COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
The Committee met on 15th September, 1972 at New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Shri P. V. Narasimha Rao, Chief Miniscter, Andhra Pradesh and examined the Working Paper on `Educational Development in the Fifth Plan' and broadly agreed with its proposals in so far as educational administration is concerned.
The Committee noted that while there had been vast expansion of enrolments at all levels of education, administration had not been adequately strengthened to cope up with this expansion with the resultant adverse effects on the quality of education. There was thus an immediate and urgent need for strengthening the Administrative apparatus at all levels of education, especially in view of the fact that, for the first time, a major programme of universal primary education with simultaneous improvements in the standards at all levels, was proposed to be taken up in the Fifth Plan. The Departments of the Education in the States and the Centre will not be able to take up this massive task awaiting them unless the backlog of under-staffing is removed immediately and adequate staff is sanctioned for undertaking the advance action programmes required for the Fifth Plan. Besides, further strengthening of the administration will be needed during the Fifth Plan as its programmes begin to develop.
The Committee welcomes the establishment of the National Staff College and recommended that its services should be fully utilised by the State Governments.
53
The Committee recommended that the strengthening of educational administration should be done on the new concept of `development' administration which will include, not only financial and personnel administration but also full responsibility of planning and academic work such as curricula, text-books, improvement of the status of teachers, adoption of new teaching methods, examination reform, etc.
The Committee felt that the several administrative issues needed study in depth. For example, -the relation between supervision of academic work and other aspects of administration varied from State to State. The relationship of local bodies to education at various stages and the role of private enterprise also showed large variations from State to State. All these and other problems needed study in depth. This is an area where the National Staff College, Universities and the Education Department have an important role to play.
The Committee noted that in various development programmes the practice is to sanction all the requisite staff needed for the new schemes as a part of the project itself. But this is not the practice in the educational programmes where, while new programmes are taken up, the requisite administrative staff is not sanctioned under the Plan programmes. The load thus falls on the existing staff with consequent adverse effects. The Committee, therefore, recommended that whenever new programmes for Educational expansion or improvement are taken up, requisite administrative and other supervisory staff should be sanctioned as part of the plan schemes.
The Committee recommended that an immediate study should be made in each State regarding the existing situation in education so that the backlog of inadequacy of administrative staff is cleared and the situation brought upto date by the end of 1973-74. This can be done if a suitable officer is placed on special duty for 3-6 months. The study can be advantageously undertaken by the National Staff College and could also cover the needs of the State in educational administration in the Fifth Plan. On the basis of this study, funds should be made available to States for equipping their educational administration for the challenges facing it.
The Committee recommended that a good Bureau of educational statistics and information should be set up at the Centre and in each State. They should work in close collaboration.
54
The funds for this programme should be included in advance action.
The programme of strengthening the State Institute of Education and especially the district administrative and supervisory machinery should be taken up immediately and as part of the advance action programme.
IV