The IIT example is probably misplaced. My dad went to the IIT at roughly the same time. Based on conversations I have had with him, the IITs had a 5 year program at that time because the students who got in had very different levels of some fundamental skills especially ones related to English and Communications.
My dad, for example, studied K-12* in a school where his medium of instruction wasn't English. He got into IIT because he placed first in his school district/state but he couldn't converse fluently in English and spent his first year basically learning English and "mapping" math/science concepts he had learned in our native language to English.
* - My recollection is weak on this, but I think India (or some parts of India at least) may have had a K-11 system at this time instead of a K-12 system.
My dad, for example, studied K-12* in a school where his medium of instruction wasn't English. He got into IIT because he placed first in his school district/state but he couldn't converse fluently in English and spent his first year basically learning English and "mapping" math/science concepts he had learned in our native language to English.
* - My recollection is weak on this, but I think India (or some parts of India at least) may have had a K-11 system at this time instead of a K-12 system.