Page 143 - DEDU501_DEVELOPMENT_OF_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ENGLISH

Unit 15 : Universalization of Elementary Education : Concept and Problems

Over a period of time, enrolment, both at the primary and upper levels of education, has Notes
increased significantly. From a low of 19 million in 1950-51, it has increased to about 111
million in 1998-99 at the primary and from 3 to 40 million at the upper primary level till now.
At present, the enrolment ratio (gross) is 92 and 58 per cent respectively at the primary and
upper primary level of education. The percentage of girl's enrolment to the total enrolment at
the primary and upper primary level of education in 1998-99 was about 44 and 41 per cent.
Despite improvement in retention rates, the drop out rate is still high at 40 and 57 per cent
respectively at the primary and elementary level of education. The transition from primary to
upper primary and upper primary to secondary level is as high as 94 and 83 per cent. However,
the learner's achievement across the country remained unsatisfactory and far below than the
expectations. The Government of India initiated a number of programmes and projects to attain
the status of universal enrolment. Despite all these significant achievements, the goal of universal
elementary education remains elusive and far a distant dream.
15.1.3 School Structure
As mentioned above that free and compulsory education to all children up to the age fourteen
is constitutional commitment. In 1993, the Supreme Court of India declared education up to
fourteen years of age to be a fundamental right of children in India. The entire school education
can be divided in to four parts, namely, primary, upper primary, secondary and higher secondary
levels. The National Policy of Education (1968 & 1986) and its revised formulation (1992)
envisaged a uniform pattern of school education (10+2 pattern, 12 years of schooling) across the
states. Since education is on the concurrent list, i.e. state subject; the States & UTs are free to
evolve their own pattern of school education. Eight years of primary education is envisaged in
two stages: a junior stage covering a period of five years and a senior stage covering a period
of 3 years. It needs to be mentioned that 8 years of compulsory education was envisaged as one
integrated unit, although there were two stages in the cycle. Hence elementary education became
the compulsory component of education in India. It is this compulsory stage that has been
incorporated as a directive principle in the constitution in 1950. The official age (entry) to
obtain admission in Grade I is 6 years but a few States & UTs have 5 years as entry-age. The
Government has recently decided to re-introduce the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which
will make elementary education a fundamental right. This will be implemented as a part of the
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. It may however be noted that about 10-12 states have already made
elementary education compulsory. But the situation in most of these states is not different than
other states with regards to enrolment and retention.

The National Policy on Education (1987 & 1992) recommended strengthening of
ECCE programme as an essential component of human development and UEE.

15.2 Problems of Universalization of Education and their Remedies

Universalization of Elementary Education is Constitutional directive. Education is every body's
birth-right and it is binding on any government to provide facilities for education for children
who are born and reach the school-going age.
It was stipulated to achieve Universalization within 10 years from the introduction of Constitution
and that is by 1960. But it is now more than three decades after the scheduled time. Now the
problems with certain possible remedies to solve them have been discussed as follows:
(1) Faulty Policy of Government: The constitutional directive is that states shall endeavour to
provide free and compulsory education to all children until they complete the age of 14 years.
But it is a matter of regret that the prescribed goal has not been reached as yet. The main cause
for this is that the policy of Government was based on idealism.
Basic education was accepted as the form of national education. Being inspired with this aim,
work started to convert the existing primary schools into basic schools. India is a vast country

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 137