I N T R O D U C  T I O N

The Secondary Education which serves as a bridge between primary and higher education is expected to prepare young persons between the age group 14-18 in the world of work and entry into higher education. The Secondary Education starts with classes 9-10 leading to higher secondary classes 11 and 12. The relevant children population at the secondary and senior secondary level, as projected in 1996-97 by NSSO has been estimated at 9.66 crores. Against this population, the enrolment figures of the 1997-98 shows that only 2.70 crores attending schools. Thus, two-third of the eligible population remains out of the school system. To accommodate the children in schools at secondary level, we have at present 1.10 lakhs institutions (1998-99). With the emphasis on universalisation of elementary education and programmes like District Primary Education Programme, the enrolment is bound to increase and once this happens, we may require more than two lakhs institutions at the secondary level to accommodate them.

General Structure of School Education

A uniform structure of school education viz., the 10+2 system has been adopted by all the States and Union Territories of India. However, within the States and the UTs, there are variations in the number of classes constituting the Primary, Upper Primary, High and Higher Secondary schools, age for admission to class I, medium of instruction, stages of public examinations, teaching of Hindi and English, number of working days in a year, academic session, vacation periods, fee structure, compulsory education etc. 

Stages of School Education in India
 

A. The Primary Stage consists of Classes I-V, i.e., of five year duration, in 20 States/UTs namely Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal and Yanam regions of Pondicherry.  The primary stage consists of classes I-IV in Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe region of Pondicherry

 

B.     The Middle Stage of education comprises Classes VI-VIII in as many as 18 States. Uts viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal region of Pondicherry; Classes V-VII in Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe region of Pondicherry and Classes VI-VII in Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Yanam region of Pondicherry. In Nagaland Classes V – VIII constitute the upper primary stage.

C.     The Secondary Stage consists of Classes IX-X in 19 States/UTs. Viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan , Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Delhi and Karaikal region of Pondicherry.  The High School stage comprises classes VIII to X in 13 States/UTs viz., Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Orissa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mahe & Yanam regions of Pondicherry.  However, the Higher Secondary / Senior Secondary stage of school comprising classes XI-XII (10+2 pattern) is available in all the States/UTs though in some States/UTs these classes are attached to Universities/Colleges.

Age Restriction for Admission

The minimum age for admission to class I in the Primary School stage is generally 5+ or 6+ years.  In 22 States/UTs the minimum age for admission to Class I is 5+ years and in 7 States/UTs the minimum age for admission is 6+ years. There is no age restriction in the case of Mizoram.  In Gujarat, the minimum age for admission is 5+ years (voluntary) and 6+ years (compulsory).  In Lakshadweep, the minimum age for admission is 5 ½ years.

Medium of Instruction

Mother tongue or regional language is the medium of instruction at the primary stage of education in most of the States/UTs.  Facilities for studying in a medium other than the regional language differ considerably in different States and Union Territories. 

Teaching of Hindi

Apart from Hindi speaking States, teaching of Hindi is compulsory in most of the non-Hindi speaking States/UTs, though the classes from which Hindi is made compulsory vary from State to State.  Teaching of Hindi is not compulsory in the States of Tamil Nadu, Tripura and Karaikal region of Pondicherry. 

Teaching of English
 

Teaching of English is compulsory in all the States/UTs, except Bihar.  However, the classes in which teaching of English is compulsory differs from State to State.  In general, it is compulsory in Classes VI-X in most of the States/UTs.

Public Examinations

In all the States/UTs Public Examinations are conducted at the end of Xth and XIIth Classes by the respective State Boards of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.  The minimum age for the Secondary School Examination varies from 14+ to 16+ years in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry.  In Mizoram, the minimum age for secondary school examination is 13+ years.  Other States/UTs either do not have age restriction or have not prescribed any age restriction.  The minimum age for higher Secondary School Examination varies from 16+ to 18+ years in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Delhi, Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. In other States/UTs, either there is no age restriction prescribed or if it exists, it has not been indicated.  In some of the States/UTs, the first Public Examination is conducted  at the Middle School level of education. 

Number of Working Days

The number of working days of School Education in a year is generally more than 200 days in all the States/UTs.  

Academic Session

The academic session begins in different months of the year in different States and Union Territories. In most of the States, long vacation is given in the summer season while in some of the hilly States, these are in the winter months. 

