An Essay On Education

An Essay on Education
Retooling of Education System in

India
Definition:
Education is any act or experience that has formative effect on the mind,
character or physical ability of an individual/recipient. In technical sense,
Education is the process by which society deliberately transfers its accumulated
knowledge, skills & values from one generation to another. Etymologically, the
word Education is derived from Latin word “Educere”, which means “to bring out
or bring forth what is within”, in other words “to bring out potential”; and Latin
word “ducere”, which means “to lead”. Thus Education is about grooming up the
mind, character & physical ability of an individual and instilling him/her with
knowledge, skills & values to bring forth his/her potential to lead. The process of
education is delivered through effective utilization of Verbal, Written &
Kinaesthetic skills (now-a-days, technology is also playing an increasingly
important role) of the trainer to make effective impact of the senses of the
trainee, as a result of which the abilities of individual is enhanced.
Education can be acquired through Formal, Informal or Experiential method.

Formal Education is one, which acquired with an accomplished trainer, who
guides/leads the process of learning of the recipient. This is normally done by
placing suitably organized information & evidence for the recipient, by debating
& challenging any apprehensions or doubts, and through suitable
demonstrations & controlled experiments. Certificates, Diploma & Degrees are
conferred on the individual in the formal education system & are distinguishing
feature of this system. Informal Education is acquired through contemplation,
observation, curiosity & logical reasoning, experimentation, Real life experiences
& Self study. Experiential education is acquired as apprenticeship in a profession
or trade under a supervisor, in experience sharing sessions (formal or informal)
at work place or trade/industry seminars, by going through manuals,
communication & directives that are part & parcel of any work place or industry.
Education is categorized as Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Education. Primary

education is the one that is given up to 10-11 years of age under the formal
education. Basic Language & Mathematics skills, elementary understanding of
Natural Science & an impression of consciousness about the society around the
child through knowledge of Social Science is imparted to the child during the
Primary Education process. A child’s logical thinking ability, communication skills,
Value system, manners & curtsies, Arithmetic skills and ability to discern or
critical thinking ability are sought to be nurtured as a result of the process of
Primary Education.
1 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Amit Bhushan is a Corporate Banking professional at Delhi
Sweta Nigam is a Teacher of Science/Chemistry at Delhi
Suggestion /Feedback are welcome at amitbhushan@rediffmail.com or
shwetan1179@rediffmail.com Note: All views are personal.
Secondary Education process leads to further development of the subjects
taught in the primary education further is imparted till 17-18 years of age. Like
the Language skills are nurtured to develop more sophisticated skills in Grammar
& Comprehension along with verbal & written communication skills. The
Mathematics skills include not only arithmetic but geometry, trigonometry,
calculus, logarithms, concepts of accounting as well as some other relatively
more sophisticated concept. Science is taught to develop critical thinking ability
through systematic examination of natural phenomenon along with technological
advancements of the society with knowledge of structure & composition of
different states of matter, botany, zoology, physics and computer science among
others. Social Science education dwells in geography, political science &
awareness of Law, anthropology, economics with appreciation of various religion
& belief systems, cultures & social phenomenon like casteism, racism etc.
including history. The idea is to instil confidence in a child through realization of
his inherent abilities, equip him to nurture his abilities and aptitude further, help
him understand social, cultural, regulatory, political & legal systems of the
society with social skills like organizing in teams or groups, leading such groups,
dexterity, sportsman/competitive spirit & discipline, hygiene and sensitivity
towards & appreciation of others.
Tertiary education seeks to nurture & improve financial productivity of an

individual. Ideally no age limit should be prescribed for such education as its
demand is a by-product of self-actualization endeavour of an individual. It
prepares him to recognize his/her ‘needs & wants’ and acquire skills to further
his abilities & aptitude to meet those needs by negotiating his space in society.
Advanced knowledge of Engineering, Medicine, Science & Technology, Social
Sciences including Arts, Economics, and History etc., Language &
Communications skills or specialized knowledge of any subject helps him achieve
his space. Also included are Vocational skills, Craftsmanship, Entrepreneurship,
skills in Accounts & Trade & commerce, Technician skills in various trades &
industry and ability to render services needed by the society are all part of
Tertiary Education. Knowledge & Traits that are sought to be nurtured are
analytical ability, innovation & experimentation spirit, skills to research,
negotiation & management skills, with ability to understand behaviour of
organizations & systems in the relevant trade; various support systems, local &
global regulations guiding the development of the trade/industry; knowledge of
various players & competitive postures in the trade/industry; demands of the
society & ethical issues associate with the trade/industry; technological
developments & challenges in the industry etc. The idea of Tertiary Education is
to convert a human being into a professional (ranging from skilled worker to
scientist/researcher).

In summary, aim of education is to develop new frontiers of the subject or to
extend the boundaries of the subject further to support human pursuits in that
direction. It arms an individual to the well being of self as well as that of the
society. Improvement of Financial productivity, moral, ethical & spiritual values &
systems and bankable skills are some of the results of education. Apart, the
rulers/governments also try to push in development of nationalistic spirit, respect
for their leaders, ideals & philosophy, respect & understanding for “National
History (or Nationalistic view of History)”, “Laws, Political & Governing
Architecture”, “National Policies, Values and Symbols” among other items to
further “National interest or governance agenda”. Education needs to sustain the
Interest of the recipient, help equip him to develop his Aptitude & Skills, give
guidance about how Approach the subject & pursue Self Interest & Goals for
further advancement, challenge his mental & physical faculties to further
Research the subject to deduce new knowledge or understanding and bring
forth creative solutions to solve needs of the society.

Meaning/Definitions of word marked in Bold:
1) Interest: Getting engaged to or with; Get excited or passionate about a

person, object, or phenomenon.
2) Aptitude: A natural or acquired disposition or capacity for a particular
purpose; A tendency to a particular action or effect.
3) Skill: Knowledge of Principles & Techniques with sufficient ability to judge
suitability of a particular technique in a giver situation or circumstance
with power to adapt.
4) Approach: Ability to identify & access an opportunity; To draw or push self
to a desired situation from any given point. Approach pre-supposes
knowledge & understanding of the given situation, regulatory &
competitive environment, knowledge of support systems, ethical
dilemmas & behaviour of various interest groups as well as prevalent
incentive systems and motivation amongst various players etc.
5) Research: Systematic investigation to establish facts; A detailed study of
the subject especially in order to discover new information or to reach a
new understanding; Gathering & analyzing a body of information or data
and extracting new meaning from it or developing a unique solution to
problem or cases.
Scope:
India’s labour force has reached 425 million in 2010 and will continue to expand
over the next two decades. Some projections suggest that the labour force
increase will amount to 7.0-8.5 million a year. Though going by the population
growth numbers of 20 years previous, we shall arrive at some 15 million new
labour forces joining the labour market.
India has started to clock 8-9 % GDP growth (2004-08), however growth of
employment has been only around 1-2 per cent. Many large enterprises have
been shedding labour while the capacity of agriculture to absorb workers is
minimal. It is only in boom years of 2007 & 08 only, that we probably added
enough jobs for all new people joining the labour market. However, much of

these jobs were in unorganized sector. Then we also have around 65-85 million
persons without jobs. In addition, a significant number of people are
underemployed. The unemployment rates among youth are higher, reaching in
certain states, as much as 35 per cent against the national average of 13 per
cent. There is an urgent need to generate around 15-25 million of new jobs each
year i.e. just to stop the problem from attaining crisis levels & lead to social
explosion.
Thus it is important for Policy makers, to not only liberalize new business/
industry sectors, so that they start throwing up new employment opportunities,
but they also need to ensure that our youths have the requisite skills to sustain
themselves productively in the cut-throat business environment. Thus there is an
urgent need to relook at the Education & Skills development system in India to
ensure that our children receive proper Training to be able to negotiate with the
demands of the changing time.
India has about 550 million people under the age of 25 years. The Gross
Enrollment Ratio is 96% at the primary level; however Dropout rate is approx.
32% at Primary level while it is 63% at the Secondary level. Only 11% of the
population is receives any kind of Tertiary Education (in a Government
recognized institutions) compared to the world average of 23%. India spends
approx. 3-4% of its GDP on Education which is a bit lower than some of the
developed & developing countries where the expenditure is about 6-8%. Given
the higher proportion of youths is India, the expenditure on Education & Training
may be raised to a higher level; up to 8-10% so as to meet the training needs of
the young population. It should also be noted that percentage of Private
expenditure on Education is rising. It was about 15-25% in the decade of 70s,
reached about 30-35% in the 90s & is currently almost neck-to-neck (45-50%)
with the Public/Govt. expenditure. Looking at the rising trend, further rise in
(disposable) income level of the population, precarious state of Public/Govt.
finances and favourable disposition of the attitude of the population, it can be
concluded that privately funded education can be one of the big growth area in
the overall economy. The sheer numbers of people in need to improve their skills
with large number of people getting added up every year, points to the potential
opportunity in the sector. Development of this sector has potential to not only
employ a large number of people within itself (since education is employment
intensive) but it also has potential to raise productivity across almost all other
sectors of the economy (though exact contribution cannot be easily measured)
and improve the quality of life through improved services. Healthcare, Tourism,
Financial Services, Construction & Real estate, Retail & Wholesale Trading,
Agriculture & Food Supplies, Animal Husbandry, Forestry, Logistics, House
Keeping & Décor, Craftsmanship etc. are among some of the industries where
productivity can go up several times with availability of suitably trained
manpower without drawing much from other factors of production. And off
course, almost all other industries can also do with well trained or better trained
manpower as well.
So far, Education sector has been a classic case of neglect. It is a sector which
has been a mess due to over regulation & resultant undersupply or sub-standard
supply. Though, to be fair, Education sector has also seen some innovative
corporate action with reasonable success. To begin the story here, it may be

