LOK SABHA SECRETARIAT

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MEMBERS’ REFERENCE SERVICE

REFERENCE NOTE . No. 24 /RN/Ref./August/2013

For the use of Members of Parliament Not for Publication

School Education in India

– An Overview

.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The reference material is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication.

This Service is not to be quoted as the source of the information as it is based on the sources indicated at the end/in the text.

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note/collection.

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Indian School System 2

i) Elementary Education 3

ii) Secondary Education 3

3. Various Centrally Sponsored Schemes 4

4. Institutions in School Education 13

5. Enrolment in School Education 17

6. Expenditure on School Education 19

7. Achievement of 11th Plan in Education 21

8. 12th Five Year Plan : Targets 22

9. Conclusion 23

SCHOOL EDUCATION IN INDIA – An Overview

1. Introduction

Education is the most important lever for social, economic and political

transformation. A well-educated population, equipped with the relevant knowledge,

attitudes and skills is essential for economic and social development in the twenty-first

century. Education is the most potent tool for socio-economic mobility and a key

instrument for building an equitable and just society. Education provides skills and

competencies for economic well-being. Education strengthens democracy by imparting

to citizens the tools needed to fully participate in the governance process. Education

also acts as an integrative force in society, imparting values that foster social cohesion

and national identity1.

Before 1976, education was the exclusive responsibility of the States. The

Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which included education in the concurrent List,

was a far-reaching step. The substantive, financial and administrative implication

required a new sharing of responsibility between the Union Government and the

States. While the role and responsibility of the States in education remained largely

unchanged, the Union Government accepted a larger responsibility of reinforcing the

national and integrated character of education, maintaining quality and standard

including those of the teaching profession at all levels, and the study and monitoring of

the educational requirements of the country.

The Central Government plays a leading role in the evolution and monitoring of

educational 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 Government has taken a number of major initiatives during the 11th Five

Year Plan. Some of the new initiatives in the School and literacy sector include:

Enactment of Right to Education, Launching of Saakshar Bharat, Evolving a National

1 India, Planning Commission, Draft Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) Volume-III, p. 48

3

The pre-primary education as a part of the education ladder is not compulsory.

Governmental intervention in the pre-primary sector is through the Early Child Care

and Education (ECCE) programme which includes universalizing the programme of

Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to provide a functional Anganwadi in

every settlement and ensure full coverage for all children4.

i) Elementary Education: Free and compulsory education to all children up to

the age of fourteen is a constitutional commitment in India5.

Article 21-A of the Constitution of India and its consequent legislation, the right

of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, become operative in

the country on 1st April 2010. This development has far reaching implications for

elementary education and for the implementation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, in the

years to come. This development implies that every child has a right to elementary

education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain

essential norms and standards. The reform processes initiated in 2010-11 perusal to

this important development, were continued during the year 2011-12. The provision

also includes admission of 25 per cent children from disadvantaged groups and

weaker sections in class I in private unaided schools6.

ii) Secondary Education: Secondary Education is a crucial stage in the

educational hierarchy as it prepares the young persons for higher education and also

for the world of work. The Government of India’s intervention in secondary education

4 Ibid, p. 14 5 Ibid, p. 18 6 India. Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of School Education & Literacy Department of Higher Education, Annual Report, 2011-12, pp. 22 & 186

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008

The Constitutional (Eighty Six) Amendment Act, 2002, notified on

13th December 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution, which provides

that ‘the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of

the age of 6-14 years in such manner as the State, may, by law, determine’.

4

is at two levels: (i) Through apex national level bodies like National Council of

Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Central Board of Secondary Education

(CBSE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti

(NVS), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan (KVS), and Central Tibetan School Administration

(CTSA); and (ii) Through centrally sponsored schemes, such as (a) Scheme of

Boarding and Hostel Facilities for Girl Students of secondary and Higher Secondary

Schools, (b) Integrated Education for Disabled Children, (c) Information and

Communication Technology in Schools, and (d) Quality Improvement in Schools7.