Compulsory Education

Compulsory education has been enforced in four States and Union Territories at the primary stage of education while in eight States/UTs compulsory education covers the entire elementary stage of education.  Till 1997-98 as many as 20 States had not made education compulsory. 

Free Education

A majority of States and Union Territories have introduced free education in Classes I-XII of their schools.

Tuition Fees per Annum per Child in Government Schools

In the States/UTs where education is not free for classes IX and above, the annual fee varies considerably from the highest level of Rs. 360/- for classes XI and XII in the case of Meghalaya to the lowest at Rs. 48/- in the case of Assam.  

S U P P O R T   O R G A N I  S A T I O N S

The Secondary education is supported by the following organisations under the administrative control of the Union Department of Education:

	National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)
	Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
	National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
	Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)
	Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)
	Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA)
	Central Institute of Education Technology
	State Institute of Education Technology ( AP, Bihar, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, UP)

A brief introduction to the organisations, their programmes and activities is given below.

National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

The NCERT was established in 1961. It functions as a resource centre in the field of school education and teacher education. The NCERT undertakes programmes related to research, development and training extension and dissemination of educational innovations etc., through various constituent Departments at the headquarters in New Delhi and 11 Field Officers all over the country. Publication of school textbooks and other educational material like teachers’ guides/manuals etc. are its major functions. The NCERT undertakes time bound projects in Pre-School Education, Education for Girls and Education for SC/STs. The NCERT has following constituent units in the field:
(i) RIE at Bhubaneshwar, Ajmer, Mysore, Bhopal (ii) CIET (iii) NIE (iv) PSSCIVE, Bhopal. A fifth RIE is proposed at Shillong.

Central Institute of Education Technology (CIET) is an important unit of NCERT which is engaged in the production of satellite based audio and video programmes for Elementary and Secondary levels which are aired on All India Radio, and  Doordarshan. CIET also coordinates programme production activities of the six States Institute of Education Technology at Patna, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune,and Bhubaneshwar.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

The CBSE was set up by a special resolution of the Government of India in 1929 at Ajmer.  It was then called as ‘The Board of High School and Intermediate Education’.  It was established with a view to play a useful role in the field of Secondary Education, to raise the standard of Secondary Education, to make the services of the Board available to various educational institutions in the country and to meet the educational needs of those students who have to move from State to State.  With the expansion of its territorial jurisdiction, the Headquarter of the board was shifted to Delhi in 1962 and the board was re-constituted.  The CBSE subscribes to a diverse, mass participative education system with a broader base of access that provides the benefits of uniformity, flexibility and diversity as envisaged in the National Policy of Education.  As a national board of education, the CBSE recognizes the need and urgency for investing in education & training and bringing students at par with the emerging global trends.  The primary focus of the Board’s curriculum is to prepare for life, world of work and to provide value orientation.

The Main functions of the board are: to conduct Class X and XII examinations and grant certificates to persons who pass the examinations from affiliated institutions, to prescribe courses of instructions, admit candidates and prescribe conditions for examinations, and to affiliate institutions for the purpose of examinations.

The CBSE also conducts all India entrance examinations at the under graduate level for pre-medical/pre-dental, engineering and architecture courses.

 The CBSE has constantly been engaged in process of curriculum design, renewal and development, pedagogical support, pre-service and in-service teacher empowerment programmes and development of supplementary textual material. These are aimed at enhancing the relevance factor so that students can relate their knowledge, skills and competencies to the work place and to their actual life needs.

 Secretary (Education), Government of India is the Controlling Authority of the CBSE.  The Board is headed by the Chairman who is the chief executive.  The Chairman is assisted by Heads of Departments like the Secretary, Director (Academics), Controller (Examinations), Head (Special Exams).

The CBSE is a self-financing body and manages all the financial requirement out of its own funds generated through collection of fees and sale of material brought out by the Board.

 For proper execution of its business, the Board has several committees namely Finance, Curriculum, Examination, Result, Affiliation, AIEEE Implementation Committee and PMT Advisory Committee.  The decisions of these Committees are put before to the Governing Body for approval/report.  The Governing Body of the Board is headed by the Chairman, CBSE and it includes representatives of education departments of States/UTs, Ministries of HRD, Health, Agriculture, Culture, and  Universities; Principals of private and government schools; persons representing professional bodies in the field of engineering, agricultural, fine arts, industry and eminent educationists.

