PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION: UNIT IV EDUCATION IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

UNIT IV EDUCATION IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

INDIAN CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS:

Indian Constitution is a vital document which has united one of the world’s oldest and largest civilizations and created a nation of 90 crores people speaking many languages. It contains 412 Articles and 12 Schedules and is undoubtedly one of the largest constitutions in the world. Every article of the constitution aims to provide happiness and peaceful living to each one of us.

72 | P a g e

PREAMBLE: Preamble epitomizes the collective will and aspirations of all Indians. It
describes the fundamental objective of the constitution. The Preamble provides for all
citizens justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. It has implications in all walks of life of an
Indian. In a school situation, it ensures to every Child the right of life, liberty & security and
to freedom from any form of cruelty, inhuman or degrading treatment in any way.

Salient features of Indian Constitution:

i. Universalisation of Education. Article: Directive Principles: 41, 45-21A, 46, ii. Equality of Opportunities in Education. Article: 28, 29, 350, 351,

iii. Education & Fundamental Rights & Duties. Article: 14, 15, 16, 30 & Duties: 51A (a to h)

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES:

Sl.No

Fundamental Rights

Even the government cannot take away or abridge these Rights.

These are enforceable in law Court.

The Govt. cannot take policy Decisions on these decisions

These rights strengthen policy democracy

These are natural rights

Directive Principles

These are mere instructions to Government.

These are not enforceable in any Court

The Govt. has powers to make Policy decisions on these Principles

The implementation of these Principles ensures social& Economic democracy.

These lead to protect human rights

Universalisation of Education : Article: Directive Principles: 41, 45-21A, 46

Article 41: Right to work, to education and to public assistance in certain areas. Article 45: Provision for free and compulsory education for children.

Article 46: Promotion of educational and economic interest of schedule castes, schedule tribes and other weaker sections.

Article 21A: Right to education: The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such a manner as the state may, be law, determine.

Equality of opportunities in Education. Article 28, 29, 350, 351:

Article 28: Emphasizes that no religious instruction shall be provided in any educational institution wholly maintained out of state funds except in those institutions established under a Trust.

Article 29(i): States that any section of citizens residing in the territory of India or any part

73 | P a g e

thereof, having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same.

Article29(ii): emphasizes that no citizen shall be denied admission into any educational
institution maintained by the state on grounds only on religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

350A: Facilities for instruction in mother tongue at primary stage. 351: Directive for development of the Hindi Language.
Education and Fundamental Rights and Duties.
Article 14, 15, 16, 30 and Duties: 51A(a to h):

Article 14: deals with equality before law and equal protection of law. This provision asserts the supremacy of rule of law. This also means equality of rights and duties. It means that among equals the law should be equal and should be equally administered. The provision further states that all persons shall be entitled to the protection of equal laws.
Article 15: prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex and place of birth. Article 16: guarantees equality of opportunity.

Article 30: Rights of minorities to establish and administer educational institution. Article 51A: Fundamental Duties:

It shall be the duty of every citizen of India:

a) To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag
and the National Anthem;

b) To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for
freedom;

c) To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;

d) To defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;

e) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people
of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to
renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;

f) To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;

g) To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and
wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures;

h) To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;

15th August 1947 is a red letter day in Indian History when India got freedom. The Constitution of the country was adopted on Nov. 26, 1949 and came into force on Jan 26, 1950. The Preamble of the Constitution outlines the social philosophy which should govern all our institutions including educational. Right to Education is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of India. The Constitution of India gives a few directions and suggestions for the development of education in the countries which are also called constitutional provisions.

74 | P a g e

The following provisions have a great bearing on the functioning of the educational system in India:

Article 28: According to our Constitution article 28 provides freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in educational institutions.

Article 29: This article provides equality of opportunity in educational institutions.

Article 30: It accepts the right of the minorities to establish and administrate educational institutions.

Article 45: According to this article "The state shall endeavour to provide within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years." We notice that the responsibility for universal elementary education lies with the Central Government, the State Governments, the Local Bodies and voluntary organisations.

Article 46: It provides for special care to the promotion of education and economic interests of the scheduled caste, scheduled tribes and the weaker sections of society.
Article 337: This provides for special provision with respect to educational grants for the benefit of Anglo-Indian community.

Article 350A: This article relates to facilities for instruction in mother tongue at primary stage.

Article 350B: It provides for a special offer for linguistic minorities.

Article 351: This article relates to the development and promotion of the Hindi language.

The seventh schedule of the Indian Constitution contains legislative powers under three lists viz. The Union List, the State List and the Concurrent List

The Union List: This list contains 97 subjects where the following entries are related to education:

Entry 13: To provide Educational and Cultural relations with foreign countries.

Entry 62: The institutions known at the commencement of the Constitution as National Library, The Indian Museum, the Imperial War Museum, the Victoria Memorial, and Indian War Memorial. Any other such institutions financed by the Government of India wholly or in part and declared by the Parliament by law to be an institution of national importance.
Entry 63: Institutions of national importance. The institution known at the commencement of this Constitution as the BHU, AMU and Delhi University etc. declared by Parliament by law to be an institution of national importance.

Entry 64: The institution of scientific and technical education financed by the Government of India wholly or in part and declared by law to be institutions of national importance like IITs and IIMs.

Entry 65: Union agencies and institutions for:

(i) Professional, vocational or technical training, including the training of police officers. (ii) The promotion of special studies or research.

75 | P a g e

(iii) Scientific or technical assistance in the investigation of detection of crime.

Entry 66: Coordination and determination of standards in the institution of higher education or research and scientific and technical institutions.

State List: State list consists of 66 entries, out of which the following is the entry related to education:

Entry 12: According to this entry all libraries, museums and other similar institutions controlled or financed by the state, ancient and historical monuments and records other than those declared by or under law made by the Parliament to be of the national importance.

Concurrent List: It comprises 47 entries, among them the following are related to education: Entry 20: Economic and social planning.

Entry 25: Education, including technical education, medical education and universities subject to provision of entries 63,64,65,66 of list (Union List).

Entry 34: Newspapers, books and printing presses. Reservation in Education

(A) Education of minorities: Article 28 of the Constitution has made certain provisions for the education of the minorities including

(i) No religious instruction shall be provided in educational institutions wholly maintained out of state funds.

(ii) If any institution has been established under any endowment trust even if administrated by state, can impart religious education.

(iii) None person attending an educational institution recognized by the state or

receiving funds from state government shall be required to take part in any religious worship or instruction that may be conducted in such institutions or in any premises attached there to unless such person or if such person in a minor and his guardian has given his consent thereto.

(B) Cultural and Educational Rights:

Under article 29 and 30 for the protection of educational interest of minorities viz.

(i) Article 29 (i): Any section of citizen residing in the territory of India on any part thereof
having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the
same.

(ii) Article 30 (i): All minorities whether based on religion or language shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.

(iii) Article 30 (ii):The state shall not in granting and to educational institution discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority whether based on religion or language.