pointed that the Indian state makes it incumbent upon its government to offer
basic education to all its children below fourteen years of age. Responsibility of
education is shared jointly between the state & central government. Lack of
resources has been the explanation for the limited capacity of the government to
deliver. The government created various types of institutions to deliver
education & results have been a mixed bag; with some excellent institutions with
world class delivery (in terms of quality of students produced) while some where
student’s time and Government’s resources are squandered with impunity. There
also exists a robust private sector whose presence has largely been welcomed
only by the richer sections of society. The poorer classes have not been able to
afford the services of these private schools/institutions and therefore scoff at the
sector. The government sector suffers from the apathy, neglect, corruption &
unprofessional conduct of the large government bureaucracy and is in state of
morass. Government has regulations pertaining constitution of organization for
education in the private sector, regarding syllabi of what should be taught,
regulates infrastructure requirements, has rights to inspect teaching, advises the
kind of pay to be given to teaching staff and also conducts examination of
students at certain level at Secondary Education level(X & XII). It’s a classic case
where an agency that fails to discharge its responsibility decides to play
regulator and ensures that everyone else are playing under the same
circumstances that results in cumulative failure of all. Naturally, the private
sector remains harassed with the overarching government intervention.
The education system in a state of moribund neglect till a few years ago, until
the need for large number of trained people, by a single industry brought about
a mindset change in the segment. Basically, it was India’s famed Information
Technology industry which needed a vast army of trained code writers as well
people who can run and work through the solutions offered by the industry. This
required a large army of people which India’s state run higher education system
was in no way equipped to provide. It didn’t have the resources or the
willingness to invest in these resources either. It was then that some of the
entrepreneurs rose up to the challenge. This led to start of “Vocational Training”
institute in computers which facilitated people into jobs that they otherwise
would not have been capable to deliver. The training models were not
recognized by the Government (as a “Vocational Training Certification”)
however, since the model was successful, it received wide spread support from
the industry & students. These private institutions managed to avoid the ‘Red
Tape’ of Indian bureaucracy by partnering industry & students while
avoiding/ignoring Government mandated prescription for the vocational training
sector. The ruling classes sensed the mood of the people and decided not to
mess up with the emerging training institution till corrupt practices started
gaining ground in the sector. During the middle of its Lifecycle, this model
started offering more complex variety of education and also started receiving
accolades from the industry for their training. As corruption & deceit started
rearing their head, the government had to intervene, however not before
liberalization of Higher education system via All India council of Technical
Education route whereby the Private institutions certification got Government
recognition & they were given a route to enter the system of Education in a
regulated manner to impart Degree & Diplomas. The case/experience is shared
to show the possibilities/opportunities & challenges in the Education & Training
sector in India. Presently, though only open for the non-profit segment, Indian

Education sector allows for non-government segment freedom to operate at all
levels from Kindergarten to Schooling to Industrial training Centers, Polytechnics,
Degree Colleges & Universities.
Despite phenomenal capabilities, India is seriously handicapped with a very
weak and narrow Knowledge base. With 12.3% gross enrolment ratio in
Tertiary Education, as compared to 21% in China, 54.6% in developed
countries and the world average of 23.2%. There is need to convert the huge
manpower into a potent & productive human resource by expanding
opportunities for youngsters. We need to develop a massive scale in Education
sector in diverse fields such as science, technology, engineering, architecture,
management etc. to reap the demographic dividends. This is possible only if we
seriously undertake rapid reforms in the higher and technical education sector.
Given the size of the market and ability to become a Global low cost destination
for education (with English as mode of Teaching); the sector offers significant
opportunities to grow several times its current size in coming few years.
History
Education in Ancient India
India has a long history of organized education. The Gurukul system of education
is one of the oldest on earth but before that the guru shishya system was extant,
in which students were taught orally and the data would be passed from one
generation to the next. Gurukuls were traditional Hindu residential schools of
learning; typically the teacher's house or a monastery. The Vedas, Puranas,
Ayurveda,Yoga, Kautilya's Arthasahtra are only some of the milestones that the
traditional Indian knowledge system boasts of. Education under the system was
free (and often limited to the higher castes), but students from well-to-do
families paid Gurudakshina, a voluntary contribution after the completion of their
studies. At the Gurukuls, the teacher imparted knowledge of Religion, Scriptures,
Philosophy, Literature, Warfare, Statecraft, Mathematics, Medicine, Astrology and
"History" ("Itihaas"). Only students belonging to Brahmin and Kshatriya
communities were taught in these Gurukuls. However, the advent of Buddhism
and Jainism brought fundamental changes in access to education with their
democratic character. The first millennium and the few centuries preceding it
saw the flourishing of higher education at Nalanda, Takshashila University,
Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities. Art, Architecture, Painting, Logic, mathematics,
Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy, Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra
(Economics & Politics), Law, and Medicine were among the subjects taught and
each university specialized in a particular field of study. Takshila specialized in
the study of medicine, while Ujjain laid emphasis on astronomy. Nalanda, being
the biggest centre, handled all branches of knowledge, and housed up to 10,000
students at its peak. British records show that education was widespread in the
18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions
of the country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing, Arithmetic,
Theology, Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and Religion.
The ancient system of learning didn’t follow any prescribed curriculum, thus

allowed the students with freedom to pursue subjects of his interest &
aptitude. Rigorous training under supervision of an expert Guru led to nurturing
of skilled craftsman. The limitations imposed on social mobility due to rigid
caste system, however draconian it may sound, but allowed for or even nurtured
experimentation & research in the avocation, while at the same time helped
in formulation of “approach” where the community imparted training is
incentive system in the society/industry, in understanding of interest &
motivation of various players, in managing overall risks. One probable outcome
of the system was that the Ancient India was one of the foremost civilizations
with its Craft in demand far & wide. Its Architecture, Legal, Political & Socio-
cultural system was revered in other civilizations like Mesopotamia, Chinese &
Egyptian Civilization.
But scholars have questioned & challenged the proponent of the above theory on
following grounds. The village pathshalas were often housed in shabby dwellings
and taught by ill-qualified teachers. Instruction was limited mainly to the three
Rs(Rote, Religion, Rituals) and the native mahajani /zamindari accounts. Printed
books were not used, and most writing was done on palm leaf, plantain leaf, or
on sand. There was no fixed class routine, timetable, or school calendar. There
was no annual examination, pupils being promoted whenever the guru was
satisfied of the scholar's attainments. There were no desks, benches,
blackboards, or fixed seating arrangements. The Ancient Education system has
further been criticized as elitist system tailored to the needs of Brahmin boys
who were taught to Read & Write by a Brahmin teacher. The entire social &
educational system was designed to catapult Brahmins to the pinnacle of the
system and ensure their dominance. Thus system was failed to deliver upon one
of the main delivery requirements of Education system i.e. identifying natural
aptitude of the student & honing them into marketable skills & matured intellect.
An effective system should result in social mobility (since students are free to
pursue their interests) which the ancient system failed to provide.
During the period of invasion, the systems were disrupted. Advent of new
religions, such as Buddhism, Jainism etc. led to further alienation of the lower
strata from the ancient Social & Educational system. The Brahmins lost their
status & position at the pinnacle of the society as well as the incentives that
accrued to them. The development of Mathematics, Science, Arthashastra,
Literature etc. which were pursued by Brahmins suffered as a result and India
ceded its status of the foremost nation in the comity of nations. By the time
Mughals invaded & took over India, the Education system had declined fairly
from its past glorious phase. Idian had no knowledge of the latest techniques in
warfare like usage of Gun-Powder & usage of Guns (Topkhana). Over a long
period there was no university system existing in the country or organised
education system, for that matter. The University system regenerated only when
the British restarted the system of Education which is prevalent today as modern
Education system.
Even though India’s Ancient Education system “ Guru-Shishya Parampara” has

declined but it can still be seen in action in certain sectors. It dominates
segments like Spiritual Education, Yoga/Physical & Mental training & Relaxation,
Traditional Song (Sangeet), Music (Instruments training) & Dance (Nritya)
education, In the traditional Song, Music & Dance space, though India’s formal

education sector has tried to make deep in-roads (we have University awarding
degrees & even Doctorate research, however People have continued to prefer
“Guru-Shishya model” where one teacher continues to work diligently over the
student throughout his/her Education period & imparts him with skills, with
information on how to approach the art to develop further & identify
opportunities in the life. We also have the system of “Ustad” in various trades
like Auto Mechanic, barber, Tailoring, Metal work etc. who recruit young pupils to
train them for these ‘Life” skills. The poor in Rural as well as Urban areas prefer
their children to be trained by these “Ustad” over the Formal Education system
primarily because of ‘costs’ but also because they see little value in the formal
system to be able to impart ‘Life’ or Earning skills. The elite in India scoff at the
system as they see it as ‘Exploitation” of the child who is made to work on the
‘Shop floor’ during the process. The system though struggling with the ‘jeers’
that the Teachers and elite throw at it (inspite of the fact that formal education
has no solution for the students of this segment), however ‘Ustad’ system has
now also got to deal with ‘Free Mid-day Meal’ scheme of the Government of India
for the Primary Education sector which is able to wean away the student due to
the ‘incentive’ of Meal. However, it has survived and continues to “Skill” India
with its offering (Ills of the system notwithstanding). Careful thought must go to
about this segment before deciding about Reforms. We may want to develop a
strategy to reform this piece of reform the informal education system to rid it of
its ills, rather than reform the Education system to rid it from the “Guru-shishya
or Ustad” system.
Education in British India
British records show that indigenous education was still widespread in the 18th
century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions of the
country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Theology,
Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and Religion. The schools
were attended by students that represented all classes of society. Pre-British
educational institutions were maintained by grants of revenue-free land by the
state/ruling class. The East India Company, with its policy of maximizing land
revenue, stopped this and thus starved the Indian education system of its
financial resources which led to further De-generation of the Ancient Education
system. When Royal British Government took governance of India from East
India Company, it de-recognized the old system and stopped any incentives for
them or for the students who turned out through the old system. So the decline
which had probably started in the mid- 1700s & continued since then brought
about almost total annihilation is early 1800s. By the 1820s neither the village
schools nor the tols or madrasas were the vital centres of learning. Thus Ancient
Education system had failed to survive this body blow. Gandhi is said to have
described the traditional educational system as a beautiful tree that was
destroyed during British rule.
The newer era of higher education started with the British initiative in the 19th
century. Lord Macaulay (1835) through the Macaulay minutes stressed upon the
closure of institutions of oriental learning (though the British didn’t shut down
Indian institutions enmasse but they did nothing to prevent them from
degeneration which ultimately led to their extinction) and then a few colleges at

