Education in Delhi – An Introduction
Delhi the capital of India has a rich historical past since days immemorial. It has been the seat of power of the Mughal kings and the British rulers thereafter. Many monuments still exist as of today which reminds us of the glorious past. The population of Delhi in 2011 was 16.8 million of which males constituted 53.5% and females 46.5%. The literacy rate of Delhi was 86.21% of which the male literacy was 90.94% and female literacy was 68.85%. The sex ratio was 868 per 1000 males which was way below the national average of 940.
School Education in Delhi
In Delhi, pre-primary and primary educations are the responsibility of The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, The New Delhi Municipal Council and The Delhi Cantonment Board. Middle, Secondary and Senior Secondary education are primarily looked after by The Directorate of Education, National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi. However the Directorate of Education has also introduced primary classes in some existing secondary / senior secondary schools and converted them into composite schools. The Government of Delhi has converted 326 of its schools into composite schools known as Sarvodaya Vidyalayas with classes from 1 to 12. The NDMC, though mainly concerned with primary education, also runs a select number of middle, secondary and senior secondary schools in its areas. A number of private organisations are also engaged in imparting education at all levels of schooling. Apart from these, another set of schools include the Kendriya Vidyalayas and the Jawahar Navoday Vidyalayas which are managed by autonomous organisations under the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Read about Education in Delhi
The three Municipal Corporations of Delhi operate around 1800 primary schools in the city. Apart from these, 72 Nagar Palika and Navyug Schools are also run by NDMC. Delhi Government operates 1,400 senior secondary schools, 1,187 unaided schools, 463 secondary schools, and 600 middle schools across the city. As per the available data of 2011-2012, there were 10,10,630 students enrolled in Class VI, VII and VIII, 6,79,228 students enrolled in Class IX and X, and 31,54,007 students enrolled in Class XI and XII. English is the common medium of study in private schools whereas government schools still favour Hindi as a medium of study. There are governing bodies of the government which control the curriculum and examination of schools in Delhi. Most of the schools in Delhi are affiliated to either the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or Indian Council of Certificate Examination (ICSE) boards.
Higher Education in Delhi
Needless to state that the higher education facilities at Delhi is so far the best available in India. Students from all over the country aspire for an admission in Delhi colleges. The available seats are limited and the entry level mark cut off’s are so very high that many deserving students are also not able to get admission to their college of choice. Most of the premier institutions of the country are located in Delhi. Directorate of Higher Education has been given the sole responsibility of looking after the college branch of the Education Department. Delhi has four Central Universities, five State Universities and eleven Deemed Universities. Besides being the capital of the country and the political and economic hub all the basic infrastructures required for students are easily and conveniently available to them. Industry interface, peer group and specialist guidance, profile oriented job availability and other numerous advantages for students readily exist at Delhi.
Education in Delhi – Future
Delhi is a student’s paradise. Besides learning all the basic requirements for peaceful co existence for a student from any state is available at Delhi. It has an extremely sustainable environment for the nurturing and development of any aspiring child of the student fraternity. Delhi is a great place for education of a child.