In rural areas,
literacy rate was seen as 71% compared to 86% in urban areas. Also among
persons of age 7 years and above male literacy rate being substantially higher
(83%) than female literacy rate (67%). Similarly it was found in the rural
areas, nearly 4.5% of males and 2.2% of females completed education level of ‘graduation
and above’ while in the urban areas 17% of males and 13% of females completed
this level of education.
These were the details found from survey on “Social Consumption: Education”
during National Sample Survey (NSS) 71st
Round, January to June 2014 conducted by the National Sample Survey Office
(NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Similar
survey was conducted by NSSO during July 2007 - June 2008 as a part of its 64th
Round.
Other details of
the survey released by NSSO as the Key Indicators of Social Consumption in
India: Education are as follows:
In most of the
countries, government spend a substantial amount of financial resources on the
creation as well as running of the educational infrastructure. However, for
availing such facilities, individuals pursuing education also incur expenditure
in the form of tuition fees, examination fees, charges for stationery, books,
etc. Though information on the
expenditure incurred by the governments is available in budget documents, the
data on education expenditure made by individuals have to be collected through
specialised household surveys. The main objective of survey on ‘Social
Consumption: Education’ was to assess the (a) participation of persons aged
5-29 years in pursuit of education, (b) extent of use of educational
infrastructure, facilities and incentives provided by Government, (c) private
expenditure incurred by households on education, (d) the extent of educational
wastage in terms of dropping-out and discontinuance and its causes, and (e) IT
literacy of persons aged 14 years and above.
The survey
covered entire country with samples taken from 36,479 households in rural areas
and 29,447 households in urban areas from 4,577 villages and 3,720 urban blocks.
Some
key indicators on various aspects of social consumption on education in the
country as obtained from the survey during January-June 2014 are as follows:
I.
Literacy rates
·
Literacy rate among
persons of age 7 years and above in India was 75%. In rural areas, literacy
rate was 71% compared to 86% in urban areas.
·
Differences in literacy
rate among persons of age 7 years and above was observed with male literacy
rate being substantially higher (83%) than female literacy rate (67%).
·
Adult literacy (age 15
years and above) rate in India was around 71%. For adults also, literacy rate
in rural areas was lower than that in urban areas. In rural areas, adult
literacy rate was 64% as compared to 84% in urban areas.
II.
Accessibility
of nearest primary, upper primary and secondary school
·
No significant
difference between rural and urban India existed in terms of distance for
physical access to primary schooling. In both rural and urban areas, nearly 99%
households reported availability of primary school within 2 kms from the house.
·
For accessing
educational institutions providing higher level of learning, say upper primary
or secondary, a lower proportion of households in rural areas compared to the
households in urban areas reported existence of such facilities within 2 kms.
·
Nearly 86% of rural
households and 96% of urban households reported upper primary schools within a
distance of 2 kms from the house while nearly 60% of rural households and 91% of
urban households reported secondary schools at such a distance.
III.
Completed level of education among persons of
age 5 years and above
·
The proportion of persons having completed
higher level of education, say, graduation and above, was more in the urban
areas than in the rural areas.
·
In the rural areas, nearly 4.5% of males and
2.2% of females completed education level of ‘graduation and above’ while in
the urban areas 17% of males and 13% of females completed this level of
education.
IV.
Attendance and enrolment
·
In both rural and urban areas, a very small
proportion of persons (nearly 1 per cent) in the age group 5-29 years, were
currently enrolled but not attending educational institutions.
·
In rural areas 58.7% of males and 53% of females
in the 5-29 age-group were currently attending educational institution. In
urban areas, the percentages being 57% for males and 54.6% for females.
V.
Attendance ratios
·
Gross Attendance Ratio for level ‘primary’ was
nearly 100% for both males and females in rural and urban areas.
·
Gross Attendance Ratio at level ‘primary to
higher secondary’ was 91% and 88% for rural males and females respectively,
marginally lower as compared to 93% for both males and females in urban sector.
