34. Consistent with the important role assigned to the heads of institutions, their selection should be done with due care. It is essential that there should be fixed term of appointment for the head of the institution and transfer should be kept to the minimum to enable the head of the institution to exercise a leadership role and make his contribution to the development of the institution.

35. The head of the institution particularly at the primary/

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middle school level will be made accountable to the Village Education Committee of which, he will be a member in respect of running of his institution.

36. A Village Education Committee comprising not more than 15 members with representatives from parents, Panchayats, cooperatives, women, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes, minorities and local development functionaries will be constituted to look into the over-all management of all educational programmes at the village level

37. The State Governments will lay down general guidelines regarding the constitution of the Village Education Committee and establish norms of accountability in respect of head of the institution at the village level to this Committee. Accountability will be established also in respect of programmes like Early Child-hood Care Education (ECCE), elementary education, ICDS, nonformal education, adult and continuing education.

PROMOTION OF SCHOOL COMPLEXES

38. School complexes as a network of institutions on a flexible pattern will be promoted to provide synergic alliances to encourage professionalism among teachers, ensure observance of norms and conduct and enable the sharing of experiences and facilities. The school complex will serve as the lowest viable unit of area planning and will form a cluster of 8-10 institutions in which different institutions can reinforce each other by exchanging resources, personnel, material, teaching aids etc. and using them on a sharing basis.

39. It is expected that in course of time, school complexes when fully developed, will. take over much of the inspection functions.The inspection functions of school complexes will be performed keeping in view the need to bring in greater, cohesion among the participating schools and will include inter alia:

educational mapping, grading of institutions and identi- fying strength and weakness of individual schools. Inspection to be conducted will invoke a culture of participation and providing correctives rather than the existing practice of finding faults. These inspections will be in addition to the normal routine inspection functions of District/ Block level inspecting authorities.

40. The State Governments may lay down necessary guidelines for qualitative inspections to be undertaken by the school complex and also specify the nature of quantitative data required in respect of each institution and each complex for inspection purposes.

41. Considering that many of the schools which will form part of the complex will be non-governmental institutions, the State Governments may make necessary provision of funds for facilitating the work of school complexes including training, resource support

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travel costs as well as allowances for inspection.

42. Immediate preparatory action to implement the above suggestions will require to be taken so that appropriate guidelines for development of school complexes could be issued by the State Governments and the school complexes could become operational in the year 1987.

PEOPLES PARTICIPATION AND INVOLVEMENT OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES

43. The successful implementation of programmes like elementary education including non-formal education, early child-hood care and education (ECCE), adult education, education of the disabled, etc. will require people's involvement and participation in educational programmes at the grass-root level and participation of voluntary agencies and social activist groups on a much larger scale. Considering the need for ensuring relationship of the genuine partnership between the Government and voluntary agencies, Government will take positive steps to promote their wider involvement. Consultations will be held with them from time to time and representation given to them on bodies responsible for making decisions in respect of them. They will be assured necessary facilities to participate in implementation of programmes and procedures for selection of voluntary agencies and of financial assistance will be streamlined to enable the voluntary agencies to play optimal role.

PHASING OF REQUIREMENTS AND ADVANCE PREPARATORY ACTION

REQUIREMENT OF RESOURCES

44. The Plan of Action relating to Management of Education will require to be prepared at the State and local levels village, block, and district. The State Governments will be required to work out these details and issue necessary guidelines for developing a multilevel planning model with decentralisation and autonomy.

45. It is essential that involvement of the local communities in the management of educational institutions in rural areas is ensured and the school complexes should commence from the year 1986-87.

46. Keeping this in view, the State Governments will consider giving necessary powers to the Boards of Secondary Education to earmark funds for developing multi-level planning models for management of education, and development of school complexes.