Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming

from three levels: central, state, and local. Takshasila was the earliest recorded centre of higher learning in India from at least 5th century BCE and it is debatable whether it could be regarded a university or not. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world in the [3] modern sense of university. 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 State Governments, 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 controlled by the Union or the State Governments. India has made progress in terms of increasing the primary education attendance rate and [4] expanding literacy to approximately three quarters of the population. India's improved education system [5] is often cited as one of the main contributors to the economic rise of India. Much of the progress, especially in higher education and scientific research, has been credited to various public institutions. The [citation needed] private education market in India was 5% and in terms of value was estimated to be worth [6] US$40 billion in 2008 but had increased to US$6870 billion by 2012. As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2012, 96.5% of all rural children between the ages of 6-14 were enrolled in school. This is the fourth annual survey to report enrollment above 96%. 83% of all rural 15-16 year olds were enrolled in school. However, going forward, India will need to focus more on quality. Gross enrollment at the tertiary level has crossed 20% (as per an Ernst & Young Report cited in Jan 2013 in Education News/minglebox.com) As per the latest (2013) report issued by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), there are more than 3524 diploma and post-diploma offering institutions in the country with an annual intake capacity of over 1.2 million. The AICTE also reported 3495 degree-granting engineering colleges in India with an annual student intake capacity of over 1.76 million with actual enrollment crossing 1.2 million.. Capacity for Management Education crossed 385000, and post graduate degree slots in Computer Science crossed 100,000. Pharmacy slots reached over 121,000. Total annual intake capacity for technical diplomas and degrees exceeded 3.4 million in 2012. According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) total enrollment in Science, Medicine, Agriculture and Engineering crossed 6.5 million in 2010. Charu Sudan Kasturi reported in the Hindustan Times (New Delhi, 10 January 2011) that the number of women choosing engineering has more than doubled since 2001. In the India education system, a significant number of seats are reserved under affirmative action policies for the historically disadvantaged Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. In universities/colleges/institutions affiliated to the federal government there is a minimum 50% of reservations applicable to these disadvantaged groups, at the state level it can vary. Andhra Pradesh had 83.33% reservation in 2012, which is the highest percentage of reservations in India.

Contents
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1 History 2 Overview

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2.1 10+2+3 pattern 2.2 Primary education system in India

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2.2.1 Private education 2.2.2 Homeschooling

2.3 Secondary education 2.4 Higher education 2.5 Technical education 2.6 Open and distance learning

3 Literacy 4 Attainment 5 Women's education 6 Rural education 7 Issues

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7.1 Workforce quality, funding and infrastructure 7.2 Curriculum issues 7.3 Participation 7.4 Controversy

8 Initiatives

8.1 Creative learning

9 Central government involvement

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9.1 Budget 9.2 Public expenditure on education in India 9.3 Legislative framework

10 See also 11 References 12 External links

History[edit]

The University of Mumbai, established 1857, is one of the three oldest modern state universities in India.

Brahmin gurus historically offered education by means of donations, rather than charging fees or the procurement of funds from students or their guardians. Later, temples also became centres of education; religious education was compulsory, but secular subjects were also taught. Students were required to be brahmacharis or celibates. The knowledge in these orders was often related to the tasks a section of the society had to perform. The priest class, the Brahmins, were imparted knowledge of religion, philosophy, and other ancillary branches while the warrior class, the Kshatriya, were trained in the various aspects of warfare. The business class, the Vaishya, were taught their trade and the working class of the Shudras was generally deprived of educational advantages. The book of laws, the Manusmriti, and the treatise on statecraft the Arthashastra were among the influential works of this era which reflect the outlook and understanding of the world at the time. Secular institutions cropped up along with Hindu temples, mutts and Buddhist monasteries. These institutions imparted practical education, e.g. medicine. A number of urban learning centres became increasingly visible from the period between 500 BCE to 400 CE.The important urban centres of learning were Taxila (in modern day Pakistan) and Nalanda in Bihar, among others. These institutions systematically imparted knowledge and attracted a number of foreign students to study topics such as Vedic and Buddhist literature, logic, grammar, etc. Chanakya, a Brahmin teacher, was among the most famous teachers of Takshasila, associated with founding of Mauryan Empire.

Overview[edit]

Children lining up for school in Kochi.

India's education system is divided into different levels such as pre-primary level, primary level, [7] elementary education, secondary education, undergraduate level and postgraduate level. The National Council of Educational Research and Training(NCERT) is the apex body for curriculum related matters for [8] school education in India. The NCERT provides support and technical assistance to a number of [9] schools in India and oversees many aspects of enforcement of education policies. In India, the various curriculum bodies governing school education system are: The state government boards, in which the majority of Indian children are enrolled. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). CBSE conducts two examinations, namely, the All India Secondary School Examination, AISSE (Class/Grade 10) and the All India Senior School Certificate Examination, AISSCE (Class/Grade 12). The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). CISCE conducts three examinations, namely, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE - Class/ Grade 10); The Indian School Certificate (ISC - Class/ Grade 12) and the Certificate in Vocational Education (CVE Class/Grade 12). The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) conducts two examinations, namely, Secondary Examination and Senior Secondary Examination (All India) and also some courses in Vocational Education. International schools affiliated to the International Baccalaureate Programme and/or the Cambridge International Examinations. Islamic Madrasah schools, whose boards are controlled by local state governments, or autonomous, or affiliated with Darul Uloom Deoband. Autonomous schools like Woodstock School, The Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education Puducherry, Auroville, Patha Bhavan and Ananda Marga Gurukula.
[10]

In addition, NUEPA (National University of Educational Planning and Administration) and NCTE (National Council for Teacher Education) are responsible for the management of the education system [11] and teacher accreditation.

10+2+3 pattern[edit]
The central and most state boards uniformly follows the "10+2+3" pattern of education. In this pattern, [12]:44 [13] or in colleges), and then 3 years of college education for bachelor's degree. The 10 years is further divided into 5 years of primary education and 3 years of upper primary, followed by 2 years of high [12]:5 [14] school. This pattern originated from the recommendation the Education Commission of 1964 66.
[12]:3

Primary education system in India[edit]

The Indian government lays emphasis on primary education up to the age of fourteen years, referred to [15] as elementary education in India. The Indian government has also banned child labour in order to [15] ensure that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions. However, both free education and the [15] ban on child labour are difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and social conditions. 80% of all recognized schools at the elementary stage are government run or supported, making it the largest [16] provider of education in the country.

School children, Mumbai

However, due to a shortage of resources and lac