 The network of CBSE schools includes Government schools including Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Govt. Schools), Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (Residential Schools), Government & Government aided schools and independent private schools.  The territorial expanse of CBSE is very diverse with 7827 schools as on 30th June 2005.  This number also includes 119 schools in 20 other countries of the world.  To ensure better communication and services to different users, the Board has six Regional Offices at Ajmer, Chandigarh, Chennai, Allahabad, Guwahati and Delhi. 

Important Contacts:

 Sri Ashok Ganguly, Chairman, CBSE      

Tel: 011-22467263, 22023737

 e-mail:cm_cbse@rediffmail.com

PRO, CBSE    

Tel: 011-22520083

National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)

The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) formerly known as National Open School (NOS) was established in November 1989 as an autonomous organisation in pursuance of National Policy on Education, 1986 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. Open Schooling was originally experimented upon since 1978 as a project of the CBSE and was later amalgamated with NIOS. It is the Largest Open Schooling System in the World.

Since October 1990, through a Resolution NIOS has been vested with authority to examine and certify students registered with it, up to pre-degree courses.

 

Admissions are held during July-August through Accredited Institutions (AIs) for Academic Courses and round the Year for Vocational Courses through Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs).  Currently National Institute of Open Schooling has more than 13 Lakh students on its rolls from almost every State and Union Territory of India and abroad. The NIOS provides the following programmes:

 

	Secondary Education Course
	Senior Secondary Education Course
	Vocational Education Programme
	Life Enrichment Programme
	Open Basic Education for Universal Elementary Education (UEE), A Level , B Level and C level (Equivalent to class III, V & VIII respectively of Formal Education)

 

NIOS conducts examinations twice a year during April-May and October-November. Candidates are allowed to appear in one, two or more subjects and credits are accumulated till the certification criteria are fulfilled. A candidate can avail as many as nine chances to appear in public examinations and his/her Admission is valid for a period of Five Years.

 

NIOS serves its clients through a network of 10 Regional Centres and study centres  known as Accredited Institutions (AIs) for Academic, Accredited Vocational Institutions (AVIs) for Vocational and Accredited Agencies (AAs) for OBE, all over the country. These centres provide individualised support to its learners to facilitate the learning processes. At present there are more than 2500 Study Centres (Academic & Vocational)  catering to about Thirteen lakh students all over the country and abroad and more than 200 Accredited Agencies (AAs) for OBE.

 

For more details log on to www.nos.org or www.nios.ac.in

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)

The scheme of Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) was approved in November 1962 by the Govt. of India on the recommendations of the Second Central Pay Commission. It recommended that the Government should develop a scheme to provide uninterrupted education to the wards of transferable Central Government employees. Consequently, Central Schools Organisation was started as a unit of the Ministry of Education (now Ministry of Human Resource Development) of the Govt. of India.

 

Initially, 20 Regimental Schools, then functioning at places having large concentration of defence personnel, were taken over as Central Schools during the academic year 1963-64.

 

On 15th December 1965, an autonomous body, namely, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan was registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 which took over the task of opening and managing the Central Schools, henceforth called Kendriya Vidyalayas. The Sangathan is wholly financed by the Government of India.

 

Over the years, the number of Kendriya Vidyalayas steadily increased and was 933 on ° 31.3.2005.

 

The Kendriya Vidyalayas have a four-fold mission, namely,

 

i)          to cater to the educational needs of children of transferable Central Government employees including Defence and Para-military personnel by providing a common programme of education;

 

ii)          to pursue excellence and set the pace in the field of school education;

 

iii)         to initiate and promote experimentation and innovations in education in collaboration with other bodies like the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE) and the National Council for Educational Research & Training (NCERT) etc., and

 

iv)         to develop the spirit of national integration and create a sense of 'Indianness' .

 

In pursuance of the above objectives, the Kendirya Vidyalayas have been set up with the following features:

 

1)          Kendriya Vidyalayas primarily cater to the educational needs of the ward of transferable Central Govt. employees;

 

2)         All Kendriya Vidyalayas are co-educational;

 

 3)         Common Text books, common curriculum and  bi-lingual medium of instruction,  i.e. English  and Hindi are followed;

 

4)         All Kendriya Vidyalayas are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education.    Some Kendriya Vidyalayas  in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are also  affiliated to the State education Boards at the  +2level;

 

5)         Teaching of three languages - English, Hindi & Sanskrit from Class VI to VIII 'is compulsory. In Classes IX and X, any two languages out of English, Hindi and Sanskrit can be offered. Sanskrit can also be taken as an elective subject at +2 stage;

 

6)         No tuition fee is charged from students up to Class  VIII, the wards of KVS employees, SC/ST girl  students and the children of the officers and men  of the Armed Forces killed or disabled duing the  wars of 1962, 1965 and 1971 against China and  Pakistan.