(iv) To make any law providing for the compulsory acquisition of any property of any
educational institutions established and administrated by minorities, the state shall ensure

76 | P a g e

that the amount fixed by or determined under such law for acquisition of such property is such as would not restrict on abrogate the right guaranteed to them.

(i) Article 29 (II) states that no citizen of India can be denied admission into any educational institution, which is either maintained by the state or receiving aid out of state funds oil ground only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

(ii)Article 15 (III) states that to make special provisions for women. Hence, separate
educational institutions for women can be established.

(D) Mother Tongue:

For promotion of teaching of mother tongue the Constitution of India has made some provisions for Hindi language.

Article 350 (A):

It shall be endeavour of every state and local authorities with the state to provide adequate faculties for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to children belonging to linguistic minority groups: the President may issue directions to any state as he considers necessary for recurring the facilities.

Article 351: It is to promote the development of Hindi language and slates that it shall be
the duty of the Central Government to promote the spread of Hindi language in the entire
country.

(E) Right to Education:

Article 41 of the Constitution provides that "All the citizens have equal right to education ''. It states. "The state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provisions for the right to work, to education and to public assistance in cases of employment, old age, sickness and disablement''.

(F) Weaker Section:

Our Constitution has made some special provisions for the weaker sections of our society
viz.

Article 45: The state shall endeavour to provide within a period often years from the commencement of the Constitution for the free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years.

Article 46: The state shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests
of weaker sections of the people and, in particular, of the scheduled caste and scheduled
tribes, and shall protect them social injustice and all forms of exploitations''.
The Supreme Court of India has given the following guidelines to promote education of the
people:

(i) The state can make regulatory measures to promote efficiency of education.

(ii) Educational institutions of minority groups cannot claim immunity from general laws such as contract law, labour law and industrial law etc.

77 | P a g e

(iii) The state can take over the management of the institutions of minority groups in case of irregularity and inefficiency.

(iv)Teachers have the right to approach to the Arbitration Tribunal in case of any injustice to them by the institution.

The Constitution of India provides educational functions at three levels viz. Central, State and Concurrent. The forty-second Amendment, 1976 brought about drastic changes in the Indian Constitution. It affected the status of education also by putting it on the Concurrent List. Centre and the state can legislate 011 any aspect of education from the primary to the university level. In case of any dispute, legislation framed by the central government will have overriding authority. By having education in the Concurrent List, the centre can implement directly any policy decision in the states.

UNIVERSAL EDUCATION IN INDIA

“I beg to place the following resolution before the council for its consideration.…the state should accept in this country the same responsibility in regard to mass education that the government of most civilized countries are already discharging and that a well considered scheme should be drawn up and adhered to till it is carried out.. The well being of millions upon millions of children who are waiting to be brought under the influence education depends upon it...”

The above words are the part of the resolution which Gopal Krishna Gokhale moved in Imperial Legislative Council on 18th march, 1910 for seeking provision of ‘Free and Compulsory Primary Education” in India.

Irony is that one hundred years have passed but the right to education still remains a distant dream. Gopal Krishna Gokhale in fact represents many of our freedom fighters who had dreamed of the right to education to in independent India. They had identified the significance of education as an integral part of their different and complex ideologies. After attaining independence, the forefathers of our constitution continued this debate on the right to education and concluded to retain it in the directive principles of state policy. This compromise was not positively received by many of the people who wanted a more specific assurance from the Constitution.

Even now after 60 years of our independence, no such right has been provided to the children of India. Successive governments at the centre had not given any consideration and have pathetically failed in providing public education in India.

The people of India raised their voice for universal public education as a part of the
freedom struggle. The British imperialists simply denied their demand. But in 1870, the
British legalized the free and compulsory education to every British. This was done to ensure
the survival of the British Empire and maintain its hegemony on the colonies. In spite of our
independence and all the tall talk of successive prime ministers who promise to turn our
country into a knowledge super power, nothing substantial was done to ensure even this

78 | P a g e

basic right to education. This is because of the ‘feudal- capitalist’ character of the State.

The right to education demand is alive even now in spite of every effort to belittle it. The judiciary, bureaucrats, and media have timely raised their voice over its necessity. It has become possible only due to sustained progressive struggles of people of India on this question and the judgment given by the Supreme Court directing the government to ensure that all the citizens of our country are provided this right.

Due to the sustained pressure of the students and people’s movement and Left, the
central government was forced to introduce “Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill”
in Rajya Sabha on the 15th December, 2008. This was done after the government had come
out with a series of drafts Bills and put them up for discussion to the public, each worse than
the other.

The current “Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill” has many lacuna and many criticisms can be leveled against it. But broadly analyzing all the criticisms, we shall reach to two major points.

(1) Allocation of Funds

(2) Age limit and common school system

(1) Allocation of Funds

In financial perspective, Tapas Majumdar committee long back had estimated that there is
an additional requirement of Rs 1, 40,000 crores to be spent in a span of ten years (which
comprises 0.7 percent of the GDP). The government states that it does not have that much
money and is simply denying the responsibility of public education. The UPA government
wants state governments to allocate funds for education in respective states. The whole
scenario reflects the dual attitude of the UPA government which proudly claims that it is
responsible for our country becoming “world’s second fastest growing economy”. The truth
of the matter is that it doesn’t want expenditure on public education for the benefit of the
masses, in spite of its own commitment to do so in the Common Minimum Program.

(2)Age limit and common school system

Several Commissions have recommended Common School System and Neighborhood School Policy to integrate the community and provide access to education at the doorsteps of children. This has also been specified in the National Policy on Education. But the Bill makes no mention of the Common School System and while using neighborhood in some of the clauses has neither defined Neighborhood nor has accepted the philosophy of Neighborhood School.

As a signatory to the UN Child Rights Convention, India has accepted the
international definition of a child, which is up to age 18. The bill proposes to cover only
children from age 6 to 14, clearly excluding and violating the rights of the 0-6 and 14 to 18
year olds. “The 86th amendment and its article 21A, which defines the age from 6 to14. As a
bill flowing out of the amendment, it is clear that the bill cannot go beyond Article 21A,

79 | P a g e

which makes it imperative that the 86th amendment must be re-amended to correct this anomaly”.

If we raise the demand of 0-6 years, “Many argue that the bill should be put on hold
till such a re-amendment is passed, but that would be playing into hands of elements who
neither want the amendment nor the bill. Such elements do not want the state to invest in
education and instead prefer to leave it to the markets”. Instead of positively addressing the
criticisms on the Bill the government and its supporters are trying to project that all
criticisms are made with an ulterior motive. They hope to hide their mistakes behind such
shields.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATE GOVERNMENT AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT OF INDIA IN EDUCATION

1.One of the major educational controversies today refers to the role of the
Government of India in education. Prima facie education is a State subject. Entry 11 of the
List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution lays down that “education including
universities, subject to the provisions of Entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I and Entry 25 of List
III” should be a State subject. But there are some other provisions in the Constitution itself
which contradict the almost absolute delegation of authority suggested by this entry in the
State list; and what is even more significant, the Central Government has since shown an
unprecedented activity and interest in the field of education ever since the attainment of
independence. In 1947, it appointed a University Commission and has since been engaged in
evolving common policies in Higher education such as the introduction of the three-year
degree course. This was followed by a Secondary Education Commission which tried to
introduce a number of uniform trends in a field where the Centre has had hardly any
constitutional authority.

