Education, Educational Infrastructure & Educational Policy of Uttar Pradesh | Course for UPPSC Preparation - UPPSC (UP) PDF Download

Introduction

• Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy. Education is commonly divided formally into such stages as preschool or kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and then college, university, or apprenticeship.Education, Educational Infrastructure And Educational Policy Of Uttar Pradesh
• India holds an important place in the global education industry. The country has more than 1.5 million schools with over 260 million students enrolled and about 751 universities and 35,539 colleges. Education in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: central, state and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution, free and compulsory education is provided as a fundamental right to children between the ages of 6 and 14.

Education in Uttar Pradesh

• Sanskrit-based education comprising the learning of Vedic to Gupta periods, coupled with the later Pali corpus of knowledge and a vast store of ancient to medieval learning in Persian/Arabic languages, had formed the edifice of Hindu-Buddhist-Muslim education, till the rise of British power. After independence, the state of U.P. has continued to make investment over the years in all sectors of education and has achieved significant success in overcoming general educational backwardness and illiteracy. The increase in overall literacy rate is due to persistent multi-pronged efforts made by the state government: to enrol and retain children, specially of weaker sections, in schools; to effectively implement the adult education programmes; and to establish centres of higher education.
• Most schools in the state are affiliated to Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad (commonly referred to as U.P. board) with English or Hindi as the medium of instruction, while schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) with English as medium of instruction are also present. Considering the size of Uttar Pradesh, it is not surprising that it has a large number of academic and research institutes. These institutes are either under the jurisdiction of the State Government, the Central Government, or are privately run. The state has two IITs – at Kanpur and Varanasi, an IIM at Lucknow, an LU at Lucknow, an NIT and an IIIT at Allahabad. A good number of State and Central Government universities are founded in Uttar Pradesh to provide Higher Education in various course works.

Educational Infrastructure

• The state has 53 universities out of which 23 are state universities, 10 are deemed universities, 4 central universities, and 16 private universities. In 2014-15, there were 4,345 colleges in the state. Numerous universities in the state have excellent departments of engineering. The Banaras Hindu University at Banaras, founded in 1916, is one of the oldest universities in the country. The state has a good presence of private players in the education sector. In the budget for 2015-16, the state government allocated US$ 811.54 million for scholarship and fee reimbursement for all categories of students.
• The Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MOP&NG), Government of India set up the institute at Jais, Rae Bareli district, Uttar Pradesh through an Act of Parliament. RGIPT has been accorded “Institute of National Importance” along the lines of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM). With the status of a deemed university, the institute awards degrees in its own right. RGIPT is co-promoted as an energy domain specific institute by six oil public sector units (ONGC, IOCL, OIL, GAIL, BPCL and HPCL) in association with the Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB). The Institute is associated with leading International Universities/Institutions specializing in the domain of Petroleum Technology.
• Alongside above mentioned institutes of higher learning, in Uttar Pradesh, a range of Government Degree College has been set up by the Government of Uttar Pradesh for providing Higher Education to scholars who are interested in different course work (undergraduate, postgraduate and research) and program (Humanities, Science and Commerce) in higher studies. At present in Uttar Pradesh, 137 Government Degree Colleges has been established to fulfill the above criteria. The U.P. government administers and controls these colleges through Department of Higher Education, Uttar Pradesh; however, syllabus and affiliation to the universities concerned are depending upon the locality of Government Degree College. Beside government instructions, the government degree colleges also follow the norms and regulations of the University Grants Commission.
• Literacy rate in Uttar Pradesh has seen upward trend and is 67.68 percent as per 2011 population census. Of that, male literacy stands at 77.28 percent while female literacy is at 51.36 percent. In 2001, literacy rate in Uttar Pradesh stood at 56.27 percent of which male and female were 67.30 percent and 43.00 percent literate respectively. In actual numbers, total literates in Uttar Pradesh stands at 114,397,555 of which males were 68,234,964 and females were 46,162,591. Gautam Budhh Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Etawah and Ghaziabad are the top 5 districts in terms of literacy rate with the highest being 80.12 %. Current literacy rate of Uttar Pradesh is 69.72%

Educational Policy

The Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-07) recognized education as the key intervention whereby the state can transform its large population into an asset instead of treating it as a problem or burden. The Plan has noted with concern the under allocation of plan resources for the development of education and the decline therein. In the field of elementary education, the Tenth Plan aimed at (a) universal enrollment, (b) universal retention, and (c) quality of education. The Plan called for developing additional physical facilities of primary and upper primary education by opening new schools in un-served habitations.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)

Scheme for universalization of elementary education (UEE). It was started in 16 districts in UP during 2001-02 with Government of India share of 85 percent and state share of 15 percent. From 2002-03, the SSA is under implementation in all districts. At present, the Government of India share is 65 percent and the state share is 35 percent. Schemes and activities like construction of school buildings, teachers training, developing required infra structure, learning material etc.

Mid Day Meal Scheme

Mid Day Meal (MDM) scheme was initiated by the Government of India in 1995. Under this scheme all students in government aided schools, Madarsas, EGS centres and AIE centres are supplied free mid day meal. Initially 3 kilogram per month raw foodgrain was given to every child for 10 months. The Government of UP started supplying cooked mid day meal since November 2004, and gradually the whole state has been brought under its coverage.

Special Educational Programmes

A number of special educational programmes have been introduced by the state government to address the problem of education of the children of the deprived sections of society and special category of students including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, girls, BPL families and the handicapped children. A number of concessions, freeships and other incentives are given to the special category of students and girls.

Educational Schemes for SC/ST

In view of the constitutional provisions for protection and promotion of the interests of weaker sections of the society, particularly, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, steps have been taken to promote the cause of this segment of population in such a manner so as to enable them to reach from elementary to secondary level of education, which may lead them from preliminary level of welfare to ultimate aim of educational empowerment. Special institutional arrangements have been made for the SC/ST students. Ashram Type Schools have been opened for them to provide residential facilities to them. Hostels and Coaching Centres have been established for Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe students preparing them to compete in the civil services examinations like PCS and IAS. . Financial assistance in the form of scholarships to Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribe students is provided to help them continue their education.

Policy for Partially Handicapped

Integrated secondary education scheme has been launched for the handicapped children of various categories, i.e. children with various degrees of deafness, weak eyesight, physically and mentally handicapped. This scheme was started in 1986-87 to encourage the partially handicapped children for pursuing education by giving them financial assistance. This is a centrally sponsored scheme and the central government bears the burden of its financing.

Madarsa Modernisation

Under the Madarsa modernisation scheme, 735 Madarsas have been modernized and 359 Madarsas have already been taken on the grant-in-aid-list so as to facilitate them to provide pay etc. to their teachers. During 2004- 05, state government sanctioned a grant of Rs. 15 lakh for computer education / construction of computer rooms in 26 Madarsas. During 2006-07, 100 new Madarsas have been brought under the state’s grants-in aid facility. Thus, the total number of aided Madarsas comes to 459. In other words, of the total 1378 recognised Madarsas, about one third have been put on the grant- in- aid list.