NCERT: AN APEX RESOURCE ORGANISATION
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an apex resource organisation set up by the Government of India, with headquarters at New Delhi, to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to school education.
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1 NCERT: AN APEX RESOURCE ORGANISATION IN SCHOOL EDUCATION The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an apex resource organisation set up by the Government of India, with headquarters at New Delhi, to assist and advise the Central and State Governments on academic matters related to school education.
The NCERT provides academic and technical support for improvement of school education through its constituents which are as follows:
1. National Institute of Education (NIE), New Delhi
2. Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), New Delhi.
3. Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal
4. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Ajmer.
5. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhopal
6. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Bhubaneswar
7. Regional Institute of Education (RIE), Mysore
8. North-East Regional Institute of Education (NE-RIE), Shillong
9. Field Advisers' Offices in the States.
National Institute of Education The National Institute of Education (NIE), in New Delhi through its various Departments carries out research and development functions related to pedagogical aspects of curriculum; prepares prototype curricular and other supplementary instructional materials; develops school education-related database and undertakes experiments in pre- school, elementary and secondary stages to nurture all-round development of the learner. The NIE also organises in-service training of key resource persons and teacher educators associated with implementation of centrally sponsored school improvement schemes. The educational concerns of the Departments of the NIE are given on pages 3-4.
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Educational Concerns of the Departments of the NIE
Departments/Divisions Educational Concerns
Department of Pre-School and Issues and problems related to
Elementary Education (DPSEE) pre-school and elementary education
including research and development
of prototype-, teaching-learning
materials and functions of the
National Resource Group in teacher
training, pedagogy and curriculum,
as a part of the District Primary
Education Programme (DPEP) jointly
with the Department of Teacher
Education and Extension.
Department of Education in Issues and problems of non-enrolled
Non-Formal and Alternative and drop-out children including
Schooling (DENFAS) research and development of
prototype models of non-formal
education, alternative schooling,
studies related to open schooling
for NFE, instructional materials
and training strategies for NFE
personnel.
Department of Education of Issues and problems related to
Group with Special Needs education of scheduled castes/
(DEGSN) scheduled tribes, minorities,
disabled and other groups with
special needs.
Department of Women's studies Issues and problems related to
(DWS) education of' girls and related
research and development
activities.
Department of Education in Issues and problems in the
Science and Mathematics (DESM) education of science and
mathematics and research and
development of prototype curriculum
and instructional materials, and
designing and developing of science
equipment.
Department of Teacher Education
and Extension (DTEE) Programmes for capacity-building of
teacher education institutions at
state/sub-state levels and academic
support to the centrally sponsored
scheme of teacher education;
function of the National Resource
Group on training, pedagogy and
curriculum jointly with the
Department of Pre-School and El-
ementary Education; coordination
with the National Council for
Teacher Education (NCTE), and
issues related to extension edu-
cation.
Department of Education in Soci- Issues and problems of education in
al Sciences and Humanities social sciences and humanities,
research and development of
prototype curriculum and in-
structional materials; population
education activities as a part of
the National Population Education
Project (NPEP).
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Educational Concerns of the Departments of the NIE
Department of Education psycho- Studies related to psychological, logy and Foundations of Educat- sociological and philosophical ion (DPEP) foundations of education; comparative education; and their implications for school education.
Department of Educationl Measu- Measurement and evaluation related rement and Evaluation (DEME) concerns in school education; examination reform including continuous and comprehensive evaluation, and related research and development activities.
Navodaya Vidyalaya Cell (NVC) Technical support to the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to select students for admission to the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in the country.
Department of Educational Sur- Periodic thematic educational veys and Data Processing (DERPP) studies including All India Educational Surveys and the functions of Computer Resource Centre.
Department of Educational Resea- Promoting policy research in rch and Policy Perspectives education: organising activities (DERPP) for operationalising 'think tank' function; undertaking, coordi- nating, sponsoring, and commissioning research and innovations in school education and functions of the ERIC Secretariat.
Department of Computer Education Issues and problems in computer and Technological Aids (DCETA) education and related research and development in modern technological aids/multi-media educational support.
Planning, Programming, Monitoring Coordination of educational and Evaluation Division (PPMED) programme formulation, monitoring programme implementation, evaluation of programme utilisation by the target groups, and impact assessment of programmes of constituents of the NCERT.
