The number of out-of-school children in India has fallen to 10 million in November 2005 from 39 million, D. Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development has said.
The Minister added that 100 per cent success in various educational schemes is yet to be achieved and assured that shortcomings and deficiencies in the functioning of these schemes are continuously being monitored and the emphasis are the child centric schemes. What is to be ensured now is that there should be a vocational bias at the end of secondary education in the absence of which, students are presently proceeding to higher education pursuing degree course in general education resulting in the creation of surplus manpower who do not fulfill the productive requirements of the country. Diversification of education at secondary level would reduce the pressure on higher education. Vocationalization and terminalization of education at the middle school level and secondary education level is essential to gear up educational development for economic growth.