No Commission was appointed in the field of Primary education. But the scheme of Basic education was declared to have gone beyond the stage of experimentation and was also adopted as the national pattern at the Elementary stage. The interest of the Central Government in Technical education and scientific research has been too obvious to need any illustration. Besides, an innumerable number of Committees and Reports have tried to iron out an all-India thought, policy and programme in almost every sector of education. Of still greater importance is the revival of the Central grants for education which had been discontinued in 1918-1919.

In the period of post-war reconstruction as well as in the first and second Plans,
substantial grants were given to the States towards the implementation of a large variety of
educational programmes. With the adoption of the technique of Five Year Plans and the
creation of the Planning Commission, the real authority to determine policies, priorities and
programmes has now passed on from the States to the Centre in most sectors of
development; and as a corollary to this major shift in all developmental activity, it is alleged

80 | P a g e

that the, educational progress in the States is now more dependent upon the financial allocations and priorities decided at the Centre by the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Education than upon any decision taken by the States at their own level. In short, the trend to centralization in policy-making in all fields of education has been the most dominating note of this period and it has had hardly any parallel in our educational history except for the brief spell under Lord Curzon.

2. The reactions at the Centre and in the States to these developments have been extremely divergent. On the one hand, the State Governments have grown more and more critical and resentful of this policy. They claim that Education is essentially their preserve; that they understand their educational needs much better than the Centre itself; and that the attempt of the Centre to cut into their sphere has generally done more harm than good to the cause of education. They also plead that Central grants should be placed at the disposal of the States without any strings attached and they are extremely critical of the manner in which their proposals are scrutinized, modified or amended by the Centre while grants are being sanctioned.

On the other hand, the Centre also is not happy about the situation. It has assumed the role of dominant partner without having any constitutional authority to compel the States to conform to its dictates and without even having a machinery to report on the implementation of its programmes through the State Governments. Its main complaint is that its genuine desire to help the States is misunderstood as interference; that the reasonable minimum safeguards which are and should be adopted in all financial sanctions are misinterpreted as ‘indirect pressures’ or as ‘leading strings’; that the States do not appreciate the larger interests of education underlying the policies and programmes proposed by it; that the States do not often implement the sanctioned schemes in the manner in which they ought to be implemented; and that it often finds itself helpless to enforce the directives given by it.

During the last ten years, therefore, education has developed practically into a ‘joint responsibility’ of the Central and State Governments. But unfortunately, neither partner is satisfied with the present position nor does each one of them have a number of charges to make against the other. It would be no exaggeration to say that it is this conflict and contradiction in the present position which is at the root of most of our administrative difficulties and it is for the solution of these troubles that the role of the Government of India in education has to be properly defined as early as possible.

3. In order to pose correctly the complex problems involved in this issue and to
arrive at some tentative solutions, it is necessary to consider the problem from three
different points of view. The first approach would be historical and it would show how the
role of the Government of India in education has varied from time to time and why; the
second would start with the analysis of the relevant constitutional provisions and explain

81 | P a g e

what the Constitution expects the Government of India to do in education; and the third would compare and contrast the role of the Government of India in education with that of some other federal governments in the world. It is only in the light of the findings of these three specific studies that it may finally be possible to draw up some kind of a picture of the role of the Government in education as it ought to be.

Similarly, it is the duty of a Federal Government to carry out studies in educational
problems (as part of its responsibility to provide leadership in educational thought) from
time to time and to publish their findings. In particular, it is the responsibility of a Federal
Government to study such educational developments in other countries as are likely to be
of help in developing education at home. That both these responsibilities were understood
accepted and even fulfilled with a great competence in certain areas, can be seen from the
publications issued by the Government of India during this period. Moreover, ‘the

Government of India also published reports on important events of the period. In short, the research and publications function of the Federal Government was fully accepted and established during the period under review.

It was he who convened the first Conference of the Directors of Public Instruction in India at Simla in 1901. Then he started a regular practice of convening such Conferences for taking a periodical review of educational developments. An Educational Conference was held at Allahabad in 1911 and another Conference of the Directors of Public Instruction was held in 1917. With the passage of time, the need for such coordination was felt all the more keenly and a Central Advisory Board of Education was organized in 1920 with a view to assisting the Provincial Governments with expert advice.

Another function of a Federal Government to be recognized during this period was
grant of financial assistance for educational development in the Provinces. Reference has
already been made to the financial decentralization introduced by Lord Mayo in 1870. That
system continued to be in force up to 1876-77 when a system of ‘shared revenues’ was
introduced. Under this system, certain revenues were exclusively designated as ‘Central’,
certain others were designated as exclusively ‘Provincial’; and the remainder was

designated as ‘Divided’ and their receipts were shared between the Central and Provincial Governments according to an agreed contract which remained in force for a period of five years at a time.

From 1921 to 1947.—between 1870 and 1921, therefore, the day-to-day

administration of education was delegated to the Provincial Governments and the
Government of India continued to function as a Federal Government with five distinct
functions, which came to be recognized, viz., the functions of (1) policy-making, (2) clearing
house of information, (3) research and publications, (4) coordination and (5) financial
assistance. 16. With the coming into force of the Government of India Act, 1919, however,
the position changed completely. The basic idea underlying this Act was that the

82 | P a g e

Government of India should continue to be responsible to the Secretary of State for India
that the functions of the Provincial Governments should be divided into two parts— the
reserved part being responsible to the Government of India and the transfer being under
the control of elected Ministers responsible to the Provincial Legislatures. As a corollary to
this decision, it was also agreed that the Government of India have very little or no control
over the transferred departments because the Ministers could not be simultaneously
responsible to the Government of India as well as to their elected legislatures.

The Role of the Government of India under the Constitution and in Actual Practice

(1950-60)

Soon after the attainment of Independence, the problem of the role of the Government of India in education came up for discussion again when the Constitution was being framed. The thinking of the framers of the Constitution on this subject seems to have been influenced by two main considerations:

(1) The general model adopted in the U.S.A.; and

(2) The recommendations of the Hartog Committee.

As in the U.S.A., therefore, a fundamental decision was taken to treat education as a State subject and also to vest the residuary powers in education in the State Governments by making a specific enumeration of powers reserved to the Government of India in this field. Entry 11 of List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, therefore, lays down that “education including universities, subject to the provisions of Entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I and Entry 25 of List III” should be a State subject; and the entries which give authority to the Government of India in education were worded as follows:

List I—Union List

63. The institutions known at the commencement of this Constitution as the Banaras Hindu University, the Aligarh Muslim University and the Delhi University, and any other institution declared by Parliament by law to be an institution of national importance.

