Education in Gujarat – An Introduction
Gujarat – Jewel of the West and the land of Mahatma Gandhi is located in the western extremes of the country. Gujarat has a rich historic past and a progressive and vibrant present. It is a tourist, industrial and trading hub. It is the most industrialised state of India and attracts the cream of domestic and multinational investment. The population of Gujarat is 60.44 million, of which the male population is 31.49 million and female population is 28.94 million. The literacy rate of Gujarat is 78.03, of which the male literacy is 85.75% and female literacy is 63.31%. The sex ratio of Gujarat is 919 females per 1000 males, which is much below the national average of 940.
School Education in Gujarat
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Gujarat is focussed on the primary education front, especially for children in the age bracket of 3-6 years it has provided primary education by municipal primary education committees and private institutions in the urban areas and District Panchayat Education Committees and private institutions in the rural areas. The State Government provides grant-in-aid for the pre primary education provided by the recognised institutions in the rural areas. Primary education besides being compulsory is imparted free of cost in the state. Grant-in-aid for primary education is provided to recognised institutions in the rural areas by the State Government. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in Gujarat has made great strides in redefining the elementary education of the state. The ASER report categorically points out that Gujarat has a lot of catching up to do with the national mainstream with regards to school level education.
Gujarat State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board are in charge of schools run by the state government. However many of the private schools in Gujarat are also affiliated to the CBSE and ICSE boards. Gujarati is adopted as a medium of education in the government schools whereas English is followed as a medium of education in the private schools. The Government is especially much focussed on education of women in the state. The GSEB conducts two major exams of the state namely the Secondary School Certificate Examination of Standard 10 and the Higher Secondary Certificate Examination of Standard 12 students. Its main academic task is the recommendation of books and the preparation of syllabus for secondary schools.
Higher Education in Gujarat
Gujarat has numerous and prestigious institutions of higher education. There are 1 Central University, 22 State University, 1 Deemed University, 13 Private University and a host of institutions pertaining to medicine, law, research and technology. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is the only institution in Gujarat whose medium of teaching is English for all courses and is renowned nationally and internationally. The Indian Institute of Management, National Institute of Design, Gujarat National Law University are a few of the innumerable prestigious institutions of higher learning located in the state. As Gujarat is an industrial hub students have great employment opportunities and industry interface possibilities. It is an ideal location for aspiring and enterprising students.
Education in Gujarat – Future
Gujarat has always been a promising state for students as it offers the right blend and environment for learning, earning and enterprising. Its people are tolerant, accommodative and connoisseurs of free trade and enterprise.