The Indian education system has achieved success in terms of school education on a global scale.
In a recent assessment published by the Ministry of Education (MoE), which named it as one of the largest worldwide, the Indian educational system performed admirably. Kerala, Maharashtra, and Punjab were among the top seven states, according to the Department of School Education and Literacy’s (DoSE&L) report, that has contributed to the progress. According to the Performance Grading Index (PGI) by DoSE&L, the Indian education system currently has 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and almost 26.5 crore college and school students from various socioeconomic backgrounds.
In contrast to the prior year, there has been a decrease in the number of schools in the education system this year. The employability assessment reveals a lack of qualified workers in the sector. The Indian education system must improve its ability to learn through skill-based learning to close the gap.
Data from the Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) shows that there are currently 25.57 crore college and school students enrolled in the Indian education system, a rise of 19.36 lakh from the 25.38 crore students enrolled in the system in 2020–21. This demonstrates that the country’s primary, upper primary, and higher secondary school education gross enrolment ratio (GER) has increased this year.
The findings indicated that GER increased to 57.6% from 53.8% for higher secondary levels. Further emphasis on STEM education is required in our education system, and we must provide school students with the infrastructure and technologies they require. Hopefully, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will bring about this change in the Indian education system.
Additionally, the country’s enrolment of girls has grown dramatically in our education system. The number of girls enrolled in the Indian education system as of right now is 12.29 crore, which is 8.19 lakh more than in 2020–21. The study demonstrates a good improvement in inclusive education, which is what matters most. The total enrolment of members of the Scheduled Caste increased from 4.78 million in 2020–21 to 4.82 million in 2021–22.
In a similar vein, there are now 2 lakh more students from Scheduled Tribes, 13 lakh more kids from the underprivileged class, and 76,000 more pupils with special needs in the Indian education system. Even if diversity is on the rise, schools still face a major challenge in figuring out how to meet the needs of school education. Schools should put more effort into enrolling students with special needs, not just from an integrative perspective but also from a truly inclusive perspective. This necessitates more substantial adjustments as well as a mindset change.
Any nation’s economic development is heavily influenced by the education system. The Indian education system has prioritized raising the literacy rate in our nation ever since the early days of independence. The government continues to undertake several initiatives to advance primary and higher education in India.
Economic Growth and Human Capital work closely together to monitor the nation’s progress. Indians have long understood the value of human capital. According to the seventh five-year plan, human resources development must be given a crucial place in any strategy for development, especially in a nation with a huge population.