is that it needs to go further in addressing the systemic exclusion of marginalised communities from higher education.

In addition to the previously mentioned inequities, it is also crucial to note that disadvantaged socio-economic groups experience unequal access to high-value disciplines of study like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Accordingly, students from privileged backgrounds— including men, those from higher castes and socio-economic classes, and those who live in urban areas, study STEM fields. In contrast, those from socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs) and those who live in rural areas are more inclined to study social sciences and agriculture, indicates the NIEPA research paper.

Indian constitutional framework and inclusion in education

The Constitution envisages the formation of an egalitarian Indian society. Particularly, Articles 14 , 15 and 16 of it guarantee notions of equality and inclusion.

Equality has many dimensions: social, political, gender-based and economic. The concept of equality adopted under our constitutional scheme is ‘equality amongst equals’. Keeping these aspects of equality in mind, the constitutional scheme permits protective discrimination based on reasonable classification in favour of a class of citizens deserving of special treatment.

In the context of inclusion in education, Articles 15(4) and 15(5) specifically make provisions for the reservation of seats for socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs), SCs and STs in educational institutions, including HEIs.

In 2019, the Parliament enacted the 103rd amendment to the Constitution , which inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6) that made way for the reservation of seats in educational institutions, including HEIs and public appointments, of up to 10 percent, for the economically weaker section of citizens, based upon family income criteria to the exclusion of the classes that have already received benefits of reservation, which is SEBCs, SCs and STs.

Also read: Rethinking the Debate on Reservations

In addition to the above provisions, Article 21A of the Constitution provides free and compulsory education to all children aged six to fourteen years as a fundamental right.

Thus, underlying our constitutional architecture is the firm foundation of ‘inclusion’, and of leaving no one behind.

NEP 2020 and inclusion in higher education

In line with the constitutional values of equality and inclusion, the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP) also makes explicit provisions for increasing participation and accessibility in higher education at different levels. In particular, Chapter XIV of the NEP specifically emphasises:

“ Entry into quality higher education can open a vast array of possibilities that can lift both individuals as well as communities out of the cycles of disadvantage. For this reason, making quality higher education opportunities available to all individuals must be among the highest priorities .”

The NEP envisions ensuring equitable access to quality education for all students, with a special emphasis on SEDGs. To this end, the NEP clearly articulates that the government should “ earmark suitable government funds ” and “ set clear targets for higher [GER] ” for SEDGs.

The NEP’s emphasis on multidisciplinary education and flexibility in curriculum design is one of its fundamental characteristics. This is a step in the right direction towards inclusiveness since it enables students from diverse backgrounds to study a variety of subjects and customise their education to suit their individual needs and interests.

While the NEP has laid the broad scheme for promoting inclusion in HEIs, Union and state governments must focus on providing incentives and support systems to ensure the representation of SEDGs in higher education, and address the underlying issues of low public investment and the digital divide to promote inclusion in higher education in India.

The NEP seeks to bring institutions closer to the potential learners and therefore recommends establishing high-quality HEIs and special education zones in areas with larger SEDGs. The NEP also aims to enhance gender balance in admissions to HEIs.

While the NEP acknowledges the need to promote diversity and inclusion in HEIs, it must provide concrete steps to address the under-representation of certain groups in these institutions, such as women, SCs and STs. No clear guidelines are laid down to achieve higher GER for women and SEDGs.

Regarding financial inclusion, the NEP is by and large silent on increasing public investment in higher education, which remains low in India. This lack of investment can limit the access of marginalised communities to HEIs.

Further, the NEP’s emphasis on online learning has been criticised for potentially exacerbating the existing digital divide in India and creating further learning barriers for marginalised communities. This is particularly concerning as marginalised communities often have limited access to the internet and technology. Therefore, one of the main criticisms of the NEP is that it needs to go further in addressing the systemic exclusion of marginalised communities from higher education.

Also read: A Pandemic and a Policy: Contextualizing the National Education Policy 2020

The way forward

Individual incomes, national economic growth, and the social well-being of all citizens are impacted by education levels or lack thereof. The pursuit of education offers everyone the possibility to develop and raise their prospects of success in life. Given the importance of education, it is necessary to give everyone a chance to pursue their educational goals.

While there is no question that there are still geographical, social, economic and gender disparities in access to HEIs, the indicator of access equality has improved over time for all groups, especially those from disadvantaged groups. This impressive accomplishment is reflected in the rise in the GERs of students from SC, ST, and OBC categories.

Specific policy interventions are essential for marginalised groups to bridge the existing gap in access to HEIs. In order to achieve this, several strategies recommended in the NEP 2020 can be helpful, such as increasing financial aid and scholarships for socio-economically disadvantaged students, making the curriculum more inclusive, creating bridge courses for students from underprivileged educational backgrounds, strictly enforcing no-discrimination and anti-harassment policies in HEIs, and raising awareness of gender-identity and diversity issues among faculty, guidance counsellors and students.

