Uttarakhand School Education – All you need to know!

Uttarakhand School Education – All you need to know!

The first visual that pops into our heads when we think of Uttarakhand is that of the beautiful and majestic Himalayas. Uttarakhand came into existence on 9^th November 2000, when it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh and declared the 27^th state of the Republic of India. Not many people know this, but Uttarakhand is also a leading centre for education and learning in India. In fact, it was a centre of education from the ancient times. Legend has it that the mythological figures of Kauravas and Pandavas were trained by their Guru Dronacharya in the foot hills of Himalayas, the very reason why Dehradun is also known as ‘Drona Nagari’. Uttarakhand is home to some of India’s best schools and training institutes.  Education has a solid foundation in the state right from the time of its inception. In this article, we bring you all that you need to know about the Uttarakhand school education.

Uttarakhand School Education : A look at the Statistics

According to a survey conducted in 2011, there are15,331 primary schools with 1040139 students, and 22118 working teachers. The overall literacy rate of Uttarakhand was 79.63%, with 88.33% literate males and 70.70% literate females. The language of instruction in the schools is mainly English or Hindi.

Uttarakhand school education is primarily divided into Government and private schools/institutes. These include primary schools, high schools, inter-college, Degree colleges, and technical institutions. The schools are mainly affiliated to CBSE, CISCE, or the government syllabus recommended by the Department of Education of the Uttarakhand Government.

Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE)

The Government of Uttarakhand has formed UBSE to administer courses of instructions, text books, and to conduct examinations for secondary school students of the state. The board was set up in 2001 and is headquartered in Ramnagar. With over 10,000 schools affiliated to it, UBSE conducts examinations for over 3 lakh students in more than 1300 examination centres every year. According to a notification issued by the board, a total of 1,45,909 Class XII and 1,73,219 Class X students appeared for examinations this year.

Some of the important dates in the history of UBSE are as under:

• The regional office of the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikha Parishad was established at Ramnagar on 9^th February 1996.
• The first ever exams were conducted under the regional office at Ramnagar for the Garhwal Division and Kumaon Division in 1999.
• The Uttranchal Shiksha Evam Pariksha Parishad was established on 22^nd September 2001 followed by the foundation of the new state of Uttranchal from erstwhile UP.
• The first ever exams were conducted under Uttranchal Shiksha Evam Pariksha Parishad in 2002.
• The Uttranchal Board of School Education was created by the Uttranchal School Education Act, 2006 enacted by the Uttranchal Legislative Assembly on 22^nd April 2006.
• The institution was renamed Uttrakhand Board of School Education on 11^th December 2008.

Upgradation and Opening of New Schools

In its constant endeavor to make education easily accessible to everyone, the Uttarakhand Government is always looking at expanding its network of schools. To achieve this, the School Education Department has classified the opening of new schools in the four below-mentioned categories:

• The Opening of Primary Schools: In the hill region, a new Primary School is opened if there is no access to Primary Education within one km and the population of the served area is above 200. For the plain region, the distance is 1.5km and the population should be above 300.
• The Opening of Upper Primary Schools (Junior High Schools): A Junior High School is opened between two primary schools if there is no access within 3 km to junior high school classes.
• The Opening of new High School/Up gradation of Junior High School: If there is no access to Junior High School classes then a new High School is opened otherwise the up gradation of the existing Junior High School is carried out.
• Up gradation of High School to Intermediate College: The up gradation of High School to Intermediate College is done if the following criteria are met:

1. The population of the served area is more than 8000.
2. The minimum strength of Class 6-10 should be 150.
3. The estimated strength of Class 11 should be 25.
4. There’s no Inter College within 10 km.
5. Free land and the building should be available.
6. The first batch of High School examination must have been conducted five years ago.
7. The result of the proposed school must be more than 50% for the last three years.

Provincilisation in Uttarakhand School Education

Apart from the above-mentioned steps to spread the reach of education to the masses, the Government of Uttarakhand also exercises Provincilisation to ensure a smooth functioning of all of its educational institutes. Let’s understand what Provincilisation is:

Apart from the Government schools, there are those that are aided by the Government but run by the school’s own management. Such schools are known as Government-aided schools. If the management of a Government-aided school is unable to run the institution according to the rules and regulations, the Government has the right to acquire the institution. This is called ‘provincialisation’.

