Primary education in India is recognized as a fundamental right and a critical factor for economic growth, although there is a significant mismatch between demand and supply. Access to secondary education and vocational training presents challenges, with issues in quality, enrollment, and alignment with labor market needs. The Government of India is prioritizing universal elementary education and improving learning outcomes through strategic reforms and increased financial commitment.

1. EEdduuccaattiioonnaall SSoocciieettyy

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Summary
• Primary education is a fundamental right in India, and at
the international level an important Millennium
Development Goal to which India and the Bank are
totally committed.
• GOI and States increasingly recognize education as a
critical input for human capital development,
employment/ jobs, and economic growth, and are putting
major financial and technical resources into this effort.
• Nevertheless, demand for education far exceeds supply,
in terms of both access and quality, at all levels.
• Anxious to get YOUR views as to how the Bank can
improve its impact on access, learning outcomes and
reducing skills shortages.

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Basic Education
• Two decades of focused programs in basic
education have reduced out-of-school youth to
about 10 M (down from 25 M in 2003), most
from marginalized social groups. Net enrollment
rate is 85%, with social disparities.
• Key challenge is to finish the “access agenda”
and dramatically increase focus on quality, with
more attention to classroom processes, basic
reading skills in early grades, teacher quality
and accountability, community/parent oversight,
evaluation/assessment.

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Secondary Education
• Access and Quality remain big challenges.
• Gross enrollment rate of 40%, with significant
gaps between genders, social groups,
urban/rural, such that most secondary students
are urban boys from wealthier population
groups.
• Private aided and unaided schools = 60% of all
secondary schools, and growing.
• Overloaded curriculum, poor teaching practices
and low primary level quality affect secondary
quality.

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Vocational Education and
Training (VET)
• VET system is small, and not responding of
needs of labor market; <40% of graduates find
employment quickly.
• Insufficient involvement of industry and
employers in VET system management,
internships.
• Lack of incentives of public training institutions
to improve performance.

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Technical and Higher Education
• Numerically huge: 330 universities and 18,000
colleges
• Substantial private provision in professional
education.
• But just 11% of youth 18-23 are enrolled.
• Problems of capacity, quality, relevance, and
public funding. Hard to retain qualified faculty.
Limited research.
• Several world-class institutions.

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GOI Education Strategy
• Unprecedented priority to universal elementary education.
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: aims to universalize elementary
education by 2010, and improve learning outcomes.
• Education cess of 3% on income tax, corporation tax,
excise and customs duties generates necessary resources
• Cost-Share: was 50/50 (2007), moving to 65/35
Center/State
• Estimate: 11th Plan: ’07-’12: 60,000-70,000 crores (US$17
billion)
• Increased focus on quality and upper primary in phase II.

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Thank You