LECTURE-1 Governance/Public Administration by Mr.

Atish Mathur (2017-18)

LEARNING OUTCOMES -
1. Understanding Indian Welfare Timelines and Strategic Decisions
2. Deriving Education and Health as the keys to Social Sector Transformation
3. Education as a Tool for Nation Building and Integration
4. Review of Primary, Secondary, and Senior Secondary Education in India

Introduction:
Post independence, India embarked upon an extensive welfare agenda. The Planning Commission
was set up as the first step to achieve massive socio-economic upgradations in Indian society. As
the apex planning institution, the Commission took into consideration planning outcomes from
various district and state agencies and formulated Five Year Plans. This was closely inspired from
the Russian models of policy implementation.

However, the Planning Commission wasn't entirely successful in achieving socio-economic

equality and welfare. Furthermore, aims of growth with justice weren't realized. More specifically,
the shortcomings of the Commission are listed below:

1. Failure to remove Poverty

2. Incapacity to provide employment to able bodied persons
3. Partial implementation of Land Reform Measures
4. Existence of inter regional disparity
5. Omission to prioritize Health and Education

The Indian Welfare Timeline:

The Indian government began with setting up enormous infrastructure projects relating to Basic
Industries, Mining, Processing et all. Additionally, private ownership was restricted due to India
being a closed economy accompanied with trade barriers. Also, the skills of the people weren't
advanced to make them equipped to be fruitfully employable at existing institutions.

Consequently, it was realized that development and welfare must be more focused on enhancing
people skills as opposed to simply creating new infrastructure. Opinions and ideologies of eminent
development economics such as Dr. Amartya Sen and Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq were considered and
the following principles were devised:

1. India would refrain from establishing new infrastructure unless necessary. On the contrary,
India would invest in upgrading the quality of existing infrastructure. As we have learnt from the
failures of our planning processes, this seems as the most viable alternative. For instance,
instead of constructing new health care centers, India would ensure adequate availability of
doctors and medicines at the existing primary health care units.

2. People would be the ultimate target audience for any welfare mechanism. It would the
government’s objective to strengthen the capacities of the Indian population by making them
physically and mentally able to prosper individually. The role of the state should eventually
become that of a mere regulator and facilitator.
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Empowering people through effective education and prompt health services would make them
capable enough to transform lives through their own efforts. Globally speaking, investing in
enhancing Human Resources is considered an apt method of governmental intervention. This also
leads to lesser financial costs with more permanent returns for the governments.
Therefore, Education and Health are now prioritized as arenas of SOCIAL SECTOR
TRANSFORMATION.

EDUCATION: INTERLINKAGES & IMPORTANCE

1. Demographics - Approximately 60% of our population is below 30 years of age thereby

making India one of the youngest nations in the world. With one of highest number of people in
the working age group bracket (15-60 years), India has the potential to becoming the skilled
labour capital of the world. Also, it is estimated at the Indian average age would be 29 in the
year 2020 which would be one of the least when compared to the global average of 39.
Education and skill development are only tools that can assist India in ensuring its Human
Resource becomes as asset not a liability.

2. National Security - India is currently grappling with multiple law and order challenges in 125
out of its 625 districts. Problems pertaining to Naxalism, Home-grown terror outfits, Separatism,
Communal clashes, and regionalism plague Indian society. As a result, a spill over effect is
witnessed in the economic development of the country. Educating young minds and other alike
with the right value system and equipping them to productive contributions to society is the only
long term solution to ensure National Security.

3. Mentality Change - Despite advancements in livelihood, exposure, and technology, Indian

society still suffers from social ailments. Vulnerable groups including Women, Children, Elderly
Residents, and Disabled people. Instances of gender violence, child trafficking and abuse, and
discrimination towards the disabled inhibit us from becoming a progressive society. In addition
of laws enabling the same, valuable education can sustain a mentality change ensuring greater
acceptance.

4. Education - Employment Correlation - People across different income groups whether low or
high, aspire for good education for better employment opportunities. With greater emphasis on
low income households, if prospective education isn't providing better and more certain
livelihood, then children wont attend educational institutions. This is called the opportunity cost
of education. As a result, qualitative education can be immensely helpful in formal employment
enrolment and poverty ratios.

INDIAN EDUCATION SECTOR: SUMMARY & REVIEW

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 Criterion Primary Middle, Secondary, and Higher
Secondary

Equity 1. Gender Equality – Opportunity Cost of Education.

Sakshar Bharat, (School education isn't employable
Beti Padhao Beti Bachao enough)

2. Enrolment and Retention –

Right To Education
Mid May Meal Scheme merged
with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan

Access 1. Caste - Pilot Projects of Case Rural Areas Need more full length
based schools in M.P. districts schools
2. Religion –
T.M.A. Pai Foundation v. Union of
India
3. Region - NIOS, EDUSAT

Excellence 1. Teachers – Vocational Training to combat

Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya opportunity cost of Education.
Teachers Training Programme Would help in upgrading people
2. Students – from unorganised to organised
CBSE introduces Continuous employment.
Comprehensive Evaluations
3. Schools –
Toilets for women in rural area
schools

Initiatives Teach for India - Teacher Training, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha

National Scholarships for SC/ST Yojana
students

Pre Determined Conclusions:

1. Private Institutions increase from approximately 25% till about 65% with an increase in the level
of education.
2. Student Enrolment decreases from 98% till 28% with an increase in the level of education.

