Secondary Education in India : Universalizing Opportunity
The dramatic growth in Indian elementary education enrollment and improvements in retention and transition rates over the past ten years, particularly among more disadvantaged groups, are increasing pressure on the secondary level to absorb new ent...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20090518003954 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3042 |
| Summary: | The dramatic growth in Indian elementary
education enrollment and improvements in retention and
transition rates over the past ten years, particularly among
more disadvantaged groups, are increasing pressure on the
secondary level to absorb new entrants. Given ongoing center
and state investments in Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (education
for all), this trend will continue for the next 10 years. At
the same time, India's impressive, sustained economic
growth has increased household and labor market demand for
secondary and higher education. Secondary education's
contribution to economic growth, demonstrated high social
benefits (particularly for girls), and support of democratic
citizenship reinforce the need for increased public support
at this level, particularly in light of the very large
inequalities in access to secondary education, by income,
gender, social group and geography. The challenge is to
dramatically improve access, equity and quality of secondary
education simultaneously. Small-scale learning achievement
studies and parental preference for private schools suggest
that the quality of public secondary education is alarmingly
low. Efforts to improve the quality of secondary education
are thus urgent, but medium to long-term in producing
results. India needs to make the public qualitative
investments now in teacher education and accountability,
curriculum reform, quality assurance, examinations reform,
national assessment capabilities and management information
systems, which will require time and significant
institutional capacity building to succeed at a national
scale. The recently launched centrally sponsored scheme for
secondary education, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
(RMSA), offers a strategic opportunity to improve access and
equity; enhance quality, accountability and ability to
measure learning outcomes; and promote standardization of
curriculum and examinations across states. In addition,
India's recent decision to participate in international
assessments of student achievement is an extremely positive
sign. Over time, such participation will provide an
important objective baseline of students' cognitive
skills and a future measure of success of the country's
investments in elementary and secondary education. |
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