Education in India
Education in India has a history stretching back to the ancient urban
centres of learning at Taxila and Nalanda. The Nalanda University was
the oldest university-system of education in the world. Western
education became ingrained into Indian society with the establishment of
the British Raj. Education in India falls under the control of both the
Union Government and the states, with some responsibilities lying with
the Union and the states having autonomy for others. The various
articles of the Indian Constitution provide for education as a
fundamental right. Most universities in India are Union or State
Government controlled.
India has made a huge progress in terms of increasing primary education
attendance rate and expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of
the population.[2] India's improved education system is often cited as one
of the main contributors to the economic rise of India.[3] Much of the
progress in education has been credited to various private institutions.[4]
The private education market in India is estimated to be worth $40
billion in 2008 and will increase to $68 billion by 2012.[4] However,
India continues to face challenges. Despite growing investment in
education, 35% of the population is illiterate and only 15% of the
students reach high school.[5] As of 2008, India's post-secondary high
schools offer only enough seats for 7% of India's college-age population,
25% of teaching positions nationwide are vacant, and 57% of college
professors lack either a master's or PhD degree.[6] As of 2007, there are
1522 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual
student intake of 582,000,[7] plus 1,244 polytechnics with an annual
intake of 265,000. However, these institutions face shortage of faculty
and concerns have been raised over the quality of education.[8]
A multilingual web portal on Primary Education is available with rich
multimedia content for children and forums to discuss on the
Educational issues. India Development Ga