Government Agencies in India
- Government Agencies
- Policy and Plans
The Ministry of Human Resource Development consists of the Department of School Education, and Literacy and the Department of Higher Education. Its aim is to foster life long learning and development within the country, through the integration of the tools for which are needed to achieve this. It has control over institutional education, scholarships, languages and minority education. The Central Board of Secondary Education is the backbone of the institutional secondary education system of the country. It is in charge of conducting national examinations, and runs the schools accredited to the central education system.
Public spending on education was 3.1% of GDP in 2007.
When it came into force in April 2010, the Right to Education Act gave effect to the guarantee in the constitution of the right to free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of 6 and 14. The act requires government schools to provide free education to all admitted children, and private schools to admit at least 25% of children free of charge. Differently from some 135 other countries where primary education is enshrined as a fundamental right, in India the onus is on government to see that all children are enrolled in and complete primary school. In 2011 there were calls for the right of free education to be extended to the secondary level, to the age of 16; and to preschool education.
The government’s 11th national five year plan addressed the need for expanding the capacity of the school system and improving quality of education, as key instruments for achieving faster and inclusive growth. Spurred by the Right to Education Act, by 2012 there had been a sharp increase in school enrolment particularly in rural areas and of girls, but in preparing the 12th plan it was recognised that there remained the challenge of improving quality. The key to this was seen as better trained and more motivated teachers, and upgraded curricula. Following the increase of primary school enrolment, expansion of secondary-level capacity became a priority for the 12th plan. In higher education, capacity was to be increased further and the state universities were to be revitalised.
India is one of the 35 countries implementing the UNESCO Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (2006–15), a strategic framework through which national governments, civil society, and bilateral and multilateral agencies collaborate to accelerate literacy programmes and support achievement of a 50% improvement in national adult literacy rates by 2015.
Government Agencies organisations in India | |
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Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education |
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Ministry of Human Resource Development |
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