Schools in India

All the schools in India come under the governance of respective boards under which they function. Now, there are various State Boards of Education, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for Indian School Certificate Examination and National Institute of Open Schooling which look after school examination in India.

Today, Schools provide education to all and provide cost free or concession based education to the underprivileged. At present, under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, books and stationery are provided to Girls, Schedule Caste and Scheduled Tribe students in Bihar up to the elementary level, that is Class VIII. There are more schools than ever before and the literacy rate has improved to a large extent in spite of many deficiencies in the education system.

Stages or Levels of School Education in India

Education System

Primary School Education is provided from 1st Class to 5th Class. The children admitted in these school are generally aged between 6-11 years. The Indian government lays emphasis on primary education, also referred to as elementary education, to children aged 6 to 14 years old. The Indian government has also banned child labor in order to ensure that the children do not enter unsafe working conditions.However, both free education and the ban on child labour are difficult to enforce due to economic disparity and social conditions.80% of all recognized schools at the elementary stage are government run or supported, making it the largest provider of education in the country

Secondary or Higher Level of Education which is provide from 6th class to 8th Class is called Middle School Education. Children reaching this level are generally aged between 11-14 years. Secondary education covers children aged 12 to 18, a group comprising 88.5 million children according to the 2001 Census of India. The final two years of secondary is often called Higher Secondary (HS), Senior Secondary, or simply the "+2" stage. The two halves of secondary education are each an important stage for which a pass certificate is needed, and thus are affiliated by central boards of education under HDR ministry, before one can pursue higher education, including college or professional courses.

Private Schools In India

According to current estimates, 29% of Indian children are privately educated. With more than 50% children enrolling in private schools in urban areas, the balance has already tilted towards private schooling in cities; and, even in rural areas, nearly 20% of the children in 2004-2005 were enrolled in private schools.

Most middle-class families send their children to private schools, which might be in their own city or at distant boarding schools. At such schools, the medium of education is often English, but Hindi and/or the state's official language is also taught as a compulsory subject. Preschool education is mostly limited to organised neighbourhood nursery schools with some organised chains.