While the NEP has laid the broad scheme for promoting inclusion in HEIs, Union and state governments must focus on providing incentives and support systems to ensure the representation of SEDGs in higher education, and address the underlying issues of low public investment and the digital divide to promote inclusion in higher education in India. At the same time, in alignment with our constitutional mandate, HEIs must also reflect inclusion and diversity while recruiting faculty members and admitting Ph.D. scholars.

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Education System in India: Everything You Need To Know

Manali Ganguly ,

Mar 4, 2024

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The education system in India has evolved in the past few years to accommodate a more logical and practical approach towards education. The Indian education system can be roughly divided into the pre-primary, primary, secondary, higher secondary, graduate and the postgraduate levels.

Education System in India: Everything You Need To Know

The education system in India has evolved over the years and plays an important role in shaping not just the careers of the students but their lives as well. The education system in India is divided into several levels. They are the pre-primary level, the primary level, the secondary level, the higher secondary level, the graduate level and the postgraduate level.

In India, the education system can be said to be state-run. There are centralised boards as well as state boards to which the schools are affiliated. After the higher secondary level, education is imparted in colleges and universities, where the courses are bifurcated into academic, professional, and vocational courses.

An in-depth study of the complete system is crucial for a clearer understanding.

Table of Contents

Current Education System in India

Literacy Rate in India

Right to Education Act (RTE)

Stages of education in india, central and state school education boards, education schemes in india, challenges faced by the education system in india.

The education system that is currently existing in India can be said to have come down since the Rig Vedic times. In the early period, Mathematics was the only subject through which education was imparted which implies a logical approach to learning. In the latter period, subjects that were included to be taught were Pali grammar, buddhist literature, social values and logic.

For the Hindu society, education was imparted in pathshalas or gurukuls where the students had to stay and serve the ‘guru’ or the teacher and learn their lessons there. Education was free in those times. In a Muslim society there were Madrasas and Maqtabs. The Madrasas exist till today.

When India became a British colony, initially the East India Company did not think of working on or improving the education system in India. It was later that the missionaries coming from Europe introduced Western education in the country. The Sergeant Commission and the Hunter Commission are the commissions that were set up by the British to improve the quality of education in India.

There was immense improvement in the Indian system of education in the postcolonial period. The modern education system in India can be segmented into four distinctive layers roughly. They are: primary,secondary, higher secondary and higher education.

Modern India made it mandatory to educate children in the age group of 6 years to 14 years. The higher education refers to the education after completing the higher secondary level. The graduate, post graduate, doctoral and postdoctoral levels constitute the higher education in the country.

Also Read: Indian Education System vs Foreign Education System

New Education Policy

The New Education Policy has made several amendments in the education system in India. The moderations made in the system has been mentioned in the section below:

The foundational stage of education runs for 5 years. The age group covered in this segment is 3 years to 8 years.
The preparatory stage runs for 3 years. The age group covered in this stage is 8 years to 11 years, which ideally corresponds to classes 5 to 8.
The middle stage of education is between the age group of 11 years to 14 years. The classes covered are 6 to 8.
The secondary stage is between 14 years and 16 years which includes the classes 9 and 10.
The higher secondary stage is between 16 years and 18 years which corresponds to the higher secondary classes of 11 and 12.

Also Read: What is Quality Education? Meaning and Importance

Literacy Rate in India

The education system in India is controlled and supervised by three central committees - University Grants Commission (UGC). National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). There exists a Ministry of Education in each state. There are more than 37000 colleges and 700 universities in India.

The literacy rate in India for seven year olds and above is 74.04%. The male literacy rate stands at 82.14% while the female literacy rate in India is 65.46%. The GER or General Enrolment Ratio for higher education in India stands at 26.30%. The GER is a metric that represents the percentage of people in the age group of 18 years to 23 years going for higher education.

Also Read: 10 Ways to Balance Student Life And Academics

The Right to Education Act was enacted on Aug 4, 2009, and came into force in Apr 2010. This is an Act of the Parliament of India to safeguard the rights of children to education free of cost. As per the act, the children are entitled to receive free and compulsory education from 6 years of age to 14 years of age.

The Right to Education Act makes it mandatory for the children to free fundamental education irrespective of caste, creed or gender. The Act lists down the norms that the schools must abide by while imparting elementary education to the children of the specified age group.

Also Read: Best Career Options for Girl in India

The education system in India is divided into the pre primary level, the primary or the elementary level, the secondary level, the higher secondary level, the graduate level, the postgraduate level, and the doctoral and postdoctoral levels. The description for each level can be found below.

Pre-Primary Level: This stage covers the education of children between 3 and 6 years of age. While terminology may differ for different regions and schools, this stage mostly starts from the playgroup and ends with upper kindergarten.

Primary Level: This is a relatively longer stage and covers classes 1 to 8 in school. Classes 1 to 5 constitute the primary level and classes 6 to 8 constitute the upper primary level.

