First of all, let me give answer to the question, "what is primary education?". The Primary Education is the very first stage of school education or the compulsory education, and starts from Class-I to Class-V. Prior to this primary education, comes the stage of Nursery to UKG education, which is commonly referred to as the Pre-Primary education. And, after the primary education, comes next the Middle or Secondary Education, and covers the classes ranging from Class-6 to Class-8, in most of the countries, including India. Thus, the primary education is the first main phase of elementary school education, which comes in between the early childhood education and the secondary education. In this highly informative and useful web-article, we are exclusively interested in offering detailed information about the primary education or primary school education, and the primary education in india.
This primary education can be regarded as the elementary education which offers children the basic knowledge of literacy and numeracy, and establishes foundations in sciences, mathematics, languages including English, history, geography, environmental science, computers, general knowledge, and other social sciences. It is responsibility of the primary education to prepare and equip children for understanding and utilizing the education provided in the higher levels of school education, namely the middle or secondary education [from Class VI to Class VIII], and the higher secondary education [from class IX or X to XII]. Thus, the importance of primary education is indeed immense, and this initial phase of education plays a very significant role in the school education and life of children.
Importance of Primary Education in India
As India is the second most populous country, and one of the largest and fast prospering economies of the world, the importance of primary education and other levels of school education, and also the higher education in certainly vast and great. Again, the education system of India is regarded as the third largest and constantly growing educational systems in the whole world, after that of USA and China. Detailed information regarding the higher education in India is provided in other web-pages of ours this highly reputed and hugely popular educational website of India. Hereunder, we are providing very useful information about the primary education, and other levels of the school or elementary education in India.
As in most of the other countries of the world, the major provider of elementary or school education to children is government, both State and Central Government of India. As per an estimate about 80% of the total schools in India are governmental schools, under the categories of the primary schools, middle or secondary schools, and the higher secondary schools. However, owing to the poor quality and irregularities in the governmental schools, about 27% of Indian children now find school education in the private schools. This percentage in urban areas goes up to 50%, and as a consequence, the number of private schools in cities and other urban areas is always on the rise. Noteworthy here also is the impressive fact that the Government of India has made school education to children up to the age of 14 [from age of six years], free and compulsory, as per the Free and Compulsory Education act of 2009. The main bodies associated with school education in India are State Education Boards, the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Central Board of School Education (CBSE), and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE). The most of the private schools of India are recognized by any of these governmental governing bodies, excepting the international private schools in India.
In the private sector, primary education is available at the primary schools, primary residential schools, and boarding schools. Information about the top primary schools and the boarding schools in India is obtainable from our other web-pages. Generally, most of the boarding schools provide elementary education from Class-I to Class-X or XII. These private schools offer superlative and world-class school education to Indian and foreign children and students.