Education and Educational Infrastructure of Gujarat | Gujarat State PSC (GPSC) Preparation: All subjects - GPSC (Gujarat) PDF Download

Education as the Foundation of a Progressive Society

• Education is universally acknowledged as the cornerstone of a progressive society. Recent globalization trends highlight the critical need for 'market-ready' trained human resources, a goal that cannot be achieved without high-quality education. Although India is known for its vast human capital, feedback from industries indicates an urgent need to enhance the skill set of the educated youth in the country. 
• Traditionally, the government has focused on providing primary and secondary/higher secondary education and expanding infrastructure to serve a wider population. However, efforts to improve the quality of education at these levels have been limited, largely due to competing priorities for state and central budgets.

Structure of School Education in Gujarat

• India has adopted a uniform 10+2 structure for school education across all States and Union Territories. However, variations persist within these regions concerning the number of classes at each educational stage (Primary, Upper Primary, High, and Higher Secondary), the age of admission to class I, the medium of instruction, public examinations, the teaching of Hindi and English, the number of working days in a year, academic sessions, vacation periods, fee structures, compulsory education, and more. 
• In Gujarat, the education system is divided into four distinct stages: Primary (Class I to IV), Upper Primary (Class V to VII), Secondary (Class VIII to X), and Higher Secondary (Class XI and XII). Higher and technical education is provided by universities and colleges, covering both general higher education (arts, science, commerce) and technical education (engineering, pharmacy, agricultural sciences, etc.).

Policy and Educational Development in Gujarat

• Development programs derive much of their strength from legislative directives framed as policies. The education sector in Gujarat has not fully reached its potential, partly due to the absence of a cohesive policy direction. Much of the current educational framework in Gujarat is based on the National Policy on Education, 1976. 
• Although the Constitution mandates education as a joint responsibility of the central and state governments, Gujarat has made limited efforts to develop a comprehensive education policy aimed at holistic development. Gujarat ranks 9th on the Education Development Index (EDI), prepared by the National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), which measures the performance of states in the Universalization of Elementary Education program. Although this marks a significant improvement from its previous 14th position, it underscores the need for more intensive efforts to improve the state of education in Gujarat.

School Education

• Gujarat had approximately 8.2 million children enrolled in primary classes, with the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) nearing 100%. Around 2.77 million children were enrolled in institutions providing secondary and higher secondary education.
• Both the government and the private sector are increasingly taking on a larger role in ensuring that children are not excluded from the education system due to a lack of infrastructure.

Gujarat's Aspirations to Become an Education Hub

• Gujarat has traditionally been recognized for its strong entrepreneurial spirit rather than its ability to develop professionally trained human resources. However, this is set to change rapidly as the Government of Gujarat embarks on a mission to transform the state into an Education Hub for the nation. The state's efforts are focused not only on attracting students from across India but also from other countries. Currently, Gujarat has around 20 universities, including 10 private universities (six already operational and four new ones approved and soon to commence). The state is home to over 900 institutions of higher learning and research, educating approximately 551,398 students. Gujarat offers around 34,323 engineering seats and approximately 47,753 diploma engineering seats, with around 10,492 seats available at the postgraduate (Master's) level across various disciplines.
• Despite its rapid industrial development and reputation as one of the fastest-growing states, Gujarat's higher education system has struggled to produce graduates who are immediately employable. While there has been progress in the primary and secondary education sectors, higher education still requires significant improvement. In response, the state government is taking assertive steps to enhance both the infrastructure and quality of higher and technical education.
• To position itself as an education hub, Gujarat must first compete with other states in the country. For example, Andhra Pradesh currently offers around 145,000 engineering seats. To reach this level, Gujarat would need to add approximately 122,000 seats, requiring the establishment of over 160 colleges with 750 seats each by the year 2021.

Establishing Independent Educational Initiatives

• The Society for Creation of Opportunities through Proficiency in English (SCOPE) is a registered organization formed by the Government of Gujarat with the specific goal of enhancing English proficiency among Gujarat's youth across the state by providing world-class training in practical business English.
• The Gujarat Knowledge Society (GKS) is another society established by the Government of Gujarat to prepare the youth for a knowledge-based economy and society, aiming to develop world-class knowledge resources by fostering new skill competencies. It operates on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, where demand-driven skill training programs are delivered by private training agencies within the classrooms and computer labs of existing government schools and colleges.
• Gujarat Technological University (GTU) was established in 2007 to unify the state's technical education under a single academic framework, aiming to standardize academic structures across Gujarat. The university also strives to improve curricula across various disciplines to better serve humanity.
• The Education Department's budget plan for the year 2009-10 is estimated at approximately Rs. 1600 crores, in addition to a non-plan expenditure of about Rs. 6000 crores on education. This significant budgetary allocation marks a substantial increase for the state, as typically, funding for education has been minimal.
• School education demand was projected using cohort population estimates through the year 2021. The projected number of students in the 4 to 16 age group was used to determine future demand for education.
• These projections underscore the enormous scale of educational infrastructure needed to provide quality education to all children, presenting a significant investment opportunity in the state.