Education System in India

Education is the process of teaching, learning, and training human capital in schools and colleges. This promotes and increases knowledge and results in skill development hence enhancing the quality of the human capital. The government has always valued the importance of education in India.

There are broadly three stages of school education in India, namely primary, secondary and higher secondary, and Higher Education. Overall, schooling lasts 12 years. Although, there are considerable differences between the various states in terms of the organizational patterns within these first 10 years of schooling. The government of India is committed to ensuring universal elementary education for all children aged 6-14 years of age. The primary school involves children of ages six to eleven, organized into classes one through five. Secondary school students aged eleven through fifteen are organized into classes six through ten, and higher secondary school students ages sixteen through seventeen are enrolled in classes eleven through twelve. 

In such cases classes, nine to twelve are classified under the high school category. Higher Education in India gives an opportunity to specialize in a field and includes technical schools (such as the Indian Institutes of Technology), colleges, and universities.

Types of Education

1. Primary Education
2. Secondary and Higher Secondary Education
3. Higher Education

Let’s discus these education types are below one by one.

1. Primary Education

Primary Education consists of three stages – Primary and Middle. Lower primary (standards I to V) and upper primary or middle (Standards VI to VIII) education is compulsory and free in India. Primary education starts at age 6 with Middle/Upper Primary school education ending at age 14. Schooling is proposed at state-run and private schools, though, private schools often have good facilities and infrastructure than government schools. The regional language is the medium of guidance for most primary schools and English as a second language usually starts by grade 3.

2. Secondary and Higher Secondary Education

Secondary education in India is classified into two stages – Lower (Standard IX to X) and Higher Secondary (XI to XII). After both stages pupils take examinations controlled by the state and central examination boards. In addition to conducting the Standard X and Standard X+II (10+2) examinations, the boards are responsible for setting curriculums and allotting school-leaving certificates at affiliated schools. The boards gain academic and research support from the government-sponsored National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), while overall administration of school education in India is given by the State Ministries of Education and the Central Department of Education.

Secondary education holds a very important position in the educational pattern of the country. Secondary education is the link between primary education and higher education. Primary education is intended to provide minimum requirements for survival whereas secondary education enables an individual to become a full member of the complicated society.

At present, Thirty-four (34) secondary boards exist. Mainly four boards operate at the national level, while the remaining Thirty-one (31) boards have jurisdiction within a state or part of a state.

There are a total of Thirty-one (31) state examination boards and three national boards. Secondary schools are approved by either the state board relevant to their location or one of the national boards:

• Central Board of Secondary Education Board (CBSE)
• Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE)
• National Institute of Open Schooling Board (NIOS)
• State Government Boards

3. Higher Education

The Higher Education sector of India is the third-largest in the world in terms of the number of students. Higher education relates to the study in colleges, universities, and research centers. After the completion of class 12th, a student generally goes for higher study. India has nearly 380 universities and deemed universities, over 17,500 colleges, and hundreds of national and regional research institutes. The institutes for higher education in India follow specific rules as made by the state or the central government. There are also some sanctioned and autonomous bodies running in the country to regulate the higher education system in the country.

Higher education has several types of education given in postsecondary institutions of learning. And generally affording, at the end of a course of study, such as degree, diploma, or certificate of higher studies. Higher-educational institutions involve not only universities and colleges but also numerous professional schools that provide preparation in such fields as law, medicine, business, music, and art. Higher education also covers teacher-training schools, junior colleges, and institutes of technology. The basic entrance requirement for higher-educational institutions is the completion of secondary education, and the general entrance age is about 18 years.

Education Types in Other Countries

Below are the points of education types in other countries:

1. Types of Education in UK

The UK (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) follows the National Curriculum, with some differences from India. In the UK, children generally start some formalized schooling at age 4, and with a greater early focus on academics. With key-stage examinations and, eventually, the two-year GCSE program, starting at age 14, followed by the two-year A-Level program, starting at age 16, the system leads students towards increased specialization and can be interpreted as a ‘winnowing’ system.

2. Types of Education in US

The US system places less importance on examinations, and students remain generalists all the way through to the end of secondary school when they graduate with a high school diploma at the end of class 12, the equivalent of Year 13 in the UK. In the US, most kids attend some kind of part-time preschool, but state-provided education does not start until Kindergarten (Year 1 in the UK), and, in many school districts, Kindergarten is still a part-time offering.

In the early years, children are eased into academic studies, and there is a heavy emphasis on socialization as well as developing basic English and maths skills. Certainly, it is generally agreed that, from Kindergarten to Class 3, children are given an academic foundation that will be implemented and developed more rigorously during Class 4.

The US system is typically divided into three levels of schools: elementary (Classes K–5), middle (Classes 6–8), and high (Classes 9–12). Some districts vary this, occasionally including Class 6 in the elementary level and offering a junior high school for Class 7 and Class 8, for example. Some districts may divide Kindergarten from the rest of the elementary school. However, there are three divisions that are acknowledged in the different configurations offered by districts.

3. Types of Education in Germany

In Germany, the education system is different in many ways from the ones in other countries, but it produces high-performing students. The strong majority of German students attend public schools. Children aged three to six may attend kindergarten. After that in Germany, school is compulsory for nine or ten years. From grades 1 through 4 children attend elementary/primary school, where the subjects taught are the same for all. 

After the 4th grade there are two years of an orientation or testing phase in which pupils are separated according to their academic ability and the choices of their families, and then go on to attend one of three different kinds of secondary schools such as Hauptschule, Realschule, or Gymnasium. Elementary/Primary teachers recommend their students to a particular school based on such things as academic achievement, self-confidence, and ability to work independently. Yet, in most states, parents have the final say as to which school their child attends following the fourth (or sixth) grade.

Conclusion

 Education types are an ordered set of divisions, intended to group educational programs concerning gradations of learning experiences and the knowledge, skills, and competencies which each program is designed to impart. Quality assurance in education is at the top priority of most of the educational policies and programs in India and abroad. Countries throughout the world are striving hard to achieve quality in education. Quality in Education is a relative concept and not something absolute. Education types are therefore a construct based on the assumption that education programs can be grouped into an ordered series of categories. These divisions represent broad steps of educational progression in terms of the complexity of educational content. The more advanced the program, the higher the level of education.

Education System in India – FAQs

Q1. What are the different types of education?
Ans. Basically there are mainly three types of education mention below-

• Primary Education
• Secondary and Higher Secondary Education
• Higher Education

Q2. Why is Indian education so hard?
Ans. Education in India is actually much tougher than in America. In India, students are focused to study the syllabus, only the syllabus, and commit to memory so many dates and facts. No much scope for curiosity and innovation.

Q3. Why is Indian education better than foreign education?
Ans. Foreign Universities have a mixed group of students coming from various countries. Therefore a student gets better exposure. In India, universities and colleges give limited courses to choose from to the students. International universities provide multiple courses and specializations to students.

Q4. Which country has the toughest education?
Ans. In certain countries, the issue of education is just ignored, which results in extremely low rates of literacy. The following ten countries have the worst education systems that are Angola, Gambia, Pakistan, Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Q5. Is US education easier than India?
Ans. Education system in the US is considerably more flexible than that in India. – The Indian education standard is considerably higher than that of US Standards, as students are made to prepare for challenges in life, unlike the US where education is made as said flexible so that every student passes out of High school.