·
Net Attendance Ratio in
India at primary level was 84% for male and 83% for female children in the
age-group 6-10 years, the official age-group for Classes I-V.
·
There was no major rural-urban or male-female
disparity at all-India level till elementary level (primary and upper primary)
in the Net Attendance Ratio.
VI.
Current attendance by type of education
·
In India nearly 85% of the students in age-group
15-29 years were pursuing general education
·
Nearly 12.6% and 2.4 % students in age-group
15-29 years were attending technical/professional and vocational courses
respectively
VII.
Attendance by type of courses
·
Among the male students pursuing general
education, 46% were pursuing humanities as compared to 54% of the female
students, 35% of the male students were pursuing science compared to 28% female
students and 20% of the male students were pursuing commerce compared to 18% of
the female students.
·
Among the male students pursing
technical/professional education, 46% were pursuing engineering compared to 29%
of the female students and 4% of the male students were pursuing medicine (including
nursing) compared to 14% of the female students.
VIII.
Type of institution attended
·
In rural areas, majority of the students were
attending government institutions predominantly up to higher secondary levels,
whereas a completely different picture was observed in urban areas.
·
In rural areas, 72% of the students at primary
level, 76% at upper primary level and 64% at secondary & higher secondary
level attended Government institutions, while in urban areas, 31% at primary
level, 38% at upper primary level as well as secondary & higher secondary
level, attended Government institutions.
IX.
Incentives received
·
Almost 94% students from rural areas and 87%
students from urban areas at primary level studying in government institutions
were receiving free education.
·
At upper primary level, 89% students in rural
areas and 80% students in urban areas, studying in government institutions were
receiving free education.
·
At secondary and higher secondary level, 58%
students in rural areas and 52% students in urban areas, studying in government
institutions, received free education.
·
63% of students at primary level and 62% of
students at upper primary level received mid-day meal.
X.
Private coaching
·
At the all-India level, nearly 26% of the
students were taking private coaching.
XI.
Students staying in hostel
·
Nearly 5% of the students in India were staying
in hostel for study.
XII.
Private expenditure on education
· Average expenditure
(₹) per student incurred
and/or to be incurred during the current academic session was nearly ₹ 6788
for general education, ₹ 62841 for technical/professional (except vocational) and ₹ 27676 for vocational course
· At primary level,
expenditure per student in urban areas was ₹ 10083,
more than four times than that in rural areas (₹ 2811).
·
Average expenditure on technical education in
private aided & unaided institutions varied between nearly 1.5-2.5 times of
that in government institutions.
·
Nearly 46% of the expenditure for general
education and 73% of the expenditure for technical education was on course fee.
·
For students pursuing general courses, 15% was
spent on private coaching as against 3% for students pursuing
technical/professional education (including vocational).
XIII.
Never-enrolment and discontinuance of
education
·
In India, nearly 11% of the persons of age 5-29
years in rural areas and 6% in urban areas never enrolled in any educational
institution.
·
In India, proportion of persons in the age group
5-29 years dropping out/discontinued studies were nearly 33% in rural areas and 38% in urban areas.
·
For the males of age 5-29 years, engagement in
economic activities was the most common reason for dropping out (30% in rural
areas and 34% in urban areas), whereas for the females, the dominant reason was
engagement in domestic activities (33% in rural areas and 23% in urban areas).
·
In rural areas, the major reason for never
enrolment for persons of age 5-29 years was ‘not interested in education’ (33% male and 27% female) while in urban areas, nearly 33% males and 30%
females in the age group 5-29 years never enrolled because of ‘financial
contraints’.
XIV.
Access to computer and internet
·
Nearly 6% of rural households and 29% of urban household possessed computer.
·
In India, among households with at least one
member of age 14 years and above, nearly 27% had internet access in the survey year, 2014. The proportions were
16% among rural households and 49% of urban households.
·
Among persons of age 14-29 years, nearly 18% in
rural areas and 49% in urban areas were able to operate a computer.
A publication based on above cited Key Indicators is also available
on the website (www.mospi.gov.in) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation.
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KSP/SS