Secondary Level: This stage is constituted by classes 9 and 10 in school.

Higher Secondary Level: This stage includes classes 11 and 12 in school.

Graduate Level: This stage includes 3 years of degree courses which are done in the college.

Postgraduate Level: The postgraduate stage can be done in the colleges or universities.

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Levels: The doctoral and postdoctoral levels require research and are done at the universities.

Also Read: Types of Education: Formal, Informal & Non-Formal

There are a number of education boards in India apart from the state education boards. The central boards are CBSE, CISCE, and NIOS. Each of these boards has a separate set of curriculum for teaching as well as conducting exams.

The centrally operating education boards in India are the following:

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)

The state-run education boards in India can be found below:

Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB)
Punjab School Education Board (PSEB)
Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE)
Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE)
Board of High School and Intermediate Education Uttar Pradesh
Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education (CGBSE)
Board of Secondary Education Rajasthan (RBSE)
Haryana Board of School Education (HBSE)
Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE)
Andhra Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (BSEAP)
Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education (BIEAP)
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE)
Maharashtra State Board Of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE)
Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSEB)

Also Read: CBSE vs State Boards: Which is Better?

The education system in India has witnessed the introduction of various kinds of educational schemes aiming at improving the quality of education among the targeted population. All such schemes that have been introduced and implemented to improvement the education system and therefore the literacy rate are mentioned below:

1. Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009) : This act was passed in 2009 to make education compulsory for all children aged between 6 and 14 years.

2. Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC): This scheme was introduced to aid in the development and promotion of a conducive ecosystem in the higher educational institutes for conducting research by way of communication and exchange of ideas with the foreign nations.

3. National Educational Alliance for Technology (NEAT): This scheme aimed at improving the quality of education in the higher educational institutes.

4. Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA): This scheme was introduced in 2013 by the-then Ministry of Education. This scheme is sponsored by the Centre to facilitate strategic development in the higher educational institutes of the country.

5. NISHTHA 2.0: This scheme was introduced to train the teachers as per requirement to support logical and critical thinking in students.

6. Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) Yojana: This scheme has been introduced by the Government of India to facilitate better learning in 14,000 schools located country wide. The aim is to improve and uplift the education in these schools to bring them at par with the other centrally controlled and state controlled schools in the country.

7. Mid-Day Meal Scheme: This system was renamed the PM Poshan or Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman in September 2021. This scheme offers lunch to the children from classes 1 to 8 in the government-run schools.

8. PRAGYATA: This scheme issues an advisory in the form of guidelines, created by the NCERT, to the schools for digital education.

9. Samagra Shiksha: This scheme merges together the schemes of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Teacher Education (TE), and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). This scheme covers the pre primary to the higher secondary level of education in the schools. The scheme fosters equal and all-inclusive education in the schools.

Also Read: Women Education in India: Importance, Welfare Schemes, and Benefits

Despite the all round development of the education system in India, there are a few challenges faced by the system. Corrective measures can help in dealing with the challenges and taking the education system of India to be at par with the top ranking systems in the world.

The challenges faced by the system are:

1. Lack of Infrastructure: The lack of infrastructure in most of the schools in the rural area leads to an insufficient development of the students in terms of learning.

2. Rote Learning Methods: This is one of the major drawbacks of the Indian education system. As compared to the top ranking countries, in terms of education, the education system in India lies behind because of the rote learning techniques. The ways of teaching in most of the schools are rather outdated, despite digital platforms being used in a few. Stressing on rote learning fails to instil interest in the students thereby leading to a half hearted knowledge.

3. Lack of Practical Application: Most of the lessons imparted in the school level lack any demonstration or practical application. This leads to an insufficient knowledge among the students which hinders their educational growth in the long run.

4. Expensive Education: The top private schools rank among the best schools in the country. However, the expenses are sky reaching which makes it not just difficult but impossible for most of the population to afford these schools.

5. Teacher to Student Ratio: This is a factor that is constantly hindering proper learning among the students. The class strengths are quite high which makes it difficult for the teachers to pay attention to individual students and address their needs.

Also Read: 5 Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Education

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Indian education vs foreign education: The ultimate comparison for future students

Education is one of the most crucial investments for a student's future. Choosing the right education system that meets a student's needs and goals is essential.

Indian education and foreign education systems differ significantly in several aspects, such as the education system, tuition fees, curriculum and specialisation, faculty and research opportunities, and job opportunities.

Therefore, it is essential to understand the differences between these two systems to make an informed decision about pursuing higher education. This article will compare Indian education vs. foreign education, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.

Indian education vs foreign education

Indian education system

Foreign education system, what are the benefits of studying abroad for indian students, which is better indian education or foreign education, pros and cons, which country has the best education system in the world, which foreign degrees are valid in india, embark on an academic adventure with a click.

Want to discover the best course and destination to study abroad? Connect with Edvoy today!

