India's
Education
and Literacy
Each
Indian state used to be solely responsible for education, but a 1976
constitutional amendment made the government partly responsible. Instead
of just determining the standards in two areas of education, the government
became partners in responsibility with the states.
Although the structure
and design of education is still basically the responsibility of the states, the
government is responsible for the quality of the education. The
government's interests had rested mainly in secondary education, more
specifically universities and colleges, until a movement in the 1990s sought to
improve primary education and adult literacy.
Equality
in education for women is something the government has attempted to
achieve. Since independence, the literacy rate of females has jumped up
sharply from 7.2 percent in 1951 to 39.29 percent in 1991. As of 1997, the
literacy rate of females made it over the 50th percentile. The same year,
the literacy rate of males was 73 percent.
From time
immemorial, India has been a center for learning.
Thousands of years ago, great scholars used to
teach through the scriptures. A variety of
subjects such as philosophy, religion, medicine,
literature, drama and arts, astrology, mathematics
and sociology were taught and masterpieces on
these subjects have been written.
Under the
Buddhist influence, education was available to
virtually everyone who wanted it and some world
famous institutions arose out of the monasteries,
such as, Nalanda, Vikramshila and Takshashila (now
in Pakistan). Nalanda is especially noteworthy,
flourishing from 5th to 13th century AD. It had at
one time about ten thousand resident students and
teachers on its roll, which included Chinese, Sri
Lankan, Korean and other international scholars.
During the 11th
century, the Muslims established elementary and
secondary schools, "Madrassahs" or
colleges and even universities at cities like
Delhi, Lucknow and Allahabad, using Arabic mostly
as the medium of instruction.
During the
mediaeval period, there was excellent interaction
between Indian and Islamic traditions in all
fields of knowledge, like theology, religion,
philosophy, fine arts, painting, architecture,
mathematics, medicine and astronomy.
With the arrival
of the British, 'is education came into being with
the help of the European missionaries. In 1817,
Hindu College was established in Calcutta. The
Elphinstone Institution was set up in 1834 in
Bombay. In 1857 three universities were set up at
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay.
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Since then,
Western education has made steady advances in the
country. With 226 universities and thousands of
colleges affiliated to them, 428 Engineering
colleges and technological institutes, more than a
100 medical colleges, scores of agricultural
institutes and many other specialized centers of
learning and research in every subject and
discipline, India can claim its position as one of
the leading countries providing quality higher
education to its people as well as to students and
scholars coming from countries all over the world.
Indian
universities and institutes of higher education
and research today have made significant
contribution to transmission of knowledge and
enquiry into frontiers of science and technology.
In the field of traditional subjects of arts and
humanities as well as in pure sciences, applied
physics and chemistry, mathematics and in areas of
technology, the universities and higher institutes
have been playing a leading role to transform the
country into a modern industrialised,
technologically advanced state.
The ushering of
green revolution and tremendous progress in dairy
development have made India a major food-producing
country on one hand; on the other hand, its
development of space technology, production and
launching of indigenous satellites, development of
peaceful nuclear energy have brought it into the
forefront of technologically advanced nations to
which a large number of developing countries looks
for training and guidance
The Indian
universities and institutes of higher learning
have been playing their role to promote the needs
and aspirations of higher education and research
to Indian students and scholars. These centers
have been extending their cooperation and
friendship towards students of other developing
countries also, where facilities for higher
studies and research are not adequate.
Higher Education System in
India Universities and specialized institutes are
the centers for higher learning in India. The
studies and disciplines cover a wide range of
subjects from poetry to computer engineering to
space research. Most of the universities and
higher centers of learning and research are
autonomous in function. A good number of
universities have a federal structure composed of
affiliated colleges on one tier and the university
departments on the other.
The affiliated colleges teach,
in general, undergraduate courses, whereas the
university departments conduct postgraduate
teaching and advanced research. The university
decides the criteria of admission into colleges
and coordinates the first degree examination in
the undergraduate programs and award of degree.
Some other types of
universities teach both undergraduate and
postgraduate courses in general disciplines as
well as in technical and professional courses.
There are no affiliated colleges attached to them.
There is a third category of
universities and institutions where technical and
professional courses are taught at undergraduate
and postgraduate levels. Names like Indian
Institute of Technology, Birla Institute of
Technology, All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Indian Forest Research Institute, Indian
Veterinary Research Institute can be quoted. Some
institutes only offer postgraduate and research
courses such as Indian Agricultural Research
Institute and Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Research.
The distinctiveness,
flexibility and the quality of higher education in
India have been attracting more and more
international students to come to Indian
universities. In contrast to the expensive
university and higher education offered in the
USA, in the western European countries or in
Australia, higher education is still highly
subsidized in India and therefore, affordable.
Further, students from developing countries find a
greater sense of belonging and confidence-sharing
as they have many social and cultural values
common with India.
Courses and
Degrees
Undergraduate
Courses
Undergraduate courses, in general,
are of three years leading to the final
examinations. The universities and higher
institutes award Bachelor's degrees in Arts,
Science, Commerce, etc. However, undergraduate
courses leading to a first degree in professional
subjects like Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry and
Pharmacy are of a longer duration ranging from
four to five and a half years.
