Since the end of World War II china and India have faced similar conditions and challenges in education during their rapid industrial and social transformation. During that time period the two countries have been building their national education systems through different routes. China has outperformed India in primary and secondary education along a broad spectrum of access, quality, and delivery. India has enjoyed a competitive edge over China in higher education.2
China’s economic rise is in part to the government’s success in building the country’s schools system. China’s education system for K-12 is superior to India’s but still needs a lot of work. Many schools, especially those in the countryside, are shabby. Students and teachers focus most of their energy on preparing for standardized tests. The schools are overwhelmingly male; this being partly the byproduct of the one child policy. China is far from having every child completing eight good years of education.1
In India the K-12 education problems are far more widespread. World economist point to lack on infrastructure as the major component holding down the Indian economy. A poor basic education system is a less obvious but even more imperative problem that demands a solution. Many Indian teachers will not show up for work or be totally unprepared. This would not happen in China. Without more gains in basic education India will continue to fall behind its giant neighbor to the East.1 Females are not attending primary education classes in India. Female illiteracy has a wide-ranging impact on the economy and society.
India’s strength is in its higher education system. Since the end of World War II there has been a 20-fold increase in the number of colleges in India.2 Looking at education statistics between the two countries we see that according to the International Labour Organization 34 percent of the Chinese population