Einstein in a cowshed

 

 

In India, many efforts have been made in the direction of decentralising education. As per the Constitutional Amendment Act of 1973, education is one of the functions to be devolved to Panchayats. It was envisaged that Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) would play an important role in the issues of equitable access and quality of educational facilities. Though research on the role of Panchayats in the governance of education is at a nascent stage, many studies reveal that PRIs end up becoming a tool in the hands of political parties. But despite such shortcomings, educationists feel Panchayats can handle education much better at the village level than State governments.

Reasons Gurpreet Singh, a primary school teacher in Mansa district of Punjab, “Government teachers are often paid peanuts. That is enough reason for a teacher to never concentrate on teaching. But I have seen cases where village Panchayats have played an active role in appointing teachers and even suspending them for inefficiency.” Some feel that involving Panchayats will prove beneficial only if they are also handed over administration control. Actually, around 90% of the funds allotted to education sector go as salaries for teachers and administration expenses. Amidst this scenario, Panchayats can provide for additional facilities like drinking water supply or maintenance of toilets and kitchens. In 2003, two scholars, R. Govinda and Rashmi Diwan, tried to review how decentralisation in education has been actualised and the dynamics of empowering the community to manage primary schools in Bihar, Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. On the basis of these case studies, they summed up decentralisation: “The Indian scene at the grassroots level presents too varied a picture to draw a generalised one (conclusion) of the context... Some States have gone a long way in transferring not only powers, but also a substantial proportion of State funds to Panchayati Raj Bodies, some others have chosen to keep considerable control in the hands of the bureaucracy at the decentralised levels.” One of the eye-opening findings in the Public Report on Basic Education (PROBE) recorded data that speaks volumes about the lack of basic amenities in many schools. As many as 52% lacked playgrounds, 89% did not have toilets and 59% did not have drinking water. As for teaching aids, 26% did not have blackboards, 59% had no access to maps and charts, 67% lacked any kind of teaching kits, and 75% had no toys for the children. In 77% of the schools, there were no libraries.

In this situation, community participation through Panchayats can be supportive or confrontational, as the situation demands. Experts say, however, that community involvement should not be an excuse for the State to shrug its responsibility in an area of social responsibility like education.