 SYSTEM OF ADMINISTRATION

India is a Union of States with a written Constitution. It enjoys a Parliamentary form of Government at the Union and State levels. According to the Constitution, Central Government is solely responsible for the subjects mentioned in the Union list of the Constitution. Similarly, the State Governments are responsible for the subjects mentioned in the State there is also a Concurrent List which is the joint List. responsibility of Central and State Governments.

By a Constitutional Amendment in 1976, education was placed in the Concurrent List. Prior to this Constitutional Amendment, the Central Government was directly responsible by virtue of entries in the Union List for several educational sectors including (a) co- ordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher education and research and scientific and technical institutions; (b) union agencies and institutions for professional, vocational or technical training; (c) promotion of special studies or research; and (d) Central universities and any other institutions declared by Parliament as institutions of national importance.

In discharging this constitutional responsibility, the Govern- ments at the Centre and the States have enacted legislation to govern the educational institutions and administer the programmes at various levels and in different fields. The statute books of the States, for example, cover legislations relating to: school education, State Universities, Boards of Secondary

Education, Compulsory primary education, etc., while those of the Centre include University Grants Commission Act, Acts governing the Central Universities and the five Indian Institutes of Technology, Apprentices Act etc.

The Ministry of Education and Culture plays a major role in ensuring a coordinated development of education all over the country and in developing national programmes in some essential areas like elementary, adult and secondary education and research. State Education Departments share the major responsibility in administering education particularly at the school level.

The Union Ministry of Education and Culture is guided in the main by the Central Advisory Board of Education the members of which include the Ministers of Education in the States and educationists. There are a few advisory and expert consultative bodies like the All India Council of Sports and the All India Council for Technical Education, the National Council for Teacher Education, the National Council for Women's Education and the National Book Development Board. To carry out its responsibilities, the Ministry during the years has built up a number of offices and organisations. The important amongst them are: The University Grants Commission, the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Central Schools Organisation, Central Board of Secondary Education, Central Hindi Institute, Central Institute of Indian Languages, National Sanskrit Institute, Lakshmibai National College of Physical Education and Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports. In the field of technical education there are five Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science, fifteen Regional Engineering Colleges, three Institutes of Management, four Technical Teachers' Training Institutes, Indian School of Mines, School of Planning and Architecture, National Institute for Training in Industrial Engineering, and National

Institute of Foundary and Forge Technology. While scientific research is promoted in a chain of specialised research laboratories under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research set up by the Central Government and in the Universities, three significant organisations viz. Indian Council of Social Science Research, Indian Council of Historical Research and Indian Council of Philosophical Research have also been set up to promote research in the social sciences, history and philosophy.

In every State there is an Education Minister, who is, in some States, assisted by Minister of State/Deputy Minister. The Secretary is the Head of the Education Department which has a Secretariat for Policy and Coordination and Directorate of Education that perform the functions of direction, regulation and inspection in various sectors of education. There are State Institutes of Education and State Councils of Educational Research and Training in the States to look after the academic aspects, which are replicas of the National Council of Educational Research and Training. Functional Inspectorates or Bureaux like Inspectorates for Physical education, Audiovisual education, Vocational guidance bureau, Evaluation units also function in the States.

Both at the Centre and in the States, educational programmes are looked after by a number of Ministries/Departments, besides the Ministry/Department of Education. Medical education is looked after by the Ministry/Department of Health and Agricultural education by the Ministry/Department of Agriculture. In some States technical education remains with a department other than Education viz. Department of Industries.

Educational Planning is the joint endeavour of the Central and State Governments. The Planning Commission in the Centre and the State Planning Departments decide the policy and approach in the field of national development. A Planning and Monitoring Division in the Central Ministry works in close liaison with the Education Division of the Planning Commission, on the basis of the broad guidelines issued by the

Planning Commission, draft Five-Year and Annual Plans are prepared by the Central Ministries and the State Governments. These plan programmes are discussed and examined at various levels before they are finally approved for implementation. Joint consultation on educational planning between the Centre, the States and the Planning Commission is promoted in all India forums like the Central Advisory Board of Education or State Education Ministers' Conference, Official meets and Annual Plan discussions.