Common School System

1. Common School System The Bihar Report 2007

2. Central interventions • Earlier centrally sponsored schemes : Operation Blackboard, NFE, BEP, DPEP etc… • SSA (2001) : a new scheme with amalgamation of other schemes and extension of DPEP • A few css and cs in secondary also • Article 21A (2002): a major central intervention • Called for a central legislation • Also, a revisit of the SSA • None of the two has happened • CSS : not a scheme, but a systemic reform project

3. Revisiting SSA • S SSA conceived prior to Article 21A has not been designed from systemic changes and inclusion with equal opportunity to schooling perspectives. • R Rigidly designed normative scheme like any other centrally sponsored schemes does not define a school, and has not set up norms and standards for a school – government or private. • H Has not succeeded on the quality fronts – because it treated access and quality separately as elements of a scheme. • O Out-of-school and dropouts treated differently by convenient definitions – though both refer to the same thing: children are not in schools: from this angle, even access/enrolment claim of SSA is flawed. • U Unproductive approach: low quality, a bit of education, withdraws children from unskilled workforce and disables them for further life chances – deepens poverty and makes the whole of SSA derived education unproductive.

4. Absence of systemic reforms…hierarchy of schools: more of exclusion, less of inclusion 1. Growing number of elite schools offering international certifications 2. High fee charging private schools for upper middle/rich classes 3.Excessively funded govt. schools for privileged and ‘talented’ children 4.Ordinary govt./local body/aided schools, starving for funds and teachers, for lower/poor classes 5.Low fee charging private schools 6. Residential schools for SC, ST etc 7. Special schools for children with disabilities 8.Madarsas, Sanskrit etc schools 9.EGS/ NFE/ AIE/NCLP schools for poor and child labour

5. Way Forward… • M Make a central law to give effect to Article 21A aimed at systemic reforms • S Set up national norms and standards for a school, and the SSA must fund that only…CABE report and earlier Tapas Mazmudar report had some elements of it. • F Funding for removing gaps in existing schools as also for establishing new schools. • A Address demand side of interventions by defining ‘free’ in Article 21A Remove private- public divide by bringing private under 21A & by giving level playing field to the both the categories

6. Common School System Commission, Bihar Set up on 15 September, 2006 Submitted Report on 8 June, 2007 Members Professor Muchkund Dubey – Chairperson Professor Anil Sadgopal – Member Dr. Madan Mohan Jha – Member Secretary

7. Terms of reference • To Carry out a comprehensive study of the present school system in the State • To Recommend a framework for Common School System from the standpoint of ensuring children’s Fundamental Right to Free and Compulsory Education under Article-21A of the Constitution • To Recommend Norms and Standards and other necessary provisions for ensuring education of equitable quality for all children in the State • To Make an assessment of its financial implications • To Formulate a plan of action for implementing the Common School System • To Study the teacher education institutions and make recommendations • To Examine within the context of building the Common School System, the role of Gandhi’s Basic Schools (Buniyadi Vidyalaya)

8. Misconceptions about the CSS • I It is a uniform school system. • I It won’t permit privately managed schools to retain its non-govt. character. • I It will mean complete govt. control over schools. • I It will infringe upon minority rights under Article 30 of the Constitution. • I It will cost unsustainable burden on the State exchequer.

9. 5 guiding principles for the CSS • E Elementary Education: State’s sovereign responsibility • F Fundamental Right to Education: has to be within the equality framework, to be exercised in a school • N Norms and standard for a school: since the concept of the school as an institution for education in the modern era is valid and applicable for all children. • N Neighbourhood schooling: education should be inclusive of children with different abilities and socio- economic backgrounds • P Private schools : Right to manage but no right to refuse admission

10. Norms and Standards for a school in the CSS The Commonness of the CSS drives from Common minimum Norms and Standards. They are designed to ensure three core elements of access, quality and equality simultaneously within the system. • The most fundamental among the minimum Norms is adherence by all Schools to the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution i.e. secularism, equality and social justice.

