THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL 
INSTITUTES AND GANDHIAN 
BASIC EDUCATION
 

18.1 NPE-1986 visualises establishment of Rural Institutes on the lines of Gandhiji's revolutionary ideas of education.

18.2 A detailed project report to give shape to this new and innovative concept was prepared under the guidance of a Project Advisory Committee. The Department of Education has since examined the report and it is proposed, as recommended in the project report, to set up a Central Council of Rural Institutes as an autonomous registered society to evolve a system of education which is relevant to the needs of rural Communities and of rural development.

18.3 According to the outlines of the scheme, the new pattern of education through rural institutes will be based on the concept of co- relation between socially useful productive work and academic activities. The academic programmes will be designed on the basis of Survey of local employment/self-employment possibilities so that graduates of these institutes do not have to migrate to cities looking for white collar jobs. Extension programmes will be One of the important functions of the rural institutes. They are expected to make an impact on the surrounding areas and the effect would radiate to other institutions ill the State/Country.

18.4 The rural institute will be autonomous in character and will have the necessary flexibility in their functioning. Composite institutions providing education right from the primary to the highest level would be preferred. The Central Council of Rural Institutes will be responsible for coordination and maintenance of standards of their academic programmes. It is also proposed to ensure horizontal and vertical mobility of students from rural institutes to traditional colleges and vice versa. The question of recognition of the academic programmes of the rural institutes would be taken up with such institutes as-the national Open School of the Indira Gandhi National Open University or State Open Schools/Universities. The services of the proposed National Testing Service could be utilized for certification/recognition of the certificates/diplomas awarded by the rural institutes. In course of time as these institutes develop the possibility of conferring on them the status of deemed to be Universities will be considered. To begin with, the emphasis would be on consolidation and not on expansion and on support for on-going programmes/institutions rather than on starting new ones.

18.5 Apart from developing the educational programmes of the institutes, the proposed Central Council of Rural Institutes will be responsible for providing financial support to the existing institutes and also establishment of new ones. The Council will also provide resource support to rural institutes for their infrastructure as well as conceptual, methodological and academic inputs for the design and structure of programmes, development of teaching and learning materials, evaluation procedures, etc.

32