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The Education System in India


Figure A-8. Levels of education in India, by age and year of schooling: 2013

Levels of education in India, by age and year of schooling: 2013

NOTE: Education levels are defined according to the 1997 International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED97). Ages represent the typical age at the beginning of the school year.
Universal enrollment data are not available for India. Numbers highlighted represent the age at which compulsory enrollment begins through the age at which compulsory enrollment ends. No meaning should be inferred from width of subdivisions. A striped box indicates that at the corresponding age or grade level, a student may be in a school classified in either of the boundary ISCED levels. A dotted box indicates a further subdivision within an ISCED level.
SOURCE: Nordic Recognition Information Centres. (2006). The System of Education in India. Retrieved June 26, 2013 from http://www.nokut.no/Documents/NOKUT/Artikkelbibliotek/ Kunnskapsbasen/Rapporter/UA/2006/The%20System%20of%20Education%20in%20India.pdf; and United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. (2011). World Data on Education, 2010/11 (7th edition). Profile on India. Paris: Author. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/
WDE/2010/pdf-versions/India.pdf.

Preprimary:

  • Common name: Early childhood education
  • Ages of attendance: As early as age 3 through age 5
  • Number of years: 2 to 3 years
  • Start of universal enrollment: Data not available
  • Compulsory: No

NOTE: The National Policy on Education defines the objective of early childhood care and education (ECCE) as being the total development of children ages 0–6. The objective of early childhood education (ECE) or preprimary education, which is part of the ECCE, is to prepare children for school.

Primary:

  • Common name: Primary education, Upper primary
  • Ages of attendance: 6 through 12 or 13
  • Number of years: 7 or 8
  • Universal enrollment: Data not available
  • Compulsory: Yes, begins at 6

NOTE: In the case of 8-year programs, the main pattern followed is 5 years of primary and 3 years of upper primary education. In the case of 7-year programs, the main pattern is 4 years of primary and 3 years of upper primary education.

Lower secondary:

  • Common name: Secondary
  • Ages of attendance: 13 or 14 through 15
  • Number of years: 2 or 3
  • Universal enrollment: Data not available
  • Compulsory: Through age 14
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Terminal examination conducted at the end of grade 10.

Upper secondary:

  • Common name: Higher secondary
    • Academic higher secondary
    • Vocational secondary
  • Ages of attendance: 16 through 17
  • Number of years: 2
  • Universal enrollment: Data not available
  • Compulsory: No
  • Entrance/exit criteria: Terminal examination conducted at the end of grade 12.

NOTE: In 23 States and Union Territories (S/UTs), secondary education lasts 4 years, divided into 2 years of secondary and 2 years of academic higher secondary education. In 12 S/UTs, secondary education lasts 5 years, divided into 3 years of secondary and 2 years of academic higher secondary education. Vocational secondary education lasts 2 to 3 years.

Postsecondary and tertiary:

  • Common name: University, college
  • Ages of attendance: Varies
  • Number of years: Varies according to degree program
  • Universal enrollment: Data not available
  • Entrance criteria: Admission to higher education is accorded on the basis of the results on the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC). Separate entrance exams, possibly followed by an interview, are required for many programs.

Common degree programs:

  • Polytechnic: 3-year certificate and diploma programs (often technical or engineering) that are offered at the level of both secondary and higher vocational education. Admission requirement is having completed grade 10.
  • Bachelor's: 3-year degree programs in arts, commerce, and science; 4-year degree programs in professional fields (e.g., agriculture, dentistry, engineering, pharmacy, technology, and veterinary medicine); 5-year programs in law and architecture; and 5 ½-year programs in medicine.
  • Master's: Degree that requires 2 years to attain and can either be coursework-based without a thesis or research alone.
  • Master's of Philosophy (MPhil): Predoctoral research program that requires a master's degree for admission. It can either be completely research-based or also include coursework.
  • Doctorate: Degree that requires 3 years after the master's degree (or 2 years after the MPhil degree). Students are expected to write a thesis based on original research.

Sources:

Nordic Recognition Information Centres. (2006). The System of Education in India. Retrieved June 26, 2013 from http://www.nokut.no/Documents/NOKUT/Artikkelbibliotek/Kunnskapsbasen/Rapporter/UA/2006/The%20System%20of%20Education%20in%20India.pdf.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Bureau of Education. (2011). World Data on Education, 2010/11 (7th edition). Profile on India. Paris: Author. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/India.pdf.

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