Provincialisation is done if the following criteria are met:

• The school in question should be without a dispute.
• The school is free and the land, building, library, etc. can be transferred without liability.
• The school’s result should be above 50% for the last five years.
• The school’s eligible teachers/staff need to put a contract letter to accept the junior most positions in the department.
• After submitting the proposal for provincialisation, the powers of the management committee of school are suspended.
• No additional subject post will be created.

Educational Schemes & Programs

Uttarakhand is a relatively new state and the literacy rate of the state is higher than the national literacy rate. Hence, the demand for education is comparatively higher in the state. Right from the inception of the new state, the Department of Education has explored every opportunity to extend the reach of education to the far-flung areas of the state. To strengthen the present structure and explore new avenues, various schemes have been framed according to the need of the state. Computer Education to secondary schools and mid-day meal schemes to the primary school are some of the schemes run by the Uttarakhand School Education Department. Let’s take a brief look at some of these schemes that come under Uttarakhand school education.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is positioned as the state’s main program for universalizing Elementary Education. Its overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in education, and enhancement of learning levels of children. SSA provides for a variety of interventions including inter alia opening of new schools and special training camps for the dropped out and out of school children for their admission in age appropriate classes, construction of schools and additional classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls, adequate drinking water facilities, provisioning of regular teachers, part-time teachers, training and academic resource support, textbooks, uniforms, and mainly supports for learning achievement.

The new law provides a justifiable legal framework that provides all children between the ages of 6 to 14 years free and compulsory admission, attendance and completion of elementary education. It provides for children’s right to an education of equitable quality based on principles of equity and non-discrimination, most importantly, it provides for children’s right to an education that is free from fear, stress, and anxiety.

Computer Education

The Department of Education, Uttarakhand is leaving no stone unturned to integrate Computer Technology in education. The geographical location of schools in the interior rural areas, inadequate transport and communication facilities make it imperative to take advantage of IT and to provide accessibility of quality education to every child.

In order to effectively implement the integration of computer in the educational process, the department has targeted to computerise all the 1720  schools in the State under the ‘Aarohi Program’ by installing 5-6 computers in every school.

Simultaneously, efforts are made to train the teachers with the assistance of MICROSOFT and INTEL. Regular Teachers Training Programs are organised in all the DIETs and MICROSOFT Academy with the assistance of these institutions.

E-Class Project

The E-Class project aims to develop IT enabled courses and curriculum in Biology, Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics for the classes of IX to XII in the state. 75 hours of course content will be developed in each subject from IX to XII classes. This Software will facilitate the effective teaching-learning process in the classroom and would also enable students to self-learn.

Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya

To ensure equal opportunities for the rural poor but talented students of Uttarakhand, the state has introduced free and quality education through Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya residential school. Currently, eight such schools are operational in Uttrakhand.

• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Dehradun.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Haridwar.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Champawat.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pithoragarh.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Nainital.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Pauri Garhwal.
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Almora
• Rajiv Gandhi Navodaya Vidyalaya, Tehri.

The remaining five districts of Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Udham Singh Nagar are covered under Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherji Abhinav Vidyalaya Scheme.

Uttarakhand is fast emerging as an education hub. The city of Dehradun has the highest number of centres of higher education. Some of the notable educational institutions in Uttarakhand that have carved a niche for themselves in the world of education and found popularity among the students are:

Schools- Birla Vidya Mandir, The Doon School, Welham Girls School, Sherwood College, etc.

Engineering colleges – Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, National Institute of Technology, Uttarakhand, College of Engineering, G.B. Pant Engineering College, Kumaon Engineering College, Dwarahat, etc.

Technical Institutes – Government Polytechnic, Nainital, Government Polytechnic, Dwarahat, etc.

That’s all you need to know about the Uttarakhand school education. Read all about the top schools in Uttarakhand. If you’d like to bring more light to the Uttarakhand school education, do leave it in the comments’ section!