Importance of Community Participation in School

Education
PhD Scholar
Ms. Rupalben Bhupendrabhai Patel
Assistant Professor, Motibhai Amin P S A Mandir, Mogari
[email protected], 9998817502

Dr Nusrat Kadri
Principal, Shri I J Patel B.Ed. College, Mogari
[email protected], 9879004887

Abstract:

The Kothari Commission (1964-66) focused on the need for decentralization of school education and the
involvement of parents and local bodies in the school reform process. NPE 1986 mainly focused on decentralized
planning and management of primary education. A report (1992) on decentralization of educational planning was
submitted by Veerappa Moily to the Government of India on ensuring greater community participation in
education. The National Curriculum Framework (2005) also emphasized the need to promote community
participation as a means of enhancing quality education. The RTE Act 2009 provides for the formation of School
Management Committees. This paper focuses on the policy and practices of community participation in school
education in post-independence India. It also focuses on the national view of community participation in school
education. It also identifies some of the problems for the proper functioning of school committees. Suggestions
are given to improve the proper functioning of school committees.

Key Words: Community Participation, Responsiveness, Tutor

1.0 Introduction: to a wider practice.

Increasing quantities of lookup on this subject
Policymakers, educators, and others concerned in matter have been performed on account that the late
training are looking for ways to utilize restricted 1980s, and there are extra and greater resources
sources efficiently and correctly in order to discover turning into available. In preparing and imposing
and remedy troubles in the training area and to any efforts to promote neighborhood involvement in
furnish fine education for children. Their efforts education, it is necessary to apprehend the complete
have contributed to realizing the significance and photo of neighborhood participation: how it works;
benefits of neighborhood participation in education, what forms are used; what advantages it can yield;
and have diagnosed community participation as one and what we ought to anticipate in the technique of
of the strategies to enhance academic get right of carrying out the efforts. A deeper understanding of
entry to and quality. this difficulty is vital given that the link between
This is not to say that neighborhood participation is neighborhood involvement and academic get entry
something new in the schooling delivery, however. to and high-quality is now not easy and entails a
It did now not unexpectedly show up as panacea to number of forms. This paper attempts to summarize
remedy complex troubles associated to education. In these issues, through turning to current literature. It
fact, no longer all communities have performed a also aims to examine the World Bank’s practices on
passive position in children’s education. For neighborhood participation in its schooling projects
instance, Williams (1994) stresses that till the center by scrutinizing 23 educational tasks which have
of the ultimate century, responsibility for educating been identified by using utilizing Image Bank and
adolescents rested with the community. Although reading Staff Appraisal Reports1. This find out
there still are locations where communities prepare about is designed to serve as a resource for Bank
themselves to operate schools for their young people team of workers and clients who are searching for
today, community participation in education hasn’t deeper appreciation of neighborhood participation in
been totally recognized nor extended systematically education in order to beautify their work in this field.

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1.1 Concept of Community Participation the word participation instead, implying a plenty
Communities can be defined with the aid of traits extra active role.
that the individuals share, such as culture, language, Shaeffer similarly presents some unique things to do
tradition, law, geography, class, and race. As that involve a high diploma of participation in a
Shaeffer (1992) argues, some communities are wider development context, which can also be
homogeneous whilst others are heterogeneous; and utilized in the education sector, including:
some united while others conflictive. Some 1. Collecting and analyzing information;
communities are ruled and managed by using 2. Defining priorities and putting goals;
leaders chosen democratically who act 3. Assessing reachable resources;
tremendously autonomously from other levels of 4. Deciding on and planning programs;
government, and some are ruled through leaders 5. Designing techniques to put into effect
imposed from above and symbolize central these programs and dividing obligations
authorities. amongst participants;
Zenter (1964) factors out three elements of 6. Managing programs;
communities. First, community is a team structure, 7. Monitoring growth of the programs; and
whether or not formally or informally organized, in 8. Evaluating effects and impacts.
which individuals play roles which are built-in 1.3 Community participation in education.
round goals associated with the problems from Education takes location now not solely in faculties
collective occupation and utilization of habitational however additionally inside families, communities,
space. Second, participants of the community have and society. Despite a range of degree of
some diploma of collective identification with the responsibilities taken with the aid of every group,
occupied space. Lastly, the community has a none can be the sole agent to take a hundred % duty
diploma of nearby autonomy and responsibility. for teaching children. Parents and households can't
The term “participation” can be interpreted in some be the only team of human beings for children’s
number ways, relying on the context. Shaeffer schooling as lengthy as their adolescents interact
(1994) clarifies exceptional levels or tiers of with and examine from the world outside their
participation, and provides seven viable definitions families. Communities and society have to guide
of the term, including: parents and families in the upbringing, socializing,
1. Involvement through the mere use of a and instructing of their children. Schools are
provider (such as enrolling teens in college institutions that can put together children to make a
or the usage of a predominant health care contribution to the betterment of the society in which
facility); they operate, through equipping them with abilities
2. Involvement via the contribution (or necessary in society. Schools cannot and need to
extraction) of money, materials, and labor; now not operate as separate entities inside society.
3. Involvement through ‘attendance’ (e.g. at Since every group performs an extraordinary
parents’ conferences at school), implying position in contributing to children’s education,
passive acceptance of selections made by there ought to be efforts to make a bridge between
means of others; them in order to maximize the contributions.
4. Involvement via consultation on a specific Education takes vicinity most effectively and
issue; efficiently when these specific corporations of
5. Participation in the shipping of a service, people collaborate. Accordingly, it is vital to set up
regularly as an accomplice with different and consistently strive to improve partnerships
actors; between schools, parents, and communities.
6. Participation as implementers of delegated Many research has recognized quite a number ways
powers; and of community participation in education, presenting
7. Participation “in actual choice making at specific channels thru which communities can be
every stage,” including identification of worried in children’s education.
problems, the study of feasibility, planning,
implementation, and evaluation. 2.0 Dimension of Community Participation in
Shaeffer stresses that the first four definitions use the Education
phrase involvement and connote mostly passive
collaboration, whereas the ultimate three items use