India and foreign countries have different education systems, and students must weigh both pros and cons to make an informed decision. Here are the factors that show how the Indian education system differs from other countries.

Education system
Tuition fees
Curriculum and specialisation
Faculty and research opportunities
Admission requirements
Admission process
Performance and assessment
Grades and scoring
Cost of living
Career opportunities

Also read: The UK higher education system explained

1. Education system

Education in India compared to foreign nations is predominantly based on the traditional model of teaching, which focuses on rote learning and theoretical knowledge. In this system, students are evaluated primarily based on their ability to memorise and reproduce information in exams.

While the Indian education approach has advantages in certain subject areas, it can limit students' critical thinking, analytical skills, and creativity. The system provides few opportunities for students to engage in hands-on or experiential learning.

In addition, students are expected to choose a particular stream early on in their education, and they are expected to stick to it throughout their degree. This approach limits their exposure to other fields and may prevent them from exploring different subjects or developing interdisciplinary skills.

In contrast, foreign education systems like the Canadian education system prioritise practical and experiential learning. They emphasise critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, essential for students to succeed in their careers.

These systems provide opportunities for students to engage in hands-on learning, internships, and co-op programs, allowing them to apply their knowledge to real-world situations.

Foreign education systems offer more diverse learning opportunities like interdisciplinary courses, online learning, and exchange programs. This diversity of options helps students broaden their skill set and gain a global perspective on their subject area.

The system also allows students to customise their degrees according to their interests and career goals, allowing them to explore different fields and develop a unique skill set.

The Indian education system has its strengths, such as producing highly qualified engineering, medicine, and management professionals. However, it also has limitations, such as limited practical learning opportunities, a rigid curriculum, and limited exposure to interdisciplinary fields.

On the other hand, foreign education systems emphasise practical learning, critical thinking, and creativity, providing students with a broader and more diverse education.

Also read: Best Countries to Study Abroad for Indian Students 2024

2. Tuition fees

One of the most significant differences between Indian and foreign education is the tuition fees. In India, education costs are relatively low compared to many foreign countries.

The tuition fees in India can vary depending on the level of education and the institution. Government-funded institutions typically charge lower tuition fees compared to private institutions.

For example , the annual tuition fees for a bachelor's degree in engineering in a government-funded institution can be around ₹50,000 to ₹2,00,000 (USD $700-$2,800) per year. In contrast, private institutions can charge anywhere between ₹2,00,000 to ₹20,00,000 (USD $2,800-$28,000) per year for the same degree.

Also read: Cost Of Studying In The USA For Indian Students

In contrast, the cost of education in foreign countries, especially in developed countries like the USA, Canada, and Australia, is much higher. The tuition fees for a bachelor's degree in these countries can range from $20,000 to $50,000 per year.

Additionally, students also have to pay for living expenses, accommodation, and other related costs, which can add up to a significant amount.

While the cost of education in India is relatively low compared to many countries, the cost has steadily increased in recent years. Foreign education systems are more expensive, but they also provide more opportunities for financial aid and scholarships , which can reduce the burden on students.

Also read: How much does it cost to study in Canada?

3. Curriculum and specialisation

The curriculum and specialisation options offered in Indian and foreign education systems differ significantly. In India, the education system is often rigid and does not provide students with many opportunities to explore different fields.

Students are expected to choose a specific stream or specialisation early on in their education and stick to it throughout their degree. The Indian education system is based on a centralised curriculum prescribed by the respective boards of education.

This system leaves little room for customisation or personalisation of courses, and students have limited choices in the courses they can take. As a result, students often need more exposure to different fields and may not have the opportunity to develop interdisciplinary skills.

Foreign education systems emphasise flexibility and provide students with various course options and specialisation areas. Students can often choose their courses based on their interests and career goals, and they have the freedom to explore different fields.

Foreign education systems encourage interdisciplinary learning, enabling students to gain a more holistic understanding of their field. These systems also offer more specialised courses and degrees, allowing students to develop niche skills in demand in the job market.

For example , students can specialise in digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sustainable development, or data science. This specialisation helps students gain a competitive edge in the job market and contributes to their career growth.

Also read: What are the 4 best countries to study MBA for Indian students?

4. Faculty and research opportunities

The quality of faculty and research opportunities is another area where Indian and foreign education systems differ significantly.

In India, while there are several institutions of national importance, the quality of faculty and research opportunities varies widely across institutions.

While institutions strive to offer the finest education and experience and are of national importance in India, the quality of faculty and research opportunities could be more consistent across institutions.

Many universities find it difficult to attract and retain top-quality faculty members, and there is also minimal investment in research infrastructure and resources.

The use of technology in Indian education is often limited, and many institutions do not have the necessary infrastructure and resources to support advanced teaching and learning methods.

On the other hand, foreign education systems, particularly in developed countries like the US, Canada, and the UK, strongly emphasise research and innovation.

These institutions have world-class facilities and resources, which attract top-quality faculty members from around the world. Students can access many research opportunities and work with leading researchers in their field.