With a dramatic growth in elementary education enrolments and improvements

in retention and transition rates in recent years, particularly amongst the more

disadvantaged groups, there is an increasing pressure on the secondary schools to

admit more students. With the enforcement of RTE Act and further improvement in

retention and transition rates, demand for secondary schooling will grow rapidly in the

coming years. Meeting this demand is critical for three reasons. First, the secondary

education fulfils large manpower needs of the semi-organised and the organised

sectors of the economy. Second, it is the supply chain for higher education. And,

finally, it caters to the needs of teachers for primary schooling. Low participation rates

and poor quality at the secondary stage are a bottleneck in improving both the higher

education participation and the schooling at the elementary stage8.

3. Various Centrally Sponsored Schemes

In order to achieve UEE (Universalisation of Elementary Education, the

Government of India has initiated a number of programmes and projects9. The

Government adopts an integrated approach in the implementation of the various

centrally sponsored schemes, in keeping with principles of the National Policy on

Education, to ensure that the education of equitable quality for all to fully harness the

7 op.cit., Status of Education in India, p. 20 8 op.cit., Draft Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), p. 67 9 op.cit., Status of Education in India, p. 18

5

nation’s human resource potential. The common objectives are to enhance access

through the expansion of quality school education; to promote equity through the

inclusion of disadvantaged groups and weaker sections, and to improve the quality of

education.

Following is the list of Centrally sponsored programmes being implemented in

the Education Sector under Ministry of Human Resource Development10:

Sl. No. Name of the Scheme

1. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA)

2. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya

3. National Programme for Education of Girls at elementary Level (NPEGEL)

4. Mid Day Meal Scheme(MDMS)

5. Mahila Samakhya

6. Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan(RMSA)

7. Scheme for setting up of 6000 Model Schools at Block level as Benchmark of Excellence

8. Scheme for construction and running of Girl’s Hostel for Secondary and Higher Secondary

Schools

9. Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education at +2 level

10. Scheme of ICT @ School

11. Inclusive Education for the Disabled at Secondary School (IEDSS)

12. Quality Improvement in School

13. Strengthening of Teachers’ Training Institutions

14. Adult Education and Skill Development Scheme

15. Scheme for providing a Quality Education in Madarsas (SPQEM)

16. National Means cum Merit Scholarship Scheme

17. Scheme for Infrastructure Development in Minority Institutions (IDMI)

18. National Scheme for Incentive to the Girl Child for Secondary Education

19. Appointment of Language Teachers

20. Setting up of New Polytechnics and Strengthening of Existing Polytechnics

21. Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme

22. Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS)

10 Rajya Sabha Starred Question no.2886 dated 22.3.2013

6

Some of the above schemes are discussed below:

i) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Launched in 2001 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA) is

one of India’s major flagship programmes for universalisation of elementary education.

Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social

category gaps in elementary education, and achieving significant enhancement in

learning levels of children.

SSA is being implemented in partnership with the State Governments and

reaches out to 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations across the country.

SSA Goals are (a) Enrolment of all children in school, Education Guarantee Centres,

Alternative school; (b) Retention of all children till the upper primary stage; (c)

Bridging of gender and social category gaps in enrolment, retention and learning; and

(d) Ensuring that there is significant enhancement in the learning achievement levels

of children at the primary and upper primary stage.

Provisions of Right to Education Act are being implemented through SSA.

Accordingly, norms have been revised / modified to align them with the requirement of

RTE Act, 2009.

Central Government has approved an outlay of `2,31,233 crore for

implementation of the combined RTE-SSA programme for the five year period of

2010-11 to 2014-15. The annual requirement of funds for the combined RTE-SSA

programme will be approximately in the range of `40,000 to `49,000 crore both for

the Central and State Governments.

Under SSA India has not only been able to improve access to 99 per cent of

primary level but has also been able to reduce out of school children to 3-4 per cent of

the age cohort of 6-14 years. Under this programme, special focus is on girls, children

belonging to SC/ST Communities, other weaker Sections, Minorities and urban

deprived children11.

11 op.cit., Reference Annual, 2013, p. 234

7

Details of cumulative progress made under the SSA up to 2011-12 are given in

Table below12.

