Ministry of Education: Structure, Mandates and Major Schemes

The Ministry of Education serves as the apex central body responsible for formulating national policies on education, expanding access to learning institutions, and ensuring educational quality across India. Originally established on August 15, 1947, as the Ministry of Education, it was renamed the Ministry of Human Resource Development in September 1985. The government restored its original name, the Ministry of Education, in August 2020 under the recommendations of the National Education Policy 2020. Operating through two distinct administrative departments, the ministry oversees early childhood care, school education, adult literacy, technical learning, and higher education infrastructure across the nation.

Organisational Structure and Administrative Departments

Department of School Education and Literacy

• The Department of School Education and Literacy focuses on universalizing elementary, secondary, and higher secondary education.
• It works to eliminate social and gender gaps in school enrollment and oversees adult education programmes.
• Key autonomous organizations operating under this department include the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

Department of Higher Education

• The Department of Higher Education oversees university education, technical education, humanities, and social science research.
• It grants deemed university status to educational institutions on the advice of regulatory bodies under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.
• It manages central universities, Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs).

Statutory Bodies and Autonomous Institutions

• University Grants Commission (UGC): Established under the UGC Act, 1956, it coordinates, determines, and maintains standards of university education across India.
• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE): Set up as a statutory body under the AICTE Act, 1987, it plans, formulates, and maintains technical education standards.
• National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE): Statutory body established under the NCTE Act, 1993, to regulate teacher education programs and qualifications.
• National Testing Agency (NTA): Established in 2017 as an autonomous premier testing organization to conduct standardized entrance examinations for higher educational institutions.
• Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA): A joint venture of the Ministry of Education and Canara Bank that provides financial assistance for capital infrastructure in premier educational institutions.

Core Mandates and Policy Objectives

• Implementing National Education Policy 2020: Executes the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure, vocational integration, and foundational literacy mandates across states.
• Ensuring Equity and Access: Provides scholarships, subsidies, and specialized schooling facilities to marginalized communities, rural populations, and female students.
• Standardizing Quality and Research: Directs research funding, faculty training programs, institutional accreditation, and international university collaborations.
• Digitalization of Education: Builds digital public infrastructure for online courses, open learning materials, and centralized student data tracking.

Major Schemes in School Education

Samagra Shiksha Scheme

• Launched in 2018, Samagra Shiksha is an overarching centrally sponsored scheme subsuming Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, and Teacher Education.
• It treats school education holistically from pre-school to Class 12, focusing on teacher quality, digital technology, and infrastructure improvement.
• The scheme includes Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas to provide residential schooling facilities for girls from disadvantaged groups.

PM SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India)

• Approved in September 2022 as a centrally sponsored scheme to upgrade over 14,500 existing schools managed by Central, State, or local body governments.
• These schools showcase the implementation of NEP 2020 and serve as exemplar institutions for neighboring schools.
• The project runs over a five-year timeline from 2022–23 to 2026–27.

NIPUN Bharat Mission

• Launched on July 5, 2021, under Samagra Shiksha, the National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy targets foundational literacy and numeracy.
• The primary target requires every child in Grade 3 to achieve desired learning competencies in reading, writing, and mathematics by 2026–27.
• It covers children in the age bracket of 3 to 9 years through a five-tier implementation structure from national down to school level.

PM POSHAN (Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman)

• Renamed from the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in September 2021, this centrally sponsored scheme provides hot cooked meals to elementary school students.
• It covers children in Balvatikas and Classes 1 to 8 enrolled in government and government-aided schools under the National Food Security Act, 2013.

STARS Project

• The Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States project is a World Bank-assisted financial initiative approved in October 2020.
• It covers six selected states: Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Odisha.
• It targets school governance, direct classroom instruction quality, and national assessment systems.

Major Schemes in Higher Education

PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan)

• Launched in June 2023 as the rebranded third phase of Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).
• It provides strategic central funding to state government universities and colleges to expand quality higher education in unserved and underserved regions.

SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA

• SWAYAM is an indigenous Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform providing courses from Class 9 up to post-graduation.
• SWAYAM PRABHA consists of a group of 34 Direct-To-Home (DTH) channels broadcasting educational programs round the clock using the GSAT-15 satellite.

APAAR ID and Academic Bank of Credits

• Automated Permanent Academic Account Registry (APAAR): Known as “One Nation One Student ID,” it assigns a unique 12-digit lifelong identifier to track student academic journeys digitally.
• Academic Bank of Credits (ABC): Established under NEP 2020, it digitally stores academic credits earned by students from recognized higher education institutions to facilitate flexible entry and exit points in degree programs.

National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)

• Launched in September 2015, NIRF outlines a methodology to rank higher education institutions across India annually.
• Parameters include Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity, and Peer Perception.

Overview of Key Educational Schemes

Core Facts on the Ministry of Education

• The Ministry of Education was established on August 15, 1947, with Maulana Abul Kalam Azad serving as India’s first Education Minister.
• The name was changed to Ministry of Human Resource Development in 1985 and restored back to Ministry of Education in August 2020.
• National Education Day is celebrated across India on November 11 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
• The Ministry operates through two primary branches: Department of School Education and Literacy, and Department of Higher Education.
• Article 21A of the Constitution guarantees free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14 years as a Fundamental Right.
• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act was passed in 2009 to enforce Article 21A.
• NCERT functions as an autonomous organization assisting the Ministry in qualitative improvements in school education and curriculum design.
• The National Testing Agency (NTA) was established as a registered society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
• The Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) allows students to store digital academic credits to enable flexible multi-entry and multi-exit degree options.
• APAAR ID serves as a specialized lifelong digital registry for students linked with the DigiLocker framework.