In many cases, foreign education institutions collaborate with industry, which allows students to work on cutting-edge projects and gain practical experience. This exposure to industry and research often gives students an advantage in the job market.

Another area where foreign education systems excel is using technology and digital tools to enhance teaching and learning. Many institutions use advanced technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to provide students with immersive and interactive learning experiences.

While several institutions are of national importance in India, the quality of faculty and research opportunities could be more consistent across institutions.

In contrast, foreign education systems, particularly in developed countries, strongly emphasise research and innovation, and students have access to world-class facilities and resources.

The use of technology in foreign education systems is also more advanced, providing students with immersive and interactive learning experiences.

Also read: The benefits of studying abroad

5. Admission requirements

Before applying for a study program at a university, students are required to satisfy the eligibility requirements before sending the application. While the criteria vary with every university, here are the admission requirements of an Indian education system.

Admission requirements for the Indian education system

Data updated as of January 2024

Note: The eligibility requirement varies with every program and university. Ensure you check the course page for the requirements before submitting the application.

Similar to the Indian system, foreign education systems require international students to satisfy their admission requirements to process their applications further. Here are the common eligibility requirements for higher education abroad.

Admission requirements for the foreign education system

Note: The eligibility requirement differs with every program and university. Ensure you verify the requirements with the course page before submitting the application.

Also read: What are the requirements to study abroad from India?

6. Admission process

The admission process in an Indian education system involves various steps for students to apply for the program they wish to pursue. Here’s the admission process for better understanding.

Research and shortlist your desired courses
Check eligibility and ensure your profile satisfies them
Attend the entrance exams if required
Attend the interview by the university
Wait for the admission results
Pay the fees and confirm your admission

In addition to the usual admission process, foreign education systems require you to apply for a visa so that you are allowed to pursue higher education in the respective country. Here’s the step-by-step process for international students.

Determine which study destination you wish to pursue higher education
Research and shortlist courses that suit your interests
Prepare for and clear the English proficiency exams ( IELTS , TOEFL , PTE , or Duolingo )
Attend entrance exams ( SAT , ACT , MCAT , GRE or GMAT ) if required
Apply for a visa and complete the process to obtain it

The Indian and foreign education systems follow almost the same admission process. In addition to the regular process, international students are required to take English proficiency tests and apply for visas to pursue higher education in their preferred study destination.

Also read: The ultimate list of entrance exams to study abroad

7. Performance and assessment

The Indian education system determines a student’s performance and grades majorly through assessments. Universities conduct monthly assessments and semester exams that makeup at least 70% of their final scorecards.

Assignments and projects like seminars, essays, research projects, reports, thesis, case studies, and group activities that contribute to the remaining performance metrics in the scorecard.

Foreign education systems function in a way that is opposite of the Indian education system. Non-classroom activities and assignments, like projects, research opportunities, seminars, essays, and others, contribute to most of the performance metrics in the student scorecards.

While the Indian education system focuses more on assessments and exams, foreign education systems evaluate students' knowledge through assignments and projects. This gives them more exposure to the subject than just textbook knowledge.

8. Grades and scoring

Indian universities typically use a 10-point grading system, which students later convert to percentages for job interviews and to pursue higher education.

Students usually take the semester exams for 100 marks, which are then converted and calculated along with the assessments and assignments to obtain a final score. The letter grades are from A to F in Indian education systems.

The percentage ranks in the Indian education system are as follows.

Distinction: Above 75%
1st class: 60-75%
2nd class: 50-60%
3rd class: 40-50%

Foreign education systems commonly follow the 4-point Grade Point Average (GPA) system. The grade points are a culmination of assessments, assignments, research, and project work.

Common GPA to percentage table

Related: International grade equivalency

9. Cost of living

Many students travel across India to pursue their desired courses in their desired university. They are required to check their cost of living, such as accommodation, food, and other essential expenses.

The average cost of living for students pursuing higher education across India is between ₹8,000 to ₹20,000 per month.

The cost of living is relatively higher for international students pursuing higher education in different parts of the world. Prices vary with every study destination as the expenses differ regarding currency exchange rates, lifestyle, availability of resources, inflation, and others.

The average cost of living for students pursuing higher education abroad is between USD $500 to $3,500 per month. It is important to remember that the expenses vary with every country and region you choose to study.

Students travel to different parts of India to pursue higher education at relatively affordable costs. While studying abroad can be expensive, the experience can be rewarding for international students in terms of post-study work visas and the vast number of available career options.

10. Career opportunities

India has a competitive job market with several high-paying job opportunities for graduates. The pay scale differs with every job sector, degree and skill set the student possesses. Here are the top job options for Indian students after graduation.

Healthcare professional
Data Engineer
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After graduating abroad, international students have to find job opportunities in a comparatively competitive job market. But they would have greater exposure and better pay for a rewarding career. Here are the top career options for international students abroad after higher education.

