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India's School Education System Witnesses Unprecedented Growth and Transformation

Government's Efforts Focused on Quality, Equity, and Holistic Development: : Dharmendra Pradhan

By : EduAdvice 2024-12-17 11:25:57

 

New Delhi, December 17, 2024: India’s school education landscape has seen remarkable advancements in the past decade, driven by the government's commitment to enhancing quality, equity, and holistic development. Key areas of improvement include school infrastructure, digital access, skill education, and the promotion of Bharatiya languages, among other transformative initiatives. Addressing a press conference today, Union Minister for Education, Dharmendra Pradhan, highlighted the monumental progress achieved and outlined key developments that are shaping the future of education in the country.

Key Highlights of the Progress in School Education (2013-2024):

1. Remarkable Growth in School Infrastructure

  • Electricity access increased from 53% to 91.8%.
  • Computers in schools grew from 24.1% to 57.2%, and internet connectivity surged from 7.3% to 53.9%.
  • Drinking water access went up from 83.2% to 98.3%, and handwashing facilities expanded from 43.1% to 94.7%.
  • Playgrounds increased from 66.9% to 82.4%, and libraries expanded from 76.4% to 89%.
  • Accessibility for Divyang students improved with a rise in provision of ramps (56.8% to 77.1%) and handrails (33.9% to 52.3%).
  • Rainwater harvesting facilities saw a significant increase from 4.2% to 28.4%.

2. Substantial Increase in Investment in Education

  • Per-child expenditure grew by 130%, from ₹10,780 in 2013-14 to ₹25,043 in 2021-22, reflecting enhanced investment in education.

3. Emphasis on Promoting Bharatiya Bhashas

  • Textbooks for Classes 1 and 2 are now available in 23 Indian languages.
  • The government launched 126 multilingual e-content on the DIKSHA platform in 126 Indian and 7 foreign languages.
  • 104 primers in Indian languages were released, alongside the launch of educational channels dedicated to various regional languages, including:
    • Tamil language channel (July 2024)
    • ULLAS channel for adult education (September 2024)
    • Sign Language channel for hearing-impaired learners (December 2024).

4. Surge in Student Performance

  • 64% increase in Class X students scoring higher grades.
  • 66% improvement in Class XII students performing better.

5. Empowering Nari Shakti in Education

  • The proportion of female teachers grew by 30% since 2014, with 61% of teacher recruits between 2014 and 2024 being women.
  • Female teachers now significantly outnumber male teachers in many schools across the country.

6. Focus on Quality and Equity in KVS and NVS

  • Representation of rural students in Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS) increased from 78% in 2014 to 90% in 2024.
  • OBC reservations were introduced in 2021, with representation reaching 38.83% in NVS and 29.33% in KVS by 2024.
  • The number of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and Navodaya Vidyalayas (NVS) grew from 1,701 to 1,943 schools.

7. Expansion of CBSE Schools

  • The number of CBSE-affiliated schools more than doubled, from 14,974 in 2014 to 30,415 in 2024.

8. Strengthening Skill Education

  • The number of schools offering vocational education skyrocketed from 960 in 2014 to 29,342 in 2024.
  • Enrolment in skill education surged from 58,720 in 2014 to over 30.8 lakh in 2024.

9. Digital Reforms and Transparency

  • Key school processes, including admissions, transfers, and CBSE affiliation, are now fully online.
  • KVS, NVS, and CBSE schools have transitioned to 100% e-office platforms.

10. New Bharat-Centric Textbooks under National Curriculum Framework (NCF)

  • Competency-based textbooks for 7 out of 15 grades are already available, with additional textbooks set for release next academic year.
  • Textbooks for Arts, Physical Education, and Vocational Education are under development.
  • NCERT is set to print 15 crore textbooks for the upcoming academic session, up from 5 crore previously.

11. Enhanced Investment in PM POSHAN Scheme

  • The government allocated ₹1.04 lakh crore for the PM POSHAN scheme from 2014-2024, a significant increase from the previous decade’s allocation of ₹71,525 crore.
  • A 13.7% increase in material cost for meals was implemented from December 2024, with the government bearing the additional cost of ₹425.62 crore for FY 2024-25.

12. Data-Driven Decision Making and Monitoring

  • Over 7 crore APAAR IDs (Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry) have been generated to track student progress and outcomes.
  • The PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan survey covered 23 lakh students across 87,619 schools in December 2024.

A Vision for the Future of Education

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan emphasized that India stands at a critical juncture in its educational journey, with the government’s focus firmly on fostering an inclusive, skilled, and digitally-enabled future for every child. By transforming the education system, promoting local languages, and ensuring equal opportunities, India is building a foundation for long-term social and economic development.

 

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