different places were established by the British regime. In July 1854, Woods
Despatch had proposed establishment of universities in India. Accordingly,
Calcutta, Bombay and Madras Universities were established in the year 1857
which are felicitating their 150th year. Some of the renowned Educational
institutes like St. Xavier's College, Sydenham College, Wilson College and
Elphinstone College have been established by the British in India. Quite a few
well meaning Indian intellectuals had supported the British Education system
which the regarded as more open & allowed for social mobility. Prominent
among them was Raja Rammohan Roy, who wrote to the governor-general, Lord
Amherst, requesting that he not spend government funds on starting a Sanskrit
College in Calcutta but rather employ "European Gentlemen of talent and
education to instruct the natives of India in Mathematics, Natural Philosophy,
Chemistry, Anatomy and other useful sciences.
Detractors of British Education system argue that it was "To consolidate their
hold on India, the British set upon establishing an intermediary race of Indians,
whom they could entrust with their work at the middle level echelons and who
could one day be convenient instruments to rule by proxy, or semi-proxy. They
see British Education as tool to shape these British clones. They demonize
Macaulay as someone who had very little regard for Hindu culture and education:
Mr. Macaulay is portrayed in poor light quoting epithets such as “Hindus have a
literature of small intrinsic value, hardly reconcilable with morality and full of
monstrous superstitions." credited to him.
Some reforms & development efforts were also witnessed in the Education sector
in British India. In 1882 the first Indian Education Commission under the
Chairmanship of W W Hunter was established. The report dealt with indigenous
education, primary education, secondary education and university education. In
1913 the Education Policy was developed by the then British Government, which
proposed establishment of new universities within each province. Accordingly,
the Central Hindu College was converted to Banaras Hindu University in 1916
and Mohammedan Anglo Oriental College into Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.
Universities were also stared at Mysore, Hyderabad and Patna. India’s first
Medical College came up in Calicut in 1942-43. This was in response to shortage
of Doctors during the second World War for the British Soldiers. The Sergent
Report of 1944 was an effort to develop a national system of education in India,
which suggested formation of University Grants Commission.
Although in theory, British Education system was liberal, allowed for equal
opportunities to everyone armed with a Degree & skills in English language.
However, in practice the way the applied the policy, the elitist tendencies were
reinforced. Firstly, the Education system or Higher Education required a stay in
Hostels as prominent colleges were available in few cities. Besides, there were a
host of other expenses like Tutorials, Books etc. which the poor couldn’t afford.
The British were also keen to preserve the position of the privileged to enlist
their support for the British rule and thus did little to upset them. The elite then
helped British fasten their grip on India.
Also, the system relied on imported books, text & tutors. These had no relevance
to local situations in India and failed to provide any ready reference point to the
students except in some fields like some topics of the Natural sciences,

Mathematics etc. Secondly, the system put special emphasis of examination
(especially written examination) as a tool to judge merit of the student. Third,
the system offered little choice to students in terms of selection subjects of their
aptitude. Lastly, the Score in the examination was almost the sole criterion for
selection of a candidate for job (along with knowledge of English). Thus, it
started the great Indian race to cram subjects to score well during examination.
The interest & aptitude of the students stifled in the system. Also, the British
Administrative system was still developing during that period. So little
information was available to teachers to impart knowledge & share information
about the opportunity structure or merits or demerits of the Policy & procedures.
Thus students generally lacked information on how to approach the subject to
pursue their goals or to enhance their skills further. There is little evidence of
indigenous research facilities as British were keen to push their industrial wares
in India & thus were more interested to stifle Indian innovation rather than
promoting it.
Even with all its several flaws of the Education System prevalent today in India is
that, it is an extension of the Old British Raj Education system with very little
reform ushered into the same. Post Independence, we started taking decisions
locally. However, our Administrators as well as most Strategic observers had
little faith on our culturally diverse society to be able to stick together. So, they
kept the decision making process mostly under wraps away from public gaze.
Thus Education system could not benefit from observation of the decision
making & its implementation process. Neither was debate on Governance, policy
& procedures brought forth in public domain. While relatively more promotion
was given to promote India’s indigenous Values system & highlight its Rich
history & common heritage, little information was provided on how it interacts
with global schemes of things, how policies and procedures are being evolved &
discuss suitability of those decisions for our toiling masses. Students who pass
out have little idea over the direction that they should adopt to reach their
Goals, the behaviour, tendencies, requirements of organizations in their field of
avocation; the policies & regulatory structures as well as global & competitive
structures shaping the industry; challenges, incentives & motivation of various
players in the industry etc. From the British period, students went abroad
(generally to UK, which was the centre of the World, then) to acquire (higher)
Education since that provided them with greater sense of liberation by helping
them to see ready reference points & policy making in action. The glimpses of
this Education bias can be seen in India’s Freedom struggle itself where those
educated in Britain dominated the scene & commanded India post liberation,
while those who educated in India are just small blips in the History of our
Freedom struggle. The bias in favour of foreign education continues till date even
as “Young India” cries for Sweeping reforms to overhaul of the Education system.
However, to be fair to British Education system, it did help inculcate the sense of
Rule of Law, Equality before Law, Freedom of Speech, Freedom to pursue one’s
religion & Belief system etc. among Indians. Engineers trained by the system
helped build several Bridges, Dams, Roads, Railways & Maritime transportation.
It helped create a single administrative unit for the whole of India, which
constituted of several Princely states, and our ‘Babus’, which are product of the
same Education system are still able to hold the country together in more or less
the same way, British handed it over to them. The thriving Electoral Democracy,

Free Press, Independent Judiciary, a Professional Army among several institutions
acclaimed for their excellence are all managed by products of the same
Education System. Guess, it shall be wiser to instead dwell of the future course
for Education System in India; to focus on strategies to groom intellect for the
future rather than debate the past.
Education in Modern India
Education in Independent India
During the post independence period, the First Education Commission was
constituted in 1948 on university education. The Commission was chaired by Dr
S Radhakrishnan and also known as the Radhakrishnan Commission. This
Commission stressed on autonomous status of universities. The Commission
pointed out ‘democracy depends for its very life on high standard of general,
vocational and professional education’. The dissemination of learning, incessant
search for new knowledge, unceasing effort to plumb the meaning of life
provision for professional education to satisfy occupational needs of our society
are the vital tasks of higher education”.
As an outcome of these recommendations, the University Grants Commission

was established in 1956 (Recommendation for setting UGC was received in 1942
as well). In July 1964 Second Education Commission known as the Kothari
Commission was appointed to establish well designed, balanced, integrated and
adequate system of national education capable of making the powerful

contribution to national life. The Commission emphasized on expansion of higher
education, enhancing quality of higher education and research; and use of
dynamic techniques for management and organization. In 1968, the National
Policy on Education was adopted based on the recommendations of the Kothari
Commission, which led to the considerable expansion of education facilities all
over the country. In rural habitations, schooling facilities were recommended to
be developed within a radius of one kilometre but these did not get translated
into detailed structure of implementation.
Allocation of responsibility for various subjects to different tier of government is

ultimately laid down in the Constitution. From 1950, when the Constitution came
into force, till 1976, Education was essentially a State subject, with role of
Central Government being limited to
• Running Central Universities , Central institutions of training and research,

and institutions of national importance, and
• Coordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher,
scientific and technical education and research.
The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, shifted Education, in general,

from the “State List” to the “Concurrent List”, thus giving both Central and State
Governments jurisdiction over it, concurrently. The concept of concurrency was
fleshed out in para 3.13 (“A Meaningful Partnership”) of the National Policy on
Education, 1986, which reads as follows:-
3.13 The Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which includes Education in the

Concurrent List, was a far-reaching step whose implications--substantive,
financial and administrative--require a new sharing of responsibility between
the Union Government and the States in respect of this vital area of national
life. While the role and responsibility of the States in regard to education will
remain essentially unchanged, the Union Government would accept a larger
responsibility to reinforce the national and integrative character of education,
to maintain quality and standards (including those of the teaching profession at
all levels), to study and monitor the educational requirements of the country as
a whole in regard to manpower for development, to cater to the needs of
research and advanced study, to look after the international aspects of
education, culture and Human Resource Development and, in general, to
promote excellence at all levels of the educational pyramid throughout the
country. Concurrency signifies a partnership, which is at once meaningful and
challenging; the National Policy will be oriented towards giving effect to it in
letter and spirit.
By the 72nd and 73rd Amendments to the Constitution, bodies of local self-
government – Panchayati Raj bodies for rural and Municipal bodies for urban
areas, respectively – were accorded Constitutional status, in 1993. Assignment
of functions to these bodies is to be determined by laws enacted by individual
State legislatures. However, the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules of the
Constitution provide illustrative lists of items which may, by law, be devolved on
these local bodies. The Eleventh Schedule lists Education up to the Secondary
level, Vocational Education, and Adult and Non-Formal Education, among others,

for devolution to Panchayati Raj bodies. Let’s discuss governing system for
Education in India.
The Constitution
The Constitution of India is the ultimate document which guides State
policy in all sectors, including Education. Details of provisions contained in the
Constitution, which have a bearing on Education, have been listed on this website
under the caption “Constitutional Provisions”. Their more important features are:
Provision of free and compulsory education to all children upto the age of
fourteen years
Education, in general, is the concurrent responsibility of the Union and the

States.
However, (a) coordination and determination of standards in higher and technical

education, and (b) institutions declared by Parliament by law to be institutions of
national importance, are the responsibility of the Union .
Local authorities (Panchayats and Municipalities) are to be assigned a

suitable role in education (especially School, Adult and Non-Formal
Education) through individual State legislations.
State Governments and Local Authorities are expected to provide facilities

for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education
Important Legislations
Next to the Constitution, State Policy is articulated through
legislations. Some of the important Central legislations having a bearing on the
subjects allotted to the Department of Higher Education are:
The University Grants Commission Act, 1956
The All India Council for Technical Education Act, 1987
The National Council for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004
The Copyright Act, 1957
The Apprentices Act, 1961
National Policies on Education

There have so far been mainly two comprehensive statements of the National
Policy on Education, viz. those of 1968 and 1986. The former contained
decisions of the Central Government on the recommendations of the National
Commission on Education, 1964-66. The latter was a result of the renewed
priority assigned to Education by the government of the Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi,
who was Prime Minister during 1984-89. The 1986 policy was reviewed by a
Committee constituted in 1990 under the chairmanship of Acharya Ramamurti.
On the basis of the recommendations of this Committee, certain provisions of the
1986 policy were modified in 1992. Thus, in all, the following three
comprehensive national policy statements exist on Education:
• National Policy on Education, 1968

• National Policy on Education, 1986
• National Policy on Education, 1986, as modified in 1992
In keeping with its billion-plus population and high proportion of the young, India
has a large formal Education System. Its target group (children and young
persons in the 6-24 years age group) numbered around 410 million in 2005, or
about 38% of the country's population. With this background of different
Commissions and National Policies, it would be worth glancing through post
independence progress in expansion of education and its quality in the country.
Also it would be worth identifying the gaps so that remedies could be worked out
for further improvement
Following are some indicators of the size of India's Education System (figures
pertain to 2005-06, unless otherwise stated):
Target Population 410 million

(6-24 years age group)
(Estimate for 2005)
Total Enrolments 237 million

in all Educational Institutions
(School to University)
Number of Educational
Institutions
Schools 1.29 million
Colleges (2005-06) 20,769
Universities 350
(as on 31.03.07) (236 Universities
+ 101 Deemed Universities
+13 Institutions of National
Importance)

