NCERT Sixth All India Educational Survey
All India Educational SurveY
(NCERT, Sixth Survey)
Also Visit Selected Educational Statistics: MHRD
Publisher
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), New Delhi
Publication Date
2002 to 2008
Abstract
In the post-independence period, government has given high priority to Universalisation of Elementary Education. Efforts made by the government in this direction resulted in rapid expansion in various facets of elementary education. For proper planning of schooling facilities at the grass-roots level, and for ensuring a balanced growth in all areas of the country, the government felt the need to conduct All India Educational Surveys periodically. The responsibility of collection of information relating to school education was entrusted initially to the Ministry of Education and Culture. Later a part of the task was taken over by the National Council of Educational Research and Training in the year 1965 when it conducted the Second All India Educational Survey. Since then it has conducted five surveys, the latest sixth survey was conducted in the year 1993 with September 30 as its date of reference. The other three surveys were conducted in 1971, 1978 and 1986. The main objective of these surveys has been to assess the availability of existing schooling facilities at different school stages.
Research Period
2002-03 (as on September 30, 2002)
Research Team
Members, Department of Measurement, Evaluation, Survey and Data Processing, NCERT, New Delhi and National Informatics Centre (Planning Commission), New Delhi
Funding Source
Government of India
Research Geographic Area
All India, State-specific Data
Methodology Design
The data is collected on habitation basis and every distinct habitation of the country was enumerated. Seven schedules were developed and canvassed at different levels. The schedules developed were village information form, urban information form, school information form#1 and form-2, teacher information form, college information form and educational finance from. The sixth survey is different from the previous surveys concerning survey methodology. For the first time, in addition to complete enumeration, certain data is collected from the sampled schools and the computers have been extensively used in processing data. The first publication based on the survey, entitled `Provisional Statistics# was released in November 1995 which was followed by a series of publications. Till now seven volumes, namely, educational facilities in rural and urban areas, schools and physical facilities, teachers in schools, enrolment in schools, educational inputs and facilities in schools, age-wise enrolment and repeaters, incentive schemes in schools and teachers qualifications and their service conditions have been released. In addition, a publication entitled `Sixth All India Educational Survey: Selected Statistics# was also released in 1998.
Data Quality Issues
Time lag in data collection and data dissemination is one of the most important limitations. The last volume could be available to users only in late 1998. Though data is aggregated at district level but only state-specific tables have been presented in the national volumes. Dissemination of district-specific data is not properly planned. Information generated through the survey is vital in the sense that the same is not available from any other source. The corresponding statistics generated as a part of the regular collection of statistics by the MHRD do not matches well with the survey statistics, therefore reliability of data is often questioned by the data users and researchers.