Cumulative Progress under SSA up to 2011-12

Sl. No. Item Sanctions

1. Opening of New Schools 2,09,914

2. Opening of New Upper Primary Schools 1,73,969

3. Construction of Primary Schools 1,92,392

4. Construction of Upper Primary Schools 1,05,562

5. Construction of Additional Classrooms 16,03,789

6. Toilets 5,83,529

7. Drinking Water facilities 2,23,086

8. Teachers 19,65,207

Source: India, Ministry of Human Resource Development

ii) Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya: KGBVs are residential upper primary

schools for girls from SC, ST, OBC and Muslim communities. KGBVs are set up in areas

of scattered habitations where schools are at great distances and are a challenge to

the security of girls. This often compels girls to discontinue their education. KGBV

addresses this through setting up residential schools, in the block itself. KGBVs

reach out to :

Adolescent girls who are unable to go to regular schools. Out of school girls in the 10+ age group who are unable to complete primary

school. Younger girls of migratory populations in difficult areas of scattered habitations

that do not qualify for primary/upper primary schools.

KGBVs provide for a minimum reservation of 75 per cent seats for girls from

SC/ST/OBC and minorities communities and 25 per cent to girls from families that live

below the poverty line. Till 2009-10 there were 2570 KGBVs in the country. After the

RTE Act came into operation, an additional 1030 KGBVs were sanctioned, taking the

total number of KGBVs in the country to 3600.

iii) National Programme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level

(NPEGEL): NPEGEL is implemented in educationally backward blocks (EBB) and

12 op.cit., Draft Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), p. 54

8

addresses the needs of girls who are ‘in’ as well as ‘out’ of school. NPEGEL also

reaches out to girls who are enrolled in school, but do not attend school regularly.

NPEGEL emphasizes the responsibility of teachers to recognize vulnerable girls

and pay special attention to bring them out of their state of vulnerability and prevent

them from dropping out.

Both NPEGEL and KGBV are expected to work in tandem to complement efforts

under SSA to ensure ‘inclusion’ of all girls and provide them ‘quality’ education. While

NPEGEL is designed to work through the day schools, KGBV establishes residential

schooling facilities for the girls in remote areas that are un-served by upper primary

schools or in areas with educational disadvantage amongst certain social groups13.

iv) Mid-Day Meal Scheme (MDMS): In keeping with the Constitutional

provisions to raise the level of nutrition of children and enable them to develop in a

healthy manner, the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education

(NP-NSPE) was launched as a Centrally sponsored scheme in 1995. Commonly referred

to as MDMS, this was expected to enhance enrolment, retention, attendance of

children in schools apart from improving their nutritional levels. This was extended to

upper primary (classes VI to VIII) children in 3,479 Economically Backwards blocks

(EBBs) in 2007 and then universalised at the elementary level in the year 2008. The

scheme is implemented through the States/UTs. MDMS is managed and implemented

by School Management/Village Education Committees, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and

Self-Help Groups. MDMS now includes madrasas and maktabs supported under the

SSA as well as children under the National Child Labour Projects. A detailed survey of

implementation of intended nutritional values including calorific value, protein

inclusion, additional nutritional supplements and vitamins, as detailed in the scheme,

needs to be carried out to ensure that the nutrition scheme is implemented in both

spirit and letter.

13 op.cit., Annual Report, 2011-12, pp. 27-28

9

MDMS is the world’s largest school meal programme and reaches an estimated 11 crore children across 12 lakh schools in India. (www.mdms.nic.in)

MDMS covered 7.18 crore primary school children and 3.36 crore upper

primary school children in 2010–11. The coverage of children in the States of Bihar (43

per cent), UP (57 per cent) and Jharkhand (58 per cent) is below the national

average of 72 per cent, whereas it is well above the national average in Chhattisgarh

(83 per cent) and Odisha (82 per cent). Based on the Annual Work Plan and

Budget of the States/UTs for the year 2012–13, the district-wise performance of the

MDMS in all the States/UTs has been analysed and the poor performing districts (144)

have been identified for focused attention. Of the poor performing districts, 17 are in

areas affected by the Left Wing Extremism (LWE); 11 in the North Eastern States

(Tripura—3, Meghalaya—4, Assam—4); 17 in tribal districts, and 13 in the hilly areas

(Uttarakhand—4, J&K—9).