 

Kendriya Vidyalayas are opened in the Civil Sector on the recommendation of various Ministries/Departments of Central Government/State Government or the Central Government Employees Welfare Co-ordination Committee. Some Kendriya Vidyalayas are opened on the recommendations of the Ministry of Defence in the Defence Sector for which the expenditure is met by the Ministry of Defence. Kendriya Vidyalayas are also opened in the Institutes of higher learning and project sectors where the recurring and non-recurring expenditure are fully met by the sponsoring project authorities.

 

At present, there are 933 Kendriya Vidyalayas spread across all States and UTs.

Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)

This is another autonomous body which was set up to establish and manage fully residential co-educational schools covering class VIth to XIIth known as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) with the aim of:

1. To provide good quality modern education up to Senior Secondary stage to the talented children predominantly from rural areas, without regard to their family’s socio-economic condition.

2. To play the trend setter and pace setter role in their area.

3. To serve, in each district, as a focal point for improvement in the quality of school education through sharing of experiences and facilities.

Admissions to the JNVs are made through competitive examination conducted by CBSE and children are admitted to Class VI. Education in Navodaya Vidyalayas is free. So far 404 Navodaya Vidyalayas are in operation covering 30 States/UTs in the country except the States of West Bengal & Tamil Nadu. The Scheme envisages establishment of NVs, on an average, one in each district in the country.

The Scheme started with 2 JNVs in 1985-86. As on date 404 districts have been covered in 30 States/Union Territories in the country except West Bengal and Tamil Nadu who have not opted for the scheme so far. The matter is being perused with the concerned State Governments for sanctioning Navodaya Vidyalayas in remaining uncovered districts. 1,16,108 students were on the rolls of Navodaya Vidyalayas during academic year 1997-98. Roughly 25,000 students are admitted every year from about 500,000 applicants. It is proposed to increase the capacity of existing 100 schools during the 9^th Plan period.

For opening of a Navodaya Vidyalaya is based on the proposal from the concerned State/UT Governments offering 30 acres of suitable land free of cost, sufficient temporary building and other infrastructure free of rent or on permanent basis which could accommodate 240 students and staff for three to four years till Samiti constructs its own building at the permanent site.

Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA)

Central Tibetan Schools Administration was established as an autonomous organization under Ministry Of Education, Govt. Of India in 1961 and was registered under societies registration Act XXI of 1860 with the objectives to run, manage and assist institutions setup for the education of Tibetan children living in India while preserving and promoting their culture and heritage.

 The Administration runs 8 Sr. Secondary (6 residential and 2 day boarding), 6 secondary and 7 middle, 6 Primary and 42 Pre Primary schools. In addition to above the Administration provides grants to 8 schools managed by Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration, Dharmshala. These schools are located at the places of concentration of Tibetan population in India viz Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Chattisgarh and Maharashtra.These schools are equipped with modern state of the art labs and teaching aids viz computers, LCD projectors, green boards, excellent games and sports facilities. The students take part in the sports and Scouting and Guiding activities organized by the Administration and other agencies

There are approximately 10,000 students on roll in the schools run by the Administration.

These schools are affiliated to CBSE and medium of instruction at Primary level is Tibetan while at Secondary and Sr. Secondary it is English.

The Administration achieves best results in Board’s Examinations. During the year 2005 the Administration got % result in class XII and % in class X.. The Admn offers post school scholarships  and also has seats reserved in professional colleges for its students.

ORGANIZATIONAL SET UP

The Administration is governed by A governing Body having Jt. Secretary(SE) as its Ex Officio Chairman and representatives from Min. Of Extnl. Affairs, Min. Of  Home and from Tibetan Government. Director CTSA is the Executive Head of the Administration and is assisted by a Dy. Director team of Education Officers. CTSA has a sanctioned strength of teaching and non teaching staff

.The Admn has its Headquarters at  Ess Ess Plaza, Community Centre, Sector 3 Rohini, Delhi  110085

 The present composition of the Administration at apex level is as follows:

Chairman: Sh Keshav Desiraju Jt. Secretary (SE), 

Ministry Of HRD, Govt Of India Room 314-C, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi-110001.

