PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATION
Financing of education has drawn the Attention of a large number organisations which have sent their suggestions on the new education policy. From among these the major suggestions relate to (i) allocation of more finds to education in the national and state budget and (ii) ways and means to raise additional reasorces for education. Another aspect which has received some attention is allocation of funds within educational sector. Two three organisations have also given suggestions regarding change in the existing system of financing directly through government. It is somewhat surprising that none of the organisations has come out with any suggestion regarding rational and optimism utilisation of resources or the role of non-monetary inputs in improving quality of education.
Plans could not be implemented because of resource constraints and so one of the major suggestions in regard to financing of education relates to higher allocations to educational sector both in. the central as well as state budgets. The general feeling running through the reports of deliberations is well reflected in the statement of an organisation: "The political will for change must be clearly demonstrated by adequate provision of resources".
Quoting from the report of education commission some of the organisation/associations have specifically asked for increasing the allocation to education from 3 to 6 per cent in the national budget. In fact, three of the organisations have asked for 10 per cent of the allocation to education sector for meeting the policy goals of DEE and Vocationalisation of Education.
Insisting on the responsibility of the states for education it is especifically suggested by an organisation that state should continue to finance education to the extent of allocating 30 to. 35 per cent of the resources on education.
Allocation within the education sector has also drawn the attention of some of the organisations. Atmost all the organisations writing on this aspect have advocated higher per cent age of budget to primary/elementary education. One of the organisations has even suggested that 80 percent of the total budget on education should be set aside for elementary education. Based on the experience of diversion of funds from elementary to other secotors, another organisation has suggested that "Elementary education should be a seperate head".
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Referring to grants-in-aid, one of the, educational organisations has suggested that all the institutions should be treated equally for grant-in-aid. Similary it is pleaded that "UGC should uniformily finance all the educational institutions on the ratio of students strength".
Stressing of the importance of sports, an organisation has suggested that 20 percent of the educational budget should go to sports.
A suggestion for setting up of an independent body for allocation of funds to educational institution has come from a few organisations. They have also suggested that this body should be autonomous and free from political interference.
While allocation and distribution of funds has received the attention of organisations/associations, they are equally concerned with raising the resources for education from, alternative sources. Suggestions in this regard can be classified into two-threes categories viz. (i) sharing of the burden by the local community, (ii) contributions from public sector; and (iii) raising of taxes from unconventional sources.
Community contribution has figured prominently in a large number of suggestions. An organisation suggests : like China Government should be only responsible for teachers' salaries and leave the rest to the society". A suggestions for village Education fund has come from a number of organisations. One institution has suggested that "five percent of the income of the Panchayats should be bet apart for school in the Panchayat area". Another organisation makes the same demand while it recomments "every village Panchayat should constitute a seperate school fund which could be oat the disposal of village committee whose primary objective will be to enable the committee discharge its responsibility in respect to primary education".
Contribution from public sector which uses the products education sectors has been demanded by a number of organisations/associations. Some have advocated that "educational cess should be levied on industrial and commercial establishment and for this they should be exempted from sales tax". Another organisation has suggested that organised sector and voluntary agencies which absorb the products of higher education should be made to subscribe to funding of higher education".
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A direct education cess to be imposed by the State Government and revenue thus collected to be spent on education alone "is the suggestion coming from a number of organisation. some have suggested that a portion of income tax should be earmarked for higher education all over the country".
An interesting suggestion for raising the resources is "to organise a campaign to unearth block money and use the same for education". It will be useful to conclude this section with a more valuable suggestion from, one of the organisation that "each. institution, to begin with, finance a minimum of 10 percent of financial needs through its own activities like education, research, extension services, training consultancy etc, and within next 10 years such minimum self financing should be to the extent of 25 percent".