International Relations Division Coordination of international (IRD) relations with educational institutions in other countries, and serving as an academic secretariat for the National Development Group (NDG).
Publication Division (PD) Publishing school level textbooks, instructional and supplementary materials, journals and research monographs.
Division of Library, Documen- Documentation of educational tation and Information (DLDI) information, and providing library services.
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CIET
The Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), also located
in New Delhi, performs educational media-related research,
development, training, production and extension functions, and
provides academic and technical guidance and support to the State
Institutes of Educational Technology (SIETs).
PSSCIVE
Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education
(PSSCIVE), located in Bhopal, organises research and development
functions 'related to vocational education in the school sector.
Regional Institutes of Education
The Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs) located in Ajmer, Bhopal,
Bhubaneswar and Mysore provide in-service training support to state
and district level teacher training institutions in the school sector.
To a limited extent, pre-service professional training to prepare
school teachers for teaching Science and Mathematics and teacher
educators of Elementary Teacher Training Institutions is also offered
by the RIEs. A new North-East Regional Institute of Education (NE-
RIE) was set up at Shillong in December 1995 to cater to the
educational, needs of the North-Eastern States (Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram,"" Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim).
Field Offices
The Field Offices of the NCERT, mostly located in the state capitals,
carry out educational liaisoning with Departments of Education and
other related institutions on problems and issues of school education
in the states and apprise them of activities and programmes of the
NCERT.
Programmes and Activities
The NCERT undertakes the following programmes and activities.
Research
Being an apex national body for research in school education, the
NCERT performs the important functions of conducting and supporting
research and offering training in educational research methodology.
The different Departments of the National Institute of Education
(NIE), Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs), Central Institute of
Educational Technology (CIET) and Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central
Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE) undertake programmes of
research related to different aspects of school education, including
teacher education.
Besides conducting in-house research, the NCERT supports research
programmes of other institutions/organisations by providing financial
assistance and academic guidance. Assistance is given to scholars for
publication of their Ph.D. theses. Research fellowships are offered
to encourage studies in school education to create a research base for
developmental, training and extension programmes and to create a pool
of competent research workers. It also organises courses for
educational research workers.
The NCERT also organises educational research in the country. It
has computer facilities for storing, processing and retrieval of data.
It collaborates with international agencies in inter-country research
projects.
Development
Developmental activities in school education constitute an important
function of the
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NCERT. The major developmental activities include development and
renewal of curricula and instructional materials for various levels of
school education and making them relevant to changing needs of
children and society. The innovative developmental activities include
development of curricula and instructional materials in school
education in the area of preschool education, formal and non-formal
education, vocationalisation of education and teacher education.
Developmental activities are also undertaken in the domains of edu-
cational technology, population education, and education of the
disabled and other special groups.
Training
Another important dimension of NCERT's activities Is the pre-service
and in-service training of teachers at various levels; pre-primary,
elementary, secondary and higher secondary, and also in such areas as
vocational education, educational technology, guidance and counseling
and special education. The pre-service teacher education programmes
at the Regional Institutes of Education (RIEs) incorporate innovative
features such as integration of content and methodology of teaching,
long-term internship of teacher trainees in the actual classroom
setting, and participation of students in community work. The RIEs
also undertake the training of key personnel of the states and of
state level institutions and training of teacher educators and in-
service teachers.
Extension
The NCERT has comprehensive extension programmes in which various
Departments of the NIE, RIEs, CIET, PSSCIVE and the offices of the
Field Advisers in the states are engaged in various ways. It works in
close collaboration with various agencies and institutions in the
states and also works extensively with Extension Service Departments
and Centres in teacher training colleges and schools with the purpose
of providing assistance to various categories of personnel, including
teachers, teacher educators, educational administrators, question-
paper setters, textbook writers, etc.
Conferences, seminars, workshops and competitions are organised
as regular on-going programmes as a part of the extension activities.
Several programmes are organised in rural and backward areas in order
to reach out to the functionaries in these areas where special
problems exist and where special efforts are needed. Special
programmes are organised for the education of the disadvantaged
sections of the society. The extension programmes cover all states
and Union Territories of the country.
Publication and Dissemination
The NCERT publishes textbooks for different school subjects for
Classes I to MI. It also brings out workbooks, teacher's guides,
supplementary readers, research reports, etc. In addition, it
publishes instructional materials for the use of teacher educators,
teacher trainees and in-service teachers. These instructional
materials, produced through research and developmental work, serve as
models to various agencies in states and Union Territories. These are
made available to state level agencies for adoption and/or adaptation.
