 EVALUATION AND EXAMINATIONS

Of all the sectors of human endeavour, education is the sector which involves the largest number of people both as beneficiaries as well as agents. Within education, the issues pertaining to its planning and management are by far the most crucial ones, as these cut across virtually every stage and aspect of education. An examination of the issues raised in the deliberations of educational institutions of school, college, university and research levels as well as educational and non-educational professional bodies brings out this point very clearly.

A variety of issues pertaining to the whole gamut of education have been deliberated and considered opinions were expressed. Addressed mainly to those involved in the planning and management of education, these relate to (i) the objectives underlying educational planning; (ii) the role and extent of educational jurisdiction and responsibility of Centre, State, District and other authorities; (iii) the levels and extent of autonomy; (iv) equity dimensions in education and directions; (v) importance of pre-primary education and its relationship with primary education; (vi) degree of importance to universalisation of elementary education in the new national policy; (vii) place of education in the range of national activities and its management; (viii) minority institutions; and (ix) administration and management of the education system. In this section, an attempt is made to comprehend the diverse suggestions put forward by different institutions and bodies.

Goals and objectives of education, as emerge from these deliberations, were noted earlier. Even while talking specifically about planning and management, most of the institutions and organisations felt urge to draw attention to view "part of development" and to be treated only next to defence. Drawing attention to the hitherto neglected approach, the participants stressed that "education and employment all" should become the focus of educational planning in the new educational policy. They urged that the "need of the hour" is that "educational objectives should be intimately linked with overall strategy of national development". Convinced that "more planning not less, in the field of education is necessary" the consensus emerging from the deliberations is that.

A programme for the radical reconstruction of the educational system, if it is to succeed, can only be one component of a

longer nationwide and equally radical reconstruction of the economic, social and political system : a continuation and completion of the unfinished tasks of historic freedom struggle... the development of masses especially of the ural and urban poor.

Being clear about the objective of educational planning in relation to the planning for national development, the participants went on to suggest that :

The roles and function of each one of the participants in the educational system - colleges, universities, government, teachers, parents, students, managements, etc. should be spelt out so that they can be held accountable.

Authorities and Jurisdiction

India being a vast country with considerable diversities in language, culture and even governments at state levels, has a pattern of educational management and administration., especially below the state level, varying from state to state. Although education is in the Concurrent List, there is still some degree of ambiguity and overlapping in the roles and responsibilities of central and, state governments as well as at district and lower levels. Not surprisingly, therefore, opinions are divided over centre-state opinions, there also emerges a definite trend. These seemingly divergent opinions make it appear that (a) neither there is any consensus on state responsibility over education, nor is there any unanimity over the extent of centre-state jurisdiction, and (b) there is as much support, to the idea of state responsibility as to the view of total decentralisation upto the block and village levels.

But the clear trend that emerges appears to be the realisation that (i) despite sincere efforts of central and state Governments many of the committed tasks like universalisation of elementary education could not be fulfilled; (ii) the best strategy to achieve this goal is two-fold; (a) an increase in Centre's commitment and responsibility on the one hand and, a decrease of government's - centre or state - hold on administration, and implementation and involvement of the local community in platinum and implementing educational programmes, on the other; (iii) there should be blend of state commitment and community's involvement at the grass roots level in matters of universalisation of elementary education, eradication of adult illiteracy, non-formal

education, etc. and (iv) Central government should be concerned with providing the national policy and perspective, broadly uniform curriculum that blends local needs and ethos with national needs, providing financial assistance to backward areas and sections; sponsoring national institutions and agencies; (v) entrusting the states with the task of operationalising national policies with sufficient flexibility to adapt them to local conditions and need (vi) vesting the district authorities with the responsibility of implementing national policies as refined and adapted by state governments; and (vii) ensuring the involvement of local communities, the panchayats and parents in matters of monitoring and improvement of school education.

