8 Landmarks in the development of educational administration in India after independence

Dr. Mandeep Kaur

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

2. Learning outcomes

3. Landmarks in the development of educational administration in India after independence

3.1 University education commission

3.2 Secondary education commission

3.3 Indian Education Commission

3.4 National Policy on Education

4.Summary

1. INTRODUCTION

Development of educational administration in India started from Hunter Commission. Prior to 1947, the role of educational administrators in India was simply to carry out the restricted educational programme developed by the British. But Hunter Commission (1882) under the chairmanship of William Hunter, was the first commission which gave wide and comprehensive recommendations on education in Indian context. This Commission recommended that the number of inspectors in every area should be raised so that every institution may be inspected. It suggested that as far as possible the Inspector of the Primary schools should be local. Following independence, we have developed vastly expanded educational programmes with greatly changed objectives. For the implementation of these new programmes, the educational administrators’ job takes on new dimensions and requires not only new theories of educational administration, but also new techniques.

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this lesson, you will be able to:

Explain University Education Commission.
Discuss recommendations of Secondary Education Commission.
Elucidate the recommendations of Kothari Commission for school education.
Analyse the role of NPE (1986) in helping overhauling of education.
Discuss about important committees and commissions responsible for development of educational administration in India.

3. LANDMARKS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION IN INDIA AFTER INDEPENDENCE

After 15 August, 1947 there came a change in India and education was identified as a tool of eradicating poverty and ill practices of society. So the government took the responsibility of educating citizens. It became more authenticated after the constitution of India got regulated on 26 Jan 1950. Constitutional provisio ns of education clearly demarcated the concerns and actions to be taken by government to ensure literacy of country.

3.1 UNIVERSITY EDUCATION COMMISSION (1948-49)

Education being the chief instrument for reconstruction and transformation of society, demands necessary steps to be taken in this direction. A series of commissions were appointed to survey, study, review and recommend improvements in the different sectors of education. To take into the problems of university education, the university education commission was appointed by the Government of India in 1948 under the chairmanship of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.

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The commission made important suggestions for improving the standard of university education in the country. These suggestions are:

University education should be placed in the concurrent list which means that both the state and central governments could legislate on the subject of education.
University should be teaching institutions rather than affiliating types.
The central government should be responsible for finance, coordination of facilities in special subject and adoption of a national policy ensuring minimum standards of efficiency.
University grants commission should be set up for allocation of funds.
The state should recognize its responsibility for the maintenance of standard and financing of higher education. The aid should be given to private colleges for buildings and equipments
Steps should be taken to amend income-tax laws in order to promote donation for educational purposes.
A three year degree course for the first university degree be introduced.
Rural universities should be established in various states of the country.

3.2 SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION 1952

Our secondary education remains the weakest link in our educational machinery and needs urgent reform. This led to establishment of an all India commission for secondary education in 1952 under the chairmanship of Dr. A. Lakshmanaswamy Mudaliar This commission offered a number of suggestions to recognize needs of secondary education .The commission identified secondary stage of education as the important link of our education system because it prepares individual for vocation as well as higher education the commission gave following recommendation to recognize Secondary education based on new goals and needs of independent India.

Source: http://www.in.com/a- lakshmanaswami- mudaliar/profile-2461.htm

The commission was equally concerned with qualitative improvement of the schools. New trends in examination, guidance and extracurricular work were brought into the school programmes. The following were the main recommendations of the commission:

Secondary education should commence after four or five years of primary education and should include:
(a) the middle or senior basic secondary stage of 3 years, and
(b) the higher secondary stage of 4 years.
The present intermediate stage should be replaced by the higher secondary stage which should be of four years duration, one year of the present intermediate being included in it.
As a consequence of the preceding recommendations, the first degree course in the university should be of three years duration.
For those who pass out of the high school, there should be provision of a pre-university course.
The major recommendation of secondary education commission was to implement diversified curriculum at secondary stage.
Multi-purpose schools should be established wherever possible to provide varied courses of interest to students with diverse aims, aptitudes and abilities.
Technical schools should be started in large numbers either separately or as part of multi-purpose schools.

The commission’s recommendations were integrated in the successive five years plan and get direction to be implemented, both at the centre and in the states, in 1954.

3.3 INDIAN EDUCATION COMMISSION (1964-66)

This commission popularly known as Kothari Education Commission formed on 14 July 1964 under the chairmanship of Dr Daulat Singh Kothari.

This commission realized that the existing facilities and arrangements for the training of educational administrator are inadequate. Training is needed to orient educational administrators to educational expansion and improvement programmes.