Number of Teachers 6.5 million
(The above figures of enrolment, etc. do not include the non-formal system which
aims to educate adult illiterates, above the age of 15 years.)
Education in Post-Independence India: Some Milestones
1947 India achieves Independence
1948-49 University Education Commission constituted; gives Report
1950 India becomes a Republic. Free and compulsory education

enshrined as one of the Directive Principles of State Policy in the
new Constitution
1951 • Decennial Census yields a Literacy Rate (5+) of 18.3% (overall),

8.9% (female)
• First Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) established at

Kharagpur
1952-53 Secondary Education Commission constituted; gives Report
1956 • University Grants Commission (UGC) established by Act of

Parliament
• Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act passed by

Parliament
• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru delivers the first convocation

address at the first IIT (Kharagpur)
1958 Second IIT established at Mumbai
1959 Third and Fourth IITs established at Kanpur and Chennai,

respectively
1961 • NCERT established
• Institutes of Technology Act passed by Parliament to provide

a common legal framework for all IITs

• First two Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) set up at
Ahmedabad and Kolkata
1963 Fifth IIT established at Delhi
1964-66 Education Commission constituted; gives Report
1968 First National Policy on Education (NPE) adopted, in the light of the
recommendations of the Education Commission
1963 Third IIM established at Banglore
1975 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme launched
to provide for holistic development of children up to the age of six
years
1976 Constitution amended to change “Education” from being a “State”

subject to a “Concurrent” one
1984 Fourth IIM established at Lucknow
1985 Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) established by

an Act of Parliament
1986 New National Policy on Education (NPE) adopted
1987-88 • Many large centrally-assisted schemes like “Operation

Blackboard”, “Educational Technology”,
“Vocationalisation of Secondary Education”, etc., launched
in pursuance of NPE, 1986
• All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) vested

with statutory status by an Act of Parliament
• National Literacy Mission launched
1992 NPE, 1986, revised, based on a review by the Acharya Ramamurti

Committee
1993 National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) vested with

statutory status by an Act of Parliament

1994 • District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) launched
to universalize primary education in selected districts
• National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)
established by UGC (with headquarters at Bangalore ) to assess
and accredit institutions of higher education
• National Board of Accreditation (NAB) established by
AICTE to periodically evaluate technical institutions and
programmes
• Sixth IIT established at Guwahati
1995 Centrally-assisted Mid-Day Meal scheme launched in government and
semi-government primary schools all over the country, with central
assistance by way of free foodgrains
1996 Fifth IIM established at Kozhikode
1998 Sixth IIM established at Indore
2001 • Decennial Census yields Literacy rate (7+) of 65.4% (overall),
53.7% (female)
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) launched to universalize
elementary education of good quality all over the country
• University of Roorkee converted into (the seventh) IIT
2002 Constitution amended to make Free and Compulsory Education, a
Fundamental Right (yet to be brought into force)
2003 17 Regional Colleges of Engineering converted into National

Institutes of Technology, fully funded by the Central Government
2004 • Education Cess levied for raising additional finance needed

to fulfill Government’s commitment to universalize quality basic
education
• Mid-Day Meal scheme revised to provide central assistance
to meet cooking cost as well
• EDUSAT, a satellite dedicated to education, launched
2005 National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions established
by Act of Parliament
2006 Two Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research (IISERs)
established at Kolkata and Pune, respectively
2007 • Seventh Indian Institute of Management established at Shillong

• One Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER)
established at Mohali
• The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) brought under a

common statutory framework by establishing NIT Act.
• Rashtriya Sanskrit Parishad Constituted
• The Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Admission)

Ac Notified.
Important Achievements
Quantitative Expansion
The following comparative figures show the remarkable growth of Indian Education
since India became a republic in 1950:
Figure in 2005-
06
Figure in
S. No Item (Unless
1950-51
otherwise
stated)
1 Literacy Rate 18.3% 64.8% (2001)
2 Female Literacy Rate 8.9% 53.7%
3 Schools 0.23 million 1.28 million
4 General Colleges 370 11698
5 Professional Colleges 208 7797
6 Universities 27 350
7 Gross Enrolment Ratio in Elementary 32.1% 94.85%
Education
8 Gender Parity Index at Elementary 0.38 0.92
level
9 Public Expenditure on Education as % 1.5% 3.46%
of GDP
* Source of above information: nicnet.

Structure of Education System in India
Structure of Formal Education System in India on its surface is almost congruent

to Education system in most other developed & developing countries in the
World. A simplistic diagram of the model is shared below.
Doctoral Program Scientists

/Research
Scholars
Masters Program Specialists
Engg./Med. Prof. Engineers/Tech

University
Course Graduate nologist/Profess
Graduate
ionals
Technician
Senior Polytechnic 3
Yr. Diploma
Secondary ITI 1-2 Yr. Apprenticeship 2- Skilled
Craftsmen DGET 4 Yr. Certificate
Certificate Craftsmen
Secondary Vocational
Secondary
Elementary Workers
with-out any
specific skills
The vision of any educational system is to make youth self reliant, self-confident
to achieve the goals. Modern education in India is often criticized for being based
on rote learning (The same being extension of the system as nurtured by the
British) & thus fails to meet this goal. Emphasis is laid on passing examinations
with high percentage. Very few institutes give importance to nurturing interests
& help in identifying aptitude of the students. The ability to develop those
aptitudes to bankable & marketable skills is rudimentary, at best. Failure to
focus on Personality development and creativity & research aptitude
among students is appalling. Negligible guidance & counselling is provided to
help student walk through the maze of education & training institute to reach
his/her destination of opportunity or fixing a stable approach in profession.
The measurements of success of education system are:
1. Students who pass out have advanced skills (which are marketable &
bankable) and have the spirit to innovate to solve requirements of the
society.
2. They have courage for Research, Enterprise, Organisation ability,
Competitive/Sportsman like aptitude, Character and Leadership.
3. They posses Intellectual curiosity & analytical skills to observe natural,
social, cultural phenomenon to deduce new & relevant information to
meet/solve industry requirements.
4. They have superior understanding of Local (Municipal & state regulations),
National and International regulations & standards that govern their
trade/industry with understanding of how different players interact &
negotiate.
5. Ability to decipher behaviour traits incentive & motivation of various
players & how change in the system impacts various players.
6. Physical & Mental fitness, superior communications & negotiation skills &
other requisite soft skills.
7. Overall ability of the student to make a positive impact to the society or
the people around him/her.
The present system is not yet fully catering to the needs of the youth due to
various inherent & historical problems, political and financial constraints. In the
context of globalization, educational system should make suitable changes which
will enable the students to find/create their own place in future. The system is
much centralized, so that the creativity of young minds is stifled. The problems
in the Education system are basically the same that afflicts any other
Department of Government of India. A chunk of people with vested interest,
political consideration, self aggrandizement and corruption manage to push
themselves into occupying important Administrative positions. This is routine
because present Political masters, just like British, want to run their own agenda
and therefore need support from condescending “Babus”. The “Babus” have
little interest in progressing Education but in conniving with Political Masters to
forward their own Political & personal goals. To make the matter worse, several
racketeers & people with enlightened Self interest, join in to profit from the
manipulated system. Scope for reforms is curtailed by creating a large
dependency on the system, by issuing binding and long term commitments &
avoidance of public debates on issues by keeping whole affair secretive. A large
army of Rent seekers (de-motivated work force) then gathers around, which in
order to protect their turf/jobs habitually argue against any reforms, leading to
further aggravation of problems for the public. Further problems arise as
silos/independent bodies are created which start to Lord over specialised fields &
navigate themselves as independent ships aloof from any developments in the
surroundings/governing ministry. New government or ministers, in their
endeavour for reforms end up creating new silos due to lack of intellectual merit,
political & personal interests, lack of will to reforms which may involve high
decibel debates with political ramifications and/or corruption (benefits that
accrue from existing system).
A Brief but non-exhaustive list of various organizations/silos that are core part of
our Education system are discussed below for benefit of the readers to help gaze
the complexity of the education system through which a child must negotiate in
order to successfully qualify to enter the opportunities provided by the economy.
The purpose is also to make the reader aware of the vast system so that one is
able to negotiate with & through this was system in a more informative manner.

School Education System
The Indian education system is based upon 12 years of schooling (10+2), which
includes primary and secondary education. Secondary Schools are affiliated with
Central or states boards for conduct of examination. All the Indian universities
and other institutions of higher education recognize the various 10+2
qualifications from different states as well as all India Boards like the CBSE. A
list of prominent Boards of Education is given below:
STATE BOARDS
Andhra Andhra Pradesh Board of Secondary Education,

Pradesh Hyderabad-500 001
Phone: 0842-237343
Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education
Vidya Bhawan, Nampally, Hyderabad-500 001

Phone: 0842-551563
Assam Assam Board of Secondary Education

Guwahati - 781 031
Phone: 0361-23884
Assam Higher Secondary Education Council

Bamunimaidan, Guwahati - 781 021
Phone: 0361-27277
Bihar Bihar School Examination Board

Sinha Library Road, Patna 800 017
Phone: 0612-226916
Bihar Intermediate Education Council

Reshmi Complex, Kidwai Pura
Patna 800 001
Phone: 0612-232432
Goa Goa Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary

Education
M-20, Nehru Nagar, A-210, Betim Cross
Alto Betim, Goa- 403 521
Phone: 0832-217584
Gujarat Gujarat Secondary Education Board

Sector 10-B, Gandhi Nagar - 382 043
Phone: 02712-20538
Haryana Haryana Board of Education

STATE BOARDS
Hansi Road, Bhiwani - 125021

Phone: 01644-43525, Fax: 01644-41611
Himanchal Himachal Pradesh Board of School Eduction

Pradesh Gayana Lok Parisar, Civil Lines, Dharamsala-176216.
Distt. Kangra
Phone: 01892-22773
Jammu & J&K State Board of School Education

Kashmir Rehari Colony, Jammu- 180 005
Lalmandi, Srinagar 190 005
Phone: 0191-546604(Jammu), 0194-32378(Srinagar)
Karnataka Karnataka Secondary Education Examination

Board
6th Cross, Malleswaram, Bangalore 560 003
Phone: 080 – 3343391
Karnataka Board of the Pre-University Education

Technical Education Building, Palace Road, Bangalore-
560 001
Phone: # 91-80 2265141
Kerala Kerala Board of Public Examinations

Pareeksha Bhawan, Poojappura
Thiruvannanthapuram-695 012
Phone: 0471-341171
Maharashtra Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and

Higher Secondary Education
Shivajinagar, Pune 411 010
Phone: 0212 326285, Fax: 0212 326466
Madhya Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education

Pradesh Bhopal 462 011
Phone: 0755 551166, Fax: 0755 551499
Manipur Manipur Board of Secondary Education

Imphal - 795 001
Phone: 03852-220943
Manipur Council of Higher Secondary Education