Jurisdiction over education in relation to Centre, State, district and lower level authorities differs from autonomy in two aspects. Autonomy is viewed, firstly, in relation to institutions and secondly to educational levels - higher, tertiary, secondary and primary. If greater involvement and less interference was the watchword with regard to educational authority at central and state levels, greater autonomy emerges as the consensus in respect of institutions or bodies at each specific level. Even here, there is greater consensus in favour of total or more autonomy at university and college levels than at secondary and primary levels.

There is a second element to autonomy equally strong in its acceptance among educational institutions and educational and non- educational professional bodies, and that is the performance and accountability in proportion to the autonomy granted. In order to ensure performance and accountability, it is often suggested that an individual institution's past performance should be the guiding, factor. Decentralisation and autonomy both spatial and institutional levels are intended to generate greater involvement and participation and at the same time, guided by performance and accountability. The following, although said in respect of colleges, illustrates this point :

The idea of giving autonomy to colleges is good but sufficient care should be taken, in the form of fixing working norms to maintain the quality and standard of education. In this connection... autonomy of universities and colleges should reflect the perceptions of social responsibility in the context of social expenditure on their establishment and management. Accountability will have to be established.

Equity Issues in Education

Nearly one out of every three educational institutions or bodies has something specific to refer to the equity dimension of our educational system and amidst the range of issues raised here. The majority of them refer to either elite - poor divide, perpetuated by the privately managed English medium schools. The proposal to establish Model Schools in each district has evoked equal degree of resentment for the same apprehension i.e., it will further accentuate the already existing rural elite poor social base. If `abolition' or nationalization could reflect the consensus in the case of private English Medium schools, "instead of model schools upgrade the existing schools", could be seen as the common demand in respect of the latter. While the public school idea itself evokes spontaneous opposition from all, there, is in. one or two cases, a favourable response to the Model schools with the qualification that these should be established in "typically rural areas".

The abhorance to privatisation of education and the plea for special care and assistance to backward areas and sections, especially the SC/STs, and women, and abolition of the private schools as well as the diversion of attention and resources to the vernacular schools, the education of the poor and weaker sections. Typical of this concern is the following opinion of an organisation :

If education of the weaker sections is to be taken seriously, the present emphasis of educational system needs to be radically revised. At present, education has an urban upper elite class bias and unless this is changed, the problem of illiteracy and proper education can not be solved. Success in universalising elementary education is possible by the expansion of pre-primary education.' or this purpose the community and voluntary agencies should be deeply involved.

The above mentioned opinion of an educational institution is representatives of the importance attached to pre-primary education. This is why both educational institutions and educational as well as non-educational professional organisations urge that each village should be provided with a pre-primary school for the 3-6 year aged children and that the Balwadis and Anganwadis must be linked from the conviction that pre-primary schools, "attached to primary schools... help girls to attend schools with their siblings to be taken care of, promote regular attendance and avoid drop-outs in the primary schools".

A theme similar to that of equity is the place of minority institutions in our educational system. In this case too, there is a division between an over-whelming majority and a strong minority opinions for and against them and yet there is also a unity in their views. Those who oppose minority institutions even with the help of constitutional amendment do so for their sectarian and communal character by placing national unity in the forefront. Whereas those who recognise the minorities' rights to establish educational institutions, endorse this principle and are prepared to grant such recognition only on the basis of student strength and not on the basis of management.

Priorities in Education : Universalization of Elementary Education

If there is any one point on which strongest opinions have been expressed, this could be said. to be the question of priority and importance to be accorded for the completion of UEE. Perhaps conscious of a feeling that neither the centre nor the states were able and willing to honour the constitutional commitment, extremely strong options are demanded. These related to categorical demands like "highest priority", "Compulsory UEE before the end of the seventh Five Year Plan", "decentralisation of planning and administration of primary education at the block level", "highest priority to education of common people such as adult education and removal of' illiteracy", "systematic organisation of non-formal education with people's participation in planning, monitoring, supervision and evaluation, "promotion of UEE among SC/STs and women with monetary encentives to parents and students", etc.

