all files - Azim Premji Foundation

Policy Planning and Monitoring
National Policy on Education (NPE)
and Programme of Action (POA)
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986
along with its Revised Policy Formulation and
the Programme of Action (POA) evolved as a
result of widespread deliberations, consultation and
consensus were last reviewed and updated in 1992. The
POA envisages that given the rich diversity of our
nation, it would be in the fitness of things, if the States
and Union Territories formulate their State POAs in
accordance with their situational imperatives as well as
with the POA 1992.
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, as
updated in 1992, envisages improvement and expansion
of education in all sectors, elimination of disparities in
access and laying greater stress on improvement in the
quality and relevance of education at all levels,
including technical and professional education. It also
emphasises that education must play a positive and
interventionist role in correcting social and regional
imbalances, empowering women and in securing a
rightful place for the disadvantaged, linguistic groups
and minorities.
The Nation is firmly committed to providing Education
for All, the priority areas being free and compulsory
primary education, covering children with special needs,
eradication of illiteracy, vocationalisation, education for
women’s equality, special focus on the education of SCs/
STs and Minorities. The task of implementing the NPE
and POA lies with the States and Union Territories, and
the Centre is to monitor the implementation. The POA
1992 was perceived on a charter of action for nation as
a whole requiring a cooperative effort of the Union,
States/UTs, the education community and community
at large. Given the rich diversity of the country, certain
amount of flexibility is assured in POA 1992 and it was
felt that it would be in the fitness of the things if the
States and UTs formulate their State POA’s in line with
the situational imperatives and the POA 1992.
Accordingly, the POA 1992 was circulated in 1993 to
all States and Union Territories to draw up their own
State Programmes of Action (SPOA).
Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), the
highest advisory body to advise the Central and State
Governments in the field of education, was first
established in 1920 and dissolved in 1923 as a measure
of economy. It was revived in 1935 and had continued
to be in existence till 1994. Thereafter, the CABE was
reconstituted vide Resolution dated 6 th July, 2004.
The CABE consists of Education Ministers of all the
State Governments / UT Administrations; Ministers of
the seven concerned Ministries of the Government of
India; Member (Education), Planning Commission;
Four Members of Parliament from the Lok Sabha; Two
Members of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha;
Seventeen Ex-officio Members; 34 Nominated
Members representing different interests; and Ten
Permanent Invitees representing various Central
Government Departments.
In the first meeting of the reconstituted Board held on
10-11, August, 2004, it was decided to set up Seven
Committees of the CABE on the issues which needed
detailed deliberations. The Committees were:
(a) Free and Compulsory Education Bill and other
issues related to Elementary Education, under the
chairmanship of Shri Kapil Sibal, MOS, Science &
Technology.
(b) Girls Education and the Common School System,
under the chairmanship of Shri Tarun Gogoi, CM,
Assam.
(c) Universalisation of Secondary Education, under
the chairmanship of Shri Ghanshyam Tiwari,
Education Minister, Rajasthan.
(d) Autonomy of Higher Education Institutions under
the Chairmanship of Shri Kanti Biswas, Education
Minister, West Bengal.
(e) Integration of Culture Education in the School
Curriculum, under the chairmanship of Prof. U.R.
Ananthamurthy.
(f) Regulatory Mechanism for the Text books and
parallel text books taught in schools outside the
Government system, Co-chaired by Prof. Zoya
Hassan and Prof. Gopal Guru.
Annual Report 2005-06
34