Figure 1.-Here we see a class at a government high school in Nethrapalli, a remote village in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh State. Facilities in rural schools are often very basic.

Indian schools are organized along the same primary/secondary basis that is common around the world. We assume the school structure is strongly influenced by the British colonial experience. Forbsome reason the grade/formm levels are morev Ameican than British. We note the Indians referring to '10 + 2 + 3' system. This means that the first decade of a child’s education is mandatory, per the federal government. Most students begin their schooling at age 5 years in Kindergarten or preschool. By the time they're 6 years old. they begin primary school in 1st Grade. Students are expected to continue in school until they are 14 years old or abouth 9th Grade, although there is little actual enforcement of this. But at this time they can leave school if they or their parentys so choose. These choices are laregely determined by the famikly's economic circumstances with lower income children having to leave school early to work and help support the family.

Pre-School/Kindergarten

Free public education begins with pre-school. This isn’t mandatory, but many parents do enroll their children at this point when the child is 5 years old. This is espcially the case among middle-class parents who tend to place a high priority on education. As far as we know, the pre-schools are all part of existing primary school. We are not sure to what extent pre-school for younger children is prevalent in India, but this would all be private schools.

Primary Schools

Compulsory primary education begin at age 6 years with 1st grade. There are are 8 grade leves (age 6-13 years). They are divided into Lower and Upper Primary levels. While children are legally required to be begin school at this age, many children because of poverty do not attend school at all And there is littklev eborcemet of the mandatory requirement. Parents can choose either private or public primary schools. Strangely, one source states, " ... parents typically choose to send their children to public schools, which often have better facilities than private schools do." We think that mostly refers to Muslim private schools. India is a very diverse country, both etnically and linguistically. The language of instruction in most primary school is the local dialect or languages and there are 122 officially recognized dialects. Some like Hindi and Tamil are very widespread. Others have much smaller more regional usage. Hindi is the most important and the official language of the country. Interestingly, English is very important and despite the colonial stigma, also an official language because it is one of the few trans-ethnic ties that binds modern India togther. The instructionn in English as a foreign language begins in the 3rd Grade. The primary curriculum includes math, science, history, physical education, art, and what is called language arts, because India is so diverse linguistically. Language arts is what is called English in American schools and includes both grammar and literature. India is a federal state. And education is a function relegted to each state government. There is no national curriculum. As a result, there are substantial differences from state to state and school to school.

Secondary Schools

Secondary education bgins with 9th grade and continues through 12th grade and graduation. There are two 2-year levels or cycles: lower (grades 9-10) and upper (grades 11-12), In some states these levels are refrred to as 'Standard X' and 'Standard XII'. The age levels are about 14-18 year olds. Public secondary school is also government funded and free for all parents Some parents at this stage choose private schools whch generally do not mean the poorly funded Muslim schools that many younger children attend. There are qualifying examinations at the end of each level or cycle that the students have to pass to move on or enter university. The secondary curruculum is destinctive to India, including three language courses: the local dialect, English, and an elective language. This of course means that Indian students devote much more time to language studies than children in other countries. We are not entirely sure about the language of instruction, especailly in the cases of the smaller recognized dialects. Other subjects include math, science, tech, social sciences, art, and physical education. A major difference with American secondary schools is a minor attention to extra curricular activities. While academic stadards vary in Indian secondary schools, you do not have graduates who finish school that are barly literate which disdgrascefully you see in many American inner-city schools. There are also high conduct standards which is the primary reason you do not see so many children far below grade level standards in Induan schools. Each secondary school is affiliated with a state eduactional board. They issue secondary school certificates to students who pass the 10th grade. Students who don’t pass the grade 10 exam may leave school at this time or repeat it in the hope of improving their scores. Students in the upper secondary school have many more course options and choose a 'stream' of study. Thev streams include science, commerce, or the arts/humanities. Admission to upper secondary schools is not automatic. The academic standards are highr than in lower are basis secondary schools. Places in some schools can be very competitive. Students need high grades tomget into the upper secondary school of their choice which of course affects university entrance. Graduatiin requires passing an examination. The most common is the Higher Secondary Certificate Examination (HSCE). There are other ecams in use, including the the All India Senior School Certificate, the Indian School Certificate, the Certificate of Vocational Education, the Senior Secondary Certification or the Intermediate Certificate.

Created: 4:56 AM 5/7/2006
Last updated: 10:30 PM 7/27/2024