Software Engineer
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Management Consultant
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While the global job market is considered competitive for fresh graduates, international students find it more challenging to land a job abroad than in India. But the pay scale and scope of working abroad are quite rewarding and boost your profile.

Your dream of studying abroad is here! Talk to an Edvoy counsellor and kick-start your journey today.

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Studying abroad comes with great perks for international students.

Wide range of course programs
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The US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and others have the best education system in the world.

The Indian government approves all degrees obtained by students from Foreign Higher Educational Institutions (FHEIs). So, a BSc, BA, MSc, MA, BTech, MTech, or MBA from any university abroad is valid in India.

Edvoy strives to offer an exceptional academic experience for international students to study abroad. From discovering the perfect course to applying to your preferred university, we provide you with the finest guidance throughout your study abroad journey. Connect with an Edvoy Counsellor , and begin your journey today!

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Drawbacks of the Indian education system

Are you content with the Indian education system? Did you find any shortcomings? What should be the remedy? In this article, I am discussing the problems of the Indian education system and how it can be solved.

Introduction Education plays an important role in the development of an individual, society and nation. Education is an asset for any country. Education helps in building responsible citizens of the country. Education enables us to fight injustice in society. Every individual has the right to get a good education and thus a proper education system is compulsory for any country. Education play important role in one's life. It affects our life from birth to death. So, there is a great need to be strong in our education system. But, there is a lot of drawback to the Indian education system. If we start listing then we would need a lot of time and space. The problem of Indian education Lack of practical knowledge Indian Education system judge students based on their academic performance and not on their overall performance. This affects those students who are not good at specific subjects. Bookish knowledge is the prime motto of the Indian education system. The focus is given on the theoretical knowledge only not on practical knowledge. As a result, most Indian student gets unemployed despite having high qualification. No scope for other fields except studies As you know that since early times our Indian education system has been a traditional educational system. In other words, you can call it the gurukul system where all types of education were provided to students. They were not unknown from any field. They used to learn music, art, archery, yoga, literature, and so on. But, with time, many changes happened in our education system and the modern education system started. The modern school system was brought to India in the 1830s by Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay. This new education system was very different from the ancient times 'Gurukuls' system. At that time all subjects like Sanskrit to the holy scriptures and from Mathematics to Metaphysics were taught. The guru teaches the student everything that he wants to learn, from Sanskrit to the Holy Scriptures and from Mathematics to Metaphysics. The student stayed in a gurukul for a long period until the guru felt that he had taught everything. All of the learning was closely related to nature and life accordingly and not just confined to memorizing subject matter. Whereas the modern school system was confined to subjects such as science, English and mathematics and no scope for subjects like metaphysics and philosophy. Modern education emphasizes taking more and more degrees were no need for skill. Right from the beginning, parents and teachers emphasize studies and getting good marks. They never encourage other fields. In a real sense, If someone tries for other fields then they have to leave it on halfway because of lack of opportunity in another field. Indian Govt also does not provide facilities and environment for the development of another field. In India Sports, Photography, Acting, Music etc. are considered as hobbies, not a profession. It is not included in the education system. Moreover, the education period is so long that the average age of getting a job in India is between 22-24. Wrong learning method One of the main problems of our system is the wrong learning methodology. If the students are incapable of understanding a concept then the teacher suggests "ratta mar" as a learning method. The same scene can be seen of the Indian classroom as shown in the movie '3 -IDIOTS'. This movie depicts very nicely what happens when students give speeches without understanding the subject matter. Our system promotes students basically to mug up the entire textbook without even understanding it and then to present the same in the examination paper. And by doing so students will be rank holders. Lack of funds and quality teachers In Indian colleges, there is a lack of funds and infrastructure. Many colleges don't have enough funds to enhance the quality of education and hence lacks the infrastructure facility, teaching environment and quality teachers. Infrastructure facilities at schools and colleges across rural areas provides a very poor quality of education. There is a great lack of good and trained teachers. Teachers are not paid adequately, as they are not much qualified so they don't do work with interest. No value to education Especially, in rural areas, most parents are not interested to send their children to schools to get basic education, as they are illiterate so they don't know the importance of education. Since childhood, they believe in earning money and send their kids far away for earning. Besides, there is no space for creative learning and thinking and students are always bound to a specific syllabus and are not encouraged for better learning so that they get jobs in future. How It can be Improved The first and foremost Important thing is, students should be given practical knowledge. The curriculum should be framed according to the present needs of the world. There has to be a change in the system for the employment of teachers and faculty. Teachers and faculty should be knowledgeable for which they should give proper training. Govt should emphasize quality education. The government and other entities need to understand the importance of quality and education. Overall development of a child has to be considered, and importance should be given to bringing out a total holistic development of the children. Conclusion No doubt, we all are sufferers of the Indian education system where a lot of improvement is needed. Skill-based education, as well as quality education, is the need of the hour then only our country would progress.