11. Seven Core Elements- • Minimum infrastructure consisting of land, building and other facilities. • Well- qualified trained teachers in the desired numbers. • A common curriculum with adequate flexibility of teaching learning style. • A holistic and child- friendly pedagogy. • A decentralized school management with adequate autonomy and representation of parents. • Common language policy. • Based on the concept of neighbourhood schools according to which a school must admit all the children living in the neighbourhood,(Poshak Kshetra) which is to be specified and delineated for each school.

12. Some imp norms and standards • P Primary schools - 1km; Middle -3 km; Sec/Sr. Sec - 5 km A Primary school (5 classrooms) for 200 children; a Middle school (11 classrooms) for 440 students; a Sec/Sr. Sec school (12 classrooms) for 420 students – In urban/ municipal areas, bigger size of schools Each class/section in primary, middle or sec to have a max of 40 students but in sr.sec it should be 30 Norms relating to land and floor areas on the basis of sq.meters per child and other facilities: 12 D for primary; 20D for middle +1 acre for play field; 29D for sec/sr.sec + 1.00-1.58 for play field)

13. Norms continued… • I In each primary and middle a hall of 50 sq.mts. for pre-elm children Norms for furniture, library, lab, games and sports, office equip, teach-learning equip 8 teachers in primary, 17 in middle and 20 in sec/sr.sec schools of std size Teachers to be trained as required under the NCTE regulations before service or soon after Note: Norms drawn from the TM report (1999),CABE report (2004),CBSE schools, KVS schools

14. Required no of schools…based on present and projected children pop • 6 60,700 primary before 2012-13; from 34,800 in 2007-08 (15,000 being established) • 3 31,000 middle before 2012-13; from 15,500 in 2007-08 (3000 being established) • 21,700 sec/sr.sec before 2016-17; from 2,600 in 2007-08 ( around 1000 being brought within the CSS fold)

15. No of teachers…(in Lakh) S.cat year CSS is a social investment to generate huge employment

16. Estimation of total expenditure • Determination of unit cost : Unit costs were determined • For building new schools and renovating existing schools • Average monthly salary of teaching and non-teaching staff • Non-salary recurring expenditure • Non-recurring expenditure on building and renovating teacher education institutions • Recurring expenditure on teacher education institutions • Expenditure on training teachers • Costs included supply side defined as ‘free’ education and covered: books, stationeries, uniform and meal

17. 3 overall goals of the CSS • The goal of free and compulsory education for all children in age group 5-14 in 5 years from April 2008;i.e. by 2012-13 • The goal of universalising secondary education in 8 years; i.e. by 2015-16 • Assuming 70% children to complete sec schooling: senior sec by 2016-17

18. On Policy: CSS Report • S Schools with min norms and standard to be recognized • U Unrecognized schools to close • P Private schools to be a part of the CSS, minority private schools if they accept grant • N No selection, interviews etc by private schools • P Poshak Kshetra or Neighbourhood principle for admission • A Per - child-payment of fee / reimbursement to be determined, and paid by the government • P

19. On management • S School level management: Parents of poshak kshetra to elect 12 members, 2 to be nominated from PRI, and head teacher ex-officio • L Linkages with PRI • E Educational Management to be restructured from Block to State levels • E Educational managers to have distinct responsibility w.r.t. planning and financing • A Academic supervision with SSM,PSM, DIET and SCERT • S Setting up of the State Commission for School Ed

20. On Resources • T Total addl.exp over 9 years: 1,54,994 cr. – Option I (Av: 17,221cr); 1,42,326 cr. – Option II (Av:15,814cr.) capital of around 44,000 cr. • G GNP: 42 lakh cr.; 6%: 2.52 lakh cr.; Assuming 75% for school ed: 1.89 lakh cr. • B Bihar’s share on the basis of 8.3% of its pop: 15,700 cr.; close to Option II…and with its own resources it can easily achieve Option I of the CSS • H Hence the need for a campaign for enhancing GOI exp on education: to 6% of the GNP • Also, campaign for the continued funding pattern under SSA, to be extended to SUCCESS for sec education.

