The region of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

 had a long tradition of learning, although it had remained mostly confined to the elite class and the religious establishment.

History

Sanskrit-based education comprising the learning of Vedic

Vedic period

The Vedic period was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was composed roughly between 1700–1100 BCE, also...

-to-Gupta periods , coupled with the later Pali

Páli

- External links :* *...

 corpus of knowledge and a vast store of ancient-to-medieval learning in Persian/Arabic languages, had formed the edifice of Hindu-Buddhist-Muslim education, till the rise of British power. But, the system became decadent as it missed the advancements that were taking place in Europe during and after the Renaissance

Renaissance

The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...

, resulting in serious educational backwardness. Corrective measures were initiated by the British administration for making liberal, universal education available in this area through a network of schools-to-university system on European pattern. However, a real turning point came due to the efforts of educationists like Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who championed the cause of modern learning and supported British efforts to spread it.

Post-independence

After independence, the state of U.P. has continued to make investment over the years in all sectors of education and has achieved significant success in overcoming general educational backwardness and illiteracy. The increase in overall literacy rate is due to persistent multi-pronged efforts made by the State Government: to enroll and retain children, specially of weaker sections, in schools; to effectively implement the adult education programmes; and to establish centres of higher education. As a result, U.P. is ranked amongst the first few States to have successfully implemented the Education For All policy. The following is indicative of the gradual progress:

In 1981, the literacy rate in UP was 28% and it increased to 42% in 1991. In 1991, the adult literacy rate (percent literates among those aged 15 and above) was 38% and increased to 49% in 1998, an increase of 11 percentage-points in the seven-year period. But, the differential between female and male literacy remained high: while in 1991, male literacy was 56% and female literacy 25%, eight years later in 1999, as per survey estimates, the male literacy became 73% and female literacy 43% (NFHS II).

One more notable feature in the state has been the persistence of higher levels of illiteracy in the younger age group, more so in females, especially in the rural areas. In the late 1980s, the incidence of illiteracy in the 10-14 age group was as high as 32% for rural males and 61% for rural females; and more than two-thirds of all rural girls in the 12-14 age group never went to school. Only 25% of the girls in 7+ age group were able to read and write in 1991 and this figure went down to 19% for rural areas: it was 11% for the scheduled castes, 8% for scheduled castes in rural areas and 8% for the entire rural population in the most educationally backward districts. In terms of completion of basic or essential educational attainment (the primary or the secondary education), in 1992-1993, only 50% of literate males and 40% of literate females could complete the cycle of eight years of schooling (the primary and middle stages). Possibly, Bihar

Bihar

Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....

 is the only state in India which lags behind U.P. in education.

The problems of state's education system are complex. Due to public apathy the public schools are run inefficiently. Privately run schools (including those run by Christian missionaries) are functional, but expensive and so beyond the reach of ordinary people.

In order to make the population totally literate, steps are being taken by the government to involve public participation, including the help of NGOs and other organizations. There are also special programmes, like the World Bank

World Bank

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...

 aided DPEP. As a result, progress in adult education has been made and the census of 2001 indicates a male literacy rate of 70.23% and a female literacy rate of 42.98%.

Presently, there are 866,361 Primary Schools, 8,459 Higher Secondary Schools, 758 Degree College and 26 Universities in the State. Some of the oldest educational institutions - founded by the British, the pioneer educationists and other social/religious reformers - are still functional. In addition, a number of highly competitive ivy league centres of higher or technical education have been established since Independence.

Higher Education

Considering the size of Uttar Pradesh, it is not surprising that it has a large number of academic and research institutes. These institutes are either under the jurisdiction of the State Government

Government of Uttar Pradesh

The Government of Uttar Pradesh is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh who is appointed for a period of five years, appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...

, the Central Government

Government of India

The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...

, or are privately run. The state has an IIT at Kanpur, an IIM at Lucknow, an NIT and a IIIT

Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad

The Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad is an Indian Institute of Information Technology established in 1999 by the government of India. The institute was conferred deemed university status in 2000, empowering it to award degrees following the setting of its own examinations...

 at Allahabad

Allahabad

Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...

. The Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University

Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University

The Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University is an engineering institute under the aegis of Banaras Hindu University , situated in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. IT-BHU has 13 departments and 3 inter-disciplinary schools, providing technical education with an emphasis on its industrial...

 has also been upgraded to the status of IIT. A good number of State and Central Government universities are founded in Uttar Pradesh to provide Higher Education in various course works.

Beside above mentioned institutes of higher learning, in Uttar Pradesh, a range of Government Degree College has been set up by the Government of Uttar Pradesh

Government of Uttar Pradesh

The Government of Uttar Pradesh is a democratically elected body with the Governor as the constitutional head. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh who is appointed for a period of five years, appoints the Chief Minister and his council of ministers...

 for providing Higher Education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 to scholars who are interested in different course work (Under Graduate, Post Graduate and Research

Research

Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...

) and program (Humanities

Humanities

The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....

, Science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 and Commerce

Commerce

While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...

) in higher studies. At present in Uttar Pradesh, 137 Government Degree Colleges

Government Degree Colleges, India

Government degree colleges in India are public sector educational institutes managed mainly through rule and regulations of government accompanied by University Grants Commission . Education in India has been categorized in the elementary, secondary and higher education...

 has been established to fulfill the above criteria. The UP Government administers and controls these colleges through Department of Higher Education, Uttar Pradesh, however, syllabus and affiliation to the universities concerned are depending upon the locality of Government Degree College.

Primary and Secondary Education

Most schools in the state are affiliated to Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad

Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shiksha Parishad or Uttar Pradesh Board of High School and Intermediate Education is a board of school education in Uttar Pradesh State of India. The UPB prepares the syllabus for students from Class I to Class XII, for schools affiliated with it...

 (commonly referred to as U.P board) with Hindi as the medium of instruction, while schools affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education

Central Board of Secondary Education

The Central Board of Secondary Education is a Board of Education for public and private schools, under the Union Government of India.-History:...

(CBSE) and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations is a private, non-governmental board of school education in India. It conducts two examinations in India: the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education and the Indian School Certificate...

(CISCE) with English as medium of instruction are also present.