20 Academic Support Structures like NUEPA, NCERT, SCERT, SIEMAT, DIETs

Dr. Bindu Sharma

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction

2 National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA)

3 National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

4 State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)

5 State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT)

6 District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs)

7 Summary

Learning outcomes

After completion of this module, learners will have a clear picture of:

1 Functions of NUEPA.

2 Functions of SCERT.

3 Objectives and Functions of NCERT.

4 Objectives and Functions of SIEMAT.

5 Functions of DIETs.

Introduction

When Indian Constitution was enforced, education subject was placed in the State list. But, in 1976, central Government made 42nd amendment in the constitution and with this amendment education subject was placed in the concurrent list. By putting education in the concurrent list, it became the common subject of the Centre and State Government implying that both centre and state government, can make laws on it, but if there is any conflict between the laws of Centre and State government the law of centre government will prevail. According to our constitution education is a state subject and the central government plays an advisory role. The main aims of Center and State Governments are to ensure relevant education for all and to universalize elementary education of satisfactory quality. Proper planning and management is required at different levels of education for proper impleme ntation of policies, programmes and projects, developed at central level and for the promotion of education throughout the country.

Keeping in mind the promotion of education throughout the country and proper implementation of policies and programmes, different academic support structures are set up at central level (NUEPA, NCERT) and state level (SCERT, SIEMAT, DIETs). The functioning or support provided by these Academic support structures is discussed ahead in this module.

I. National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA)

The NUEPA is the national apex institution in the field of educational planning and administration. The national university has its origin dating back in 1962 when the UNESCO established the Asian Regional Centre for Educational Planners and Administrators which later became the Asian Institute of Education Planning and Administration in 1965. After four years of its existence it was taken over by the Government of India and renamed as the National Staff for Educational Planners and Administrators. Subsequently with the increased roles and functions of the National College, particularly in capacity building, research and professional support services to government, it was again renamed as the NIEPA in 1979. But in August 2006 it was named as NUEPA.

NUEPA is an autonomous body established by the ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. It is a prime organization dealing with capacity building and research in planning and management of education not only in India, but also in South Asia. The Government of India has empowered it to award its own degree by way of conferring on it the Status of deemed university in August 2006. Like any other Central university NUEPA is fully maintained by Government of India. Academic Supports Provided by NUEPA to Center and State Government are as follows:

Organize training programme: It organizes pre-service and in-service training programme in the area of educational planning and administration.
Co-ordinating research: It promotes and coordinate research in various aspects of educational planning and administration and allied disciplines.
Providing Guidance: It provides academic and professional guidance to agencies and institutions regarding planning and administration.
Offering Ph.D and M.Phil Programme: It offers Ph.D course and awards degrees in educational planning, finance, comparative education, School education and higher education.
5Act as a Clearinghouse: It acts as a clearinghouse of ideas and information on research, training and extension in educational planning.
Publishing Journals and Periodicals: It prepares, prints and publishes papers, periodicals and books, especially brings out a Journal on Educational Planning and administration.
Organizing Workshops, Trainings and Seminars: It organizes meetings, workshops and seminars for educational personnel of the Central and State government and Union territories.
Consultancy Services: It provides consultancy services in the sphere of education planning and administration for Centre as well as State Government Universities.
Organizing Refresher Courses for Teacher Educators: NUPEA organizes orientation and training programmes, and refresher courses for teachers, educators and for college administration.
Discussion and Issues: It Initiates and encourages discussion on educational issues of National significance.
Contacts and Collaborations: It establishes contacts and advances academic collaboration with inter institutions in India and abroad particularly in countries of third world. NUEPA has developed close links with UGC, NCERT, CSIR, etc. NUEPA has entered into memorandum of agreement with UNESCO’s International Institute of Educational Planning.
Offering Scholarship and Academic Awards: It offers fellowship, scholarships and awards.
Conferring Honorary Fellowship: It Confers honorary fellowships on eminent educationists for continuation in the field of educational planning and administration.
Disseminating Information: It disseminates information relating to experience and new advances in the area of educational Planning and administration.
Symbolic Links: It builds symbolic links between the imparting and generation of knowledge. It also strengthens basic and applied research in sphere of educational planning and administration.

II. National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is another apex resource organization set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous organization which was established on September 1, 1961 with its headquarter at Delhi. It is registered under the societies Registration Act, 1960 and function as the academic advisor to the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare. It is wholly financed by the Department of School Education and Literacy, MHRD, Government of India. It was set up to promote the research and training in the field of education and social welfare. It assists and advises the Centre and State government on academic matters related to school education. The Union Ministry for Education and Youth Services is the President of the General body of the council. The Chairman of UGC and the secretary or the secretary of the H.R.D. Ministry and Social Welfare are its Ex-Officio members. Four vice-chancellor of universities in different zones of the country are nominated to the membership of the council. All the above member constitute the General body of NCERT. The Administration of NCERT is in the hands of executive committee which comprised of Director, Joint Director, Dean Academic and Research, Dean Co-ordination and Secretary. NCERT functions through various constituent units like – National Institute of Education (NIE); Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET), New Delhi, Five Regional Colleges of Education at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Shillong; Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal; and Field Advisers’ officers in the States.

