 EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS FOR
 PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

3.1 The concept of education as a basic input for human resources development is the guiding principle for educational development in the Sixth Plan, This underscores the responsibilities on the State to provide education opportunities to all, facilities for continuing education and relating education to work and development. Notwithstanding the tremendous expansion of facilities in the three decades of planned development, there exists wide inter regional disparities. A huge backlog of unenrolled children, increasing number of illiterates and a growing number of educated unemployed are some disturbing features hampering progress.

3.2 The emphasis in educational planning has so far been more on quantitative expansion rather than on quality aspects. The process of planning and its decision making was earlier essentially centralised. The implementation of the Plan Programme have since been decentralised to a large extent. However, planning at the district level is yet to become a reality. The data base for policy making has also been found insufficient.

3.3 The absence of a proper information system to provide access to the data available even within the existing system, has been keenly felt. Only a limited amount of data is being tabulated and much less utilised by the planners and administrators. The Committee, therefore, stressed on the need for collection of information with a definite goal and its processing according to a fixed time schedule for its effective use for planning.

Improvement of Existing Data

3.4 To identify the data gaps in the existing system, the Committee circulated a questionnaire, to the various user organisations, e. g. IAMR, Planning Commission, etc. (Annexure IV). While examining the several items identified by these organisations, there was a general consensus that the collection of data in respect of all the items under the existing system may continue subject to certain minor changes being made as given in Annexure VII Instead of composite ES. I-VI Forms being used for data on schools and colleges, two types of forms be used, one for schools and one for colleges. This procedure will help in finalising the school data ahead of higher education statistics which generally pose problems of collection.

3.5 For making enrolment projections and for assessing the enrolment ratio at the elementary stage, it is necessary to collect data on the age of students by sex and grade. Such data, by single year of age, should be collected once in 5 years for class I to X at least on a sample basis.

Income and Expenditure Data Reclassification

3.6 The data on income and expenditure of schools should continue to be collected annually. At the elementary stage, the data should be only on (a) teacher salaries (b) other recurrent costs grouped together and (c) capital costs; at higher levels, a more detailed classification of items of expenditure is necessary. Except for private schools, the financial data should be collected directly from the concerned educational authorities, who prepare the budget and maintain the record of accounts.

3.7 Data on the results of public examinations at the end of grades VII or VIII should be collected on periodical basis from the concerned examining bodies and compiled at the state level. For the examination results of the

Secondary, Higher Secondary and University examinations, the relevant data should continue to be collected from the concerned examining bodies and compiled at national level. The data should show results by sex, Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, regular/private students and passing division (where possible) for the different examinations.

3.8 Some of the major data-gaps unanimously pointed out by the user organisations are non-formal education data, dropouts and repeaters data for study of wastage and stagnation, attrition rates relating to teaching profession for purposes of man-power planning. Data on attendance in schools, cost of education at different levels, data on extra curricular activities are certain other items sought by more than one organisation.

Data Gap Non-Formal Education and Institutions

3.9 A detailed discussion took place in regard to the need for collection, and the problems relating to collection of data of non- formal education which is under recognised and unrecognised sectors. Notwithstanding the problem of collection, it was realised that such type of data is necessary as the total contributions of technical man- power provided by the type of institutions falling under this category, is quite significant. Besides, the contribution of unrecognised institutions providing both formal and non-formal educa- tion as a parallel system is fairly significant and it can no longer be ignored in educational planning.

The committee, therefore, recommended that:

(i) The Education Ministry should collect, additional data in respect of all types of non-formal courses for which there exist recognised organisations to register students for such courses, directly from the organisations concerned.

(ii) The coverage of non-formal education for children in age group (9-14) and Adult education which are the important programmes of the Sixth Plan should also be made, through the administrative agencies (i.e. school/Adult Education Bureau of the Education Ministry). The data for the non-formal schools education should be on the same pattern as for the formal school system.

(iii) The Ministry may request the CSO to undertake the collection of data in respect of unrecognised non-formal institutions at the time of conducting the economic enterprises census.

(iv) The NSSO should cover in their annual rounds, data in respect of unrecognised educational institutions preparing students for formal courses on priodical basis.

Date Gaps-Wastage and Socio-Economic Background

3.10 The data on dropouts/repeaters is of three fold utility for educational planning. It helps in the assessment of the internal efficiency of the system and also evaluate the returns derived on the investment made. The data is also required for future planning of educationists, i.e. for projecting the enrolment for future years and for building up facilities consistant with the actual needs, particularly in view of the limited resources. This apart, the analysis of such data if available will provide a good insight into the problems responsible for the wastage and for considering remedial measures. However, this would require some basic data on educational wastage collected, preferably every year along with the enrolment data in respect of dropouts and repeaters class-wise, sex-wise and treget group-wise. Considering the dimension of the

problem, the Committee recommends that in any case, studies on wastage and stagnation should be taken up in depth preferably districtwise separately for SC/ST and sex. These studies should be entrusted to research agencies including NCERT. Sample Surveys of Educational, Achievements were also suggested, to the taken up periodically. Similarly the data on socio-economic background of students, may be collected by NSSO, on a periodical basis once in 5 years, in their annual rounds.

