Education
System in India
- INSTITUTION
TYPES & CREDENTIALS
- STRUCTURE OF
EDUCATION SYSTEM
- NATIONAL BODIES
- ADMISSIONS TO
HIGHER EDUCATION
- STUDENT LIFE
- GRADING SYSTEM
- LINKS
INSTITUTION TYPES &
CREDENTIALS: -
- Types
of higher education institutions:
- University
- Institute of Technology
- College
- Open University
- Higher
education credentials:
- Secondary School
Certificate
- Senior/Higher Secondary
School Certificate
- Diploma
- Bachelor's Degree
- Postgraduate Diploma
- Master's Degree
- Master of Philosophy
- Post-Master Degree
- Doctorate
- Doctor of Literature
- Doctor of Science
STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION
SYSTEM:
-
- Pre-higher
education: Structure of school system:
- Type of school providing
this education: Lower Primary School
(Standards I To V)
- Length of program in
years: 5
- Age level from: 6 to: 11
- Type of school providing
this education: Middle School (Standards
Vi To VIII)
- Length of program in
years: 3
- Age level from: 11 to: 14
- Type of school providing
this education: Secondary School
(Standards IX To X)
- Length of program in
years: 2
- Age level from: 14 to: 16
- Certificate/diploma
awarded: Secondary School Certificate
- Type of school providing
this education: Senior/higher Secondary
School (Standards XI To Xii)
- Length of program in
years: 2
- Age level from: 16 to: 18
- Certificate/diploma
awarded: Senior /Higher Secondary School
Certificate
- Secondary
education:Secondary education usually
lasts between two and four years. After
two years, pupils who have completed ten
years of education (Standard X) take the
Secondary School Certificate. Pupils
completing a further two years of
education (Standard XII) sit for the
Higher/Senior Secondary School
Certificate.
- Higher
education:Higher
education is provided by 237
universities, which include 34
agricultural universities, 15 medical
universities, 39 deemed to be
universities and 11 institutions of
national importance. These include the
Indian Institutes of Technology. Most
universities belong to the affiliating
and teaching type in which departments
impart instruction at the postgraduate
level and undertake research. A second
type comprises the unitary universities.
Agricultural universities stress research
and extension work. There are also
technological universities. There are
eight open universities. There are also
research institutions outside the
university system and research
laboratories, as well as some 10,600
colleges, most of which are affiliated to
universities. Universities are governed
by statutory bodies such as the Academic
Council, the Senate/Court and the
Executive Council/Syndicate. Funding for
State universities largely comes from the
State governments but they also receive
grants from the University Grants
Commission. Higher education falls mainly
under its jurisdiction. Professional
institutions are coordinated by different
bodies. The All-India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE), established
in 1987, is responsible for the
coordination of technical and management
education institutions. Bodies such as
State Councils of Higher Education were
established recently. The Maulana Azad
National Urdu university opened in
January 1999.
- Main
laws/decrees governing higher education:
- Decree: National Policy on
Education Year: 1992
- Decree: National Policy on
Education Year: 1986
- Academic
year:
- Classes from: Jul to: Apr
- Long vacation from: 15 May
to: 15 Jul
- Languages
of instruction: Bengali, English, Gujarati,
Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, Kannada
- Stages
of studies:
- Non-university
level post-secondary studies
(technical/vocational type):
Non-university
level:Technical education operates at
three levels: Certificate, Diploma and
Degree. The Certificate and Diploma
programmes are conducted by Industrial
Training Boards and polytechnics. They
involve one to three years of study after
ten years of secondary education. The
Engineering Technology programmes
generally require three years of
full-time study after completion of ten
years of secondary education. Four-year
Degree programmes are offered by
universities or university-level
institutes after twelve years of
senior/higher secondary school education.
- University
level studies:
University level first
stage: Bachelor:First degrees
generally require three years' full-time
study. leading to Bachelor of Arts,
Science and Commerce degrees. Entrance to
an Honours course may require a higher
pass mark in the higher secondary or
pre-university examinations. An Honours
degree does not generally involve longer
study but indicates greater
specialization. In professional subjects,
courses last for four to five years.