Academic Supports Provided by NCERT

With a view to improve the quality of School education in India, the major supports that NCERT provide are as follows:

It determines the aims of school education.
It prepares model curriculum for different levels of school education.
It prepares textbooks for School Education.
It determines the aims of the training of School Teachers.
It prepares the curriculum for the training of teachers at different levels.
It organizes pre-service and in-service training mostly at advanced level.
It performs new experiments in the field of Education.
It makes efforts for the expansion and upliftment of secondary education.
It undertakes, promotes, aids and coordinates research in all branches of education.
It organizes extension services in educational institutions.
It undertakes and organizes studies, investigation and surveys relating to educational matter on the assessment of educational programmes.
It establishes coordination with state level institutions and implements policies and programmes relating to educational reforms.
It establishes coordination with organizations of International level like UNESCO and UNICEF
It provides training and research facilities to educationists and persons associated with education at different levels.
It publishes Journals, research reports, teachers’ guides and other useful material for the benefits of teachers, students, research workers and other persons associated with education. Some of the well known Journals and magazines published by NCERT are:

Indian Educational Review
Journal of Indian Education
School Science (Quarterly)
The Primary Education
Bhartiya Adhunik Shiksha
Prathmik Shikshak

It organizes National Talent Search Programmes at National and State level, to identify talented students.
It organizes survey at National level after every five years, so as to evaluate development of education.
It disseminates improved techniques and Practices; and acts as a clearinghouse for ideas and information on all matters relating to School education.

In order to carry out its functions effectively, NCERT works in close cooperation with the education departments in the states, and it has a network of offices of field advisors in different states.

It also maintains a close liaison with universities and generally with all institutions set up in the country for furthering the objectives of School education. In addition

NCERT interacts with similar international and national organizations throughout the world.

III. State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT)

The first step taken in the direction of the setting of SCERT’s on the pattern of NCERT in all the states and union territories o f India was the D.O.No.F. 19-17/78-SCH-5 dated 23.3.79 from Mrs. J. Anjani Dayanand, the Joint Secretary, Department of Education, Ministry of Education and S.W., Government of India, addressed to the State Secretaries. In fact she had been making correspo ndence with the State Governments on the subject of reorganization of State Institute of Education (SIEs), State Institutes of Science Education (SISEs) into State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERTs) Since March 1978. The correspondence referred above contained a detailed guidelines for the reorganization of SIEs and SISEs into SCERTs touching all the organizational, administrative and academic sides of the matter. This Magna Carta of qualitative improvement programme is an important document.

Most of the SIEs were established in 1964 with their functions of training, extension, research and Publication limited to elementary education. After some time functions related to secondary and higher secondary education were included in the domain of SIE in some states. SIEs in some states took the responsibility of Science education, teaching of English, audio- visual education, teacher training and vocational guidance, etc.

SCERT is in fact a counterpart of NCERT in the State. It has been given the responsibility of overseeing the work done in the academic wing of the School Education Board in the area of curriculum renewal and development of textbooks.

Objectives behind setting of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).

To bring about qualitative improvement in the existing education system.
To develop the curriculum of various school subjects.
To provide pre-service and in-service education for teachers and educational supervisors.
To develop new techniques and methodolo gies in the field of school education.
To undertake and promote investigation, surveys, studies and researches in various fields and sections of education.
To formulate and implement pilot projects for bringing about quality improvement in different fields of school education.
To evaluate, monitor and develop educational programmes.
To provide career guidance and counseling to school students.