Data Gaps-Attrition Rate of Teachers

3.11 The data on attrition rate of teachers are required for estimating the teachers requirements while preparing an educational plan. At present there are no data on attrition rate of teachers, which on arbitrary basis is assumed to vary between 2% to 4%. Under the existing system, adequate information in regard to availability of qualified teachers particularly in the science subjects and their turnover is not available in most of the States. The Committee observed that the data on attrition rate of teachers at various levels and subjectwise should be collected from administrative records maintained by the State Departments/Local Boards bat In respect of Government aided and Private schools such data should be collected from such institutions.

3.12 The Committee recommended the NCERT to take up collection of data on attrition rate of teachers once in 5 years in their All India Survey.

3.13 Considering the importance of school attendance in assessing the efficiency of educational system for the purposes of educational planning there is need for regular collection of school attendance class-wise and sex-wise. A national programme of monitoring of school attendance on the basis of reports, from Block Officers was introduced

two years back but due to very poor response, no useful data could be compiled.

3.14 The Committee considered it unrealistic to collect data on school attendance for all classes from all schools every year along with other data. However, enrolment on a given date is not relevant without attendance data which vary month to month. It is also necessary that data on the average attendance is collected on a quarterly basis to give the correct picture. It was, therefore, felt that such collection should preferably be done on a sample basis at Block level. For this purpose, school should be required to maintain full record of monthly attendance and the information compiled at the Block level according to a suitable procedure should be evolved.

3.15 Sample investigations/studies can also be made in a limited number of schools in each State.

Data on Cost by Level of Education

3.16 In respect to the collection of data on cost by level of education, the working paper prepared by the IAMR was carefully considered. Defining cost as an outlay or expenditure in terms of money, time and efforts, cost of education has to be computed taking several figures which in any case do not include the amount spent by the students on books, etc. By and large, in the educational statistical information, data on expenditure under items recurring and non-recurring are provided for affiliated and nonaffiliated institutions. The data for Degree and P.G. courses are, however, merged together, faculty-wise. Similarly in the case of schools where there are two or more stages, there are problems of demarcating of expenditure-data level-wise. These problems, which are due to classification procedure could be sorted out if the data is reclassified on a suitable basis, i.e. level-wise

3.17 Besides, for purposes of costing, certain studies are required to be undertaken to cover the gaps in regard to work distribution of teachers, non-teaching staff and capital component of per student expenditure.

3.18 The Committee agreed with these views generally and recommended special studies being made namely (i) Study on workload distribution of each category of teaching staff belonging to each type of higher education institutions. (ii) Study on workload distribution of teachers belonging to each stage of the different types of schools i.e. combination of two or more than two levels of Education (iii) Provide benchmark estimate of capital cost of education by level and specialisation. The Committee was of the view that these should be entrusted to agencies with competent staff,, engaged in research studies. As it will be extremely difficult to collect data from all institutions, the studies need to be made on sample basis and taken up for specialised courses like engineering, medicine, etc., by IAMR and other such agencies for the type of studies.

Additional Data on Extra Curricular Activities

3.19 In the Third and Fourth All India Education Surveys, Some information has been collected on the facilities available for extra curricular activities in schools. These Surveys could be expanded in future to cover information relating a wide variety of activities such as games outdoor or indoor, NCC/Scouts/NSS, debates, music and dance, science clubs, etc.

Education Disparities-State/District Profiles

3.20 An important objective of educational planning is the equitable distribution of education provision. The district studies undertaken by the Education Ministry are useful in the context. The All India Educational Surveys

conducted by the NCERT also contain a vast amount of data of immense utility to the State Governments. It would be desirable for the States to publish regularly districtwise statistics and information already available and to promote studies on the basis of such information.

Management Information System

3.21 Education Plans will have to be prepared for each level at which decisions are taken i.e. the institution, groups of institutions, the block/taluka, the state and the national level. Comprehensive educational planning require many components other than educational statistics. Only a few States/UTs have got decentralised system of education planning like J&K, Maharashtra, etc. In most of the States/UT's, process of implementation and not the formulation of plan action is decentralised. A pre-requisite for decentralised planning at the district level would be well-organised system /of management information which would provide a sound data base for the inter related activities of planning and monitoring and evaluation. The Management Information System operating in J&K was studied by the committee. A model for the Management Information System based essentially on the J&K pattern is given in the Annexure VI. It is suggested that, following these guidelines, suitable M.I.S. for education should be developed by each State, to meet the requirements of decentralised planning/administration. It may take time and extra resources to introduce such a system; but when introduced it would lead to regular flow of statistical information for various purposes.

Interaction With User Organisations

3.22 A comprehensive educational planning involves several other components besides educational statistics. To establish this link with other agencies involved and too

provide a regular interaction of the user organisations, the Committee recommended the need for larger participation of these organisations in the standing committee on educational statistics. A committee of this type may be set up at the State level also.

EDUCATIONAL STATISTICS FOR PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT