Book excerpt: Education is the most important element in the development of any community. The role of education as an investment in human resources has been increasingly recognized in all countries. For all-round development of the Indian society the importance of educational development of general masses is a well-established fact universally accepted. Social and religious reformers in India realised the importance of education and worked for the educational uplift of the people throughout the ages.Education also economically helps the people to understand and expand their mental faculty to learn modern jobs skills and technology in production process. The complete universalisation of school education is also very essential for promoting socio-cultural development and it enhances the overall quality of life of people.