D.M. College Campus, Imphal - 795 001
Phone: 03852-224617
Meghalaya Meghalaya Board of School Education

STATE BOARDS
West Garo Hills Tura, Meghalaya-794 101

Phone: 03651-474
Mizoram Mizoram Board of School Education

Chaltlang, Post Box 7, Aizawl-796 012
Phone: 03832 2704
Nagaland Nagaland Board of School Education

Post Box, 98, Kohima 767 001
Phone: 03866-22520, Fax: 03866-22975
Orissa Orissa Board of Secondary Education

Bajrakabati Road, Cuttack 753 001
Phone: 0671-6163302
Orissa Council of Higher Secondary Education

Kadargouri Road, Bhubaneshwar - 751 002
Phone: 0674-51112
Punjab Punjab School Education Board

SAS Nagar (Ropar), Mohali 160 055
Phone: 0172-570524
Rajasthan Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education

Ajmer 305 001
Phone: 0145 422497, Fax: 0145 52394
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu Board of Secondary Education

Department of Govt. Examinations
College Road, Madras 600 006
Phone: 044 8272088, Fax: 044 8278286
Tamil Nadu Board of Higher Secondary Education

DPI Compound, College Road
Madras-600 006
Phone: 044 8278796
Tripura Tripura Board of Secondary Education

Jawaharlal Nehru Complex
(Gurkha Basti (P.O) Kunjaban, Agartala, Tripura West
799 006
Phone: 0381-224818
Uttar UP Board of High School & Intermediate

Pradesh Education
Allahabad - 211 001

STATE BOARDS
Phone: 0532 602367 (Allahabad), 0532 226136

(Lucknow)
West Bengal West Bengal Board of Secondary Education

77/2, Park Street, Calcutta 700 016
Phone: 033-298594
West Bengal Board of Higher Secondary

Education
Bikash Bhawan, North & East Block
(2nd Floor) Salt Lake, Calcutta 700 091
Phone: 033-379661
All-India Central Board of Secondary Education

Boards 2, Community Centre, Shiksha Kendra
Preet Vihar, Delhi- 110 092
Phone: 011-2215827, Fax: 011-2215826
Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations

Pragati House, 47/48, Nehru Place
New Delhi - 110 019
Phone: 011-6413820, Fax: 011-621205
National Open School
B-13B, Kailash Colony, New Delhi-110 048
Phone: 011-6481455, Fax: 011-6211452
Though Class XIIth is the entry-level qualification for pursuing higher education
in any field, passing it in itself does not guarantee admission to a particular
course. Like for example, some courses specify pre-requisite subjects that the
student must have at the qualifying exam (class XIIth); for professional courses
other than the pre-requisite subjects a student may also have to sit for an
entrance test e.g. IIT-JEE, CPMT etc. Well known colleges specify cut-off marks
(i.e. marks or grade obtained in a particular subject or subjects(s) in class XIIth)
for admission in various courses, which may be as high as 85-90% for admission
in say B.Sc Hons. (Physics). The cut-off marks or overall entry score can vary
between courses in the same university/college, between similar courses in
different universities/ colleges and from year to year in the same course. Some
courses and some Universities/ institutions/colleges are in greater demand than
others and therefore gaining entry into them is correspondingly tougher.
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT):

In the area of school education the Government of India has set up an apex
resource organization ‘The National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT)’ which assists and advises the Central and State Governments
on academic matters related to school education. The NCERT provides academic
and technical support for improvement of school education through its various
constituents like the National Institute of Education (NIE), Central Institute of
Educational Technology (CIET) and a number of Regional Institutes of Education
(RIE) located at different cities.
College/Graduate Education System
The higher education system is principally divided into three levels

namely:
Undergraduate or Bachelor’s Level (e.g. B.Sc., B.A., B.E., M.B.B.S.,
L.L.B., etc.)
Postgraduate or Master’s Level (e.g. M.Sc., M.A., M.Tech., M.S., LL.M.,

etc.)
Doctoral (Ph.D.)
Bachelor’s degrees in science, arts and commerce take three years of study but
in vocational subjects like pharmacy, dentistry, architecture, medicine and
technology the duration may vary between four to five and a half years. Many
universities and colleges offer `honors’ courses at graduation level, which may
not be longer in duration but indicate greater depth in study. Diploma courses
are also available at the undergraduate level and the duration of their study
may vary from 1 to 3 years.
Master’s degree is normally of two-year duration. It could either be course or
research based. Admission to post graduate programs in engineering and
technology is done on the basis of GATE.
Those interested in pursuing further studies may either directly register
themselves for PhD or do a pre-doctoral program –Master of Philosophy (M.Phil)
which is either completely research based or may also include some course
work. It takes lesser time to complete PhD for those doing it after M.Phil.
Postgraduate level diploma courses are also available which are generally of
one-year duration.
The higher education system, comprising of various universities, colleges,
professional institutes etc caters to around 7 million students. Though State
Governments are responsible for establishment of State Universities and
running them, Government of India is primarily responsible for framing major
policies relating to higher education in the country.
University Grants Commission (UGC):
It is Government of India entity is responsible for coordination, determination
and maintenance of standards, and release of central grants to the universities.

Apart from this, Government of India has also established sixteen central
universities in the country, which are totally funded by the UGC.
Taking advantage of the great demand for higher education especially for
professional courses, many dubious institutes have also come up. Even
otherwise, sometimes the syllabus of a particular course offered by an institute
may be outdated and not up to the mark. The government on its part has
created various statutory bodies to ensure that the education organizations that
operate within their framework provide qualifications, which are quality assured
and formally recognized by institutions, employers and government authorities.
These statutory bodies are also responsible for providing grants and various
awards. There are 12 such bodies dealing with higher education in various
fields:
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE):

It was established by an Act of Parliament to develop, promote and co-ordinate
technical education in the country. Technical Education broadly covers the field
of engineering & technology, architecture & town planning, management,
pharmacy and applied arts & crafts. The council grants approval for starting new
technical institutions and introduction of new programs in consultation with the
agencies concerned.
Recently it has also created a separate body-National Body of Accreditation
(NBA) that gives accreditation to institutions and grades the courses offered by
them.
Distance Education Council (DEC):
It is the apex body responsible for promotion and maintenance of standards of
open and distance education in India. There are ten open universities in India at
present and Indira Gandhi National University (IGNOU) is the only National Open
University, the remaining nine are a State Open Universities (SOUs). However
there are 62 university level traditional institutions, which also impart education
through correspondence/distance mode.
Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR):

It keeps the information and provides consultancy on agriculture, horticulture,
resource management, animal sciences, agricultural engineering, fisheries,
agricultural extension, agricultural education, home science and agricultural
communication. It has the mandates to co-ordinate agricultural research and
development programmes.
Bar Council of India (BCI):
It is formed under Advocates Act, 1961. It promotes legal education and lay
down the standards of professional education and ethics for advocates.
The National Council For Teacher Education (NCTE):

It was established by an Act of Parliament and is responsible for planned and
coordinated development for teacher education system throughout the country.
The Council regulates and maintains norms and standards in teacher education
system and gives recognition to institutions offering courses or training in
teacher education.
Rehabilitation Council Of India (RCI):
Regulates the training policies and programmes in the field of rehabilitation and
standardizes training courses for paramedics engaged in rehabilitation of people
with disabilities Like MCI it also establishes reciprocity with foreign
universities/institutes in the matter of mutual recognition of qualifications
awarded in the field of rehabilitation. It also maintains Central Rehabilitation
Register of persons possessing the recognized rehabilitation qualification.
Medical Council of India (MCI):

was established as a statutory body with the aim of maintaining uniform
standards of medical education in the country at undergraduate and post-
graduate levels. It is mandatory for a doctor to register himself with the Council
after gathering necessary medical qualifications. Another important function of
the Council is to establish reciprocity with foreign countries in the matter of
mutual recognition of medical qualifications. The Council also maintains Indian
Medical Register containing information about all medical practitioners in the
county.
Pharmacy Council of India (PCI):

It prescribes, regulates and maintains minimum educational standards for the
training of pharmacists. It prescribes the syllabus, norms, etc., for the
institutions and regulations for diploma course in pharmacy. It registers
Pharmacists.
Indian Nursing Council (INC):

It is responsible for regulation and maintenance of a uniform standard of
training for Nurses, Midwives, Auxilliary Nurse-Midwives and Health Visitors. It
prescribes the syllabus and regulations for various nursing courses. It inspects
Nursing Schools and Examination Centres to maintain uniformity and the
requisite standard of Nursing Education.
Dental Council of India (DCI):

Its main objective is to regulate Dental Education, Dental Profession and Dental
ethics in the country. It recommends to the Government of India to accord
permission to start a Dental College, start higher course and increase of seats.
Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH):

is a statutory body responsible for laying down the minimum standards of
education in Homoeopathy and recognizing or derecognizing medical
qualification. It advises Central Government in matters of connected with the

study and practice of Homeopathy. The Council also maintains a Central
Register of Homoeopathy containing details of Homoeopath practitioners.
Central Council Of Indian Medicine (CCIM):

It is responsible for laying down and maintaining uniform standards of education
in the fields of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani and regulating practice in these
systems. The Council prescribes the curriculum and syllabus for under-graduate
& post-graduate education in these systems and amends them from time to
time as per requirements. It also advises the Central Government in matters
relating to recognition of medical qualifications of Indian Medicine. The Council
also maintains a Central Register of Indian Medicine containing details of
practitioners of these systems.
Besides, the above, Technical & Vocational programs are offered by several
ministries through a number of Public & Private organizations affiliated with
them. A non-exhaustive list for the same is also shared.
Sl. Ministry/ Schemes/ Target Group

Department Programmes/Institutions
No having provision for
.
Vocational
Education and Training

programme
1 M/o Agriculture Training in Agricultural Person engaged in

Extension , Training in use of
(i) Department Agricultural Implements and Agricultural institutions
of machinery, Soil Conservation and support services,
Agriculture Training Centre, LFQC&TI, member of cooperatives
Research & NPPTI, Cooperative Education and Farmers.
Education & Training. Students with
(ii) Department Under the University stream,
of Qualifications as usual
various under-graduate, post under University stream
Animal
graduate and Ph.D. courses of education
Husbandry, are
Dairying & offered (DARE)
Fisheries
2 M/o Food Grants are provided to NGOs Persons living in rural
Processing
for setting up of Food areas with preference
Industries

Processing & Training Centres being given to women,
(FPTCs) SC, ST and other weaker
Institutions like Central Food sections of society
Technology Research Mainly persons in Food

Institute,
Processing Industry
Paddy Processing Research
Centre, PHTC, Council of
Entrepreneurial Development
Programme (EDP) are also
running training courses.