64. Institutions for scientific and technical education financed by the Government of India wholly or in part and declared by Parliament by law to be institutions of national importance.

65. Union agencies and institutions for—

(a) Professional, vocational or technical training, including the training of police officers; or

(b) The promotion of special studies or research; or

66. Co-ordination and determination of standards in institutions for Higher education or research and scientific and technical institutions.

List III—Concurrent List

Vocational and technical training of labour.

83 | P a g e

23. In respect of Primary education, however, the Constitution has made an exception on
the lines recommended by the Hartog Committee. The intimate relationship between the
provision of a minimum of free and compulsory education for all children and the successful
working of a democracy which the Constitution decided to create is obvious. The
Constitution, therefore, makes the following provision as a directive principle of State policy
under Part IV:

45. The State shall endeavour to provide within a period of ten years from the
commencement of this Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until
they complete the age of 14 years.” The expression ‘State’ which occurs in this article is
defined in Article 12 to include “the Government and Parliament of India and the

Government and the Legislature of each of the States and all local or other authorities within the territory of India or under the control of the Government of India.” The Federal Government is, therefore, under a constitutional obligation to participate in the programme of providing free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years. 24. Similarly, the Constitution also makes it an obligatory responsibility of the Government of India to promote the educational interest of the weaker sections of the people and makes the following provision:

“46. The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and, in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.”

The expression “weaker sections of the people”, as used in this article, is general and
is not restricted to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes only. For example, it will
obviously include women and consequently the development of the education of girls and
women becomes a special responsibility of the Government of India. In the same way, the
expression also means people living in those areas where economic and cultural
development lags behind. This article, therefore, makes it a responsibility of the
Government of India to bring about an equalization of educational opportunities in all parts
of the country and, to that end, to give special assistance to the backward areas or States.

There is yet another provision in the Constitution which has an indirect but
significant bearing upon the role of Government of India in education. Entry in the List III is
“Economic and Social Planning” and this implies that the Government of India has a
constitutional responsibility for the economic and social development of the country as a
whole. Now, it is a well-known sociological principle that economic and social development
is intimately connected with education and it is in this sense that the White Paper on
Education in the United Kingdom said: “Upon the education given to the children of this
country, the future of this country depends.” It is function of the schools to define the
objectives of a national economic and social planning although they can, and should, to
some extent, direct and influence their definition. But once the objectives of economic and

84 | P a g e

social planning are decided upon by the powers that be, education has a very important role
to play in assisting the nation to realize these objectives. For instance, the schools will never
be able to decide whether democracy should or should not be a national way of life,
whether socialism should or should not be accepted or whether rapid industrialization
should or should not be resorted to. But if the nation were to decide to accept these goals,
education will help vary greatly in creating and stabilizing a social order based on these
values by developing the necessary aptitudes, skills and interests in the rising generation. As
Brubacher has observed, “schools can complete and consolidate a change decided

elsewhere—whether by bullets or by ballots.” The implication is obvious: an authority like the Government of India which is responsible for the economic and

Social planning of the country cannot divest itself of a major responsibility in determining Corresponding educational policies to realize its economic and social objectives.

The Role of the Government of India in Education—as it is and as it ought to be

When one examines the role which the Constitution assigns to the federal government in education (or the role which it has now come to play in actual practice) and compares it with the role which other federal governments play in education, or even with the role which the Government of India itself played in the earlier years of our history, one can easily conclude that the following activities may be undoubtedly regarded as “federal functions in education”:

(1) Educational and cultural relations with other countries;

(2) The clearing house functions of collecting and broadcasting ideas and information;

(3) The coordinating function of harmonizing the educational activities of the Centre and the States;

(4) Education in the Union Territories;

(5) Scientific research;

(6) Technical education;

(7) Propagation, development and enrichment of Hindi;

(8) Preservation and promotion of national culture inclusive of patronage to national

art;

(9) Patronage to the study of ancient Indian culture in general and the study of Sanskrit in particular;

(10) Education of the handicapped;

(11) Promotion and coordination of educational research;

(12) Special responsibility for the cultural interests of the minorities;

(13) Responsibility for the weaker sections of the people i.e. the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes;

85 | P a g e

(14) Responsibility for strengthening national unity through suitable programmes and particularly through those of emotional integration;

(15) Grant of scholarships in an attempt to scout for talent, especially at the University stage;

(16) Advanced professional and vocational training; and

(17) Maintenance of Central Institutions or agencies for education; and

(18) Provision of free and compulsory education up to the age of 14 years.

These eighteen functions may be broadly divided into two groups—the exclusive and the concurrent. The first four functions obviously fall in the ‘exclusive’ group since no State Government can perform them. The remaining fourteen functions fall into the ‘concurrent’ group in the sense that every State Government will have to participate in these programmes both on its own initiative and as an agent of the Government of India; but the over-all responsibility for these matters whose national significance is universally recognized would be on the Government of India.

Arguments in favour of making education a concurrent subject:

(a) To Ensure Uniformity in the Education Policy:

Education pattern should be of a uniform character in the entire country. It is possible only when education is made a concurrent subject.

(b) Better Implementation of Education Policies:

When education is on the Concurrent List, the Centre will ensure that the States implement its decision in right earnest. With education as a concurrent subject, the states will become more serious in implementing decisions.

When the funds are allocated by the Central Government, it is in the fitness of things that it should have a say in their utilisation.

(d) Quality Leadership from the Central Government:

The centre should provide good and effective leadership. This should not be taken as a reflection on the intelligential in the State, but centre is better equipped to provide education leadership at the national level.

(e) For Better Discipline:

The Centre should have the power to overrule the decisions of the State Government. Then general standards of education will also improve. In Indian Education Service, man of calibre will take to join.

(f) Improvement in Standards:

Being a concurrent subject, by education, all India level of research in the field of education
will improve and the research findings will be better utilised at the national and state levels.

86 | P a g e

Arguments against making education a concurrent subject

(a) Based on Democratic Values:

State Government has enjoyed the privilege of having education under their control. Why should they give it up or allow the centre to interfere the only sphere in which states have enjoyed full powers? Further, democracy believes in decentralisation of powers. Why then education a concurrent subject, they ask?

(b) States have Better Appreciation of Local Needs:

`The State Government knows the needs of its inhabitants better. The centre cannot appreciate the educational needs of a remote village school say in Rajasthan or Tamil Nadu. So let education remain in the hands of States.

If education becomes a concurrent subject, more bureaucrats will interfere with it. Perhaps the implementation of decisions may be delayed. States will have to seek clearance from the centre. If we want education to be remain free from bureaucracy, let us remain it a subject of state.

(d) Sense of Security to Minorities:

Minorities are more close to the State Governments. The minorities can also progress accordingly if education is a State subject.

(e) Unity in Diversity:

When Indian culture is "Unity in Diversity ". Let each State lies its own pattern of education to preserve its identity and culture.