Not more than 10 per cent institutions and bodies have argued for a separate Indian Educational Service like the IAS or IFS. But there is no ambiguity in the demand that education should be administrated by educationists. As will be evident in the section on management, there is a strong conviction that educationists - teachers and academics - Should be vested with the tasks of policy making, and administration from the Minister to the district administration levels. This demand is related to another, namely, the demand to accord education an independent status like the judiciary, and in importance second only to defence.

Management of Education

Apparently demands like decentralisation, autonomy, community involvement, notionalisation at higher levels with regional/state counterpart authorities, seem to run contradictory to the suggestions of educationists manuing, education at national level and independence to education. That this is not the real case becomes evident when decentralisation at lower levels in democrated from nationalisation and autonomy at higher levels. The most strongly reinforced suggestion is for the establishment of "National Educational Authority", or "Autonomous statutory educational corporation with 60 per cent of educationists". This suggestions runs parallel to two other suggestions, namely "nationalisation of higher education", organised wider organisations like the UGC with regional and state counterparts and conferring autonomy- to universities and colleges in matters of internal administration, curriculum evaluation, determination of textual materials, affiliation, etc. The second suggestion relates to the establishment of district, block level boards of education with parents, teachers, panchayat participation to determine policy formulation, planning implementation of educational programmes as well as the performance of schools and teachers. The demand for broadbasing of the management base of education, especially at the lower levels is rot antithetic to the demand for giving education, the priority and undiuted attention it requires. Decentralisation of decision making, not implementation alone, including the establishment of UGC type the one hand and autonomy spatial and institutional levels, machinery for secondary and elementary education, respectively, on the other, is viewed to be perfectly in harmony with the demand to treat education as an independent and crucially important sector.

The point raised in respect of educational administration go even a step further in confirming the essential unity within a hierachy of proposals independence of education, educational service, national- isation at higher Levels with institutional autonomy- and decentralisation at district and school education levels even with autonomy. The principles of educational administration demanded range from proper coordination between education departments, and between education departments and those of industry, agricultural, etc., avoidance of over centralisation and granting of reasonable freedom and flexibility to states in educational policy making and implementation of education programmes, establishment national, state and district level, committees to oversee implementation, etc. In the case of educational administration, the importance of education is

sought to be safeguarded through a, coordination role.

Conclusion

An abstraction of the salient points salient from the point of view of the support they command which emerge from the deliberations of educational institutions and educational and noneducational professional associations are as under :

- More planning, not less in the field of education necessary planning that aims at a. radical reconstruction of the educational system and linking education deliberately and more intimately with the over all strategy of national development and development of masses.

- Clear democration of educational authorities at centre, state, district and lower levels with a clear definition of their respective jurisdiction; based on greater involvement and `Less interference, provision of national Perspectives through policy formulation, determination of the national element in the curriculum and financial assistance to backward areas and weaker sections, direct control in higher education, and academic lead in respect of other stages by the central Govt. allowing sufficient freedom to states and districts to adopt and/or adapt and, implement educational policies and programmes; greater participation of local community at lowe levels of education;

- Nationalisation with institutional autonomy at higher education levels with autonomy and greater community involvement at lower levels;

- Decentralisation and autonomy to be guided by performance and accountability and to generate greater involvement;

- Abolition or nationalisation of `public schools' and diverting the energy and resources of the proposed model schools to the improvement of existing schools to stem the further accentuation of rural elite-poor divide.

- Ban on sectarian and communal minority institutions and allowing the non-sectarian ones their minority character, only on their students strength than management.

- Forging pre-primary education, through integration of Balwadis and Anganwadis, as an integral part of primary education to ensure success of universalisation of elementary education, by avoiding dropouts, girls enrolment, etc;

- According the highest priority to UEE, the unfinished task of the constitutional commitment, through greater involvement of the District, block education committees, panchayats and village people, parents and teacher;

- An Indian Educational Service, like IAS, IFS, etc. to be entrusted with the task of administration of education and treating education, as important as defence and independent as judiciary.

- Blending provision of national perspective with the help of a "National, Educational Authority" and overall coordination with greater involvement without interference and decentralisation of educational management and administration to state and lower levels.