3 M/o Health & Basic Training of Educated youth with
Family multipurpose
minimum 10th pass
Welfare health worker (Female &
Male) Persons working in
• ANM/MPW(F) Training Health & Family Welfare
Centres Programme
• HFWTC & Basic
MPWA(M) Schools
• Promotional training of
Female Health Assistant
in 42 training centres.
Training is also
provided by Safdarjung
Hospital, St. John
Ambulance. NTCP,
NPCB, NMHP, NACP,
INC, CBHI, CLTRI,
PWTRC, ECH etc.

4 M/o Heavy Vocationalization of Student having passed
Industries & Secondary
10th class
Public Education
Enterprises 10th pass
Polytechnics + Institutions for
Poorer section of society
diploma in pharmacy, hotel
in both rural and urban
management, architecture areas
Community Polytechnic
5 M/o HRD Jan Shikshan Sansthan Disadvantaged groups of
(Vocational Training Centres adults. Priority to adult
run by NGOs) neo-literates/ semi
literates, SC and ST,
women/girls, oppressed,
migrants, slum/
pavement dwellers and
working children
6 M/o HRD Support for Distance Enginnering and physical
Education
sciences under-graduate/
& Web Based Learning
(NPTEL) post-graduate, all
NIOS – Distance Vocational teachers/ faculties in
Educatin Programmes Science and Engineering
(Practical Training through field
Accredited Vocational 5th, 7th and 8th and

10th
Institutes (AVIs)
pass.
7 M/o HRD Apprenticeship Training for Students passing out of
students of +2 Vocational +2 Vocational Stream
stream Recognized engineering
National Programme on colleges/ polytechnics
Earthquake Engineering

and schools of
architecture having
related academic degree
of diploma programme
8 D/o Information DOEACC – ‘O’ level Students or working

persons with 10+2 pass
Technology CEDTI It conducts courses in
the filed of Electronics,
Telecommunications, IT,
Process Control &
Instrumentation
9 M/o Labour Craftsmen Training Scheme 8th, 10th and 12th pass
(DGET)
(CTS) 8th, 10th and 12th pass
or
Apprenticeship Training
National Trade
Scheme (ATS) Certificate
Craft Instructor Training (from NCVT) Holder
Scheme (CITS) Instructors of ITIs
Advanced Vocational Industrial Workers/
Training Scheme and Hi-tech Technicians
Training Schemes
10 M/o Labour Supervisory Training Supervisors from

(DGET)
Women Training Institutes Industry
Central Staff Trailing and Women (School leavers,
Research Institute Instructors and others)
Model Training Institutes and Training Executives and
Model Industrial Training Principals
Institutes School leavers with 8th,

10th and 12th pass.
11 M/o Rural National Institute of Rural Practicing Manager in

Development
Development (NIRD) rural development
Swarnjayanti Gram Focus is on the

Swarozgar
vulnerable groups
Yojana (SGSY)
among the rural poor.
SC/STs should account
for a minimum of 50%,
women for 20% and
disabled for 3% of the
total swarozgaris during
a year.
12 M/o MSME Entrepreneurship Workers

Development
(Small Education,
Industries Programme.
unemployed youth,
Development Skill Development
Programme Entrepreneurs
Organization
(SIDO) (SDP).
Management Development
Programme.
13 Ministry of Social National Institute of Mentally Disadvantaged and

Justice
Handicapped. National marginalized
& Empowerment
Institute for the Orthopedically
sections of the
Handicapped. Institute for
society viz., SC,
Physically Handicapped.
Minorities, B.C..
National Institute for the
Persons with
Hearing Handicapped, National
Handicapped Finance and

disabilities. Aged

Development Corporation, Persons. Street
National Scheme of Liberation children and victims
and Rehabilitation of
of Drug Abuse etc.
Scavengers and their
Workers in Garment
Dependents. National
Industry
Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled tribes Finance and
Development Corporation.
Rehabilitation Council of India.
Apparel Export Promotion
Council (AEPC)
14 M/o Textiles Decentralized Training Skill upgradation of

Programme. Weavers’ Services Workers in textile
Centres, Cooperative Training.
Industry.
Power loom Centres. Indian
Jute Industries Research
Association, Central Wool
Development Board, Central
Silk Board. Training Centres
for Handicrafts. North-eastern
Handicrafts and Handlooms
Development Corporation.
15 D/o Tourism Food Craft Institutes under 10th Pass
State Governments.
16 M/o Tribal Affairs Vocational training Centres Unemployed Tribal Youth
(VTC) in Tribal Areas.(100% (Each person is given
central assistance is given to training in two trades)
State/UT/NGOs )
17 M/o Urban Urban Self Employment Urban Unemployed or

Development

& Poverty Alleviation Programme under Swarna underemployed poor
Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana below poverty line
18 HUDCO & others in Building Centres (HUDCO) Persons engaged in
Construction sector Company run schools (NBCC, Construction Industry
HCC, L&T, ECC etc.) & Worker & Supervisor
association etc. having qualifications of
Construction Industry Vth to XIIth Standard.
Development Council (CIDC) &
Others
19 D/o Women & Child Support to Training and To provide updated skills
Development Employment Programme for and new knowledge to
Women (STEP) poor and assetless
Swalamban (previously women traditional
NORAD) sectors
To train poor women
mostly in non-traditional
trades.
20 D/o Women & Child Training in Home scale Housewives and
Development preservation of fruits and Adolescent girls with a
vegetables (by Community view to promote
Food and Nutrition Extension preservation and
Units (CFNEUs) consumption of fruits
and vegetables which
provide much needed
micronutrients, as well
as to provided necessary
skills which could be
useful for income
generation purposes.
21 D/o Women & Child Central Social Welfare Board To train women in

(programmes are organized by
Development voluntary organizations) marketable trades and
Women Empowerment also to upgrade their
Programme in collaboration skills for getting
with IGNOU (Training remunerative
programme on “Empowering employment
women through SHG”) opportunities.
To organize women into
effective Self Help
Groups.
22 D/o Women & Child Kishori Shakit Yojana To train and equip
Development Other programmes like adolescent girls to
UDISHA, Training of Anganwadi improve home based and
Workers, NIPCCB, Rashtriya vocational skills
Mahila Kosh etc.
The above list seems humungous, but as has been pointed out repeatedly, is not
exhaustive. There are several important Government departments, Industry
Association, Regulatory Institution that run important centre of Education not
covered yet. Mention can be made for Department of Atomic Energy which runs
several courses, Department of Statistics which runs Indian Statistical Institute,
Department of Commerce which runs The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade;
Among Industry Association Banking & insurance industry run National Institute
of Bank Management, Institute of Development Banking & Research, Institute of
Actuaries; Regulatory Institutions like Deptt. Of Civil Aviation that run courses
for Pilots & Aeronautical Engineers, Railways & Shipping Deptts. which run
several courses for Logistics Management, Rail Engineering & Marine
Technologists etc. The list of courses can expand further “Research” is done.
One of the problems in our Education system is how to mate the “Skill
Development courses” with pupils who have the ‘Right aptitude” for them. The
students while selecting course, must make informed choices. For which they
should understand the system, have information of these opportunity & make
decisions as per their aptitude. However, in practice, neither student his parent
or teachers are in position to have an exhaustive list of choice of courses, have
fleeting idea about the curriculum of the courses, little information of the
bankability of the quality of educational institute and almost no idea about the
opportunity structure that might be present after completion of the course.

To add further to the confusion, there are institutes offering “Foreign
Education”, Testing & Certification programs. These institutes are licensed
training partners of popular Foreign Institutes & Industrial Training who offer
coaching at their ‘Centres’ while Test is via Online Test or sometimes at a
Location within India and frequently tests are required to be taken abroad. Just
quite frequently, the programs are also distance learning program of those
institutes. Frequently, a wanna be student is lost about the intellectual merit as
well as utility of passing the program as proper counseling is not available. The
students get absorbed into taking the course basis advertisement by the
‘centre’ and word of mouth campaign that is initiated by the institute.
The present “Education system’ often criticized as “Examination system”, is not

a true test of child’s capacity. Creativity and independent thinking is not
encouraged. The system lacks “capacity” to reach all and suffers from a vast
deficit in terms of “quality” of its output. Traditionally, Indian elite have
harboured “Bramhanical” mindset with disdain for physical work and marked
preference for “Brain/Mind” work. Such preference is also noted while selecting
jobs where premium is given to “Desk work” over working on “Shop floor”. This
has led to a bias for attainment of “Professional” status and thus a preference for
Graduate studies irrespective of “Quality of output”, Low bankability of
institutions, Lack of potential & intellectual merit of the student and almost no
benefit in terms of attaining marketable skills.
Almost 60-65% of the students that walk through normal K-12 (Kindergarten to
12 standard) followed by Graduation with very small number opting for
vocational skills & other tertiary options. In more advanced countries like the
United States, more people opt for Vocational skills imparting “Associate
Degrees & diploma” than intellectually challenging “Graduate” course. In India,
partly due to attitude, partly lack of information and lastly because of poor
course planning & level of skill development in vocational courses, students &
their parents have not shown much interest. Industry on its part has been hiring
graduates (who otherwise have little marketable skills, especially those which
have passed from not so reputed colleges) in the hidden mis-belief that it helps
in underlining their “Professionally Managed” status and then spending a part of
its fortune in training them for output. Why even the industry has been passive
to Vocational courses raises a big question mark on the ability of Vocational
Training system in India.
Development in Education Sector, 2008 onwards
Coordinated Action on skill development as proposed by Planning Commission

was approved by the Cabinet on 15th May, 2008. The Coordinated Action is the
major initiative for achieving 11th Plan objective of inclusive growth and
development through coordination and harmonization of skill development
initiatives of different players. The action aims at creation of a pool of skilled
manpower in numbers with adequate skills that meets the employment
requirement across various sectors of the national economy. The approved
Coordinated Action on Skill Development envisages setting up of institutional
structure involving PM’s Council on Skill Development for policy direction to be
supported by National Skill Development Coordination Board (NSDCB) chaired by
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission and National Skill Development
Corporation under Ministry of Finance. The institutional structure has been put in
place. PM’s Council on National Skill Development has Union Ministers
of key Ministries of Finance, HRD, MSME, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises,
Rural Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Labour, Deputy
Chairman, Planning Commission, Chairperson, National Manufacturing
Competitiveness Council, Chairperson of National Skill Development Corporation
and six experts
in the area of skill development. The main functions of the Council are:-
(i) To lay down overall broad Policy objectives, financing and governance models
and strategies relating to skill
Development.