In this respect Commission made few recommendations which are as follows:

http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/dkothari.htm

The State Institutes of Education, in collaboration with the universities, where ever needed, should organize in- service education programmes for all non-gazetted educational staff on the administrative and the inspectional side.
They should provide in-service training of about two months to every officer in every five years of his/her service.
In addition, they should also organize conferences, seminars and workshops for the gazetted staff.
The Ministry of Education should run a National Staff College for senior educational administrators of the State Department of Education.
Some incentives should be provided to the officers who would improve their qualifications materially through programs of in-service education. This commission has given recommendations for both school as well as higher education. Now we will discuss recommendations of the commission with respect to school education system:
The new educational system should consist of (a) one to three years of pre-school education (b) a primary stage of 7 to 8 years divided into lower primary stage of 4 to 5 years and a higher primary stage of 3 or 2 years (c) a lower secondary stage of 3 or 2 years (d) a higher secondary stage of two years of general education or one to 3 years of vocational education (e) a higher education stage having a course of 3 years or more for the first degree and followed by course for the second or research degree of varying durations.
First public examination to commence at the end of 10 years of schooling.
Secondary schools should be of two types – high schools providing a ten year schooling and higher secondary schools providing a course of 11 to 12 years.
Transfer of the pre-university stage from the universities and affiliated college to secondary schools by 1975-76 and the duration of the course lengthened to two years by 1985-86. The University Grants Commission should be responsible for the transfer of all pre-university or intermediate work from university and affiliated colleges to schools.
Duration of the first degree should not be less than three years and the duration of the second degree to be 2 or 3 years.
Standard calendar to be worked out by the ministry of education and the university grants commission in consultation with the state governments and universities concerned.

Commission also made the certain recommendations for private recognized schools.

These are:

Private schools should have a right to exist and if they do not seek aid or recognition from the state, there should be little or no interference. The commission suggested compulsory registration for unrecognized schools.
Each private school should have a management committee consisting of the representatives of the voluntary organizations.
The staffing of private schools should be broadly on the pattern prescribed for government or local authority schools.

Recommendations of the Commission with respect to Higher Education

For Higher education, university should lay down the structure and organisation in broad terms and the relevant details may be prescribed by ordinances. Adoption of a common school system of public education as the national goal and its effective implementation in a phased programme spread over 20 years.

Participation in programmes of community development and national reconstruction should be an integral part of all education from the primary to the undergraduate stage.
Provision of free and compulsory education of good quality for all children upto the age of 14 years as given in Article 45 of the Constitution.
Training of efficient leadership at all levels by expanding secondary and higher education and providing equal opportunities to all children of merit as well as to all children irrespective of economic status, caste, religion, sex or place of residence;

Universities should also evolve dynamic techniques of administration and organisation suited to their special functions and purposes. Commissions made certain recommendations in respect to higher education. These are:

The representation of the non-academic personnel should be mainly for the purpose of presenting the wider interests of society as a whole to the university but not to impose them.
The Universities should give considerable autonomy to their departments/ Schools of studies.
There should be joint committees of teachers and students in each department and in every college and a central committee under the Chairmanship of the head of the institution for the discussion of common problems and difficulties.
The Academic Council should be the policy making body of the university and sole authority for determining the course of study and standards.
The Executive Council with the Vice-Chancellor as Chairman should consist of 15-20 members, about half being internal and half external.
Each University should have an Academic Planning Board for regular planning and evaluation.
The Governors of the states should be the Visitor of all Universities in the state and should have power of direct inspection or inquiry into the affairs of a University.
There should be a Council of Affiliated Colleges in every affiliating University to advise the University on all matters related to affiliation of Colleges.
The Education Commission also investigated various aspects of educational administration in the country and made the following recommendations for bringing about elasticity in educational administration:
The administrators should change their attitude and cultivate an openness of mind and a spirit of enquiry rather than a rule of the thumb approach.
The modern ‘officer-oriented’ system should be adopted where most of the work will be done by the officers at their own level with the help of small secretarial staff.
The practice of holding periodic review (every three or five years) of important administrative practices.
Comparative studies of practices in administrative matters in different states may be undertaken.
State Institutes of Education and the National Staff College for Educational Planners and Administrators should take the lead and organize appropriate training courses for educational administrators.

3.4 National Policy of Education-1968

Based on the report and recommendations of the Education Commission (1964– 1966), the government announced the first National Policy on Education in 1968, which called for a “radical restructuring” and equality of educational opportunities so that national integration and more cultural and economic development can be achieved. It advocated a broadly uniform educational structure in all parts of the country and increasing gradually the investment in education. The ultimate objective was to adopt the 10+2+3 pattern.