21. Resource mobilization: non-conventional • F Funding under RIDF of the NABARD • F Financial Institutions including banks • C CCT concept : Budgetary support loan from the WB • R Rural and urban community donations and charity • E Education dept lands with existing institutions : over 15,000 acres with 2500 sec schools • P PPP in social sector: talk with IL&FS and IDFC going on

22. Private sector participation… • Robust approach – any private school complying with outcome indicators such as minimum infrastructure for school, and teaching facilities, should be equally eligible for state funding as any government school; in fact, the payment to both government and private schools should be on a per child basis • Existing private schools, if they upgrade to these standards • Autonomy on • Teachers salaries • Management Committee • Fees to be charged, beyond Government support • Conditionality: children from theposhak kshetra, no selection or interviews, requisite qualifications and training of teachers, per-child-payment determined by the independent regulatory authority

23. Creating an entity: BSRA • Large scale private sector investment ONLY if independent regulatory entity – e.g. Bihar School Regulatory Authority (BSRA) • BSRA may focus on private and non-government schools; once capacities develop, could be assigned oversight of Government schools as well • BSRA would determine the per-child payment to be made to private schools who are CSS compliant • BSRA would manage all moneys relating to such payments, and transfer these funds after transparent measurement mechanisms • To be created by law with full functional independence • BSRA would ensure compliance with CSS standards through independent monitoring • Certification of Schools as well as Teachers • Performance manuals • Operations and Maintenance manuals • Strict action in case of non-compliance with CSS standard

24. GOB commitment to the CSS • C CSS Commission was set up for suggesting ways and means – presenting a road map for implementation • H Chief Minister’s public commitment to implement with given resources • S Some examples of CSS implementation: • - Para- or contract teacher, and ‘learning centers’ abolished as rec.by the com. • - School: centre for ed all children – ‘bridge courses’ phase out, rec. by com. • - Teacher appt: 1:40 norms, process is on – 1,20,000 appt made • - Mukhya Mantri Samagra Vidyalaya Vikash Karykram in line with com. rec. • - Mukhya Mantri Balika Poshak Yojna as a part of ‘free’ education – com. rec. • - Abolition of Intermediate Council and de-linking of inter from university and colleges: gradual up gradation of sec schools, rec. by com. • Passing of the Prarmbhik Vidyalay Shiksha Samiti Bill 2007 as rec. by the com. • Poshak Khestra of primary and middle schools being determined, com. rec. • - Non-aided private schools to be offered to come under per-child-payment regime on the principle suggested by the commission

25. Rationale for the CSS • P Promotes equality and social justice and helps in nation building. • H Helps in building the creation of social capital:essential for sustaining democracy, ensuring economic progress and prosperity. • ‘ A neighbourhood school will provide good education to children because sharing life with common people is…an essential ingredient of good education…the establishment of such schools will compel rich, privileged and powerful classes to take interest in the system of public education and thereby bring about its early improvement’ ( First Education Commission ). • I If poor students are mixed in middle class schools, the overall performance of all children improves(Kahelnberg, 2001).

26. Continued…rationale for the CSS • I It has been observed in the UK since the 1950’s that way to raise the achievement of all children is to have schools which incorporate socially mixed intake with a range of abilities (Tomlinson, 2004). • I It can be empirically demonstrated that ‘the successful schools in the post- industrial era [21st Century] will be the ones that achieve excellence and equity simultaneously – indeed one that recognizes equity as the way to excellence’ (Skrtic, 1991). • I In the present era of flexi-mode of production, we need a wide base of people having received education which inculcates generic competencies, and not merely a pool of skilled persons in their narrow fields of specialisation (Bihar Report, 2007). • O One of the opportunity cost of not having a CSS is mis-governance…the seeds of superiority, hierarchy and insensitivity against people, particularly the poor among them, are shown at an early age in the existing school system, and that gets reflected very strongly in governance at each level (Bihar Report, 2007). • M More of inclusion, less of exclusion !

27. For the Bihar CSS Report: visit www.educationbihar.in For continuing dialogue: yours truly, drmjha@gmail.com And, for your interest in an idea that was forgotten but is reborn! THANKS A LOT !