University level second
stage: Master's Degree:A Master's
Degree in Arts, Science and Commerce
generally requires two years of study
after a first degree. The Indian
Institutes of Technology offer three
semester studies leading to ME, MSc (Eng)
and MTech degrees. Master's courses in
Engineering and Technology normally
require between one-and-a-half and two
years' study after a first degree.
Candidates must qualify through the
Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering. In
Medicine and Surgery, the Master's degree
takes two years after MBBS/BDS.
University level third
stage: M.Phil, PhD:One-year M.Phil
programmes are open to those who have
completed their second stage postgraduate
degree. It is a preparatory programme for
doctoral level studies. Some universities
admit MBBS/BE degree holders to PhD
courses. The PhD programme involves a two
years' research study and the submission
of a thesis, as well as an oral
examination.
University level fourth
stage: DSc,Dlitt:The Doctor of
Science (DSc) and the Doctor of
Literature (Dlitt) degrees are awarded by
some universities two to three years
after the PhD for original contributions.
Training of primary/basic
school teachers:Teachers for lower
primary classes (Standards I to V) are
trained in Teacher Training Institutes
attached to State departments of
education. The course usually lasts for
two years and leads to a Diploma or a
Teacher Training Certificate. Upper
primary school teachers are trained in
two years and the course leads to a
Diploma. They must have passed the Higher
Secondary School-Leaving Certificate.
Training of secondary
school teachers:Teachers at lower
secondary level (Standards IX and X) are
graduates who have completed a one-year
Bachelor of Education at a college
affiliated to a university. Teachers at
the higher secondary level (Standards XI
and XII) are postgraduates who have
completed the Bachelor of Education
degree. Four Regional Colleges of
Education offer a combined four-year
integrated programme leading to a
Bachelor's degree.
Training of higher
education teachers:Teachers at colleges
of education must hold an M.Ed and a PhD.
Studies for these are undertaken at a
number of universities.
Distance higher education:
-Since its inception in 1962 at the
University of Delhi, distance education
has grown considerably. There are now 59
Institutes/Directorates of distance
education attached to conventional
universities and eight Open Universities.
Distance education programmes cover about
one hundred Degree/Diploma courses. Many
conventional universities also offer
correspondence courses which are
sometimes supplemented by contact
classes.
Lifelong higher
education:Universities and colleges offer
adult and continuing education with
assistance from the UGC. Programmes
include Population Education, Legal
Literacy, Science Education and
Technology Transfer. There are also
evening colleges which provide courses at
undergraduate level and, in some areas,
postgraduate courses are also offered.
Other forms of non-formal
higher education:Non-university level
post-secondary education consists in
one-year Certificate courses and two- to
three-year Diploma courses in various
technical and commercial fields. They are
conducted by industrial training
institutes and polytechnics administered
through the state departments of
technical education.
NATIONAL BODIES Administration
& co-ordination: Responsible authorities: -
- International
cooperation & Exchanges:Principal
national bodies responsible for dealing
with international cooperation and
exchanges in higher education:
- Department of Education,
Ministry of Human Resources Development
Director: K.S. Mallick
Shastri Bhavan
New Delhi 110001
India
Tel: +91(11) 3387342 Fax: +91(11) 3881355
Telex: 031-61336
EMail: ksm@sb.nic.in
- Students
Sevices: Bodies providing information on
student financial aid:
- Association of Indian
Universities
President: Allauddin Ahmad
Secretary-General: K.B. Powar
16 Kotla Marg
New Delhi 110 002
India
Tel: +91(11) 3236105 Fax: +91(11) 3232131
Telex: 31-66180 AIU IN Cable: asindu
EMail: aiu@de12.vsnl.net.in
- University Grants
Commission
Chairperson: Hari Pratap Gautam
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg
New Delhi 110002
India
Tel: +91(11) 3239659 Fax: +91(11) 3236288
Telex: 3165913
- All-India Council for
Technical Education
Chairman: S.K. Khanna
Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium Complex, IP
Estate
New Delhi
India
- Indian Council for
Cultural Relations
Azad Bhavan, India Estate
New Delhi 110 002
India
Tel: +91(11) 331 9309 Fax: +91-13712639
Telex: 3161860 Cable: CULTURE
ADMISSIONS TO HIGHER
EDUCATION: -
- Admission
to non university higher education
studies:
- Name of secondary school
credential required: Secondary School
Certificate
- Minimum score/requirement:
Generally 50% - varies from State to
State
- For entry to: Entry to
programmes in technical education (
Industrial Training institutes and
polytechnics).