NATIONAL POLICY ON EDUCATION (NPE) 1986

Centre-State Partnership:

The NPE has accepted the concurrency in education. According to it; concurrency signifies a meaningful partnership between the Central Government and the State Governments. The Central Government's role could be to promote excellence at all levels of the educational pyramid throughout the country.

Role of Private Enterprises:

The private enterprise is to be encouraged in the field of education in various technical and non-technical sectors especially for the promotion of adult education.

Role of Local Communities:

NPE visualises an important role of local communities in the promotion of education. As an ultimate objective, it is essential that school and their local communities should be intimately associated with the educational process. The Role of Central Government

(i) The improvement of teacher's status and teacher education. (ii) The development of a programme of scholarships.

87 | P a g e

(iii) The utilisation of educational opportunities with special reference to the education of inter-state differences and the ado moment of weaker sections of the community.

(iv) The provision of free and compulsory education as directed by the Constitution.

(v) The vocationalization of the secondary education and the improvement of standards at the school stage.

(vi) The development of higher education and research with special reference to the post-graduate stage.

(vii) The development of professional education in agriculture and industry. (viii) The promotion of scientific and technical research.

(ix) The promotion of vocational studies.

(x)The promotion of educational research.

Central Government and Financial Assistance to State

(i) Grant-in-aid to the State Government on account of their committed expenditure, through the quinquennial finance commissions.

(ii) Grants-in-aid for development expenditure given for the plan as a whole, through the Planning Commission.

(iii)Expansion of the central and the centrally- sponsored sectors.

KOTHARI EDUCATION COMMISSION 1964

The Education Commission 1964-66 was appointed by the Government of India on July 14th, 1964. Dr. D.S. Kothari was appointed as the Chairman of the commission. The Commission submitted its report on June 29th, 1966.

The Commission set 12 task forces and 7 working groups; interviewed 9000 men and women interested in education in the country and toured for 100 days. The report contains 19 chapters.

The Commission had some unique features, they were -

i) Not to limit its inquiry to specific sectors or aspects of education, but to have a comprehensive, review of the entire educational system.

ii) Its firm belief that education is the most powerful instrument of the national development.

iii) Its International Composition. The commission included 7 Indian members and 5 others; 1 each from Japan, France, U.K., U.S.A. and USSR.

The objectives, as recommended by the commission were increasing productivity;
promoting social and national integration; education and modernization and developing
social, moral and spiritual values. A new educational structure was also developed

88 | P a g e

Education has a very extensive role to play in changing the men and society. It has to be entirely reformed and related to the life, needs and aspirations of the people so that it may serve as a powerful tool of social, economic and cultural transformation. In order to relate education, the commission recommended the following objectives-

1. Increase in Productivity.

2. Promoting social and National Integration

3. Education and Modernization

4. Developing social, moral and spiritual values.

1. Increase in Productivity -

The Commission suggested that education must be related to productivity to increase national income. In order to link education and productivity the Indian Education Commission made the following recommendations.

i) Science is the basic component of education and culture; so it should be made an integral part of school education.

ii) To inculcate the value of manual work the commission recommended the introduction of work experience in school education.

iii) To meet the increasing needs of technical personnel in Industry, agriculture and trade the IEC recommended introducing vocational subjects in school curriculum. It also opined that the vocationalization will bring education into closer relationship with productivity.

2. Promoting social and National Integration -

National and social integration is the precondition for the progress and development
of a country. According to the commission, Social and National Integration is an important
objective of a national system of education. The commission made the following
recommendations for strengthening social and national integration through education.

i) To make education a powerful instrument of national development, common school system of public education should be adopted.

ii) Bridge the gulf between the educated and the uneducated, intellectuals and masses, social and national service should be made an integral part of school education.
iii) A language is a firm adhesive for social and national integration, suitable
provisions should be made for teaching mother tongue, Hindi and other Modern Indian languages in schools.

3. Education and Modernization -

The present society is the science - based society. The present century has made
tremendous advancement in scientific and technical knowledge as a result of explosion of
knowledge. In such a situation one of the main functions of education is to keep pace with
this advancement of knowledge. Another feature of modern society is the rapid social

89 | P a g e

change. In the situation of change, the school must always be alert if it is to keep abreast of significant changes. An education system which does not renovate itself continuously becomes out-dated and puts hindrance to progress. To keep pace with modernization the IEC is of the opinion that “greater emphasis must be placed on vocational subjects, science education and research.”

4. Social, moral and spiritual values -

The national system of education should emphasis on the cultivation of social, moral and spiritual values among students. For this purpose the commission made the following recommendations-

i) The Central and State governments should adopt measures to introduce education
in moral, social and spiritual values in all institutions under their direct control on the lines
recommended by the University Education Commission on religious and moral instruction.

ii) In order to develop social, moral and religious values, some periods should be provided in the time table. Instruction of this type should be given by general teachers.
iii) The University departments should be especially concerned with the ways in
which these values can be taught wisely and effectively and should undertake preparation of the special literature for use by students and teacher.

The Commission recommended a new structural pattern of education. The new educational structure should be as follows:

One to three years of pre-school education.

A primary stage of 7 to 8 years divided into a lower primary stage of 4 or 5 years and a higher primary stage of 3 or 2 years.

A lower secondary stage of 3 or 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of vocational education.

A higher secondary stage of 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of vocational education, 50% of the total would be under vocational education,

A higher education stage of 3 years or more for the first degree course followed by courses of varying durations for the second or research degrees.

The structural pattern thus recommended by the commission is commonly known as 10+2+3.

Let us know the structural pattern of education.

Pre-school education from 1 to 3 years should also be given. General education should last for a period of 10 years -
4 years of lower primary,

90 | P a g e

3 years of higher primary

3 years of lower secondary education.

Higher secondary education should be fixed for 2 years. Degree course should be of 3 years.

The age of admission to class I should not be less than 6+. The first public external examination should come at the end of the first 10 years of schooling. Secondary schools should be of two types: higher schools providing a 10 years’ course and higher secondary schools providing a course of 11 or 12 years. A new higher secondary course consisting of classes XI and XII should be introduced. The pre-university courses should be transferred from Universities and added to the secondary schools. The Commission has been suggested the reorganization of the university stage. At this stage, the three year degree has been favoured by the Commission.

Aims of Education According to Indian Education Commission, 1964-66

According to Dr. Radha Krishnan, "It is my earnest desire that the Commission should survey all aspects of educational system at all levels and give suggestions that may help the educational system in progressing at all levels.

According to Kothari Commission, "One of the important social objectives of education is to equalize opportunity, enabling the backward or underprivileged classes and individuals to use education as a tool for improvement of their social and economic condition".

The most important and urgent reform needed in education is to transform it, to
relate it to the life, needs and aspirations of the people and thereby make a powerful
instrument of social, economic and cultural transformation, necessary for realization of the
national goals. For this purpose the commission has suggested the following objectives of
education:

(a) Increasing productivity.

(b) Social and national integration.

(d) Developing social, moral and spiritual values.

