Education in Madhya Pradesh – An Introduction
Madhya Pradesh - which in Hindi virtually signifies “Central Province”, is a state in central India with Bhopal as its capital. It came into existence in its present form on November 1st 2000. It has a rich historical past a promising present and a rapidly progressing future. Madhya Pradesh is a pilgrim’s abode and a tourist’s delight. Basically it has a predominantly agricultural economy. As per 2011 census the population of Madhya Pradesh was 72.63 million, of which the male population was 37.61 million and female population was 35.01 million. The literacy rate of Madhya Pradesh was 69.32%, of which the male literacy is 78.73% and female literacy is 54.49%. The sex ratio of Madhya Pradesh was 931 females per 1000 males, which is slightly below the national average of 940.
School Education in Madhya Pradesh
Read about Education in Madhya Pradesh
The structure of education in Madhya Pradesh is based on the national pattern with 12 years of schooling, consisting of eight years of elementary education, that is five years of primary and three years of middle school education for the age groups 6-11 and 11-14 years respectively, followed by high and higher secondary school education of two years besides three years of pre-primary education. School education is administratively managed by Directorate of Public Instruction, Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. There are a total of 1,32,294 schools in Madhya Pradesh which includes primary, middle, secondary and higher secondary schools. Government of Madhya Pradesh initiated the Education Guarantee Scheme, Rajiv Gandhi Education Mission, Literacy to All and Read and Grow movements which by the turn of century – year 2000, realised the state’s mission of “Basic Education to All”. Schools in Madhya Pradesh are affiliated to Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, the Central Board of Secondary Education and the State Education Board. Hindi is the medium of instruction in schools affiliated to the state board whereas other schools follow English as the medium of instruction. After completing 10 years of schooling, students usually enroll in higher secondary education in any one of the three disciplines – Science, Commerce and Humanities.
Higher Education in Madhya Pradesh
The Department of Higher Education is the governing body for higher education in Madhya Pradesh. College and university education apart from engineering, medical, agriculture and veterinary fall under the purview of this department. In the year 2012-2013 there were a total of 429 colleges and 358 technical institutions in the state. The various disciplines in which specialized courses are offered include Architecture, Ayurveda, Biotechnology, Engineering, Management and Physiotherapy. The career oriented courses offered at some colleges in Madhya Pradesh are Diploma in Pharmacy, Diploma in Tourism and Hotel Management, B.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration and BA & MA in Journalism & Mass Communication. Other subjects in which courses are offered include Homeopathy, Medicine, Nursing and Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry. Colleges of Madhya Pradesh are affiliated to one of the numerous universities which include Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya; Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Jabalpur; Jiwaji University, Gwalior and Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. There are 83 engineering colleges, 6 law colleges, 10 medical colleges, 55 MCA and MBA colleges, 9 mass communication colleges, 4 bio tech colleges and 54 pharmacy colleges in Madhya Pradesh. Presence of industries offers good scope of employment and industry interface to the desirous aspirants.
Education in Madhya Pradesh – Future
The future of education in Madhya Pradesh is improving with every passing day and its dependence on agriculture is balancing out with industrialization due to the spread of education. The day is not far when it will be at par with its industrialized neighboring states.