In a classroom where there are 40 to 50 students and they are of the same age but definitely there will be a difference in their IQ levels. A student can understand the subject easily but another student may require more time to understand the same. So the teacher should be able to differentiate the students and should give more emphasis to the students who are a little backward in their studies. But it is not happening in the present system. The student-teacher ratio should be maintained reasonably so that the teacher can concentrate on each and every student and coach them as required. Another important area to be corrected is skill development. As of now, this is not given proper importance. The student coming out of college should have some skills that are useful for the industry so that he will have a good chance of getting employed. There are many inherent problems in the present education system. Many of those problems were addressed in the recently proposed new education system and we have to wait for the outcome of this new system.

Our government has taken the necessary steps not to call the traditional education system bad, but to reshape it. If you read the new education policy, you will understand that it is also a slightly amended form of the traditional one which may not be suitable in the modern world. Therefore, the education system should be introduced in a way that is acceptable to everyone in the world. In addition to academic education, students must learn a variety of general technical knowledge that is sufficient in personal life. Along with getting acquainted with the Indian socialist-style etiquette, one will also get a holistic knowledge about health, customs etc to boost the moral character of our future young generation.

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Politics latest: Key voter on Humza Yousaf's future will make proposals to 'help him out of a tight corner'

Ash Regan, who is the Alba Party's sole MSP and potentially the deciding vote in a no-confidence motion in Mr Yousaf, is expected to meet with the first minister. Listen to this week's Politics at Jack and Sam's as you scroll.

Sunday 28 April 2024 11:15, UK

Sunak refuses to rule out July general election
Watch in full: Trevor Phillips interviews the prime minister
Key voter on Yousaf's future will make proposals to 'help him out of a tight corner'
Connor Gillies: First minister must reset relations with very people he's burned bridges with
Salmond asked Alastair Campbell to negotiate on behalf of Scotland if it gained independence
Explained: How did we get here - and what happens next?
Tap here to follow Politics at Jack and Sam's
Sam Coates explains why the local elections matter
Live reporting by Brad Young

By Trevor Phillips, presenter

I've known Rishi Sunak slightly for almost a decade, having first met him after he penned a thoughtful, comprehensive, well-received report on Britain's minority communities, which I'd say is still the best of its kind.

Sitting down to interview him in a state-of-the-art defence facility this week, I could still see the same energetic, likeable problem solver that I met back then, even if he's now surrounded by the prime ministerial cavalcade of aides, security and media.

That Peloton and fasting regime are clearly doing their job. He's keen to show his detailed grasp of the situation, whether that's welfare reform, defence or migration. It's easy to see why he shone in Silicon Valley and thrived in the Treasury.

However, in the political world he chose, there's a downside to being highly intelligent, disciplined, and super-focused on delivery, as they might say in California.

He betrays frustration with what he - not wholly unjustifiably - sees as a media obsession with polls and presentation.

Unfortunately, as Enoch Powell once pointed out, a politician who complains about journalists is like a sailor who doesn't much fancy being at sea.

He rightly points out that it's his job to make hard choices - for example, funding the defence budget even if it's at the expense of schools and hospitals.

But a political leader should also know that what follows is an even harder job: to cajole the electorate into supporting that choice - and the voters aren't always governed by the logic of the computer.

Read on here...

Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, has said her party will not be changing its mind about supporting the upcoming motion of no confidence in First Minister Humza Yousaf.

Ms Slater said they would vote in favour of the motion on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show,

"I cannot imagine anything at this point that could change that position.

"This was a spectacular breach of trust."

She was asked if policy offers from Mr Yousaf ahead of the vote could persuade them to abstain.

“[The Bute House Agreement] was based on mutual trust and respect. I do have trust and respect for many of my SNP colleagues," she said.

"But Humza Yousaf himself has broken that and he needs to face the consequences."

Policing minister Chris Philp said he was posing a "rhetorical question" after he appeared to ask whether Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were different countries.

The MP for Croydon South said he was struggling to hear when he was asked about the government's new law on deporting some asylum seekers to Rwanda by a Question Time audience member.

He told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "I was struggling a little bit to hear the question.

"When I put that point to him I was asking that as a clearly rhetorical question rather than a substantive question, as I think any fair-minded listener would conclude."

What did he say on Question Time?

The audience member, from Congo, pointed out there has been a long history of violent conflict with neighbouring country Rwanda.

He asked Mr Philp: "Had my family members come from Goma [a city on the country's border] on a crossing right now, would they then be sent back to the country they are supposedly warring – Rwanda? Does that make any sense to you?"

Mr Philp replied: "No, I think there's an exclusion on people from Rwanda being sent to Rwanda."

After the audience member objected that his parents were not from Rwanda, the Conservative MP appeared to ask: "Well, I mean, Rwanda is a different country to Congo, isn't it?

"It's a different country?" he said, followed by laughter from some audience members.

