India Culture, Business, Sports and Food. Get all the buzz in India now

EDUCATION IN INDIA: WHAT IS DONE TILL DATE?

Education is an important institution in any modern or modernising society. During the 18th and 19th century, the modern education was introduced by British in India. After the recommendation of Maculae in 1835, the entire educational policy, the main aim of which to make clerks available for offices, was implemented. The three-tier system namely primary, secondary and higher education was also introduced by them.

 

Lord Macaulay

In making English the medium of instruction, the British rulers adopted a policy of concentrating on a small section of the population and left the task of educating the masses in native languages. This policy was described as the “Downward Filtration Theory”.

The Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which included education in the Concurrent list. The substantive, financial and administrative implications required a new sharing of responsibility between the Union Government and the States. While the role and responsibility of the States in regard to education remain unchanged, the Union Government accepts a larger responsibility to reinforce the national and integrative character of education, to maintain quality and standards.

The Central Government continues to play the lead role in the evolution and monitoring of education policies and programmes, the most notable of which are the National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986 and the Programme of Action (POA), 1986 as updated in 1992. The modified policy envisages a National System of Education to bring about uniformity in education, making adult education programmes a mass movement, providing universal access, retention and quality in elementary education, special emphasis on education of girls, establishment of Navodaya Vidyalayas in each district, vocationalisation of secondary education, starting more Open Universities in States, strengthening Technical Education, encouraging sports, physical education and Yoga and adoption of an effective evaluation methods, etc.

The National Policy on Education (1986) provides a broad policy framework for eradication of illiteracy and sets a goal of expenditure on education at 6 per cent of the GDP. As against the goal of 6 per cent, the total expenditure on education by both Central and State government was only 3 per cent of GDP in 2002-03.

Primary education was given an overriding priority in order to realize the goal of Universalisation of elementary education. The ‘Operation Blackboard’ scheme had been formulated with a view to bring about substantial improvement in primary school run by government, local bodies and recognized aided institutions.

Indira Gandhi National Open University (lGNOU) established by all Act of Parliament in September 1985, is responsible for the introduction and promotion of open universities and distance education systems in the educational pattern of the country and for the coordination and determination of standard in such systems. The major objectives of the University include widening access to higher education to larger segments of the population, organizing programmes of continuing education and initiating special programmes of higher education for specific target groups like women, people living in backward regions, hilly areas, etc.  At present there are ten other open universities in the country. There are 104 correspondence course institutions, imparting education through the distance mode in the conventional system.

Technical Education: The Central Government on December 27, 2003 launched an ambitious Rs. 1,550 crores programme to improve the quality of technical education through better infrastructure and improved access to international scientific and technical journals. The programme will also include the new generation web-based education technologies. The programme would cover both government and private institutions. In order to improve the quality of technical education being imparted in 17 Regional Engineering Colleges (RECs) and to grade them to the level of IITs, these institutions have been made fully-funded institutions under the Central Government from April 1, 2003. These RECs were rechristened as National Institutes of Technology with Deemed-to-be University Status and professional management structure. It would be totally a national programme run by the Centre in collaboration with the States.

Minority Education: The National Policy on Education, 1986, updated in 1992 envisages paying great attention to the education of the educationally backward minorities in the interest of equity and social justice.

The revised Programme of Action (POA) 1992, two new centrally-sponsored schemes consists of (I) Scheme of Area Intensive programme for Educationally Backward Minorities and (II) Scheme of Financial Assistance for Modenisation of Madarsa Education were lunched in 1993-94. Under the first category cent percent assistance is given for establishment of building and educational infrastructure and opening of multi stream residential higher secondary school for girls belonging to educationally backward minorities. The financial assistance has been provided to those Madaras and Maktabas who introduce Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, Hindi and English in their curriculum.

University Grants Commission: UGC was established in 1956 under an Act of Parliament to take measures for motion and coordination of university education and for the determination and maintenance of standards in teaching, examination and research in universities. To fulfill its objectives, the Commission can enquire among other-things into financial needs of universities; allocate and disburse grants to them; establish and maintain common services and facilities; recommend measures for improvement of university education and give advice on allocation of grants, and establishment of new universities. It has its Regional Offices at Hyderabad, Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Guwahati and Bangalore. UGC Head-Office located at New Delhi.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT): It was established in 1961 in New Delhi. It assists and advises the Central and State government on academic matters related to school education. It is fully funded by the Central Government. The Council aids, promotes and coordinates as also conducts research school education and teacher education, develops and experiments with improved educational techniques, assist the States/UTs in developing and implementing programmes for qualitative improvement of school education.

National Bal Bhawan: It was established in 1956 to enhance creativity amongst children in the age group 5-16 years, especially from the weaker sections of the society. It aims at all round growth of a child in free and happy atmosphere and helps the child develop scientific temper.

National Population Education Project: It was lunched in April 1980 with a view to institutionalize population education in the school education system. It is fully funded by United Nations Population Fund. It is also being implemented in Higher and Adult Education Sector. The project is executed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and implemented by NCERT.

Navodaya Vidyalayas: The National Policy of Education, 1986 envisaged setting up of model schools, one in each district of the Country, which was started on the experimental basis in 1985-86, with two schools. Now, it has grown to 491 schools covering as many districts in 34 States/UTs, with over 1.43 lakh stud rolls. The talented, bright and gifted predominantly from rural areas are i and given priority.

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan: It was came into existence as an autonomous body in 1965 with the primary objective of setting up and monitoring Kendriya Vidyalayas to cater to the education needs of the children of transferable Central Government Employees including Defence Personnel by providing programme of education. At present are 899 Kendriya Vidyalayas out of one each is in Kathmandu and Mascow.

National Literacy Mission: The National Literacy Mission, launched on May 5, 1988 as a Technology Mission to impart functional Literacy literates in the country in the age group of 15-35 years the National Education Policy 1986, as modified in 1992, also recognized the National Literacy Mission as one of the three instruments to eradicate illiteracy from the country, the other two being Universalisation of Elementary education and non-formal education, the mission objective is to attain a sustainable threshold literacy rate of 75% by 2007. It is implemented in 561 districts in the country.