The textbooks are published in English, Hindi and Urdu.
For dissemination of educational information, the NCERT publishes
six journals: Me Primary Teacher is published both in English and
Hindi and aims at giving meaningful and relevant educational inputs to
primary school teachers for direct use in the classroom; School
Science serves as an open forum for discussion on various aspects of
science education; Journal of Indian Education provides a forum for
encouraging original and critical thinking in education through
discussion on current educational issues, Indian Educational Review
contains research articles and provides a forum for researchers in
education, and Bharatiya Adhunik Shiksha published in Hindi, provides
a forum for encouraging critical thinking in education on contemporary
issues and for dissemination of educational problems and practices.
Besides these, a house journal called NCERT Newsletter is also
published every month in English and Hindi. The title of the Hindi
version of the newsletter is Shaikshik Darpan.
Exchange Programme
The NCERT interacts with international organisations such as UNESCO,
UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank to study specific educational
problems and to arrange training programmes for personnel from the
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developing countries. It is one of the Associated Centres of APEID.
It also acts as the Secretariat of the National Development Group
(NDG) for Educational Innovations. The NCERT has been offering
training facilities, usually through attachment programmes and
participation in workshops to educational workers of other countries.
The NCERT also acts as a major agency for implementing the
Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes entered into by the Government
of India with the governments of other countries in the fields of
school education and teacher education by sending delegations to study
specific educational problems relevant to Indian requirements and by
arranging training and study visits for scholars from other countries.
Educational materials are exchanged with other countries. On request,
the faculty members are deputed to participate in international
conferences, seminars, workshops, symposia, etc.
States' Involvement
The entire process of planning, implementation, monitoring and
evaluation of programmes of various constituents of the NCERT is a
collaborative or joint venture of the NCERT and the states.
In almost all academic programmes of the NCERT, academics and
professionals from the states/UTs are involved at various stages, from
the planning to the wider infusion of the outcomes into the system.
The entire process gives an opportunity to the NCERT faculty to work
for the states/UTs with their close cooperation.
Organisational Structure
The Union Minister of Human Resource Development is the President of
the General Body of the NCERT. The members of the General Body
include the Education Ministers of all states and Union Territories.
Other members of the General Body include the Chairman of the
University Grants Commission (UGC); the Secretary to the Government of
India, Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of
Education); four Vice-Chancellors of Universities (one from each
region); the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education; the
Commissioner of the Kendriya. Vidyalaya Sangathan; the Director,
Central Health Education Bureau; the Director of Training, Directorate
General of Training and Employment, Ministry of Labour; a
representative of the Education Division, Planning Commission; all the
members of the Executive Committee (not included above) of the Council
and such other persons, not exceeding six, as the Government of India
may nominate (not less than four of these shall be school teachers).
The Secretary, NCERT, acts as the convenor of the General Body of the
NCERT.
The main governing body of the NCERT is the Executive Committee.
The Union Minister of Human Resource Development is its President (ex
officio) and the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Human
Resource Development is the ex officio Vice-President. The members of
the Executive Committee include the Secretary to the Government of
India, Ministry of Human Resource Development (Department of
Education); the Director, NCERT; the Chairman of the University Grants
Commission; four educationists with known interest in school education
(two of whom shall be school teachers); the Joint Director, NCERT;
three members of the faculty of the NCERT (of whom at least two shall
be of the level of Professor and Head of the Department); one
representative of the MHRD and one representative of the Ministry of
Finance (who shall be the Financial Adviser of the NCERT). The
Secretary, NCERT acts as the convenor of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee is assisted in its work by the following
Standing Committees:
1 . Finance Committee
2. Establishment Committee
3. Building and Works Committee
4. Managing Committees of the Regional Institutes of Education.
5. Advisory Board of the Central Institute of Educational Technology
6. Advisory Board of Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of
Vocational Education.
7. Academic Committee of the NIE
8. Advisory Boards of Departments of the NIE
9. Programme Advisory Committee
10. Educational Research and Innovations Committee
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The NCERT's headquarters consist of.
1. The Council's Secretariat
2. Accounts Branch
The five senior functionaries of the NCERT appointed by the
Government are the Director, the Joint Director, the Joint Director of
the CIET, the Joint Director of PSSCIVE, and the Secretary. During
the year under report, these positions were held by the following.