Achievement of MDMS during the period 2005-06 to 2011-12

Components 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08* 2008-09* 2009-10* 2010-11* 2011-12*

Children covered (in Crore)

11.94 10.68 11.37 11.19 11.36 10.46 10.35 up to

30.09.11

Food grain

allocated (in lakh MTs)

22.51 21.60 24.79 29.30 27.71 29.40 29.09

Budget allocation (in Crore)

3345.26 5348.00 6678.00 8000.00 7359.15 9440.00 10380.00

Total Exp. (in Crore)

3186.33 5233.47 5835.44 6688.02 6937.79 9128.44 7697.24 up to

29.12.11

*Primary and Upper Primary combined

Source: Annual Report,2011-12, Department of School Education & Literacy Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, p.42

During the Twelfth Plan, MDMS will be expanded to cover pre-primary schooling in a

progressive manner, private unaided schools, particularly in the SC/ST and minority-

concentrated areas, and poor children admitted in neighbourhood private schools

against the 25 per cent earmarked seats as per provisions of the RTE Act. Partnerships

with panchayats and municipalities, as well as with other NGOs and government

agencies may be developed to ensure good-quality, nutritious and regular supply of

food to all children. Over a period of time, this will provide good longitudinal data on

the impact of MDMS. (source: op.cit, Twelfth Five-Year Plan, p. 66)

10

v) The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan: A Centrally sponsored scheme

with a funding pattern of 75:25 between Centre and States (90:10 for Special Category

and North Eastern States), was launched in 2009–10. The major objectives of the

RMSA are to (i) raise the minimum level of education to class X and universalise access

to secondary education; (ii) ensure good-quality secondary education with focus on

Science, Mathematics and English; and (iii) reduce the gender, social and regional gaps

in enrolments, dropouts and improving retention. The interventions supported under

RMSA included (i) upgrading of upper primary schools to secondary schools; (ii)

strengthening of existing secondary schools; (iii) providing additional classrooms,

science laboratories, libraries, computer rooms, art, craft and culture rooms, toilet

blocks and water facilities in schools; (iv) providing in-service training of teachers; and

(v) providing for major repairs of school buildings and residential quarters for teachers.

Despite being launched in the third year of Plan, there was good progress under the

RMSA during the Eleventh Plan (Table given below). Against a target of enrolling an

additional 3.2 million students, 2.4 million additional students were enrolled in

secondary schools during the Eleventh Plan period14.

RMSA : Achievement in the Eleventh Plan

Sl. No. Items Target Achievement

(Approved)

1. Sanction of New Schools 11,188 9,636

2. Strengthening of existing Schools 44,000 34,311

3. Additional Classrooms 88,500 49,356

4. Additional Teachers 1,79,000 59,000

5. In-Service Training for All Teachers 100 per cent 100 per cent

6. Annual Grants to Schools Full coverage 75,394

7. Minor Repair to Schools Full coverage 62,221

Source: India, Ministry of Human Resource Development

14 Ibid, pp. 70-71

11

vi) Scheme for Setting up of 6000 Model Schools at Block Level: The

Scheme envisages providing quality education to talented rural children through setting

up 6000 model schools as benchmark of excellence at block level at the rate of one

school per block. The scheme was launched in 2008-09 and is being implemented

from 2009-10. The objectives are:

To have at least one good quality senior secondary school in every block.

To have a pace setting role.

To try out innovative curriculum and pedagogy

To be a model in infrastructure, curriculum, evaluation and school governance.

The scheme has two modes of implementation, viz., (i) 3500 model schools are

to be set up in educationally backward blocks (EBBs) under State/UT Governments;

and (ii) the remaining 2500 schools are to be set up under Public-Private Partnership

(PPP) mode in the blocks which are not educationally backward. Presently, only the

component for setting up of 3500 model schools in EBBS under State/UT

Governments is operational. The component for setting up of 2500 model schools

under PPP mode will be operational in 12th Five Year Plan15.

vii) Scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary Education at +2 level:

Initiated in 1988, this centrally sponsored scheme of Vocationalisation of Secondary

Education provides for diversification of educational opportunities so as to enhance

individual employability, reduce the mismatch between demand and supply of skilled

manpower and provides an alternative for those pursuing higher education16.

viii) Scheme of ICT @ School: The Information and Communication Technology in

School Scheme was launched in December 2004 to provide opportunities to secondary

stage students to mainly build their capacity of ICT skills and make them learn through

computer aided learning process. The Scheme provides support to States/Union

15 op.cit., Annual Report, 2011-12, p. 57 16 Ibid, P. 241

12

Territories to establish enabling ICT infrastructure in Government and Government

aided secondary and higher secondary schools. It also aims to set up Smart schools in

KVs and Navodaya Vidyalayas wich are pace setting institutions of the Government of

India to act as “Technology Demonstrators” and to lead in propagating ICT skills

among students of neighbourhood schools17.

ix) Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary stage: The Scheme of

Inclusive Education for Disabled at Secondary Stage (IEDSS) has been launched from

the year 2009-10. This Scheme replaces the earlier scheme of Integrated Education

for Disabled Children (IEDC) and would provide assistance for the inclusive education

of the disabled children in classes IX-XII.

