what is the Current Status of Education in India: Data from Census 2011

Indian Education System: The Present Pyramidal Structure.

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

1.  Pre-primary level: 5-6 years of age.
2.  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 a government scheme under the Right To Education(RTE) Act.
3.  Secondary level: Age group between 14-18. For this level, the government has extended SSA to secondary education in the form of the Government Programs.
4.  Higher education: generally of three levels: UG→ PG→ M Phil/PhD. To cater the higher education, the government has introduced  various schemes.

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.
• 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.

 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 inadequate attention to the PTR:
  • There is a fear of financial burden on the government for teacher recruitment and trainings.
  •  Improved in almost all  the States, there is disparity across the country.
  • “The Indian school system is one of the largest and most complex in the world,” says Rob Lynxes, former director of the British Council in India. The complexity of the system stems from India’s need to maintain standards and uniformity while giving scope for its diverse culture and heritage to grow and flourish across the length and breadth of the country. “After independence, India has worked hard to provide access to almost all its young people, but it has only just begun to focus on aspects of quality and seeking to improve learning outcomes.” Duncan Wilson, the British Council current Director of Schools, English and Skills (SES) India, coordinates the British Council work in these sectors across the country. In the public sector, he works with national governments and other organizations to enhance capacity in teaching from pre-school to Higher Education. 
  • The British Council's work in SES includes English teacher training and teacher language development, and providing access to a wide range of teaching resources, curricula, assessment tools and teaching qualifications. In India, The British Council aims to engage at policy level, including in the field of vocational and English education 
    • Ownership of schools is split between the government and private institutions, which receive a government grant. The rest are privately owned, privately run schools, usually teaching an international curriculum.

       Extending the options

        The global expansion of international school groups has meant that India now has more than 525 English-medium international schools in India, 30 per cent of them situated in Mumbai and Bangalore Like many international schools in India, Pathways World School, a group of three schools located in Gurgaon and Noida, in the Delhi National Capital Region, teaches the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. The IB has proved itself to be the big success story in secondary education over the past 30 years and is now taught in over 150 countries worldwide.