Education for Increasing Productivity though India is a land of vast resources, yet it has not become self-sufficient for this purpose, the resources must be exploited and education must be related to productivity to increase national income.
In order to create a link between education and productivity the following programmed has been suggested by Kothari Commission:

Science Education

Science education must become an integral part of school education and ultimately some study of science should become a part of all courses in the humanities and social sciences at university stage also.

91 | P a g e

The quality of science teaching must also be improved considerably so as to promote a deep understanding of basic principles, to develop problem solving and analytical skills and to promote the spirit of enquiry and experimentation.

Work Experience. In the programmed of relating education to life and productivity, work experience must be introduced as an integral part of all education general and vocational.

To commission work experience implies participation in productive work in school, in
the home, in a workshop, on a farm, in a factory or in any productive situation.
All purposeful education should include study of languages, humanities and social sciences,
study of mathematics and natural sciences, work experience and social services.
Work experience is a method of integrating education with work. In the present education
system work experience and social services have almost been totally neglected. Along with
other elements of education work experience should be greatly emphasized for the
following reasons:

(a) It will bridge the gap between intellectual and manual work.

(b) It will decrease the over academic nature of formal education.

(c) It will make the entry of youth into the world of work and employment easier by enabling them to adjust themselves to it.

(d) It will relate education to productivity and also as a means of social and national integration.

Vocationalization

Every attempt should be made to give a vocational bias to secondary education and to increase the emphasis on agricultural and technological education at the university stage. This will surely bring education into closer relationship with productivity. In the modern Indian society which is heading towards industrialization, it is essential to considerably expand professional education at the university stage, especially in agricultural and technological fields.

Education for National Integration

India is a land of diverse social groups. Unity and harmony among these groups is the basis of national integration. Social and national integration is an important objective of a national system of education. The Commission has suggested the following steps for strengthening the nation through education.

The Common School System

The present educational system in our country instead of bringing social groups and
classes together is tending to increase social segregation and class distinctions.
The schools for the masses (generally maintained by the government) are of poorer quality
than those run by private bodies. Good schools are not within the reach of a common man's
pocket.

92 | P a g e

This is one of the major weaknesses of the existing educational system. In the opinion of the Commission, "If our educational system is to become a powerful instrument of national development in general, and social and national integration in particular, we must march toward the goal of a Common School System of public education."
The common school must be opened to all children irrespective of caste, creed, community and economic or social status.

I. It should charge no tuition fee.

II. It should maintain a good standard of education in order to meet the needs of average parents so that they may not ordinarily feel the need of sending their children to other expensive schools.

Social and National Service

Social and national service should be made obligatory for all students at all stages. It should form an integral part of education at secondary school and university levels.
This programme will prove an effective instrument for building character improving discipline, inculcating a faith in the dignity of labour and developing a sense of social responsibility, if it is organised concurrently with academic studies in schools and colleges. The following are the main forms of organizing such a programme:

(a) At the primary stage this programme should be developed in all schools on the lines of Basic Education.

(b) At the lower secondary stage social service should be made compulsory for all students for thirty days a year, at the higher secondary for twenty days and at the undergraduate stage it should be made obligatory for all students or sixty days a year, to be done in one or more stretches.

Every educational institution should develop a programme of social and community
service of its own in which all students must be involved for the periods as indicated above.

alternative forms of such service for those students for whom no other programmers of social service have been organised in their own institutions.

Promoting national consciousness

India is a land of different castes, peoples, communities, languages, religions and cultures. The main role of our schools, colleges and universities should, therefore, be to enable our students to discover 'unity in diversity' and in this way, foster a sense of national solidarity and national consciousness among them. This can be done by- The Promotion of Understanding and Re-evaluation of Our Cultural Heritage this can be achieved by the wellorganized teaching of language and literature, philosophy, religion and history of India and by introducing the students to Indian architecture, sculpture, painting, music, dance and drama. Holiday camps and summer schools on inter-state basis can also be organized fruitfully, for breaking down regional and linguistic barriers.

93 | P a g e

Creation of a strong faith in the future towards would involve an attempt to bring home to the students, the principles of the constitution, the great human values, referred to in its preamble, the nature of the democratic and socialistic society.

Education for International Understanding

There is no contradiction between national consciousness and developing international understanding. Schools should promote international outlook through the study of humanities and social sciences, simultaneously with developing national consciousness.

Democratic Values

The educational programme in schools and colleges should be designed to inculcate democratic values, such as scientific temper of mind, tolerance, respect for the culture of other national groups etc. This will enable our young citizens to adopt democracy not only as a form of government but also as a way of life. In a modern society stock of knowledge is far greater, the pace of its growth is infinitely quicker and social change is very rapid. This needs a radical change in the educational system.

Education in a modern society is no longer concerned mainly with the imparting of knowledge or the preparation of a finished product but with the awakening of curiosity, the development of proper interests, attitudes and values and the building up of such essential skills as independent study and capacity to think and judge for oneself, without which it is not possible to become a responsible member of a democratic society.

Therefore the process of modernization will be directly related to the pace of educational advance. Education brings modernization in following ways:

(a) The way to modernize quickly is to spread education.

(b) By producing educated and skilled citizens.

(d) By banging a radical change in the method of teaching and in the training of teachers.

Levels and aims of Education: Pre primary- Primary - Secondary- University Significance of the Early Years

The first 6-8 years of a child’s life, known as the early childhood stage, are globally
acknowledged to be the most critical years for lifelong development, since the pace of
development during these years is extremely rapid. Recent research in the field of neuroscience,
particularly on the brain, has provided very convincing evidence of the ‘critical periods’ located
within these early years, particularly the first three years, for the formation of synaptic
connections in the brain and for the full development of the brain’s potential.1Research has also
indicated that if these early years are not supported by, or embedded in, a stimulating and
enriching physical and psychosocial environment, the chances of the child’s brain developing to
its full potential are considerably, and often irreversibly, reduced.2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 This finding
immediately places a very large percentage of children in the developing world in poverty

94 | P a g e

contexts ‘at risk’, in terms of their life chances. This early childhood stage is also important as a foundation for the inculcation of social and personal habits and values that are known to last a lifetime. What follows logically is the crucial importance of investing in these early years to ensure an enabling environment for every child, and thereby a sound foundation for life, which is not only the right of every child but also something that will impact, in the long term, on the quality of human capital available to a country.

Child development is a continuous and cumulative process, so that what precedes influences what follows. In terms of programmatic interventions, it is, therefore, important to plan for and address the entire childhood continuum, from prenatal to the end of the primary stage, as opposed to intervening during any one sub stage exclusively. For example, primaryeducation outcomes cannot be improved significantly despite high investments unless the earlychildhood outcomes that ensure preparedness are also ensured.

Health, nutrition, and education/psychosocial development are all synergistically interrelated, which makes a case for addressing all the needs of children through a holistic approach.

The child’s development will be optimised if the programmes address not only the child, but also the child’s overall context, both immediate and distal.