The aim of the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of IEDSS is to enable all students

with disabilities, after completing eight years of elementary schooling, to pursue

further four years of secondary schooling (classes IX to XII) in an inclusive and

enabling environment18.

x) Quality Improvement in Schools: During the 10th Five Year Plan, “Quality

Improvement in Schools” was introduced as a composite centrally sponsored scheme

having the following components:

i) National Population Education Project,

ii) Environmental Orientation to School Education,

iii) Improvement of Science Education in Schools,

iv) Introduction of Yoga in Schools, and

v) International Science Olympiads.

17 Ibid, pp. 241-42 18 op.cit., Reference Annual 2013, p. 242

13

A decision was taken to transfer four of these components to National Council of

Educational Research and Training (NCERT) w.e.f. APRIL 2006, except the component

of improvement of Science Education in school that was transferred to states19.

xi) Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs): These schools are funded by

the Government for the welfare of Scheduled Tribes. Proposals for setting of EMRS are

received from the State Government. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs administers special

area programme of grant under Art 275 (1) of the Constitution of India. Under this

programme State wise allocation to 26 States including 9 Left Wing Extremism (LWE)

States is made on the basis of percentage of Scheduled Tribes population in the State

with reference to total ST population in the Country. A part of the grant can be used

for setting up of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS). Priority for the

development schemes including setting up of EMRS is fixed and executed by the State

Government within the allocation depending on the felt need of the local area and its

people in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry in June 2010. (LS USQ

NO.2770 dated 30.3.2012)

xii) Pre-matric Scholarship Scheme: Pre-matric is the Scholarship for students

from Minorities Communities. The Scholarship at Pre-matric level will encourage

parents from minority communities to send their school going children to school,

lighten their financial burden on school education and sustain their efforts to support

their children to complete school education. The scheme will form the foundation for

their educational attainment and provide a level playing field in the competitive

employment arena. Empowerment through education, which is one of the objectives of

this scheme, has the potential to lead to upliftment of the socio economic conditions of

the minority communities. (www.minoritiesaffairs.gov.in).

19 Ibid, pp. 242-43

14

INSTITUTIONS IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

For the development of the Education Sector, the Government intervenes in

school education through various institutions which are given below:

i) Kendriya Vidayalaya Sangathan: The Scheme of Kendriya Vidayalaya

Sangathan (KVS) was approved by Government of India in November 1962 to provide

uninterrupted education to the wards of the transferable central government

employees.

The salient features of the KVs are: primarily cater to the educational needs of

the wards of transferable central government employees; all KVs are co-educational;

all KVs are affiliated to CBSE; in case of girl students, tuition fee is not charged; tuition

fee is also not charged for boys up to class VIII, the wards of KVs staff and SC/ST

students upto class XII20.

This organisation in India administering 1093 schools (including 3 schools

abroad – Kathmandu, Moscow and Tehran) as on 1.5.2013 with 11,21,012 students

as on 31.03.2013. The Kendriya Vidyalayas are placed under “specified category of

schools” under Section 2(p). Such schools are obliged to grant admission in class I to

the extent of 25 per cent of class strength to the children belonging to weaker

section and disadvantaged group in the neighborhood and provide free and

compulsory elementary education till its completion (Section 12(1)(c) of the Right of

Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 200921.

ii) Central Board of Secondary Education: Set up in 1929, the second

oldest Board of the country, Central Board of Secondary Education is an autonomous

body working under the aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. The

main objectives of the CBSE include: affiliating institutions in and outside the country,

conduct annual examinations at the end of Class X and XII, conducting entrance

examinations to professional courses for admission into medical and engineering

20 Ibid, p. 244 21 op.cit., Annual Report, 2011-12, p. 64

15

colleges, updating and designing curriculum and empowering the teachers and heads

of institutions22.