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Education Welfare Initiatives1 :

SAKSHAR BHARAT
This programme was formulated in 2009 with the objective of achieving 80% literacy level at
national level, by focusing on adult women literacy seeking – to reduce the gap between male and
female literacy to not more than 10 percentage points .it has four broader objectives, namely
imparting functional literacy and numeracy to non-literates; acquiring equivalency to formal
educational system; imparting relevant skill development programme; and promote a leaning
society by providing opportunities for continuing education. The principal target of the programme
is to impart functional literacy to 70 million non-literate adults in the age group of 15 years and
beyond. This Includes coverage of 14 million Scheduled Castes(SCs), 8 million Scheduled
Tribes(STs), 12 million minorities & 36 million others. The overall coverage of women is aimed at
60 million. 410 districts belonging to 27 States/UTs of the country were identified to be covered
under Saakshar Bharat.

Beti Padhao Beti Bachao

It is being implemented through a national campaign and focussed multi sectoral action in 100
selected districts low in CSR, covering all States and UTs. This is a joint initiative of Ministry of
Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human
Resource Development.
The objectives of this initiative are:

 Prevention of gender biased sex selective elimination

 Ensuring survival & protection of the girl child
 Ensuring education and participation of the girl child

Right to Education

The Constitution (Eighty-Sixth Amendment) Act, 2002 inserted Article 21-A in the Constitution of
India to provide free and compulsory education of all children in the age group of six to fourteen
years as a Fundamental Right in such a manner as the State may, by law, determine. The Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, which represents the consequential
legislation envisaged under Article 21-A, means that every child has a right to full time elementary
education of satisfactory and equitable quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential
norms and standards.

Article 21-A and the RTE Act came into effect on 1 April 2010. The title of the RTE Act incorporates
the words ‘free and compulsory’. ‘Free education’ means that no child, other than a child who has
been admitted by his or her parents to a school which is not supported by the appropriate
Government, shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him
or her from pursuing and completing elementary education. ‘Compulsory education’ casts an
obligation on the appropriate Government and local authorities to provide and ensure admission,
attendance and completion of elementary education by all children in the 6-14 age group. With this,

1
Sourced from Ministerial Websites

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India has moved forward to rights based framework that casts a legal obligation on the Central and
State Governments to implement this fundamental child right as enshrined in the Article 21A of the
Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of the RTE Act.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

SSA has been operational since 2000-2001 to provide for a variety of interventions for universal
access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps in elementary education and
improving the quality of learning. SSA interventions include inter alia, opening of new schools and
alternate schooling facilities, construction of schools and additional classrooms, toilets and drinking
water, provisioning for teachers, regular teacher in service training and academic resource support,
free textbooks& uniforms and support for improving learning achievement levels / outcome. Sarva
Shiksha Abhiyan aims to achieve universal enrolment of all children in the age group 6-14 years in
elementary education, ensuring all children to learn at grade appropriate level. Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan (SSA) a Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented by Government of India in partnership
with State Governments, is India’s main programme for universalising elementary education. Its
overall goals include universal access and retention, bridging of gender and social category gaps
in education and enhancement of learning levels of children.
SSA has achieved considerable success in universalizing elementary education. Today, there are
19.67 crore children enrolled in 14.5 lakh elementary schools in the country with 66.27 lakh
teachers at elementary level.

Mid-Day Meal Scheme

With a view to enhancing enrolment, retention and attendance and simultaneously improving
nutritional levels among children, the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary
Education (NP-NSPE) was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on 15th August 1995.

In 2001 MDMS became a cooked Mid-Day Meal Scheme under which every child in every
Government and Government aided primary school was to be served a prepared Mid-Day Meal
with a minimum content of 300 calories of energy and 8-12 gram protein per day for a minimum of
200 days. The Scheme was further extended in 2002 to cover not only children studying in
Government, Government aided and local body schools, but also children studying in Education
Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Alternative & Innovative Education (AIE) centers.

Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Teachers Training Programme

The proposed Mission is envisaged to address comprehensively all issues related to teachers,
teaching, teacher preparation and professional development. The Mission would address, on the
one hand, current and urgent issues such as supply of qualified teachers, attracting talent into
teaching profession and raising the quality of teaching in schools and colleges. On the other, it is
also envisaged that the Teacher Mission would pursue long term goal of building a strong
professional cadre of teachers by setting performance standards and creating top class institutional
facilities for innovative teaching and professional development of teachers.

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The Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) is
a Central Sector Scheme with All- India coverage. This scheme will commence in 2014-15 for a
period of three years i.e. from 2014-15 to 2016-17 during XII Plan.

The Government of India is mandated to launch a Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission
on Teachers and Teaching with the following goals:
 To ensure a coordinated approach so as to holistically address the various shortcomings
relating to teachers and teaching across the educational spectrum ranging from school
education to higher education including technical education; using the best international
practices for excellence.
 To create and strengthen the institutional mechanisms (Schools of Education, Institutes of
Academic leadership and Education Management, Subject based networks, Teaching–
learning Centres etc.) at the Centre & in the States, for augmenting training and discipline–
wise capacity building of faculty and their periodic assessment for excellence.
 To empower teachers and faculty during through training, re-training, refresher and
orientation programmes in generic skills, pedagogic skills, discipline 7 specific content
upgradation, ICT and technology enabled training and other appropriate interventions.
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Yojana

This scheme was launched in March 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary
education and to improve its quality. The implementation of the scheme started from 2009-10. It is
envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage of
implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any
habitation. The other objectives include improving quality of education imparted at secondary level
through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-
economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017,
i.e., by the end of 12th Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020.

The scheme is being implemented by the State government societies established for
implementation of the scheme. The central share is released to the implementing agency directly.
The applicable State share is also released to the implementing agency by the respective State
Governments.

For queries/clarifications/feedback – atishmathur.2017@gmail.com

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