Major Support provided by SCERT to Promote Education at State Level

In-Service Training of Teachers: SCERT arranges in-service training of teacher educators working in teacher training institutions for all the stages of education from preschool to secondary stage.
In-service Training of Supervisory Officers: It arranges in-service training and orientation of supervisory and inspecting officers dealing with preschool, elementary, secondary and senior secondary education in the state.
Extension Services: It provides extension services to teacher training institution at all levels.
Coordinate Extension Services: It coordinates the work of extension centers of teachers training institutions in the state.
Programmes for Professional Development: It organizes programmes including correspondence-cum-contact course for overall professional development of teachers, teacher educators, supervisory and inspecting officers.
Preparing of Curricula, Instructional Material and Textbooks: It prepares curricula, instructional material and textbooks for the use of educational institutions and teachers of preschool, elementary, seco ndary and senior secondary stages in the state.
Prescribing Curricula: It prescribes curricula for school and teacher training institution at preschool and elementary stage.
Prescribing textbooks: It prescribes textbooks for schools and teacher training institutions at preschool and elementary stage.
Producing Instructional Material: It produces instructional material for the use of teacher educators at secondary and senior secondary education level.
Coordinating Programme: It co-ordinates the programme of different subject teachers associations in the state.
Controlling Authority: It functions as a controlling authority essentially in connection with academic aspects of elementary teachers education and if possible in connection with its administrative aspect also.
Conducting Studies and Investigations: It conducts studies and investigations in various problems of education in general and in the training of teachers and the teaching of the curricula at levels of preschool, elementary, secondary and senior secondary education.
Acting as agent of change: It acts as an agent of change in school education and life- long non- formal education in general and in teacher education in particular.
Undertake Projects: It undertakes such specified projects at differe nt levels of education as be entrusted to it by government from time to time.

The conference of Directors/ Principals of SIEs/ SISEs/ SCERTs/ SIERTs held at new Delhi recommended that the State and Union Territories should take immediate steps towards bringing all institutions of teacher education, educational research and extension together in the shape of SCERT. It also recommended that function regarding teacher education, research, extension, curriculum construction, etc. in connection with the stages of pre-school, elementary, secondary and senior secondary education including non- formal education should be brought under the purview of the SCERT.

SCERT perform all the above said functions under various department and units. The major three units are Department of Curriculum Development, Department of Training and Extension and Department of Educational Technology. These three departments are further divided under many sub-units, so as to disseminate work properly and to achieve the above said objectives.

IV. State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT)

SIEMAT is an institute designed to develop the capacity of all categories of administrative and field functionaries – down to the village levels to efficiently manage educational institutions and to provide the professional support required by them in the context of SSA. As provided under DPEP, the provision for SIEMAT is also incorporated in the State Component programme of SSA.

Aims and Objectives of SIEMAT

To ensure school effectiveness through the development of local level and school level management capacities.
To provides resources support in the area of planning and management, to the field functionaries like DPCs, SDEOs, CEOs, coordination, block level resource persons, members of VECs, Headmaster of elementary schools, VEC secretaries, VEC treasurer, faculty members of DIETs, districts and sub-district project offices of SSA and SCERT faculty members.
To establish linkages with agencies and institutions both government and non-government engaged in various welfare programmes and education.
To strengthen educational data-base for decentralized planning and management.
To give advice and guidance to various levels of functionaries in planning and management for education if and when necessary.
To undertake case studies and research activities pertaining to educ ational management and school organization and problem relating to schools.

Academic Support Provided by SIEMAT

The organization structure of the SIEMAT may be related to its expected role. The specific requirement may vary from state to state. Therefore, it may be a better idea not to have a blueprint of the institute developed at the central level. Each State government may develop proposals to setup the institution and evolve organizational structure, taking into consideration the specific requirement of the state. Some of the expected function of the SIEMAT may be as follows:

1. Support to Policy planning at the state level.: this can be facilitated through providing an advisory supportive role to the state government through conducting research in areas of concern for policy making and implementation at the state level and organizing orientation programme for senior level educational administrators at the state level, e.g. issue like evolving norms of setting up of educational institution, norms regarding recruitments and posting of teachers, norms for providing infrastructure facilities in educational institutions, norms regarding performance of educational institutions, etc. may become an area of concern of the institution.

2. The institute may conduct research studies on various aspects including evaluation research of various programmes initiated by the State Government to assess the relative effectiveness of various schemes, including the incentive scheme.

3. Organizing training programme, especially for educational functionaries at the district and sub-district level on various aspects related to educational planning and management and organizing seminars on areas of concern.

4. Developing local level capacities for undertaking school mapping exercise, microplanning activities and facilitating participatory process of educational planning and management in association with lower level administrative and academic bodies.

5. Improving competencies of the advisory staff to improve the efficiency of the educational institutions and the system as a whole.

6. Providing support in handling of data pertaining to various indicators of the educational development on which performance of district or school can be assessed.

7. Developing competencies for costing of educational plans and mobilization and utilization of resources including preparation of budgets.

8. Project planning and implementation including monitoring and evaluation of projects.

9. Providing professional guidance to sub-state level institutions dealing with educational planning and management.

10. Operationalisation of the concept of decentralized planning and management through the development of training packages for its various clientele groups.

11. Conducting programmes which could ensure enrolment, retention and learning achievement of elementary school children through district, cluster and village based strategies.

12. Motivation and sensitization of functionaries as required for the various steps of UEE.

In other words, the institution may be playing an advisory and policy support role at the state level, conducting direct training programmes for educational functionaries indirect training of many of the educational functionaries and conducting research in various aspects related to educational policy and programmes.