STATUTORY BODIES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD or MHRD is an Indian government ministry, responsible for the development of human resources. The ministry is divided into two departments: the Department of School Education and Literacy, which deals with primary education and literacy, and the Department of Higher Education, which deals with secondary and post-secondary education. Erstwhile Ministry of Education now functions under these two departments, as of September 26, 1985.

The Ministry of Human Resources Development is headed by a minister of cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The current Minister of Human Resource Development is Kapil Sibal. The minister is assisted by a single Minister of State, Daggubati Purandeswari, Minister of State for Human Resource Development.

The Department of Higher Education is in charge of secondary and post-secondary
education. The department is empowered to grant deemed university status to educational
institutions on the advice of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India, under Section
3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956. The Department of Higher

Education takes care of what is one of the largest Higher Education systems of the world, just after the United States and China. The Department of Higher Education is engaged in bringing world class opportunities of higher education and research to the country so that Indian students are not finding lacking when facing an international platform. For this, the Government has launched joint ventures and signed MoUs to help the Indian student benefit from the world opinion.

95 | P a g e

ORGANISATION

The Department is divided into eight bureaus, and most the work of the department is handled through over 100 autonomous organizations under the bureaus.

 University and Higher Education; Minorities Education

o University Grants Commission (UGC)

o   Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)
o   Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR)
o   Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR)

o 39 Central Universities (including 12 new Central Universities which have

been established w.e.f. 15.01.2009 by an ordinance promulgated by

President of India)

o Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS), Shimla

 Technical Education

o All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) Council of Architecture (COA)

o 3 School of Planning and Architecture (SPAs)

o 16 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) (including 6 new IITs set up during

2008-09)

o 5 Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)

o 13 Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs)

o 30 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)

o 4 Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs)

o 4 National Institutes of Technical Teachers’ Training & Research (NITTTRs)

o 4 Regional Boards of Apprenticeship / Practical Training

 Administration and Languages

o   Three Deemed Universities in the field of Sanskrit, viz. Rashtriya Sanskrit
      Sansthan (RSkS), New Delhi, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit
      Vidyapeeth (SLBSRSV), New Delhi, and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth (RSV),
      Tirupati

o Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (KHS), Agra

o English and Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad

o National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL)

o National Council for Promotion of Sindhi Language (NCPSL)

o Three subordinate offices: Central Hindi Directorate (CHD), New Delhi;

Commission for Scientific & Technological Terminology (CSTT), New Delhi; and Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore

 Distance Education and Scholarships

o Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)

96 | P a g e

 UNESCO, International Cooperation, Book Promotion and Copyrights, Education
Policy, Planning and Monitoring

 Integrated Finance Division.

 Statistics, Annual Plan and CMIS

 Administrative Reform, North Eastern Region, SC/ST/OBC

OTHERS:

 National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA)  National Book Trust (NBT)

 National Board of Accreditation (NBA)

 National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI)  National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)  Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)

 Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS)

 Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS)

   National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS)
   Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)
   National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare

 a public sector enterprise, Educational Consultants (India) Limited (EdCIL) MISSION

The Ministry of Education will ensure equitable access to quality and relevant education to all citizens of Grenada regardless of sex, race, color, creed, ability or socioeconomic status.

The Ministry of Education is mindful that the provision of the necessary support services including school-feeding, books and uniforms, the refurbishment, upgrading and expansion of educational facilities and the training of personnel are paramount for the enhancement of education.

The Ministry of Education will endeavor to provide the necessary support service to the nation’s children from ages five to sixteen. Efforts will continue to be made to widen access to quality education at the pre-primary, secondary and tertiary levels in a cost effective and efficient manner.

VISION

The Ministry of Education through the various programs will endeavor to implement the relevant aspects of the reform strategy in order to provide citizens with the knowledge, attitudes, values and skills that will help develop their capacity to communicate adequately and display a level of flexibility and creativity, which will enhance their capacity to respond adequately to the challenges of development.

STRUCTURE

The Ministry consists of the following Units:

97 | P a g e

1. Administrative Unit

The Administrative Division is headed by the Senior Administrative Officer (SAO) and consists of three main units (Administration, Finance and Personnel, each one headed by an Administrative Officer (AO). It also includes the Registry headed by an Executive Officer and the Drug Avoidance Secretariat.

The functions of this unit are as follows:

o   To submit proposals and recommendations to the Public Service Commission
      for recruitment and transfer of the following categories of staff: MOE
      personnel; library; clerks/typists and ancillary in the secondary schools; staff
      of the pre-primary schools; part of the TAMCC's staff.

o   To run support services of the Ministry of Education (drivers, telephone
                  operator, machine operator, cleaners, office attendants, office staff etc.)
                  o   To procure and distribute stationery for the Ministry staff.
2. Accounts & Finance

This Unit reports to the Permanent Secretary and has the following functions:

o To monitor expenditure and provide timely financial reports;

o To prepare and submit annual budgets to the Ministry of Finance;

o To ensure that utility services are adequately provided within the Ministry
(telephone, electricity, water, facsimile, Internet)

3. Curriculum Development Department

The unit is headed by a Senior Education Officer and comprises the following three sub-units: Curriculum Development Officers, Materials Production and Guidance and Counseling.

Curriculum Development Officers

The Curriculum Development Officers are in charge of curriculum development for primary and secondary schools, and for monitoring the implementation of the same curriculum (including through school visits). More specifically, the main functions are
as follows:

o To research relevant materials and to produce curricular for grades 1 to 9;

o To convene meetings of subject panels and to supervise and give guidance to
the members of writing teams;

o   To visit schools in order to give professional assistance to teachers in the
      matters of content, methodology, techniques of and approaches to the
      teaching of their respective subject areas;

o   To provide and make resource teaching materials available to teachers;
o   To train teachers in the application of new curricular and materials;
o   To assist in the preparation and marking of tests and examination;

98 | P a g e

o To monitor and evaluate programmes in school for the purpose of effective
revision.

4. Guidance and Counseling Unit

This unit has the following responsibilities:

o To provide counseling and guidance services to students in primary and
secondary schools;

o To train teachers in basic guidance and counseling skills; o To conduct parenting education.

5. Materials Production Unit

This unit has a dual role to play. It is responsible for working together with the Curriculum Development Officers in the production of relevant teaching-learning materials, but one officer in the unit is, at the same time, in charge of communications with the outside world and with the media in particular. More specifically, the functions of the unit are as follows:

o To edit and produce curriculum material and other written materials required
by the Ministry of Education;

o To provide technical support to curriculum officers in the production of
materials;

o   To be responsible for the procurement of equipment and supplies and for the
      care and maintenance of all equipment used for the production of curriculum
      materials;

o To advise the Ministry of Education on policies regarding the production and
procurement of educational materials;

o To produce the Ministry’s Newsletter;

o To disseminate to the media the necessary information on the activities of
the Ministry.