There are 11922 schools affiliated with CBSE as on 30.09.2011 which include

KVs, Government, Independent and JNV schools located in India and 24 other

countries of the world. The following examinations are conducted by the Board.

a) Senior School Certificate Examination (Class XII)

b) Secondary School Examination (Class X)

c) All India pre-Medical / pre-Dental Entrance Examination (AIPMT)

d) All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE)

e) Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET)

f) Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test

g) Students Global Aptitude Index (SGAI)

h) Optional proficiency Test23

iii) National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS): Initiated as a project in

1979 under the Central Board of Secondary Education, the Open Schooling

programmes have now taken shape as an independent system of education in India.

Re-christened as the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) in July 2002.

The Institute provides opportunities to interested learners by making available

various courses/programmes through open and distance learning mode. It offers 27

subjects at the Secondary level and 21 subjects at Senior Secondary level24.

Enrolment of students in 2011-12 in Academic was 493534 and in Vocational

26354. Courses offered are: Open Basic Education, (Courses are offered through

accredited agencies), Secondary, Senior Secondary, Open Vocational Education, Life

Enrichment Programmes.

22 op.cit., Reference Annual 2013, p. 244 23 op.cit., Annual Report, 2011-12, p. 75 24 op.cit., Reference Annual 2013, p. 244

16

Total numbers of learners certified since 1991 was 3.14 million.

NIOS provides Professional support to States to set up and develop State Open

Schools particularly with Regional Mediums25.

iv) National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT):

Established in 1961, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is

an apex resource organization of Government of India in the field of school education.

It is an autonomous organization registered under Societies Registration Act to advise

and assist the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and

Departments of Education in States/Union Territories in formulation and

implementation of their policies and major programmes in the field of education,

particularly for qualitative improvement of school education.

NCERT undertakes programmes related to research, development, training,

extension, international cooperation, publication and dissemination of educational

information. Besides, NCERT acts as major agency for implementing the bilateral

cultural exchange programmes with other countries in the field of school education.

The agency also interacts and works in collaboration with international

organizations26.

v) Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti: The National Policy on education-1986

envisaged setting up of model schools, one in each district of the country.

Accordingly, a scheme was formulated under which it was decided to set up co-

educational residential schools now called Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas. Efforts are

made to ensure that at least 33 per cent of the Students enrolled are girls27.

The opening of a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is based on the proposal from

the concerned State / UT Governments offering about 30 acres of suitable land, free of

cost. The State Government has also to provide sufficient temporary building and other

25 www.nic.ac.in 26 op.cit., Reference Annual 2013, p. 245 27 Ibid

17

infrastructures, free of rent, to accommodate 288 students and staff for three to four

years or till such time the Samiti constructs its own building at the permanent site.

As on date, out of 612 districts (excluding Tamil Nadu State), the Samiti has

sanctioned Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas for 576 districts out of which 570 are

functional. In addition, the Government of India approved opening of 20 Jawahar

Navodaya Vidyalayas in districts having large concentration of Schedule Caste /

Schedule Tribe population during 2008-09. The Samiti has sanctioned 19 Jawahar

Navodaya Vidyalayas in districts having large concentration of Schedule Caste /

Scheduled Tribe population out of which 16 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas are

functional. Thus, the total functional JNVs on 05.01.2012 are 586 JNVs (570+16)

against 595 (576+19) sanctioned28.

The Twelfth Plan will work towards shaping JNVs into pace setting schools as

smart schools, providing training of students for participation in international

assessment and allow the use of school premises for the purpose. The JNVs will also

be able to avail funding for additional sports activities from the scheme of Urban sports

infrastructure.

All facilities, provisions, and quality initiatives stipulated for JNVs hall be made

available to Eklavya and Sainik Schools, which are residential schools. The respective

Ministries would be required to provide financial resources for these initiatives29.

4. Enrolments

The country has made significant progress in improving access to education in

recent years. The mean years of schooling of the working population (those over 15

years old) increased from 4.19 years in 2000 to 5.12 years in 2010. Enrolment of

children at the primary education stage has now reached near-universal levels. The

growth of enrolment in secondary education accelerated from 4.3 per cent per year

during the 1990s to 6.27 per cent per year in the decade ending 2009–10. Youth

28 op.cit., Annual Report, 2011-12, p. 74 29 op.cit., Draft Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017), p. 81

18

literacy increased from 60 per cent in 1983 to 91 per cent in 2009–10 and adult

literacy improved from 64.8 per cent in 2001 to 74 per cent in 201130.

