India, with more than 1.4 million schools and more than 230 million enrolments, is home to one of the largest and complex school education systems in the world along with China.The Indian education system has made significant progress in recent years. Recognising the importance of education in national development, the Twelfth Plan (2012-2017) places an unprecedented focus on the expansion of education, on significantly improving the quality of education imparted and on ensuring that educational opportunities are available to all segments of the society.
According to the 2009 Right to Education Act, schooling is free and compulsory for all children from the ages of 6 to 14. Elementary education consists of primary (for 6-10 year olds) and upper primary levels (for 11-14 year olds) while secondary education consists of secondary (for 14-16 year olds) and higher/senior secondary levels (for 16-18 year olds).
The Indian school education system can be segmented in either of the following ways: a. by means of levels of education b. by means of ownership of educational institutions c. by means of educational board affiliations
Schools in India are owned either by the government (central/ state/ local government bodies) or by the private sector (individuals, trusts or societies). Schools can thus be segmented as:
- Segmentation by means of levels of education The Indian education system is structured as follows
- Pre-school: Education at this level is not compulsory. The Montessori system is especially popular at the pre-school level
- Private play schools: Catering for children between the ages of 18 months and three years.
- Kindergarten: This is divided into lower kindergarten (for three- to four-year-olds) and upper kindergarten (for four- to fiveyear-olds)
- Primary school: First to fifth standard/class/ grade (for six- to ten-year-olds)
- Middle school/Upper Primary school: Sixth to eighth standard/class/grade (for 11- to 14-year-olds)
- Secondary school: Ninth and tenth standard/ class/grade (for 14- to 16-year-olds)
- Higher secondary or pre-university: 11th and 12th standard/class/grade (for 16- to 18-yearolds).
- Segmentation by means of ownership of educational institutions.
- Government educational institutions: These are run by the Central Government or state governments, public sector undertaking or autonomic organisations and are wholly financed by the government. Examples of these types of schools include state government schools, KendriyaVidyalayas, Ashram schools, NavodayaVidyalayas, Sainik Schools, Military schools, Air Force schools, and Naval schools.
- Local body institutions: These are run by municipal committees/ corporations/ NAC/ ZillaParishads/ Panchayat Samitis/ Cantonment Board, etc. Examples of these types of schools include the ones run by NDMC (New Delhi Municipality Council), Delhi Cantonment Board, etc.
- Private-aided institutions: These are managed privately but receive regular maintenance grant from the government, local body or any other public authority. The rules and regulations followed here are same as that of the public schools. The curriculum, study materials, syllabus, examinations, etc. for each class of education are done according to the government rules. For the high school classes the final examinations will be same as that of the public schools. In these institutions the education would be provided for all students taking admissions there. The fee structure, PTA fund, etc will be collected from the students according to the rules formulated by the government for each school. Even the recruitment of faculties here will depend on the norms as per the government schools. There will be no specific criteria for the admission of students in these institutions.
- Private unaided institutions: These are managed by an individual or a private organisation and do not receive maintenance grant either from government, local body or any other public authority. The fee structure for the students may vary greatly from that of the government institutions. The students are admitted to these institutions according to some criteria (entrance examinations, interviews, etc.) and it is totally under the control of the private management. These schools generally create their own curriculum and organize examinations for evaluating the student competency.
- Types of Schools
- Public/government schools: Most schools in India are funded and run by the government. However, the public education system faces serious challenges including a lack of adequate infrastructure, insufficient funding, a shortage of staff and scarce facilities
- Private schools: Since many government schools do not provide adequate education, Indian parents aspire to send their children to a private school. Some expats choose to send their children to private Indian schools
- International schools: There are international schools in all major cities. They are attended by expat and Indian children
- National open schools: Provide education up to the higher secondary level for children whose schooling has been interrupted and have been unable to complete formal education
- Special-needs schools: Provide non-formal education and vocational training to children with disabilities