6. Information Technology Unit

The information Technology Unit has a dual role to play. It is in charge of providing training and support (both technical and pedagogical) in the school computerization programme. It has at the same time to provide technical support to the staff of the Ministry of Education in the use of computer technology. More specifically, its tasks are as follows:

o To manage all computer labs used in the secondary school computerization
program;

o To provide training for teachers, principals, secretaries and other users of IT; o To develop policies in using computers for teaching and learning, including
evaluation of existing software;

o To maintain and repair equipment in the Ministry of Education;

99 | P a g e

o To provide technical support to the staff in the Ministry of Education in the
use of IT.

7. Drug Control Secretariat

The Drug Control Secretariat is the administrative body of the NCODC. It serves to increase the operational efficiency of the NCODC and the effectiveness of the national drug control programme. The Drug Control Secretariat is headed by the Drug Control Officer, and consists of a staff of five (5) members. It functions in the areas of:

o Coordination

o Monitoring and evaluation
o Strategic planning

o Information management

o Programme development

8. Personnel Unit

The functions of this unit are as follows:

o   To submit proposals and recommendations to the Public Service Commission,
      for recruitment and transfer of the following categories of staff: teaching
      staff (including principals) of primary and secondary schools; part of TAMCC’s
      staff;

o To update personnel records of the same categories of staff and conduct
quarterly appraisal reports.

9. Planning and Development Unit

This unit, headed by a Senior Education Officer, is in Charge of two complementary areas, which are Planning and Statistics:

Planning

In the area of planning, its functions are:

o To develop plans and programs for the education sector;

o To undertake studies and research related to planning and policy making;

o To prepare and monitor projects, other than World Bank-financed (those are
in the hands of the Project management Unit).

Statistics

In the area of statistics, its functions are:

o To collect, collate and process educational statistics;

o To analyze and disseminate educational data and statistical information to
different categories of users within and outside the Ministry;

o To issue an annual statistical digest.

10. Project Management Unit

The unit is headed by a Senior Education Officer, called the Project Manager. It is

100 | P a g e

responsible for implementation of the World Bank financed Basic Education Reform Project. In addition, two existing sub-units with a general Ministry of Education mandate have been incorporated in the unit, namely Maintenance and School Supplies. More specifically the functions of the unit are as follows:

o To co-ordinate the implementation of the Basic Education Reform Project.

o To ensure proper monitoring (procurement and accountancy) of the same
project;

o To prepare the requisite project implementation reports; o To ensure the maintenance of all school facilities;

o To ensure procurement and distribution of school furniture, equipment,
materials and supplies.

11. Public Relations Unit

The activities of the unit will vary throughout the year for various reasons. However, the unit’s work involves the following:

o Writing and distributing news releases, news features photographs and
letters to the editors of media organizations.

o Maintaining a current newspaper clipping file containing articles on

education.

o Maintaining a current list of media, Parliamentarians, Custodies, public
      relations managers / information officers / administrators, members of the
      Diplomatic Corps, MOE regional officers, key personnel and spokesperson
      directory.

o Organizing press conferences, receptions and official visits in consultation

with the Permanent Secretary.

o Arranging press, radio and television interviews for management in keeping

with relevant project areas.

o Editing and producing in-house newsletter, magazine, and organizing other

forms of internal communication for dissemination to the Ministry’s publics.

o Commissioning and organizing exhibitions or displays for the Ministry’s notice

boards or other venues if applicable.

o Handling P.R. sponsorships.

o Organizing site visits

o Attendance at appropriate meetings for information to plan and execute

programmes.

o Liaising with other Ministries and Government agencies regarding

educational issues.

o Liaising with the press on the placement of advertisements.

o Plan official openings of new premises.

101 | P a g e

o In consultation with GIS, develop information packages to be used in radio
and television broadcasts on matters related to education.

o Liaising with all departments/units on public relations activities relating to
their projects and programmes.

The Ministry’s Publics

§ Teachers
§ Staff

§ Media

§ Students

§ Members of the school community § Agencies of the Ministry

§ Stakeholders

§ Members of the public who share an interest in education

12. Registry

Functions of the Registry:

o To receive all incoming mail from all sources o Maintain the filing index system

o Distribute incoming & internally created mail to users of the system o Maintain control and secure all files in its care

o To clear specified officers dips

o To arrange for the efficient & timely dispatch of document produced by the
Ministry

o Close file at the appropriate time and ensure that all closed files can be
retrieved upon request

o To classify and docket all correspondence

13. Testing and Examination Unit

Roles and Functions of the ETX

o To co-ordinate/supervise local and external examinations in accordance with
prescribed regulations

o To co-ordinate the construction of national examinations and tests o To facilitate reliable and timely procurement of examination results o To conduct research on achievement and learning

o To provide relevant services to students-issuing certificates, endorsing
Photostat copies of diplomas, etc.

o To train teachers in assessment and evaluation techniques

o To liaise with the various committees established to provide assistance to the
unit

102 | P a g e

o To process, analyze and prepare reports on national and external
examinations.

14. Scholarships Desk

NUEPA (EARLIER KNOWN AS NIEPA - NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION)

Birth of NUEPA (Earlier known as NIEPA - National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration) is associated with the UNESCO's regional center for Educational Planners and Administration started in 1960 - 61 for taking care of educational needs of South Asia. The organization was renamed as Asian Institute of Educational Planning and Administration in 1965.

It was in 1970 that the institute was taken over by the govt. of India from UNESCO and was renamed as National Staff College for Educational Planners and Administration. The institute with the present name was rechristened in 1979.

The NUEPA as an autonomous organization emphasizes on planning, management
and capacity building in educational policy, through research, training, consultancy and
dissemination. The NUEPA structure is based on nine academic and one administrative unit.

The Minister for Human Resource Development, Government of India, is the chairman of the NUEPA Council. Director of the institute as head of the Executive Committee is responsible for policy making and implementation.

Financial advices to the institute are the responsibility of the Finance Committee.
Eminent academicians from various institutions of the country, senior educational
administrators and members of the faculty of NUEPA comprising of the Planning and
Programme Committee, tender advice on academic programmes and training and research.

International Organizations like World Bank, UNESCO, COL etc. also take assistance from the NUEPA on several issues.

The university is fully involved in the capacity building and research in planning and management of education in not only India but also in South Asia, For enormous contribution made by it in the field of education, it was awarded with the status of deemed to be university in August 2006. Thus, university is now fully authorized to conduct its own examinations and give degrees.

The university functions through its nine Departments, which are as follows

§ Department of Educational Planning

§   Department of Educational Administration
§   Department of Educational Policy
§   Department of Educational Finance

§ Department of School and Non-formal Education § Department of Higher Education

§ Department of International Cooperation

103 | P a g e

§ Department of Sub-national Systems

§ Department of Operations Research and Systems Management

2 comments:

Rocky7 April 2016 at 03:16
Thanks for sharing such a nice information. One can also get the details of gate classroom coaching only at Online ICE GATE Institute.
ziyyaraedutech15 April 2021 at 04:09
The online home tuition for Arunachal Pradesh students delivered by us guide students throughout their school and help realize their dreams in the starting phase of their life.
Call Our Experts :- +91-9654271931

PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

UNIT IV EDUCATION IN THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

2 comments:

About Me