Role of Panchyati Raj Members in Elementary Education

1. Role of PRI Members in Universalising the Elementary
Education in the Context of the RTE Act, 2009
Vishal Kumar
Research Scholar
Central University of South Bihar

2. Introduction:
• Universalisation of elementary education means universal access,
universal enrolment , universal retention and qualitative education up to
the 14 years.
• The scheme of sarva shiksha abhiyan (SSA) has been launched since
2001 in order to universalise elementary education for all children till
they complete fourteen years of age all over the country. The Right of
Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 which is
represents under Article 21-A of our constitution, means that every child
has a right to full time elementary education of satisfactory and equitable
quality in a formal school which satisfies certain essential norms and
standards.

3.  Many commissions and committees emphasised on the community
participation and involvement of PRI members in school management
like
• Kothari commission emphasised on participation of local community
in educational process.
• Veerpan report also recommended that decentralisation of educational
planning through involvement of Panchyati Raj Institution.
 In DPEP & SSA , decentralisation and community participation are
being put into practice on large scale.
 The recent RTE Act 2009 has also stressed on the involvement of local
representative in Village education committees (VECs), School
Management Committees (SMCs), which will monitor the functioning
of school.

4.  For democratic decentralisation of administration ,the
Panchyati Raj movement was firstly launched in 2nd
Oct 1959 in Rajasthan.
 The 73rd and 74th amendments of the Indian
Constitution (1992) were historic attempts to empower
local self-governments by giving them constitutional
status and identifying 29 areas including elementary
education.

5.  Panchayati Raj Institution is a three-tier system of administration at the
grass root level.
 Gram Panchayat at the Panchayat level where chairman of Panchayat
(Mukhiya) is the head.
 the Panchayat Samiti at the block level where chairman of Panchayat
Samiti (Pramukh) is the head.
 Zila Parishad at the district level where chairman of Zila Parishad is
head.
 In pursuant to the 73rd and 74th amendments each Indian states passed
their own Panchayati Raj Acts .The section 22 of the Bihar Panchayati
Raj Act 2006 identifies some important roles of Panchayati raj institution
in the area of elementary education.

6.  Objectives:
• To study the role of PRI members in universalising the elementary education
in terms of infrastructure facilities and teaching learning material and
recruitment of teaching staff.
• To study the role of PRI members in universalising the elementary education
in terms of enrolment of CWSN and disadvantage section student, and
managing the elementary education.
 Delimitation of the Study:
The present study was delimited to 27 PRI members and 8 school head
teachers of Patna district of Bihar.

7. Methodology:
• Survey method was used to ascertain the role of PRI members in
universalising elementary education.
Population & Sample
• Population of the study was all the PRI members of the Patna
district.27 PRI members and 8 HM’s are selected as a sample
through multi-stage random sampling technique.
Distribution of Samples
Designation Total Male Female
Ward member 20 12 8
Sarpanch (Mukhiya) 4 3 1
Pramukhya 2 1 1
Zila Parishad Adhyaksha 1 0 1
Head Teachers 8 5 3

8. Patna
Block 1
Panchyat-1
Ward 5
Ward 4
Ward 3
Ward 2
Ward 1
Panchyat-2
Ward 5
Ward 4
Ward 3
Ward 2
Ward 1
Block 2
Panchyat2
Ward 5
Ward 4
Ward 3
Ward 2
Ward 1
Panchyat 1
Ward 5
Ward 4
Ward 3
Ward 2
Ward 1

9. Tool:
• Interview schedule for PRI members
• Questionnaire for HMs
Data Analysis : The data was tabulated in MS Excel and analysed
theme wise Qualitatively using frequency , percentage and
average.

10. Results:
• All the PRI members have visited local school and they aware about their role
in the school management.
• Zila Parishad Adyksha, Pramukh and Mukhiya are involved in the recruitment
process of teaching staff such as receiving form, Verification of form,
Preparing Merit list, approving the selection list but they are not involved in
conducting the selection test. No ward members are involved in the process
of teacher recruitment because their role isn’t mentioned in the Bihar
Panchyati raj Act 2006.
• No PRI members are involve in developing boundary wall, classroom, kitchen
for mid-day meal and bench desk.
• All the PRI members are involved in mid meal preparation, contribution and
monitoring the quality of mid-day meal.

11. • 80% of the PRI members are involved in enrolment of student but
very few percent of the PRI members provide incentives to CWSN
children to attend class regularly.
• Approx. half of the PRI members told that disadvantage section and
CWSN student attending class regularly.
• All the PRI members are involved in management of their local
school. They monitor the teacher regularity and student regularity.
But only 59.25% of the PRI members are monitor the completion of
curriculum

12. • The main contribution and improvement for the school in PRI members tenure
are as follows: increase enrolment, create awareness about health and hygiene, to
monitor and supervise construction work, to monitor daily school activity, to
motivate the parent to send their children, to provide aid to children with special
needs, improve the quality and regularity of mid may meal, to improvise&
develop Infrastructure facilities (monitor for better Infrastructure), to monitor
teacher regularity.
• 90 % of the PRI members need training for better involvement in the schoolfor
universalisation of elementary education.

13. Educational Implications:
• Very few PRI members are involve in procuring infrastructure facilities.
Arrange awareness programme for PRI members so they aware about their role.
• All the PRI members are involved in management of their local school but only
half of the PRI members monitor the completion of curriculum, therefore it is
suggested to PRI members for monitoring the curriculum completion also.
• The study found that approx. 90% of PRI members want to take training
programme. So the government may take initiatives to provide or arrange some
training programme on roles and responsibility of PRI members in
implementing the UEE schemes.