The GER at upper primary level is low, even though it improved by 11.8 per

cent in the four years between 2006–07 and 2009-10. At 62 per cent the NER at

upper primary level is also a cause for concern. This varies from 47 per cent in UP and

53.1 per cent in Bihar to 91 per cent in Tamil Nadu and 83 per cent in Himachal

Pradesh. It is evident that although a larger number of children are entering the

educational system, all of them are not progressing through the system and this

progression is uneven across the States.

A large number of children are still Out of School. Of the 8.1 million Out of

School Children in the country in 2009, UP (34per cent), Bihar (17 per cent), Rajasthan

(12 per cent) and West Bengal (9 per cent) account for 72 per cent. Although surveys

have reported a decline in the proportion of OoSC to the corresponding child

population of various communities such as SCs, STs and Muslims, these estimates

need to be taken with caution, keeping in mind the steep decline in absolute numbers

of OoSC reported in the corresponding period. A recent study for rural India places the

proportion of children not enrolled in schools at 3.5 per cent. However, in a few

States like Rajasthan and UP, the percentage of OoS girls in the age group of 11–14

years is as high as 8.9 per cent and 9.7 per cent, respectively31.

Gross Employment Ratio (GERs) at the secondary (Class IX–X) and senior

secondary (Class XI– XII) levels are 62.7 per cent and 35.9 per cent, respectively,

leading to a combined GER for Class IX–XII at a considerably low 49.3 per cent. The

significant dip in GERs from secondary to senior secondary level for all categories is

driven by a number of factors including general lack of access, paucity of public

schools, high cost of private senior secondary education and poor quality of education,

30 Ibid, p. 47 31 Ibid, pp. 52-53

19

along with the very important factor of high opportunity cost of deferred entry into the

workforce32.

Due to launching of various schemes / programmes by Government at school

level, The enrolment of students in schools at primary, upper primary and Secondary /

Senior Secondary / Intermediate level in all category (including SC / ST) has increased

many times from the year 1980-81 to 2009-10, and there has been reduction in drop

out and gender gap in respect of SC/ST Students as indicated below: (op.cit, Annual

Report, 2011-12, pp. 95-96)

Enrolment in School Education (all category)

32 Ibid, pp. 68-69

20

Comparison of Enrolment among SC/ST Students and other Students in School Education

5. Expenditure on School Education

Recognising the importance of education, public spending on education

increased rapidly during the Eleventh Plan period. Education expenditure as a

percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) rose from 3.3 per cent in 2004–05 to

over 4 per cent in 2011–12. Per capita public expenditure on education increased from

`888 in 2004–05 to `2,985 in 2011–12. The bulk of public spending on education is

incurred by the State Governments and their spending grew at a robust rate of 19.6

per cent per year during the Eleventh Plan. Central spending on education increased

even faster at 25 per cent per year during the same period. Aggregate public

spending on education during the Eleventh Plan period is estimated at `12,44,797

crore for both the Centre and States taken together. Of this, 35 per cent was

accounted for by Plan expenditure and 65 per cent by non-Plan expenditure. About

43 per cent of the public expenditure on education was incurred for elementary

education, 25 per cent for secondary education and the balance 32 per cent for

higher education. About half of the Central Government’s expenditure was incurred for

higher education and the remaining for elementary (39 per cent) and secondary (12

per cent) education. In the State sector, about 75 per cent of education expenditure

is for school education, of which 44 per cent is on elementary education and 30 per

cent on secondary education33.

33 Ibid, p. 47

21

Public expenditure on secondary education has increased from `35,806 crore in

2007–08 to `94,183 crore in 2011–12, leading to an increase in its share as a

percentage of GDP from 0.78 per cent to 1.05 per cent. Per capita expenditure on

secondary education has gone up from `315 to `784 during this period. The Central

Government’s expenditure has gone up from `2,578 crore in 2007–08 to `13,278 crore

in 2011–12, a five-fold increase. There is significant private expenditure as well. The

average private expenditure on secondary education in private schools is as high as

`893 per month as compared to only `275 per month in Government Schools. This

difference is primarily due to high tuition fees in private schools.

