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Development of Education System Dinesh Kumar, Lovely Professional University

Notes Unit 16: Programmes of UEE

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
16.1 Meaning of Universalisation of Elementary Education
16.2 Significance of UEE
16.3 Programmes of UEE
16.4 Progress in UEE since Independence
16.5 Measures for the Achievement of the Goal of UEE
16.6 New Scheme Elementary Education
16.7 Strategies for Universalisation of Elementary Education: Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007)
16.8 Summary
16.9 Keywords
16.10 Review Questions
16.11 Further Readings

Objectives

The objectives of this unit can be summarized as below:
• to discuss about meaning of universalisation of elementary education
• to describe about significance of UEE
• to explain about Programmes of UEE
• to describe about the progress in UEE since independence
• to discuss about the measures for the achievement of the goal of UEE
• to explain about New Scheme Elementary Education
• to discuss about Strategies for Universalisation of Elementary Education: Tenth Five Year
Plan (2002-2007)

Introduction

Four and a half decades ago, we in India had taken a pledge through our Constitution that within
a period of ten years from 1950, free and compulsory elementary education would be provided to
all children up to 14 years of age. Since 1950, determined efforts were made towards the achievement
of this goal. Over the years, there have been very impressive increases in the number and spread
of institutions as well as enrolment. Today, India has about 574,000 primary schools (classes I-V)
and 156,000 upper primary schools (classes VI-VIII), the number of teachers in them being 1.705
million and 1.082 million respectively. The enrolment at the primary and upper primary stages is
109 million and 40 million respectively. The Indian elementary education system in thus one of
the biggest such systems in the world, providing accessibility within 1 km to over 825,000 habitations
covering 94 per cent of the country’s population. During the past one decade the enrolment rate
has grown close to 100 per cent at the primary stage.

16.1 Meaning of Universalisation of Elementary Education

Universalisation of elementary education in India implies that all children in the age-group 6 to 14
(Class I to VIII), belonging to the rich and the poor, the male and female, the rural and the urban
and in places which are accessible with difficulty must be provided with elementary education.

142 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY