Stages of School Education in India
Every parent is concerned about their child’s education and wants to provide the best
education to them. Nowadays child’s education is beyond learning how to write and read. Child’s education means child’s grooming, enhancing his knowledge, exposing him to different ideas and introducing him to the environment around him.
When we think of our child’s education the few questions that strike in our mind are:
- At what age should a child start going to school?
- What is the age limit to get admission in pre-primary or primary school?
- When do school admissions start?
This article describes various stages of education in India.
Stage
1: Pre- Primary
Pre-primary stage is the foundation of child’s knowledge, skills and behavior. The
completion of pre-primary education sends the child to primary stage. Primary
education is the first stage of compulsory education. It enables the children
to get prepared for future higher classes.
The pre-primary stage consists of Preparatory class (pre-nursery), nursery, LKG and
UKG. LKG/UKG stage is also called as Kindergarten (KG) stage. At play schools, children are exposed to a lot of basic preschool learning activities that help them to get independent faster. These preschool activities help develop in children many self-help qualities like eating food themselves, dressing up, maintaining cleanliness and other such basic qualities. Pre-primary education has an essential part to play in every school system, though primary education in India is not a fundamental right. Age limit for admission in nursery is 2 years 6 months to 3 years 6 months. Age limit for LKG (Junior KG) is 3 years 6 months to 4 years 6 months and for UKG (senior KG) is 4 years 6 months to 5 years 6 months.
Stage 2: Primary Stage
The primary stage consists of Classes I to V. i.e. of five years duration, in 20 States/UTs namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal and Yaman regions of Pondicherry. The primary stage consists of classes I-IV in Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe region of Pondicherry.
Age limit for class I is 5 yrs. 6 months to 6 yrs. 6 months, for class II is 6 yrs. 6 months to 7 yrs. 6 months and so on. The enrollment in primary school starts from the age group of 6 years and continues till age 14. Elementary education mission in India looks after the facilities of the primary mode of education. The structure of primary school is preceded by pre-primary education and followed by secondary education. The subjects taught at the primary school include science, geography, history, math and other social sciences.
Stage 3: Middle Stage
The middle stage of education comprises of classes VI to VIII in as many as 18 States and Union Territories viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal region of Pondicherry; Classes V-VII in Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe region of Pondicherry and Classes VI-VII in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Yanam region of Pondicherry. In Nagaland Classes V – VIII constitute the upper primary stage.
Stage 4: Secondary Stage
The Secondary Stage/ High school consists of Classes IX-X in 19 States/UTs. Viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan , Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal region of Pondicherry. The High School stage comprises classes VIII to X in 13 States/UTs viz., Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe & Yanam regions of Pondicherry. However, the Higher Secondary / Senior Secondary stage of school comprising classes XI-XII (10+2 pattern) is available in all the States/UTs though in some States/UTs these classes are attached to Universities/Colleges. Subjects in Secondary stage are Mathematics, Science, Social Science, English, Hindi or regional language of particular state.
Stage 5: Senior Secondary Stage
The Higher Secondary / Senior Secondary stage of school comprising classes XI-XII (10+2 pattern) is available in all the States/UTs though in some States/UTs these classes are attached to Universities/Colleges. In senior secondary stage, students have to opt their subjects depending on their interests. Different streams are Medical, Non medical, Commerce and Arts.
