WAY FORW ARD IN INDIAN EDUCATION

Education is viewed as one of the major catalyst for economic, social, cultural, and technological change in society. The role of education in driving a country's economic growth and propelling socio-cultural and political reforms is beyond doubt, well established. The experience of India is no different. India's progress in providing access to quality and relevant education to its children and youth is a story of mixed results, with some remarkable outcomes and some nonstarters. While India can boast of contributing a large number of human resources to the pool of the world's most educated, scientifically and technically qualified people, it is equally appalling that the same country accounts for more than a third of the world's illiterates also. The paradox lingers to within country variations — with some states having educational development comparable to many developed countries while others rate worse than many poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.