During the Eleventh Plan, the Central Plan outlay for secondary education was

`54,945 crore. Against this, an amount of `17,723 crore (or 32.26 per cent of the

outlay) was actually spent. Elaborate consultation process with stakeholders including

the State Governments preceded launch of the new schemes, resulting in sub-optimal

utilisation of planned resources in the first three years of implementation. However, in

the last two years of the Eleventh Plan period, the Ministry was fully geared to

implement schemes rapidly, but only limited resources were made available34.

The Plan allocation and expenditure of Ministry of Human Resource

Development during 2010-11 and 2011-12 and its percentage is as under:

(` in crore)

Budget Estimate / Allocation (Plan) and Expenditure(Plan)

2010-11 2011-12

Departments Allocation Expenditure Percentage Allocation Expenditure Percentage

Department of

School Education and Literacy

31036.00 34156.22 110.05 38957.00

38122.50 97.86

Department of

Higher Education

11000.00

9356.77 85.06

13103.00

12641.98 96.48

Total 2036.00 43512.99 103.51 52060.00 50764.48 97.51

Source : Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question no.2120 dated 15.3.2013

34 Ibid, p. 70

22

The allocation (Plan) for education as percentage of Gross Domestic Product

(GDP) is 0.58% and 0.62% during 2010-11 & 2011-12 respectively.

6. Achievements of Eleventh Plan in Education

There are 1,740 schools (Kendriya Vidyalayas—1,092, Jawahar Navodaya

Vidyalayas—586 and Central Tibetan Schools-62) with an enrolment of about 13

lakh students that are directly under the Central Government. These schools usually

outperform other schools both academically and otherwise and hence there is demand

for more such schools all over the country. During the Eleventh Plan, over 100 new

schools were set up. In addition, there are Sainik Schools and Eklavya Residential

Schools under Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Tribal Welfare under the Central

Government, respectively35.

7. Twelfth Five-Year Plan (2012-2017) and School Education Targets for the Twelfth Five-Year Plan:

1. Ensure universal access and, in keeping with letter and spirit of the RTE Act,

provide good-quality free and compulsory education to all children in the age

group of 6 to 14 years;

35 Ibid, p. 53

23

2. Improve attendance and reduce dropout rates at the elementary level to

below 10 per cent and lower the percentage of Out of School Children at the

elementary level to below 2 per cent for all socio-economic and minority

groups and in all States;

3. Increase enrolments at higher levels of education and raise the Gross

Enrolment Ratio (GER) at the secondary level to over 90 per cent, at the

Senior Secondary level to over 65 per cent;

4. Raise the overall literacy rate to over 80 per cent and reduce the gender gap

in literacy to less than 10 per cent;

5. Provide at least one year of well-supported/well-resourced pre-school

education in primary schools to all children, particularly those in educationally

backward blocks (EBBs); and

6. Improve learning outcomes that are measured, monitored and reported

independently at all levels of school education with a special focus on

ensuring that all children master basic reading and numeracy skills by class 2

and skills of critical thinking, expression and problem solving by class36.

8. Conclusion

Having achieved near-universal enrolment at the lower primary level, it is critical

to turn the focus on the poor levels of learning outcomes achieved by children who

complete five years of primary schooling. Several independently conducted national

studies including the Annual Status of School Education Report (2005 to 2011) and the

School Learning Study (2010) have reported very low levels of learning among Indian

school children. The ASER 2011 findings illustrate that over half the children in class V

are unable to read even at class II level. In the recent Organisation for Economic Co-

operation and Development–Programme for International Student Assessment (OECD–

PISA) study, India has been placed at the tail-end in international comparisons rating

36 Ibid, p. 51

24

(PISA-2009+). These results underscore the fact that quality of education should be

the key focus of attention in the Twelfth Plan. Improving learning outcomes, with a

focus on supplemental instruction for disadvantaged children, will directly contribute to

the objective of reducing dropouts, because evidence suggests that children who fall

behind grade-appropriate learning levels are significantly more likely to drop out. The

structure of enrolments in elementary education shows that about 80 per cent of

children are enrolled in government and government-aided institutions; therefore, the

focus on quality improvement in elementary education has to be on government

institutions37.

37 Ibid, p. 53

26