The National Policy on Education (NPE) was adopted by Parliament in May 1986. This new policy called for “special emphasis on the removal of dispar ities and to equalise educational opportunity. The NPE (1986) recommended for an overhaul of the system of planning and the management of education. The considerations made by the policy were:

Evolving a long-term planning and management perspective of education and its integration with the country’s developmental and manpower needs;
Decentralization and the creation of a spirit of autonomy for educational institutions
Giving importance to people’s involvement, including association of non-governmental agencies and voluntary effort;
Inducting more women expert professionals in the planning and management of education;
Establishing the principle of accountability in relation to given objectives and norms.

In May 1990 under the chairmanship of Acharya Ramamurti, a committee was set up to review NPE and to make recommendations for its modifications. At the National level, the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), a committee was set up in July 1991 under the chairmanship of Shri N. Janardhana Reddy to consider modifications in NPE, i.e. to review educational development, determine the changes required to improve the system and monitor implementation. This Committee submitted its report in January 1992 which is known as National Programme of Action of 1992. This policy aimed to promote national progress, a sense of common citizenship and national culture and to strengthen national integration. Its focus was on the need for a radical reconstruction of the education system, to improve its quality at all levels and to give more attention to science and technology, to inculcate moral values and to develop a close relationship between education and the life of the people.

From the above discussion, it is clear that National Policy of Education and its Programme of Action (1992) shows a clear blueprint of the administration of education from the grassroot level to the higher levels with respect to the emerging issues like universalisation of elementary education and eradication of illiteracy in addition to quality education with active participation of local communities, NGOs, charitable trusts and educationists so as to promote decentralization of education.

Further talking of educational administration at State level, State Governments may establish State Advisory Boards of Education on the lines of CABE. Effective steps will be taken to integrate mechanisms in the various State departments concerned with Human Resource Development. Special attention will be paid to the training of educational planners, administrators and heads of institutions.

District and Local Level Educational Administration

District Boards of Education will be created to administer education up to the higher secondary level. State Governments will attend to this aspect with all possible expedition.

Within a multi- level framework of educational development, Central, State, District and Local level agencies will participate in planning, coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
A very important role must be assigned to the head of an educational institution. Heads will be specially selected and trained.
School complexes will be promoted on a flexible pattern so as to serve as networks of institutions and synergic alliances to encourage professionalism among teachers, to ensure observance of norms of conduct and to enable the sharing of experiences and facilities.
It is expected that a developed system of school complexes will take over much of the inspection functions in due course.

In case of educational administration at local level, local communities, will be assigned a major role in programmes of school improvement through appropriate bodies.

Voluntary Agencies and Aided Institutions

Non-government and voluntary efforts including social activist groups will be encouraged to provide proper management and financial assistance. At the same time, steps will be taken to prevent the commercialization of education by preventing mushroom growth of institutions. Education, being portfolio of both state and central government, it is imperative to have autonomous organization like CBSE and BSE at the centre and state levels to look after the functioning of the educational system.

But the question arises to what extent people’s participation should be ensured? According to NPE (POA) at district level there should be District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) duly assigned for the work of training teachers and the heads of the institutions in order to develop code of conduct, true professionalism and to ensure observance of norms, and sharing of experiences and facilities. But the educational surveys conducted by NCERT and other professional organizations reported that a large number of untrained teachers are providing services like 10th pass person is teaching 10th class students.

In order to make the system successful, we have to give utmost importance to its proper implementation with the active participation of the community based on pure research in the field of administration of education.

In view of National Knowledge Commission, there is a multiplicity of management structures and government departments in the administration of school education. This creates confusion, unnecessary replication and possibly inconsistent strategies across different schools. There must be greater coordination among various government departments concerned to school education policy for ensuring more autonomy to the local community in matters of day-to-day administration of schools. In order to meet the changing dynamics of the population’s requirements, the Government of India would like to bring out a National Education Policy i.e. NPE– 2016. For the first time, the Government of India is getting on a time-bound grassroot consultative process, which will enable the Ministry of HRD to reach out direct to individuals across the country through over 2.75 lakhs consultations and in the same direction it is also generating input from citizens online. NPE 2016 is also inviting people’s view on school standards, assessment and administration systems. According to the government, for better governance structures there is a need that School Quality Assessment and Accreditation System must cover all aspects of school functioning.

CONCLUSION

Prior to 1947, the role of educational administrators in India was simply to carry out the restricted educational programme developed by the British. Following independence, we have developed vastly expanded educational programmes with greatly changed objectives. For the implementation of these new programmes the educational administrator’s job takes on new dimensions and requires not only new theories of school administration, but also new techniques. A series of commissions and committees were appointed to survey, study, review and recommend improvements in the different sectors of education to improve quality of education.

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REFERENCES

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Web links

http://www.in.com/a- lakshmanaswami- mudaliar/profile-2461.htm http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/dkothari.htm
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/fm4uRojBpfNmD8MC5eRonJ/Govt-set-to-unveil-national-policy-on-education-on-Monday.html
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