Page 144 - DEDU501_DEVELOPMENT_OF_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ENGLISH

Development of Education System

Notes with a very large population. Money was too much in shortage for implementation of so
expensive a scheme of conversion of a large number of Elementary Schools.
Government has also admitted this. In such a situation, the best policy would have been to
make separate treatment for the basic schools along with the general primary and middle
schools.
(2) Political Difficulties: Education is the basis of democracy. It is necessary to educate the
citizens in order to make democracy a success. But so far the Government of India has not been
able to devote their full attention towards education.
Main reason is that since the attainment of Independence, Government had to face the problems
of food, of inimical neighbours, the problem of Kashmir, the problem of linguistic states etc.
Those problems still exist and these problems have all along forced to allocate so much money
that Government has not been able to devote their due attention for elementary education.
The Government is responsible to solve the political problems; the Government is also duty-
bound for smooth progress of public education. On no account, this indifference of Government
towards universal primary education could be justified.
(3) Faulty Administration of Education: In most of the states the responsibility of universal
primary education is on the authorities of Blocks, Municipalities and Educational Districts. The
progress of expansion of primary education gets slow because of the indifference and incapability
of these institutions.
In fact, it is the responsibility of the nation to educate its citizens. It is necessary that the
Government of India should take upon itself the sacred work of universal enrolment and
universal retention at the Elementary stage. In fact it is the responsibility of the action to
educate its citizens.
(4) Dearth of Money: Inadequacy of money is a serious problem that confronts primary schools.
Income of the local institutions responsible for primary education is so much limited that they
are totally incapable of meeting the expenditure of compulsory education.
To meet the requirements of compulsory basis education it was estimated that an annual
expenditure of Rs.269.5 crores will be required. But in the First Five Year Plan the allocation
was Rs. 93 crores and this allocation was reduced to Rs.89 crores in the Second Plan. So sincere
and honest efforts should be made to educate as many children as possible so as to banish
illiteracy to the maximum extent possible. Only after abolition of illiteracy, quality of education
as a matter of importance should come.
(5) Dearth of Trained Teachers: There is shortage of trained teachers to make Elementary
Education Universal and compulsory. Nowadays, the young teachers do not wish to work in
rural areas. But the fact remains that majority of Primary Schools are in rural areas. The chief
reason of non-availability of suitable teachers is that teaching work is not attractive for many
persons, since the salary of primary teachers is hopelessly low.
The condition of Scheduled areas is still more miserable. The hilly and impassable jungle areas
with very poor communication and transport facilities fail to attract the present day luxury-
loving young men. Teachers should be provided with proper residence in the villages of their
work. The question of Women teachers is very much special.
So the question of teacher's quarters, residential schools, especially residential Ashram Schools
in the Scheduled areas should be provided. The quality of teachers can be improved by executing
a training progrmme for the untrained teachers in service on basis of study-leave basis.
(6) Establishment and School Buildings: Even the Third and Fourth All India Educational Surveys
indicate that even now there are lakhs of villages and habitations without schools. There are
nearly 4 lakhs schoolless villages in India which are to be given schools. It is not that easy to
provide necessary funds for setting up such a large number of schools with buildings and other
equipments.

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