V. SPEECH OF UNION EDUCATION SECRETARY, SHRI S.V. GIRI.
I deem it a great privilege to welcome you all to this 49th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE). We met last in August, 1992 when the draft Programme of Action in pursuance of modified National Policy on Education, 1986 was considered and approved.
2. As you know, the major innovation in the POA was the concept of State POAs. Given the rich diversity of our continental nation, it would not be fight to apply the same norms and proggrammes throughout the country. The situational imperatives have to be taken into account. The POA at the national level was only a set of guidelines to facilitate preparation of State POAs.
3. In order to expedite preparation of State POAs we had organised regional workshops inviting educational administrators, planners, educationists, resource organisations and representatives of multilateral agencies who have lately been evincing keen interest in education. Five such workshops have so far been held at various regions, the last one was held at Shillong last month. These deliberations were very fruitful and have generated a number of the useful suggestions regarding preparation of State POAs. We have circulated a note (Note on Review of Preparation of State POAs) setting out some of the major points that had emerged in these workshops. Some States have already completed the preparation of their State POAs while others are in the process. A point which has been stressed is the essentiality of a participatory process in the preparation of the State POAs, all stake holders in education- teachers, educational administrators, policy planner rescource Instrators, policy planners, resource institutes, etc.- have to be associated with preparing the State POA. This will ensure that necessary pedagogic and academic inputs will get built into the State POAs Another point that was stressed in the regional workshops was that the State POAs should be prepared without further delay and implementation of schemes started early so that the new schemes could be taken into account at the time of mid-term review of the Plan. The State Secretaries have now agreed that their POAs will be ready before end of December, 1993. Early implementation of the schemes will also help in getting necessary financial allocations under non-Plan after the Plan period.
4. Apart from the State POAs we have few CABE Committee reports to be considered. These include reports of CABE Committees on Decentralised Management of Education and Gnanam Committee Report; Report of the National Advisory Committee on Ways and Means to Reduce Academic Burden on School Children, and a discussion paper raising the status of National Steering Committee on School Textbook Evaluation to that of a National Commission with statutory powers.
5. The report of the CABE Committee on Teachers' Representation in Legislative Councils is also before you. The Committee had been set up in the light of ,the demands from primary teachers to confer on them the voting rights in the teachers' constituencies.
6. An innovative approach being tried out now in many parts of the country is the District Primary Education Programme. Built upon the experience gained in the implementation of a number of specific Education for All projects, the District Primary Education Programme is a holistic concept laying great stress on local area planning. This approach is in tune with the concept of decentralised management of education ensuring people's participation in the educational process.
7. The Total Literacy Campaign is the main strategy for achieving adult literacy. The campaigns have proved that total literacy is not a dream but an achievable goal. These campaigns have generated enthusiasm towards literacy, more particularly, among all over the country.
8. In the light of our commitment to achieve UEE by the year 2000, the importance of NFE can not be over-emphasised. I would take this occasion to urge upon all the members and more so the State Education Ministers the need to involve the village community in its planning and implementation at the village
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level and the need to have a well-planned organisational and management structure at the State level and below so that the problems of timely release of honorarium, timely supply of teaching-learning materials, training of NFE personnel, learners' achievement, etc. are adequately addressed.
9. All these agenda items have been exmined indepth by the State Education Secretaries and Directors when they met here last week. I am sure the State Secretaries would have briefed -their Ministers on their deliberations. This would make today's discussions easier.
10. I am sure you will be able to deliberate on these issues in- depth. I look forward to your valuable suggestions. Once again I welcome you all to this meeting and thank you for accepting the invitation.