“The Indian education system”
The amazing growth of the Indian economy in the recent past years forces the government to tackle new challenges. Among the others, education is a sensitive and fascinating issue in India. In order to sustain this economical prosperity the government accelerated the process of developing all the branches of the Indian education system.
However, the Indian education system is paradoxical. In one hand, it seems to be critical because of the large number of illiterates and on the other hand it fascinates by the quality of some of the human resources that the Indian education system has produced.
Historically, the ancient system of education in India might have produced many geniuses but was scarcely egalitarian. Women and people from lower castes had hardly access to the right to educate themselves. The spread of religious movements like Jainism or Buddhism did have some liberating effects on the conditions of the women. But it is the English language and the reformation movements of the 19th century that had the most liberating effect in pre-independent India.
After the independence in 1947, the government made the education available to all by making unlawful the discrimination on the basis of caste and gender in education. Indeed, the discrimination in education was seen as a major impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society. Moreover, the elementary education has been made as a fundamental right for children between the ages of 6 to 14. In 1953, the government had established the University Grants Commission (UGC) to develop the higher education system. The major role of UGC was to spread the higher education in India. The progress in the expansion of higher education can be seen throughout the increase of higher educational institutes.
The present education system in India mainly consists of primary, secondary, senior secondary and higher education. Primary education consists of eight years of education. Both