- Admission
to university-level studies:
- Name of secondary school
credential required: Senior/Higher
Secondary School Certificate
- Entrance exams required:
Pre-university examination. Joint
Entrance Examination for the Indian
Institutes of Technology and certain
centrally sponsored institutes and
universities. For entrance to most
professional courses students must sit
for an entrance examination conducted by
each institution. It is followed by an
interview. Entrance examinations are also
held by some universities for admission
to Master's level courses and pre- and
doctoral studies in General Education.
- Foreign
students admission:
- Admission requirements: A
minimum of twelve years' secondary
education with English as one of the
subjects. Science stream subjects are
required for professional courses.
- Entry regulations: Some 5
per cent of university places are
reserved for foreign students. They must
ascertain their eligibility through the
AIU or by applying directly to the
university of their choice for courses in
Science, the Humanities and Social
Sciences. Admission to professional
courses is regulated through the Indian
Missions. Foreign students nominated
through the Missions or the Ministry of
External Affairs are not required to sit
for the entrance examination conducted
for admission to professional courses.
They must have studied English at
secondary school. Students wishing to
study Medicine or Engineering must have
studied Physics, Chemistry, and
Biology/Maths in the last two years of
their secondary education.
- Language requirements:
Students must have a good knowledge of
English. Where necessary, special English
language courses are organized prior to
university entrance from 1 March to 30
June.
- Recognition
of studies & qualifications:
- Studies pursued in home
country (System of
recognition/accreditation): Once
recognized by the UGC or the AICTE or a
similar body, institutions of higher
education are expected to maintain a good
standard and quality of education and
their degrees and diplomas are recognized
throughout the country. There are
provisions for penal action or withdrawal
of recognition if reasonable quality and
standards are not maintained and/or if an
institution is found involved in serious
malpractice. Of late, the AICTE and the
National Assessment and Accreditation
Council (NAAC) have been given greater
responsibilities.
- Services provided &
students dealt with: Grants and subsidies
awarded by the universities and
ministries and by exchange programmes.
Recognition of degrees of all foreign and
NRI students.
- References
to further information on foreign student
admissions and recognition of studies:
- Title: Directory of
Institutions of Higher Education
- Publisher: Ministry of
Education and Culture
- Title: Handbook of
Computer Education
- Publisher: Association of
Indian Universities
- Year of publication: 1997
- Title: Handbook of
Engineering Education
- Publisher: Association of
Indian Universities
- Year of publication: 1997
- Title: Handbook of Medical
Education
- Publisher: Association of
Indian Universities
- Year of publication: 1997
- Title: Handbook on
Diplomas, Degrees and other Certificates
in Higher Education in Asia and the
Pacific
- Publisher: UNESCO PROAP
- Year of publication: 1998
- Title: Studying in India
- Publisher: Indian Council
for Cultural Relations, New Delhi
- Publications
on student services and financial aid:
Title: Study Abroad
2000-2001
Publisher: UNESCO/IBE
Year of publication: 1999
STUDENT LIFE: -
- Student
expenses and financial aid:
- Home students tuition
fees: Minimum: 180 (Indian Rupee)
- Maximum: 500 (Indian
Rupee)
- Foreign students tuition
fees: Minimum: 180 (Indian Rupee)
- Maximum: 500 (Indian
Rupee) { 1 US$ = less than 50 Rupee }
GRADING SYSTEM: -
- Usual
grading system in secondary school:
Subjects in
papers may have different School
examinations are often graded on a
percentage basis. minimum pass marks.
- Main
grading system used by higher education
institutions:
65-100% First
Division/Class; 50-64% Second
Division/Class; 40-49% Third Division
LINKS: -
Links to sites of
Indian Universities & Colleges, Research(®), Scholarships and other
Useful Links: -
For any Corrections
or updation E-mail
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