(ii) To review the progress of schemes, and guide on midcourse corrections,
additions and closure of parts or whole of any particular programme / scheme,
(iii) Coordinate Public Sector/Private Sector Initiatives in a framework of a
collaborative action.
The Council has set a target of creating 500 million skilled people by 2022 with
emphasis on inclusivity so as to deal with divides of gender, rural / urban,
organized / unorganized, employment and traditional / contemporary work place.
It has laid down the core governing principles and operating strategies for skill
development. Some of the key governance principles for skill development
strategy include designing of programmes under which the learner can pay the
skill provider directly, skills are fungible and bankable, and individuals are
enabled to convert their knowledge and skills through adequate testing and
certification into higher diplomas and degrees. The emphasis is on promoting
multiple models of delivery that can respond to differing situations in various
States and to utilize existing available infrastructure of educational institutions
for skill development after school hours without affecting formal education. The
State Governments are encouraged to set up the State-level coordination
body for skill development.
National Skill Development Coordination Board

The NSDCB is entrusted with the coordination and harmonization of the
Governments’ initiatives for skill development spread across the seventeen
Central Ministries and State Governments with the initiatives of the National Skill
Development Corporation. It has twelve members which includes Secretaries of
Central Ministries of Labour & Employment, Rural Development, Finance, Higher
Education; Chief Secretaries of Four States by rotation, for a period of two years;
three Distinguished Academicians / Subject Area Specialists; and Chairperson /
Chief Executive Officer of the National Skill Development Corporation besides
Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission as Chairman and Secretary, Planning
Commission as the Member Secretary of the Board. The main functions of the
Board include:
(i) Enumerating strategies to implement the decisions of the Prime Minister’s
National Council on Skill Development
(ii) To develop suitable operational guidelines and instructions to achieve the
objectives of skill development requirement of the economy.
(iii) Initiating solutions and strategies to address the problems of regional
imbalance in skill development infrastructure; socio-economic, rural-urban and
gender divide; quality teachers; ensuring effective utilization of investment in
terms of money and infrastructure; integrating varying existing regulatory
institutions; involving private sector to develop skills for wage/self employment
and Promoting apprenticeship / on-the-job training for creation of skilled
personnel to address both unemployability and unemployment problems.
(iii) Encouraging the State governments to put in place similar institutional
structures.
(iv) Establishment of National Skill Inventory and National Database for Skill
Deficiency Mapping on National Web Portal to facilitate exchange of information
between prospective employers and job seekers .
(v) Coordinating and facilitating the repositioning of Employment Exchanges as
Outreach points for storing and
providing information on employment and skill development

(vi) Coordinate the establishment of a “Credible accreditation system” and a
“guidance framework” for all accrediting agencies of different Ministries and
Private Players
(vii) Monitoring, evaluating and analyzing the outcomes of the various schemes
and programmes and apprising the Apex Council.
The Board has constituted five Sub-Committees to look into various aspects of
the skill development viz. Curriculum revision; Remodeling Apprenticeship
Training; Evolving Vision on the Status of Vocational Education and Training in
Educational System; Institutional Mechanism for Skill Mapping and Skill Inventory
on Real Time Basis and Improvement in Accreditation and Certification System.
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a non-profit Company under

Section 25 of the Companies Act, has been set up under the Ministry of Finance.
It has a equity base of Rs 10 crore of which 49% is contributed by the Govt and
51 % by the private sector. The Corporation has two tier structure viz a 15
Member Board and a National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) as a 100%
government owned Trust to facilitate its mandate of coordinating and stimulating
private sector initiative in the area of skill development with enhanced
flexibility and effectiveness. The 15 members of the Board include six
government nominees, one of whom is the Chairman (a private person) of the
Corporation and 9 are private members including Chief Executive Officer. The
NSDF, operating arm of the NSDC, is created with corpus with Rs. 995.10 crore
as Government owned Trust to
receive financial contributions from donors, private entities, government (both
Central and State), statutory bodies, financial institutions etc. The NSDC and
NSDF would enter into an Investment Management Agreement whereby NSDF
would provide funds to NSDC for furtherance of the objective of skill
development in accordance with the approved work and financial plan. The
NSDC would charge a management fee from NSDF for managing its resources.
The beneficiaries of the Trust are the youth of India which require skill
development and vocational training. Its main functions are as follows:
(i) It will make periodic as well as an annual report of its plans and activities and
put them in the public domain.
(ii) Establishing a Trainee Placement and Tracking System for effective
evaluation and future policy planning.
(iii) Establish credible independent Certification systems for both V.E. and V.T.
with the scope for permitting vertical and horizontal mobility within and between
V.E. and V.T.
.
NATIONAL SKILL COUNCIL: VISION, STRATEGY AND CORE
PRINCIPLES
1. VISION
(a) Massive Ambition: Our aspirations must exceed our current resources. Our
vision should create 500 million skilled people by 2022.
(b) High Inclusivity : We must design the skill system for inclusivity and to deal
with the divides of gender, rural /
urban, organized / unorganized employment, and traditional /contemporary work
place.

(c) Dynamic and Self-healing : The system must be designed so that supply
(trained candidates) adjusts dynamically to changes in demand.
2. STRATEGY
(a) Folding the future in: If we start from our current position, we are likely to
extrapolate. Folding the future in allows us to innovate.
(b) Skills must be made Fungible : The rigid boundaries between categories
of Education e.g. diplomas and degrees has created a structure of rigid “caste
systems” within education. This must be transformed into a more open / flexible
system that permits competent individuals to accumulate their knowledge and
skills, and convert them through Testing and Certification into higher diplomas
and degrees.
(c) Skills must be made Bankable : We must make the process of skill
acquisition bankable, especially for the poor. This will force a demand driven
approach.
(d) Co-created Solutions : The States and Districts within States are in various
stages of development. We have to accept a very asymmetric India as a starting
point. We have to work with States, civil society and community leaders. Public-
private partnerships are only one part of the broader concept of co-creation.
(e) Game-changing Delivery / Innovation : To give an example, the Planning
Commission proposal conceives setting up 50,000 Skill Development Centers
over the plan period. If we need to game change delivery, an alternative model
could be to make available very public institution above the high school level,
numbering over two lakhs in the country, after class hours for skill development
by the Private Sector. Necessary regulations could be brought in by the local
management authority of the particular educational institution. It would
immediately make available the stock of public investment to combine with
private sector capacity thereby helping the private sector to generate skills at
lower costs, as it will not have to invest in buildings for skill
training.
(f) Multi-lingual Instruction; English as a Vocational Skill : English is a
vocational skill. It substantially improves labour mobility and improves
employment outcomes since English is now like Windows, an operating system
for business. Accelerated English learning classes must be included in Vocational
training curriculums and attempts must be made to incentivize English
instruction.
3. CORE OPERATING PRINCIPLES
(a) Government Money must target Market failure; No need to crowd
out or complete with private financing : Private resources are becoming
available in specific industries and functions. The 19 Central Ministries and their
budgets must target the massive market failure in vocational training for labour
market outsiders (less skilled, less educated, people from small towns, women,
women coming back from a child
break, etc) mostly via funding innovations.
(b) Decentralize; Encourage and Incentivize States to form Skill Missions
: Most Delivery systems (ITIs, Employment Exchanges, Employment Officers, etc)
are controlled by States. States must be incentivized to set up missions that do
not undertake delivery but as an aggregator and aligner of skill efforts. Activities
for the mission include funding public and private delivery, underwriting
apprenticeships, introducing performance management systems for skill
delivery, revamping Employment Exchanges, Creating an Asset Bank, Activating
SCVTs, etc.

(c) Do not use money for Building or Hard Assets : Very little of the
massive increase in funds for skill development in the 11th Plan should be used
for building or hard asset creation. The system today does not have a hardware
problem but a software problem. Additionally there are many government
buildings (both centre and state) that could be put into an asset bank (with no
transfer of title or ownership) and used for private and public delivery.
(d) Focus on Modularity, Open architecture and Short Term Courses; do
not reimburse for courses more than six months : Vocational training
cannot replace what should have been taught in schools. The current phase of
reform (next five years) should focus on short, relevant and effective courses
that get candidates into the workplace. The Ministry of Labour has evolved a
framework called the Modular Employability Scheme (MES) that is more nimble
and must replace all traditional NCVT curriculums. Requiring longer courses to
emerge by welding together modules keeps the system dynamic and open to
feedback. But the repair pipeline will run dry if the prepare pipeline is not fixed
and skill efforts must be accompanied by a huge dose of education reform.
(e) Separate financing from delivery; Make public money available for
private and public delivery : Today
government money is only available for government delivery. This lack of choice
and competition (between delivery models and methods) blunts incentives to
make the system effective, scalable and self-healing (real time feedback to
curriculum based on demand). The principle of “let a thousand flowers bloom” in
the context of business models, pedagogies, delivery technologies and
methodologies must be encouraged.
(f) Link financing to outcomes; overwhelming metric should be jobs :
Today public and private training is
financed largely on input metrics No. of courses, no. Of students, faculty etc.
Unlike education, outcomes in
vocational training are easy to measure binary; it either leads to a job or not. We
need to move all government financing linked to placement ratios and outcomes.
Subsidiary metrics could be drop out ratios and entry / exit gate assessment
distance.
(g) Use Candidates as financing vehicles rather than institutions; Create
choice and competition : The bulk of the financing must be made available
directly to candidates rather than to training institutions. This could be
structured as a scholarship, skill voucher, outcome based reimbursement, etc
but candidate choice is crucial to creating competition and making the system
self-healing, effective and scalable.
(h) Create infrastructure for on-the-job-training; Encourage
Apprenticeships : Formal training is powerful
but formal apprenticeships are a powerful vehicle for skill development because
of “learning while earning” and
“learning by doing”. The enabling infrastructure for large numbers of formal
apprentices needs to be built that includes modifications to the Apprenticeship
Act, Integrating the MES scheme of DGET, equipping Employment Exchanges to
offer matching etc.
(i) Create Infrastructure for Information Asymmetry; Publicize Rating
and Outcome Information for Training Institutions : Most candidates today
are making training choices without any information around outcome metrics
(largely jobs). We need to create a framework and infrastructure for information
dissemination around key metrics for public and private training institutions. The

framework would include a voluntary rating and participatory ranking system
that would be different from current accreditation framework.
(j) Infrastructure for Effective Entry / Exit gate; Effective Assessment
and Credible Certification : Today both entry and exit gates for vocational
training are wide open. But assessment is more important than training and an
entry gate must be effective at “binning” candidates into various pools. The exit
gate must serve as credible certification that would allow employers to use it as
a proxy to fast track job applicants. Credible certification greatly reduces friction
because of the “signaling value”.
(k) Restructure Employment Exchanges to Career Centers : Employment
Exchanges need to be restructured as aggregators who will channelize
candidates into jobs, apprenticeships and training. They will need to be equipped
with capabilities for assessment, career counseling, training registration,
electronic registration, call and email handling etc.
(l) Expand Formal Employment : Formal employment is not only fiscally
attractive but more amenable to financing innovations, has more effective
matching and a higher “corridor” effect from improved employability. This will
require a review of existing state and central legislation that encourages or
amplifies informal or unorganized employment.
4. APPROACH TO METRICS
(a) Diversity of Skills (Number of Skills) : There is a need to identify, catalog
and project the range and depth of skills e.g. Traditional, Industrial-era and Post-
Industrial era skills to understand and present the vast array of skills that
individuals can choose from.
(b) Talent Pool (Number of Skilled): The ultimate measure is the “500
Million” we are envisioning. The idea is to track the population of, skilled, not to
go down the path of estimating needs etc.
(c) Employment Outcomes (No. of Jobs) : Vocational education must ensure
a job for those that seek it. The
conversion rate must be an anchor metrics for all spending and institutions.
NATIONAL POLICY ON SKILL DEVELOPMENT