V. District Institute of Education and Training (DIETs)

Teachers education is a continuous process and its preservice and in-service components are inseparable. The agency which is responsible for providing preservice, in-service education to elementary school teachers, non- formal and adult-education is termed as DIET.

The programme of Action (1986) which is a follow up programme of National Policy of Education (1986) observes, keeping in view the central place of teacher education NPE calls for its overhaul as the first step towards educational reorganization. In 1987-88, a centrally-sponsored scheme for restructuring and reorganization of teacher education was started which included setting up of DIETs. Between 1987-88 and 1991-92 central assistance was extended to set- up 287 DIETs.

DIET is the third district level support system for the qualitative improvement of education in addition to National and state level agencies like NCERT, NUEPA and SCERTs. It also caters to qualitative improvement as the teacher are closer to the field and, thus, more sensitive to their problems and needs. The mission of a DIET is to provide academic and resource support at the grass root level for the success of various strategies and programmes being undertaken in the area of elementary and adult education, with special reference to (1) universalization of elementary education; (2) National Literacy Mission target in regards to functional literacy in the age group 15-35 years.

Special Target Group of DIETs are:

Elementary school teachers, both preservice and in-service.
Headmasters, head of school complexes, educational officers.
Instructors, supervisors for non- formal and adult education.
Members of District Boards of Education (DBEs) and Village Education Committees (VECs), Community Teachers, Youth and other Volunteers
Resource person who will conduct suitable programmes for the target groups, i.e. girls and women, SC/ST, minorities and Handicapped, other educationally disadvantaged groups, e.g working children, slum dwellers, inhabitants of hilly areas, etc.

According to National Policy of Education (1988), the Academic Supports that may be provided by DIETs to transform the present system of elementary education are:

To provide preservice and in-service education to primary school teachers.
To provide induction education and continuing education to instructors and supervisors for non-formal adult education courses and programmes.
To provide training and orientation to the heads of the institution in institutional planning and management at micro- level.
To give orientation to community leaders, functionaries of voluntary organization and others who influence school education.
To give academic support DBEs and school complexes.
To conduct action research studies and experimental studies for removal of local level educational problems.
To serve as evaluation centres for primary and upper primary schools as well as for non- formal and adult education centres.
To act as resource centres for teachers and instructors.
To provide consultancy and counseling service to DBEs.
To coordinate with VECs, DBEs, SCERT, NCERT, NUEPA, CTEs and CASEs.

In view of the new thrusts given by Rama Murti Committee Report (1990), DIETs would have to undertake fresh responsibilities and develop competence in the respective areas as enumerated below:

Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE)
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE)
Women’s Education with emphasis on giving a gender perspective to the entire educational process
Education for promoting equity and social Justice among SCs/ STs and other educationally backward sections of society, including minorities
Vocationalization of the entire educational process
Examination reforms, modularization, multiple entry and exit points.

In order to effectively carry out its function the DIET have seven branches, i.e. Preservice Teacher Education (PSTE); Work Experience (WE); District Resource Unit (DRU); In-Service programmes, Field Interaction & Innovation Coordination (IFIC), Curriculum Material Development and Evolution (CMDE), Educational Technology (ET), and Planning and Management Branch.

To conclude, it must be emphasized that a DIET in each district is an encouraging step for achieving universalization of elementary education and improving the quality of education in school. The important task is to make DIETs operational by executing its programmes sincerely, procuring equipment and recruiting capable personnel. By doing so, a more balanced qualitative and quantitative development of elementary education across the nation will soon be realized.

SUMMARY

For the promotion of education in the country, there is need to establish central and state level academic support structure, which should work collectivity to find resource for the vital area of education. In pursuance of the idea, the nation has developed some academic support structures at central level like NUEPA and NCERT and state level like SCERT, SIEMAT and DIETs. The main aim of establishing these academic support structure is to implement all the educational policies and programmes regarding promotion of education smoothly throughout the country. In this endeavor of promotion of education all these organizations are playing complementary roles and have become real understanding partners, are acting as link between central and state governments for the formulation and implementation of all the education policies and programmes. In this way all these academic support structures are helping in the promotion of centre and state partnership in the endeavor of promotion of education in the country.

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References

Mahanty, J. (1991). Indian Education in the Emerging Society, Sterling Publication Private Limited, New Delhi, pp. 33-38.
Aggarwal, J.C. & Gupta, S. (2007). Secondary Education History and Management, Shipra Publications, New Delhi, pp. 62-69.
Bhatt, B.D. (2005).Modern Indian Education Planning and Development, Kanishka Publications, New Delhi.
Sachdeva, M.S. and Umesh (2005). A Modern Approach to Education in Emerging Indian Society, Vinod Publications, Ludhiana.

Web Sites

mz.ssa.nic.in
indiankanoon.org
www.ngu.ac.in
yourarticallibray.com
www.education.nic.in