India has had a long, interesting history of education and has been a seat of learning for. The first millennium and the few centuries preceding it saw the flourishing of higher education at Nalanda, Takshila, Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities. Art, Architecture, Painting, Logic, Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy, Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra (Economics & Politics), Law, and Medicine were among the subjects taught and each university specialized in a particular field of study. Takshila specialized in the study of medicine, while Ujjain laid emphasis on astronomy. Nalanda, being the biggest centre, handled all branches of knowledge, and housed up to 10,000 students at its peak.

indigenous education was widespread in the 18th century, with a school for every temple, mosque or village in most regions of the country. The subjects taught included Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Theology, Law, Astronomy, Metaphysics, Ethics, Medical Science and Religion. The schools were attended by students representative of all classes of society. It was destroyed during the British rule.

Its current state presents a much varied picture. While the country boasts some of the best Universities (IITs, IISc, IIMs, AIIMS) in the world, it is also dealing with challenges in its primary education and strives to reach 100% literacy. Universal Primary Education, with its challenges of keeping poorer children in school and maintaining quality in rural regions, has been a difficult to achieve. All levels of education, from primary to higher education, are heavily subsidized by the Indian government.

The system is divided into preprimary, primary, middle (or intermediate), secondary (or high school), and higher levels. Preprimary is usually composed of Lower Kindergarten and Upper Kindergarten, where primary reading and writing skills are developed. Primary school includes children of ages six to eleven, organized into classes one through five. Middle school pupils aged eleven through fourteen are organized into classes six through eight, and high school students ages fourteen through seventeen are enrolled in classes nine through twelve. Higher Education in India provides an oppurtunity to specialize in a field and includes technical schools (such as the Indian Institutes of Technology), colleges, and universities. In India, the main types of schools are those controlled by:

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board
• The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) board
• The state government
• "International schools." These schools mimic the schools in the West in pattern and syllabii and mainly comprise of immigrants and of children of richer Indians that can afford it.

the target of "universalizing" elmentary education was divided into three broad parameters: Universal Access, Universal Retention and Universal Achievement. As a result of education programs, by the end of 2000, 94% of India's rural population had primary schools within one km and 84% had upper primary schools wthin 3 km. In 1950-51, only 3.1 million students had enrolled for primary education. In 1997-98, this figure was 39.5 million. The number of primary and upper-primary schools was 0.223 million in 1950-51. This figure was 0.775 million in 1996-97. In 2002/2003, an estimated 82% of children in the age group of 6-14 were enrolled in school. The Government of India aims to increase this to 100% by the end of the decade.

The Indian Education System is generally marks-based. Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote learning. Emphasis is laid on passing exams with high percentage. Few institutes give importance to developing personality and creativity among students. The presence of a number of education boards (SSC, ICSE, CBSE, IB) leads to non-uniformity. A large number of SSC (State board) students complain that their ICSE and CBSE counterparts are given higher percentages, which gives them an unfair advantage during college admissions. Many people also criticize the reverse discrimination inherent in caste, language and religion-based reservations in education system. Many allege that only creamy layer of the weaker castes get the benefit of reservations and that forged caste certificates abound. Educational institutions also can seek religious minority (non-Hindu) or linguistic minority status. In such institutions, 50% of the seats are reserved for students belonging to a particular religion or having particular mother-tongue(s).