Changing Framework of Local Governance and - Create

Changing Framework of Local Governance and Community Participation in Elementary Educationgovernment. Therefore, the approach has been one of cautious and gradual transformation.Actions have been initiated through two processes. On the one hand, significant powers andresponsibilities have been delegated through executive orders of the State Department ofEducation to panchayat bodies at different levels - district, block and village levels. However,the state government is simultaneously moving ahead with comprehensive legislation totransfer the school education system to the control of the panchayat system. Such a dualapproach is being adopted, as most of the personnel in the schools are legal employees of thestate government. This dual track transformation is likely to continue until such time that thewhole system comes fully under the legal control of the local-self-government bodies. In orderto implement the local governance process, Village Education Committees have beenestablished involving the elected representatives of the local panchayat bodies along withother community and school representatives. Thus, the approach essentially consists ofrestructuring of the system through the top-down rewriting of the rulebook by the governmentbureaucracy, which subsequently gets legitimised through political and legislative processes.In relation to this, one of the important initiatives that was undertaken by the Madhya PradeshGovernment is the introduction of Jana Sikshan Adhiniyam 24 in 2002. This is an importantlegal framework for educational reform which seeks to strengthen institutional partnershipsbetween the government, local bodies and the community in the task of universal elementaryand adult education promoting equity and quality. Whereas it legitimises involvement of localbodies like gram panchayat, panchayat samiti etc. whereas delegates some responsibilities toPTAs. As mentioned in the Human Development Report of Madhya Pradesh:The Act recognises the right of every child to basic education and seeks to removeimpediments to access and participation in schools both by improving delivery as wellas by creating social pressure. Parental responsibility for compulsory education up toage 14 is enforceable by Gram Sabha. Strengthening decentralization, the Act laysdown clearly the roles and responsibilities of key agencies: parents, teachers, localbodies and government. A crucial role is assigned to the PTA to be set up for everyschool (GoMP, 2002:25).Apart from all these, the Act also state that teachers are not to be normally deployed for nonteaching tasks and prior permission is not required to open schools up to the middle level. Inaddition, the Act also envisaged for development of jan siksha yojana 25 from PTA level.Education Funds (shiksha kosh) are also to be set up at the school, the district and the statelevels facilitating the mobilization of additional resources. Thus, this Act has facilitatedfinancial decentralization as well. A Public Education Report has to be presented to the PTAand District Government on a quarterly basis and to the legislative assembly. These reports areused for jan shiksha yojana. 26According to the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Act of 1994 (The Uttar Pradesh Local SelfGovernment Laws (Amendment) Act 1994 passed by the legislature of UP to incorporate themandatory provisions of the CAA 1992), six committees have been created with specific rolesand responsibilities to assist all three tiers of panchayat and education committee is one ofthese six committees (GoUP, 2006). The shiksha (education) committee:24 People Education Act in Madhya Pradesh25 People Education Plan26 People Education Plans23