The Hindu : Front Page : LSGIs to have more say in education

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 17, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

LSGIs to have more say in education

N.J. Nair

Eleventh Plan offers them scope for greater involvement in academic matters

Local self-government institutions (LSGIs) will have a crucial role in the management of schools up to higher secondary level in the Eleventh Plan.

Instead of restricting the role of civic bodies to routine administration and creating, improving and maintaining infrastructure facilities in educational institutions handed over to them, the Eleventh Plan offers scope for greater involvement in academic matters, mainly on quality enhancement in teaching and learning. Civic bodies will no more be mere funding agencies, but will have a pivotal role in administrative and academic affairs too. The General Education Department took the lead in involving civic bodies in the education sector by authorising corporation, municipal and Local Self-Government Department engineers to inspect and issue fitness certificates to all schools, including unaided institutions within their purview.

The department is also considering a proposal to seek the consent of the LSGIs for granting permission to open new schools.

The District Planning Committees (DPCs) have been directed to constitute a resource group comprising experts of Education Department, project office of the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA), District Institute for Educational Training (DIET) and other resource persons available in the district. This expert group would prepare a status paper based on the available data.

The guidelines for the Eleventh Plan have specified that civic bodies should prepare a comprehensive education plan with a focus on education as a whole and not on the hardware for individual institutions.

Suggestions of teachers, parent-teacher associations and student representatives will be sought for improving the infrastructure facilities and performance of the institutions.

Strategies and priorities for each local body will be worked out jointly by the civic chiefs, standing committee chairpersons and working group on education. They will also work out projects for improving the quality of teaching and learning, improving classrooms and recreational facilities, upgrading and maintaining library, laboratory, mid-day meals and other facilities. Literacy, post-literacy and non-formal education too will come under their ambit. Their prioritised proposals on all such aspects will be integrated at the local self-government level.

The resource group will whet the projects and integrate it with the district plan and that will in turn complement the education plan for the entire State.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page