ADMINISTRATION OF THE EDUCATION
 SYSTEM
 

Over the years, since Independence in 1947, there has been a shift in the process of educational planning from 'centralisation to decentralisation', from macro-planning to micro-planning and the district has been accepted as the most appropriate unit of planning.

Primary education

At the pre-primary stage (0-6 years) there is the attempt to establish a linkage between ECCE and other development programmes including the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), for which Balwadis/Anganwadis or Day-Care Centres and Schemes are run by Government and NGOs and State Governments.

The principle of decentralisation has been extended to the management of primary education and Village Education Committees (VECs) have been set up in many parts of the country. These Committees are responsible for the enrolment and retention of children in schools, supervise the functioning of schools, check teacher absenteeism and mobilise additional resources for the schools. Thus, attempts have been made to elicit community participation not only in the preparation of educational plans but also in the administration of education including mobilisation of additional resources.

District Boards of Education (DBE) plan and administer education at the district level. District-specific plans have been developed to increase infrastructural facilities, develop instructional material, train teachers, etc.

Secondary education

At the state level, it is usually the Departments of Education that administer secondary education. At the national level, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, New Delhi runs the Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) while the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, New Delhi runs the Navodaya Vidyalayas, i.e., schools for talented rural children,

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), New Delhi functions under the overall supervision of the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. It deals with activities related to affiliation, academics and examination, and is known for introducing innovations and reforms at the secondary and senior secondary levels so as to bring education at par with international standards. At present, there are 4,308 schools affiliated to the Board. There are Boards of Secondary Education in each state as well.

Higher education

In the tertiary sector, the following bodies determine and maintain standards for higher education and funding at the national level:

* University Grants Commission

* All India Council for Technical Education

* Medical Council of India

* Indian Council of Agricultural Research

* Veterinary Council of India

* National Council for Teacher Education.

Some states also have Higher Education Councils as also senior government functionaries (Secretaries) for higher education at the State Government level to effectuate higher education administration in the state.

All India Council for Technical Education

The administration of technical education is done through the AICTE. Set up as an advisory body in 1945, it was given a statutory status through an Act of Parliament in 1987, which came into effect in March 1988. The main functions of the statutory AICTE include proper planning and coordinated development of technical education in the country, qualitative improvement at all levels in relation to planned growth as well as regulation and maintenance of norms and standards. The AICTE performs its statutory functions through seven Regional Committees, All India Boards of Studies and various innovative schemes and programmes.

Adult education

The NLM provides technical support and leadership in targetting the estimated 121 million non-literates in the 15-35 age-group. There is a central scheme of assistance to voluntary agencies in AE in which the agencies are encouraged to take up area specific TLC/PLC projects, establish and run post literacy centres called JSNs.

Vocational education

The CIVE/NCERT was set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, in 1993 to serve as an apex research and development institute for vocational education in the country. This

institute's activities revolve around the review and standardisation of curriculum/textbooks/ instructional material, teacher training pro- grammes, and inter-state interaction to facilitate and share information and experiences related to vocational education.

Non Formal Education

All the NFE centres are organised on the basis of projects. Mostly, each NFE project comprises of 100 NFE centres. However, in hilly, coastal or tribal areas, the project may have a smaller number of centres. A Project Officer is in charge of the project and looks after both the academic and administrative needs of the project. The monitoring of the programme is done on a continuous basis at the village, district and state through VECs, District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs), State Councils of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) and Directorate of Education, respectively.

Apex institutions

The NCERT is the apex resource organisation assisting and advising the central and state governments on academic matters related to school education. The constituents of the NCERT include:

* National Institute of Education, New Delhi.

* Central Institute of Educational Technology, New Delhi.

* Four Regional Institutes of Education, located at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Mysore.

* Pandit Sundarlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education, Bhopal.

* Field Offices in major states.

During the year 1995-96, the NCERT has reprioritised some of its programmes to respond to national concerns in school education.

At the state level, functions similar to the NCERT are performed by the SCERTs.

The apex institution concerned with educational planning and administration is the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA). This institution conducts research, organises training, provides consultancy services and disseminates important information on innovations, changes and developments in the areas of planning and management.

Many states are also in the process of setting up SIEMTs, State Institutes of Educational Management and Training, to assist state level educational planning and training of educational planners and administrators.

Non-governmental organisations

A large number of NGOs are working in the areas of AE, NFE, special education for children with disabilities, ECE and teacher training. NGOs are also engaged in education and welfare of working children and street children. Some NGOs have been established to undertake innovative programmes in teaching, curriculum development and teacher training. For example, a large number of teachers and teacher educators are involved in the activities of organisations like Eklavya in Madhya Pradesh, and Digantar and Sandhan in Rajasthan, which are engaged in teacher training, curriculum development, educational research and NFE.