Rishi Sunak was quizzed over the local and general elections, the Rwanda Scheme and defence spending today on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

If you missed it, here's your chance to catch up on all the key moments - or watch the interview in full.

The prime minister tried to manage expectations for Thursday, saying: "Local elections are always difficult for incumbent parties";
Asylum seekers travelling across the land border to Ireland was a sign the Rwanda scheme was working as a deterrent, he said;
Despite being asked several times, Mr Sunak refused to rule out a July general election;
He declined to comment on polling and, when asked if he would have any regrets should the Conservative Party lose, Mr Sunak said: "You're again focused on all this personality stuff."

A little earlier this morning, Rishi Sunak told Sky News that the movement of migrants from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland showed his Rwanda scheme was working as a deterrent.

But the Irish government is to consider legislative proposals next week on returning asylum seekers back to the UK who have travelled across the land border.

Justice minister Helen McEntee will also meet Home Secretary James Cleverly next week, after saying the number of migrants crossing the border was now "higher than 80%".

"I'll have emergency legislation at cabinet this week to make sure that we can effectively return people to the UK," she told RTE.

Ms McEntee added Brexit was responsible for the UK seeing an increase in people seeking asylum.

A spokesman for Irish premier Simon Harris said he is "very clear about the importance of protecting the integrity" of Ireland's migration system.

"Ireland has a rules-based system that must always be applied firmly and fairly.

"In that context, the Taoiseach has asked the minister for justice to bring proposals to Cabinet next week to amend existing law regarding the designation of safe 'third countries' and allowing the return of inadmissible international protection applicants to the UK."

Alex Salmond asked Alastair Campbell to negotiate on behalf of Scotland with the UK government in the event it voted for independence in 2014, Mr Campbell tells Sky News.

The proposal was made when the pair were in Scotland ahead of the referendum, making tributes to Tony Benn, the former Number 10 communications director says.

"If Scotland had become independent, then that would have been a massive, massive thing for the country, so I would have been very happy to do that.

"I would want people who weren't necessarily pro-indpendence to be part of that team."

As Humza Yousaf fights to maintain leadership of Scotland, the Alba Party's Alex Salmond joins Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

Meanwhile, Ash Regan, the Alba Party's sole MP and potentially the deciding vote in a no-confidence motion in Mr Yousaf, is expected to meet with the first minister.

Ms Regan will "make a set of reasonable proposals to help him out of a very tight corner", says Mr Salmond.

"Scotland is lucky that somebody like Ash Regan is in that position."

Independence forces should be "cooperating together to try and get independence back as a priority in Scottish society".

Asked if an agreement can be reached with the SNP, Mr Salmond says Mr Yousaf is "in a very difficult position" but he will be in a "listening mode".

"He wouldn't have sacked the Greens from his administration unless he wanted a significant change in direction," says Mr Salmond.

"One possible outcome of this political crisis is there might be a Scottish election."

Earlier this week, Labour pledged to nationalise the railway system.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting says the plan is a "reflection of the failure of privatised rail and the absence of competition".

If you bring the franchises back into public ownership as they come up, the profits can be reinvested into better services and fairs, argues Mr Streeting.

"There is already enormous public ownership of our railways, but they are owned by French, German, Dutch and Italian taxpayers, and our profits go into their countries."

"It's time that we had public ownership of our railways so we can reinvest."

Trevor Phillips continues to put questions to shadow health secretary Wes Streeting.

He is about Keir Starmer's pledge to maintain the triple lock, with Phillips raising statistics showing median wealth for those in their early 60s was nearly nine times higher than those in their early 30s.

"I don't buy into that intergenerational conflict argument. We need to give pensioners the reassurance to know that as they have planned for retirement... that Labour will protect the triple lock."

Wes Streeting is asked about the possibility of a July election, which the prime minister has refused to rule out.

The shadow health secretary says: "He should get on with it. We are not just ready, we are, as with the rest of the country, fed up of waiting."

People are "crying out for an opportunity to deliver their verdict on this government and vote for change", he says.

"That's why the prime minister bottled an election earlier this year, that's why he's bottled it now, and that's why he will have to be taken out of Downing Street by his fingernails."

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Debate on Present Education System: Schooling is an extremely viable instrument as it assumes a vital part in forming our lives and psyche while making us free and capable residents of the country. Nonetheless, education has consistently been a significant reason for worry in our country. In this debate on the Present education system in India, we will discuss that there are still so many ...
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Education is one of the most crucial investments for a student's future. Choosing the right education system that meets a student's needs and goals is essential.. Indian education and foreign education systems differ significantly in several aspects, such as the education system, tuition fees, curriculum and specialisation, faculty and research opportunities, and job opportunities.
Drawbacks of the Indian education system
Education helps in building responsible citizens of the country. Education enables us to fight injustice in society. Every individual has the right to get a good education and thus a proper education system is compulsory for any country. Education play important role in one's life. It affects our life from birth to death.
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