Impact of democratized governance in elementary education has made tremendous progress in improving elementary education. The government has launched severel programmes after independence to uplift literacy in country.During the last decades,india’s per capita GDP increased 3 times,while literacy rate increased 3.5 times and GER at elementary education level increased 2.5 times.
Apart from these advantages there are more challenges in elementary education in india.
India has made tremendous efforts in improving its literacy rates, but a major concern that it is still below the world and developing country’s average. However its progress in improving education in post elementary stages and in improving quality outcome has been modest.
Before the constitution amendment ( 73rd and 74th ,1992) state governments were not under the obligation of adopting the decentralized structure of administration. However, the constitutional amendment has obliged states to adopt the structure. The act is a significant landmark in the Indian history of decentralization. It transforms representative democracy into participatory democracy.
Governance at the grassroots level has also opened up new vistas in educational administration, making PRIs directly involved in planning, implementation and monitoring of educational policies, programs and schemes. There are required systematic reforms in education by participation of community as the form of decentralization to change the mindset of various stakeholders about the quality,pedagogy,governance and accountability.
Community participation is considered as the single most effective means of improving the functioning of schools, with the education of children seen as the joint responsibility of home and school. Village Education Committees (VECs) have been set up in the majority of states as the interface between the school and the community. In a communitized school, the academic, administrative and financial management of the school substantially vest with the community which acts through an elected Village Education Committee (VEC). Salaries of government teachers are disbursed through these VECs who are empowered to control teachers in a variety of ways, including implementing the “No Work, No Pay” principle.
As education being the state subject, states need to empower the gram panchayat in terms of decisions related to quantum of funds to be released , number of schools to be required ,improving quality of education, availability of drinking water, electricity facilities, suitable arrangements for separate toilets facilities for girls in order to facilitate appropriate learning environment.
School governance and accountability are hot topics of discourse not only in academic circles but also in civil society. Role of civil society is essential for community participation, so their involvement should be sought for promoting awareness amongst parents of dropout children.
At last,Full hearted participation of Panchayati raj institutions in rural elementary education will also increased enrolment and ensured quality education.Therefore india makes one of the major knowledge economics in the world in the near future by overcoming all types of challenges.
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