A National Policy on Skill Development has been formulated by the Ministry of
Labour & Employment and which has been approved by the Cabinet in its
meeting held on 23rd February, 2009. The objective is to create a workforce
empowered with improved skills, knowledge and internationally recognized
qualifications to gain access to decent employment and ensure India’s
competitiveness in the dynamic Global Labour market. It aims at increase in
productivity of workforce both in the organized and the unorganized sectors,
seeking increased participation of youth, women, disabled and other
disadvantaged sections and to synergize efforts of various sectors and reform
the present system. The salient features of the Policy are :
(a) Demand driven system guided by labour market signals thereby reducing
skills mismatch.
(b) Expansion of outreach using established as well as innovative approaches.
(c) National Vocational Qualifications Framework which will interalia include
opportunities for horizontal and vertical mobility between general and technical
education, recognition and certification of competencies irrespective of mode of
learning.

(d) System to deliver ‘competencies’ in line with nationally and internationally
recognized standards.
(e) Focus on new emerging occupations.
(f) Focus on pre-employment training and Life long learning
(g) Equity consideration – adequate participation of women, disabled persons
and disadvantaged groups including economically backward & minorities –
enhancing their access to training; improving employability and increasing
employment opportunities.
(h) Stress on research, planning and monitoring
(i) Involvement of social partners – responsibility for management and financing
of the system would be shared with all stakeholders and provide greater space
for Public Private Partnership.
(j) Promoting excellence.
(k) Use of modern training technologies including distance learning, e-learning,
web based learning, etc.
(l) Skill upgradation of trainers, their quality assurance, and improvement of
status.
While the agenda of the present dispensation seems pretty elaborate, much
would depend upon implementation. If previous experience is any guide, most
Government programs end up creating new silos, which create further
dissonance in the system as various bodies vie for “Greater control of
Resources” & maximize their own power. Frequently such power acquisition is
about controlling a key decision, which means one more ‘nod’ to be sought by
hapless public or entrepreneur in order to see fructification of his/her project.
Such structures benefit key players, generally “Political supporter” of the
government to launch their projects with support from the system while
managing a “say” in the system so as to avoid adverse policies or Government
action in future. It ends up creating bureaucratic hurdle than evangelizing or
alleviating social ills. Also, at the ground level in the education system are three
key players; 1) Teacher 2) Child 3) Parent. All of the three key players have all
but very limited idea about the grand structure & design of the system. It is yet
to been seen that how the system touches these three players and motivates &
incentivize them to work forward to participate in creation & maintenance of the
new structure. The level of empowerment & support systems to the three key
players are yet to be decided & rolled out by the new policy/system while their
specific roles & responsibilities are yet to be assessed. The changes in to
behaviour of the regulating bodies like the board, University, Accreditation
agencies are also to be envisaged to carry out the overhaul of the system. Also
awaited is the scope on which the system would apply i.e .the Government
bodies or silos that shall be shaken up & transformed at Central, state &
Municipal levels (with Univ., Boards, Educational institutes & schools under them)
and exactly how they shall be impacted. Influence & participation of the Private
“Not-for-Profit” & ‘For Profit” segment is also to be visualized. We need to ensure
that whatever structure emerges, the Teacher, Child & Parent must feel liberated
i.e. have proper understanding of the processes, systems and possibilities; of
behaviours, tendency and Delivery expectation from making a choice; and also
have freedom to make their own informed decisions to be able to ‘Ride’ or
benefit from the sector.

Role of Emerging Private Sector
A failed public education system, high socio-aspirational value attached to

education and increasing affordability have all converged to drive demand for
quality education (synonymous with private institutes). While private players
have been active in the informal education space (Tutorials, Entrance Coaching,
Vocational Training etc.) for a few decades, the ‘not-for-profit’ mandate has kept
profit-driven corporates away from the $40bn opportunity. In the $10bn non-
formal space, scalability remains an issue in most pockets. Inability to transform
the businesses into a ‘process-driven’ model from ‘people-driven’, as also lumpy
nature of revenues, has materially curtailed scalability in the highly fragmented
and largely regional markets. While scale is attainable in a few pockets, it has
been difficult for the business to scale – our stand is vindicated by the dearth of
scaled-up players in the space.
While India has been proactive on liberalization, Education has remained largely
untouched by the reforms process so far. A ‘priority sector’ status does ensure
fund flow to an extent, but the government’s agenda of ‘social inclusion’ has
trapped Education Sector in a regulatory maze. Archaic rules mandate all formal
educational institutes in India to be run as ‘not-for-profit’ centers under a society
(registration under the Societies Registration Act 1860) or a public trust
(Registration Act 1908). Any surplus funds generated in the process of running
formal schools/ Higher Education Institutes have to be ploughed back into the
same school/ Higher Education Institute and no dividends can be distributed.
Private sector has taken initiative to ‘manage’ regulatory environment. There

model is based on ‘extracting’ profits through sale of services from trusts
(schools and Educational Institutes) in the form of lease rentals and management
fee, while some players have taken the age-old informal structure to the next
level. The nascent corporate activity in the formal education space is using a
two-level structure to circumvent the ‘not-for-profit’ diktat. While multi-layered
regulations have meant that 80% of the opportunity (formal education) remains
elusive to commercial activity, ‘innovative’ players like Prominent among them
are NIIT, Educomp, Aptech Arena etc. are successfully using these structures to
scale up.

Quite a few venture capitalists & Angel investors have also joined in the private
efforts, though in what appears to be an uncertain regulatory environment. Just
to name a few:
WestBridge Capital Partners

Sequoia Capital
Lightspeed Venture Partners
IDFC Private Equity
Manipal Education & MedicalGroup (HSBC PE Asia)
Helix Investments
Gaja Capital
Helion Ventures
SAIF Partners
Manipal Education Group
Aditya Birla Group
KPCB, Sherpalo Ventures & Infoedge
Capital18, the venture capital arm of media group Network18 Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Lightspeed Venture Partners
Matrix Partenrs
Source: Websites
While entry of private players is welcome since it spurs innovation in the

segment and creates fresh incentive systems for improving productivity, leads to
creation of Capacity and resulting competition helps in improvement of Quality
along with decline in costs. It needs to be seen if the Private players are
interested in the Full Scope offered by the sector or just have special focus i.e.
Focus on marketing a new Trendier method of education usually delivered
through usage of Audio-Visual media. While full sector is likely to grow to an USD
80 billion market, the ‘Trendy” segment may be just about 5-10% of this market.
Since the Not-for-Profit mandate keeps away 80% of this scope away from the
Private sector, private segment shall be left to cater to just about USD 1.6 billion
market Of the market nearly 60-70% is likely in the Tertiary segment since the
sector is already dominated by the ‘Private Not-for-Profit” sector, the rest is likely
to be from Primary, Secondary & vocational sectors.
If the Private sector wants to be able to address the Full Scope of the market,
they shall have to eventually partner with a host of Government Agencies as well
as not-for-profit organizations to develop ‘Real solutions” that help to empower
the three key players viz. The Child, Parent and the Teacher. They shall need to
bring around Curriculum supplements along with innovative teaching delivery
mechanism so that a Child’s interest & curiosity are nourished, help in
planning & conduct of specific activities that help a child participate in the
learning process & identify his natural aptitudes. The sector should also
empower Teachers/School Administration to be able to deliver proper “Guidance
& Counselling” to the child/Parent so that the can together develop an
“approach” to further the child’s talent & skill development efforts. Above all,
the trio should be empowered to “research” its way out of their problems as
well as to contribute positively to the society.


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An Essay On Education - Analysis of Education System in India. What We Need To Modify?

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Retooling of Education System in

Education can be acquired through Formal, Informal or Experiential method.

Education is categorized as Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Education. Primary

1 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Tertiary education seeks to nurture & improve financial productivity of an

2 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

3 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

1) Interest: Getting engaged to or with; Get excited or passionate about a

4 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

5 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

6 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Education in Ancient India

7 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Even though India’s Ancient Education system “ Guru-Shishya Parampara” has

8 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Education in British India

9 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

10 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

11 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Education in Modern India

Education in Independent India

As an outcome of these recommendations, the University Grants Commission

12 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Allocation of responsibility for various subjects to different tier of government is

• Running Central Universities , Central institutions of training and research,

The Constitution (42nd Amendment) Act, 1976, shifted Education, in general,

3.13 The Constitutional Amendment of 1976, which includes Education in the

13 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Education, in general, is the concurrent responsibility of the Union and the

However, (a) coordination and determination of standards in higher and technical

Local authorities (Panchayats and Municipalities) are to be assigned a

State Governments and Local Authorities are expected to provide facilities

The University Grants Commission Act, 1956

The All India Council for Technical Education Act, 1987

The National Council for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004

The Copyright Act, 1957

The Apprentices Act, 1961

National Policies on Education

14 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

• National Policy on Education, 1968

Target Population 410 million

Total Enrolments 237 million

Schools 1.29 million

Colleges (2005-06) 20,769

15 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

Education in Post-Independence India: Some Milestones

1947 India achieves Independence

1948-49 University Education Commission constituted; gives Report

1950 India becomes a Republic. Free and compulsory education

1951 • Decennial Census yields a Literacy Rate (5+) of 18.3% (overall),

• First Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) established at

1952-53 Secondary Education Commission constituted; gives Report

1956 • University Grants Commission (UGC) established by Act of

• Indian Institute of Technology (Kharagpur) Act passed by

• Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru delivers the first convocation

1959 Third and Fourth IITs established at Kanpur and Chennai,

• Institutes of Technology Act passed by Parliament to provide

16 Written by: Amit Bhushan & Sweta Nigam

1964-66 Education Commission constituted; gives Report

1976 Constitution amended to change “Education” from being a “State”

1985 Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) established by

1986 New National Policy on Education (NPE) adopted