INDIA FACTFILE
Take a big leap into the world of limitless opportunities
With the enormous growth in capacity, as well as the addition of new centers of excellence in the Indian education and training sectors; the demand for technology and didactic materials is extremely high. The data below shall take you through the existing system in India and the government plans for these sectors and hence the enormous potential this market holds.
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India is home to 17% of the World’s total population |
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It is accommodated in an area that is 2.4% of the World’s total area |
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It is geographically well connected to all Asian Countries |
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It is the fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity |
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It has 1.4 Million Schools and 28,000 Higher Education Institutes making it world’s largest market for Education & Training Resources |
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As against 2820 languages in the entire world, as many as 325 languages are effectively used in India alone |
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It is World’s second largest English speaking Country |
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It is the largest home for consumers of education services in the World |
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It has the third largest Higher Education system in the World |
| Education System in India |
School Level
The educational structure is generally referred to as the Ten + Two + Three (10+2+3) pattern.
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The first ten years provide undifferentiated general education for all students. |
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The +2 stage, also known as the higher secondary or senior secondary, provides for differentiation into academic and vocational streams and marks the end of school education. |
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In +3 stage, which involves college education, the student goes for higher studies in his chosen field of subject. |
Higher Education Level
Almost 6.75 million students seek admission in higher education every year in India. India has private sector presence in education services, which co-exist with public educational institutions.
1. Higher Education Institutes
The institutions of higher learning in India fall into the following broad categories:
a) Universities - Central Universities and State Universities.
b) Deemed to be Universities: These institutions are given deemed to be university status by the Central Government on the recommendation of the UGC (University Grants Commission).
c) Private Universities: These are established by various State governments through their own legislation.
d) Institutes of National Importance: These Institutes are declared as such by the Government of India by an Act of Parliament and are empowered to award degrees.
e) Premier Institutes of Management: These are the Institutes that have been set up by the Central Government and are outside the formal university system. They offer Post-Graduate Diploma Programs that are equivalent to Master’s Degree Programs in area of management.
2. Colleges
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Most colleges are affiliated to universities and provide undergraduate education. |
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Some colleges also undertake post-graduate teaching and research. |
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The affiliating universities oversee the standards of the affiliated colleges and hold examinations and award degrees to successful candidates. |
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The college sector is managed both by the Government and Private bodies. |
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There are some constituent colleges that are established and managed by a particular university. Similar to that of universities, the growth of the number of colleges has also increased manifold. |
3. Autonomous Colleges
Understanding the importance of exercise of academic freedom by teachers is a crucial requirement to the development of the intellectual climate of our country.
As students, teachers and managements are co-partners in raising the quality of higher education, it was decided to confer autonomous status to such institutions as have the capability to design their own curriculum, evolve innovative teaching and testing strategies. The UGC, on the recommendation of an Expert Committee and in consultation with the State Government and the University concerned, confers the autonomous status on colleges.
4. Open and Distance Learning in Higher Education
Approximately 22% of the enrolment in higher education can safely be attributed to be covered under distance education programmes. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985 is the apex body for imparting and monetaring the distance learning program in India.
5. Private Initiatives in Higher Education
A number of developments have taken place regarding private initiatives in higher education.
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Establishment of private universities by various governments through their own legislation which vary from State to State and also within the State. |
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Establishment of Deemed to be Universities including de-novo category, involving particularly private institutions imparting technical, medical and other professional education. |
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Conceptualization of virtual universities for entry of foreign universities in different kinds of collaboration. |
Today there are a significant number of private universities in various states and the numbers are still growing.
6. Vocational Education & Training
Vocational Education & Training (VET) institutions in India include the Institutes of Technology, Technical Universities, Polytechnics etc. These are aimed at preparing students for entry into various areas like agriculture, business & commerce, humanities, engineering & technology, home science & health and para- medical skills etc.
The Vocational Training Market in India is worth approximately USD 1.6 bn and is estimated to be growing at 25% per annum. Every year, about 0.165m students are estimated to undergo vocational training apprenticeships in state-run enterprises. India has one of the world’s most youthful population (53% of people are aged below 25 years according to the 2006 Census) and there are 310 million people aged between 15 to 25 years. It is estimated that during 2006 - 2010, 71 million youths will enter the working-age population. Here lies the significance of vocational education along with other higher education systems being imparted in the country.
Government Plans and Budgetary Allocation
The country has witnessed phenomenal educational development – both in quantitative and qualitative terms, since independence. The Government has been steadily increasing the budgetary allocation for education and the country has also made significant strides in higher and technical education.
From a brief analysis of the current 5 year Plan, one can infer that the standing government headed by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh considers education as a main pillar for economic growth & social welfare, and substantial financial resources have been allocated accordingly.
Target during the 11th Five Year Plan
School Level
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To provide a secondary school within 5 kilometers of any habitation . |
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To provide a higher secondary school within a distance of 7-8 kilometers of any habitation. |
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To ensure universal secondary education by 2017, i.e. the end of the 12th Five Year Plan. |
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To ensure 100% enrolment and retention even up to higher secondary stage (including vocational education and other streams) by 2020. |
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Provision of required physical infrastructure, trained teachers and teaching-learning resources to maintain quality. |
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About 181,520 Secondary Schools are required during the XI Plan to meet the demand created by the huge success of the Government Plan for Universal Education called Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). |
Higher Education Level
Priorities for Higher Education in the XI Plan are;
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Expansion - stands for increasing the number of higher education institutions and for augmenting the capacity of the existing ones |
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Excellence - stands for increasing the quality of high education, notably by investing in physical infrastructure, quantity and quality of teachers, academic and administrative governance structure, and practices in universities and colleges. |
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Optimal use of Information & Communication Technology to promote achievement of these objectives. |
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Enhancing public spending, encouraging private initiatives and initiating the long overdue major institutional and policy reforms. |
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To increase Gross Enrollment Ratio from 11% in 2006 to 15% by 2011-12 through rapid expansion of higher education system while ensuring quality and inclusion, and also restructure and reorient higher education system to meet the requirements of a knowledge economy in a globalised world. |
Objectives of the Plan
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Increase by 5% the number of students that enter graduate studies after completion of high school secondary education, that is, an increase of seven million enrolments when compared against today’s situation. The target fixed for 2012 is to have 21 million students going annually for higher education. |
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Increase enrollments in the Vocational Education System to about 25 percent of total secondary enrollment. |
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Establishing of 30 new central universities, setting up 30 medical and engineering colleges in central universities, opening of a tribal university. |
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Create eight new Indian Institutes of Technology, 20 National Institutes of Technology, 20 Indian Institutes of Information Technology, three Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, seven Indian Institutes of Management, and two Schools of Planning and Architecture. |
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Setting up 370 new state colleges. |
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Announcement of the Vocational Training Improvement Project (VTIP) by the Government of India and supported by the World Bank. This US$ 280 million project aims to support 400 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country to become centers of excellence in selected skill areas that are in demand. |
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