Phone: 011-2384359

Fax: 011-3382689.

Email kdesiraju@rediff.com

Director: Dr. M S Verma

Phone: 011- 27516771

Fax: 011- 27516760

Email ctsa@bol.net.in

S C H E M E S   A N D   P  R O G R A M M E S

The development of Secondary Education sector is also guided by the following Centrally Sponsored Schemes:

1.   Integrated Education for Disabled Children

2.   Improvement of Science Education in Schools

3.   Promotion of Yoga in Schools

4.   Strengthening Boarding and Hostel Facilities for Girls

5.   Environmental orientation to School Education.

6.   National Population Education Project.

7.   National Awards for Teachers.

A brief description of each of these Schemes is given below.

Vocationalisation of Secondary Education

A Central Institution of Vocational Education named "Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE)" was set up at Bhopal in 1993 under the overall umbrella of NCERT. The Institute acts as an apex level research and development organisation in the field of vocational education and provides directs and academic support to the programmes.

Integrated Education for Disabled Children (IEDC)

Under the scheme, financial assistance is provided for education of disabled children which includes assistance towards books and stationery, uniforms, transport allowance, readers allowance for blind children, escort allowance for severely handicapped children, boarding and lodging charges for disabled children residing in hostels, salary of resource teachers and helpers, setting up and equipping resource rooms, survey and assessment of disabled children, purchase and production of instructional material, training and orientation of resource teachers, funds for making modifications in school buildings and salary of an administrative Cell at the State level to implement and monitor the programme.

According to the last survey conducted by the NSSO in 1991, the population of disabled children was estimated at 16.15 million which is currently estimated to have gone up to 20 million.

Under the Persons with Disabilities Act it has become mandatory for the Central/State/local governments to provide basic education to children with disabilities up to 18 years of age. The Act also calls for a series of activities to promote the education of such persons and mainstream them in general school system. Based on the provisions of the Act and experiences in recent years it is proposed to revise the existing IEDC for which a group has been set up.

Improvement of Science Education in Schools

With a view to identifying a nurturing talent in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry at school level, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), Internal Physics Olympiad (IPhO) and International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is held every year. India has been participating in these Olympiads since 1989, 1998 and 1999 respectively. Each participating country is required to send a team comprising not more than 6 secondary student contestants to IMO, 5 secondary student contestants at IPhO and 4 contestant students to IChO apart from a leader and deputy team leader.

Promotion of Yoga in Schools

The NPE lays down that Yoga will receive special attention as a system which promotes the integrated development of the body and mind.

The Scheme for promotion of Yoga in schools was launched in 1989-90. Under this scheme, financial assistance provided for training of teachers in Yoga and for building up of infrastructure necessary for the purpose. In addition, institutions of all India character are given assistance for maintenance as well as developmental expenditure for promotion of basic research and teacher training programmes in Yoga.

Environmental Orientation to School Education

The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, provides that the protection environment is a value.

The Scheme was initiated in 1988-89. The Scheme envisages assistance to voluntary agencies. The voluntary agencies are assisted for conduct of experimental innovative programmes aimed at promoting integration of education programmes in schools with local environmental conditions.

Three Resource Centres namely (i) Uttra Khand Seva Nidhi, Almora (ii) CPR Environmental Education Centre, Chennai and (iii) Centre for Environment Education, Ahmedabad have been designated as nodal agencies for mobilisation, involvement and provision of financial support to NGOs/voluntary organisation in their respective regions for conducting innovative and experimental programmes in the field of Environmental Orientation to School Education.

N A T I O N A  L   P O P U L A T  I O N    E D U C A T I O N   P R O J E C T

National Population Education Project (School Education) was launched in April 1980 with a view to institutionalise population education in the school education system.

The objectives of the project are:

i.          Introduction of Adolescence Education (with major components like process of growing up, HIV/AIDS Education, Drug Abuse in Schools and Teachers Education); and

 

ii.         Re-orientation, updating and improvement of the elements of Population Education in the light of Programme of Action adopted by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1984.

N A T I O N A L   A W A R D S   T O   T E A C H E R S

These were instituted in 1958. There are 302 awards out of which 20 awards are reserved exclusively for teachers of Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic teaching in traditional institutions.

In order to be eligible the teacher should have put in 15 years of continuous service on the date of consideration of his claim by the State level Selection Committee.