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

For the use of Members of Parliament Not for Publication

School Education in – 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.------The reference material is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication.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. This Service does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or veracity of the information or views contained in the 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 – 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.

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’.

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 , 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 ’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 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 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 11.94 10.68 11.37 11.19 11.36 10.46 10.35 (in Crore) up to 30.09.11 Food grain 22.51 21.60 24.79 29.30 27.71 29.40 29.09 allocated (in lakh MTs) Budget allocation 3345.26 5348.00 6678.00 8000.00 7359.15 9440.00 10380.00 (in Crore) Total Exp. 3186.33 5233.47 5835.44 6688.02 6937.79 9128.44 7697.24 (in Crore) 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 – , 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 (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 31036.00 34156.22 110.05 38957.00 38122.50 97.86 School Education and Literacy Department of 11000.00 9356.77 85.06 13103.00 12641.98 96.48 Higher Education 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