APPENDIX L- DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED IN REGARD TO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE LOCAL BODIES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION (MEMO BY BIHAR GOVERNMENT)
In paras 7 and 8 of Chapter XII of the Report of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Post War Educational Development in India (Sargent Committee Report) A has been categorically stated that the State Governments should forthwith resume all educational powers and that in order to retain local interest, School Boards for smaller areas may be set up where some people with the requisite knowledge, enthusiasm, integrity and standing are available; the members of these Boards should be nominated by the State Education Department and their powers should in no case include any control over the appointment, promotion, transfer or dismissal of teachers.
2. On principle the adoption of this recommendation will be highly desirable for the future development of education in the various States. But in practice even the partial withdrawal. of the powers from the District Boards has led to considerable opposition from Local Bodies on the ground that the State Government will thus be acting against the salutary principle of Jecentralising the administration of education. Also the history of the fight of Local Bodies with the previous Government for increased autonomy has created a mentality of severe opposition to any assumption of powers of these Bodies by the State Governments. Even though conditions from State to State may vary, in view of this, historical factor as well as of the undoubted necessity of decentralisation of the administration of Elementary Education it would be helpful to the State Governments if Committee of the Central. Advisory Board could examine in detail the present set up of local administration of education in the different States, the experiments carried out in some of the States in the assumption of more powers by the State Government, the requirements of different State Governments - in this regard and recommend a more or less uniform pattern which may, with a few variations, be adopted in all the States of India. Such a well-considered recommendation by a Central Committee on which, if possible the L.S.G. Departments of the States may be represented would very much strengthen the hands of those State Governments that are finding it increasingly difficult to introduce, the general recommendations of the Central Advisory Board of Education on account of the criticism that those recommendations do not put forward a feasible formula suited to the present democratic set-up of the country's administration.
3. The Committee may in particular throw light upon the following problems that have confronted some of the administrations:-
(a) The number of Elementary Schools being very large a machinery to deal with such matters as the distribution of salaries, the maintenance of Character Rolls, the supervision of building and contingent funds, etc., for each school is necessary. At present the pay bills are Usually prepared by the Sub-Inspector of schools. It is widely recognised that the Inspectorate should
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not, as far as possible, be burdened with administrative work of this nature. What then should be the machinery and who should pay for it ?
(b) Operation of the Education Fund in local areas.
(c) Control over Sub-Inspectors by Government and the Local Bodies.
(d) Increased cost of education in the event of the resumption of all powers over Elementary Education by the State, Government. In this connection it may be mentioned that the U.P. Government has probably in the interests of economy transferred more schools to the control of Local Bodies.
(e) Machinery to select teachers, and to arrange for. their transfer, discipline and control The number of Primary and Middle school teachers is very large and a centralized control by Government may not be possible. Some State Governments like the Madhya Pradesh have set up a Local Bodies Services Commission.