PREFACE
 

The Prime Minister's first broadcast to the nation and subsequent pronouncements regarding the redesigning and revamping of the education system has had a tremendous response resulting in an unending flow of communications from people in all walks of life. The earnestness for change is evident as one goes through these communications. The recommendations emerging from these communications would well serve as the basis in the evolution of a new national policy on education.

The responses from the press, individuals, institutions, organisations, professional bodies, educational and non-educational, big and small, as well as the state, regional, district and block level deliberations were sent to NIEPA for analysis and abstraction of the diverse views and suggestions. The magnitude of the task which NIEPA shouldered upon itself can be gauged from the volume of the communications already analysed.

In three volumes of "Citizens' Perception", nearly 3000 individuals' communications received during the first three quarters of 1985, have been analysed and the fourth volume, covering the letters upto December 1985 is under completion. About 2500 letters received in connection with the Janvani Programme on education were analysed and released in the document entitled "Social Auditing of Indian Education system". More than 700 press-clipping received till- December 1985 were scruitinised in the two volumes of "Views from the Press". The "Concerns of higher Education Institutions", both general and technical, can be seen in two separate monographs. About 300 proceedings and reports from "Professional and Voluntary Organisations on Education", received between September and December 1985 have already been completed under two volumes. Based on about 200 reports received upto 16th January, 1986, two other volumes, "Suggestions of Educational Institutions/Bodies", and "Views of Non-Educational Organisations", have also been completed. The Uttar Pradesh "Perspectives on hew Education Policy" is based on over 70 state, district, regional and block level seminars and deliberations. The present volume which covers the concerns and views of 20 States and Union Territories received till the 16th January 1986 is the latest in this series.

In undertaking this stupendous task, NIEPA has had to marshall its faculty and non-faculty resources. however, it is a matter of great satisfaction that they shouldered. their task with great responsibility and worked on this document, as on others, very hard. In this whole endeavour, the Educational Policy Unit has been spearhead and the work has been shared by the members of other units and fellow academics from sister institutions like JNU, NCERT, IIPA, etc.

The present volume is the outcome of the collective efforts of the faculty of Educational Policy and International Units. I would like to record my warm appreciation for the deligence and hard work put in by my colleagues especially Dr.(Mrs.) Kusum K. Premi, Dr.(Mrs.) Usha Nayar, Dr. S.C. Nuna, Mrs. Anjana Mangalagiri, Shri A. Mathew, Dr. SMIA Zaidi, Mrs. Jayashree Jalali and Shri A.C. Nautiyal and Shri N.P.D. Menon.

I would also like to acknowledge the support extended by the non- faculty staff in the preparation of these documents.

(Satya Bhushan)