Postgraduate
Courses
Courses in Arts, Science and
Medicine are of two years ending with a Master's
degree. For Engineering and Technology, it is of
one and a half years. In some specialized fields
for instance, for a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed)
degree, the possession of a Bachelor's degree in
any other discipline is required before admission
can be obtained.
Some universities and higher
institutes offer a diploma or a certificate course
of shorter duration in disciplines like
Engineering, Agricultural Sciences and Computer
Technology. The duration of these courses varies
from university to university.
Eligibility
for Admission
For admission to undergraduate
courses, universities/institutes of higher
education in India require candidates to complete
12 years of schooling. They should have passed in
5 subjects in the Senior Secondary or equivalent
examination. Candidates are expected to obtain
60-70% marks in their qualifying examinations. For
admission to undergraduate technical courses,
candidates should obtain, 75-80% in their
qualifying examinations which should include the
subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics
and English. Admission requirements to
undergraduate pass courses are not very rigid. For
technical and professional courses at the
undergraduate level, however, applicants can be
admitted against nominated seats/paid seats
according to prescribed guidelines.
The universities in the country
are autonomous and are free to establish
regulations of their own, related to acceptance of
qualifications from countries other than India.
The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) has
been accepted as an accredited agency at the
national level for undertaking the assessment of
foreign academic credentials.
The following examinations have
been equated with the Senior Secondary Examination
(Class XII) in this country and is considered to
be the minimum admission requirement for the first
degree program, including professional
disciplines:
-
GCE Examination of the UK
with passes in five subjects at the ordinary
level (O level) and two subjects at the
Advanced Level (A level). For admission to
first degree professional courses, three
passes at A level in Physics, Chemistry,
Mathematics/ Biology are essential. Knowledge
of English is also compulsory for admission.
-
Baccalaureate Examination
of France.
-
International Baccalaureate
of Geneva.
-
High school graduation from
the accredited institutions of the USA.
-
Intermediate/ Senior
Secondary/ Higher Secondary/ Certificate level
Examination of the approved Board of Secondary
Education in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq,
Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and
other Gulf countries.
-
Twelve years of Secondary
stage qualifications of National Examination
Board/ Council of the Ministries of Education
of Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania.
Indian universities do not give
blanket recognition to the degree/ diploma/
certificate awarded by foreign universities or
educational boards. It is therefore, advisable to
apply for admission along with a copy of the
syllabus of the qualifying examination passed by
an international student in his home country.
International students wishing
to study at an Indian university are advised to
ascertain their eligibility from Indian diplomatic
missions or refer to the AIU publication
"Equivalence of Foreign Degrees"
available with the Indian Missions in their
country; or write to:
-
Evaluation
and Information Unit
-
Association of Indian
Universities,
-
AIU House, 16 Kotla Road,
New Delhi-110 002. INDIA.
-
Tel:
91-011-323-0059/2305/3390/3097/2429
-
Fax 91-011-3236106
The Evaluation and
Information Unit of AIU will evaluate the
academic program completed by the international
student.
Universities
and University Level Institutions in India
There are presently 226
university level institutions in India including
39 'Deemed universities.' Out of these 155 are
traditional universities, 34 Agricultural
Universities, (including Fisheries and Veterinary
sciences, Horticulture and Dairy Technology), 17
are Engineering and Technology Universities
including 6 Institutes of Technology, 14
Universities of Medical Sciences and Technology, a
National University of Law, Institute for
Population Sciences, Indian Statistical Institute,
Indian Institute of Science, 1 University for
Journalism, 1 University for Ayurveda, 5
Universities for Women's Studies, 6 Sanskrit
universities, 7 Open Universities,7 Universities
of Fine Arts and Music and 1 University of History
of Art, Conservation and Museology.
There are more than 8000
colleges affiliated to these universities and it
is estimated that nearly 5 million students are on
roll. Out of the number of colleges mentioned
above 150 offer MBBS and higher degrees in
medicine, 74 in Dentistry, 90 in Pharmacy, 62 in
Nursing, 170 in Agriculture and allied courses,
428 in Engineering, 116 in Ayurveda and 75 in
Homeopathy.
BA, BSc, BCom, BEd, LLB, MA,
MSc, MEd and other higher degrees in disciplines
of basic sciences, social sciences and humanities
including foreign languages, international
relations, social studies, education and law are
offered at most of the conventional universities
or colleges. Master's courses in business
management (MBA) and allied courses are offered at
292 colleges/ institutes including 4 Institutes of
Management, which are centers of advanced
learning.
Along with constituent colleges
of universities, a large number of research
centers of the Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research, Bhaba Atomic Research Center,
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian
Council of Medical Research, Indian Council for
Social Science Research are also affiliated to the
university system and offer research for doctoral
and postdoctoral programs. A list of universities
and university level institutions in India is
available at Annexure VII
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Medium
of Instruction
In most of the universities the
medium of instruction is English. Some
universities and colleges have switched over to
Hindi and regional languages. Postgraduate
education is conducted in English at most of the
centers. The medium of instruction is English for
scientific, technical and professional education. |