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 1. Supervise School Building and 2. Boosting morale of school staff.
Conservation and Amenities 3. Raising money for schools.
School community member has a 4. Ensuring students regular attendance and
responsibility to monitor proper completion.
maintenance of the building and other 5. Constructing, repairing, and improving
infrastructure facilities such as garden, school facilities.
boundary wall, and availability of 6. Contributing in labor, materials, land, and
separate toilet for girls and boys, funds.
availability of drinking water, availability 7. Recruiting and supporting teachers.
of library and laboratory etc. Community 8. Making decisions about school locations
members have responsibility of and schedules.
supervision of school administration e.g. 9. Monitoring and following up on teacher
attendance and punctuality of teachers, attendance and performance.
attendance of students, timely supply of 10. Actively attending school meetings to
textbooks, notebooks and other teaching learn about children’s learning progress.
materials, abolition of corporal 11. Providing skill instruction and local culture
punishment and physical and mental information.
harassment, regular health checkup for 12. Helping children with studying;
children, audit of financial grants etc. 13. Garnering more resources from and
solving problems through the education
2. Lecturer Appointment bureaucracy;
If there is needed a teacher, then 14. Providing security for teachers by
community members havea responsibility preparing adequatehousing for them;
to hire teachers. Sometime community 15. Scheduling school calendars;
member can work as a volunteer. They 16. Preparing children’s readiness for
provided awareness programme at all schooling by providing them with adequate
level. nutrition and stimuli for
their cognitive development.
3. Responsiveness
How effectively the schools are running 3.0 Benefits of community participation for
and managing to bring quality education? school educationMost of the educationists are
It means willingness and readiness of realizing the significance and benefits of
community member to help students, community participation in school education
teachers, and staffs, availability for and also recognized community participation is
guidance and advice, giving personal one of the ways to improve educational access
attention and curiosity to help students. and quality. Community participation is
significantly correlated to school community
4. Involvement in Policy, Curriculum and relation (Hamdan 2013). Report of “save the
Textbook Preparation and Distribution children” (2013) also emphasis the importance
The community member also involves in of community participation in the school
policy, curriculum and textbook education. Community-based approaches to
preparation and distribution. The educational development have the potential to
community members have responsibility enhance ownership, accountability, and
to develop and design curriculum and efficiency. Community involvement in
learning materials accordingly the local education facilitates the identification of
context. community-specific education issues and
informs the development of strategies to
According to the World Bank (1999) ways remove barriers to access and quality in
through which communities can contribute to education within a given community (Shilpi
the school education Sharma et. al.2014). Deka A. (2016) found that
1. Advocating enrollment and education the overall effect of community participation in
benefits. school was positive. There are following

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 benefits of community participation in school evaluation. Local communities, through
education. appropriate bodies, will be assigned a major role
1. Maximizing limited resources in programmes of school improvement.
2. Developing need and context-based
curriculum The importance of community involvement has
3. Identifying the problems and addressing also been highlighted in National Policy on
4. Promoting Girls‟ Education Education 1986 (programme of action 1992). It
5. Creating and Nourishing Community- emphasized establishment of district boards of
School Partnerships education, district institutes of education and
6. Realizing Democracy training, and village education committees will go
7. Increasing Accountability a long way towards the school improvement
8. Ensuring Sustainability programme, the involvement of the community
9. Improving Home Environment with the educational process, and creating a new
4.0 Community Participation in India: Policy form of accountability of the educational system.
Review
Govt. of India has many policy and planning on The ministry of human resource development
community participation in school education after GOI, 1993, a committee on decentralization of
independent. Secondary Education Commission educational planning was set up with Veerappa
(1952-53) emphasized to construct a managing Moily as its chairman. This report proposed
board of schools to ensure their proper running Panchayati raj structures for management of
and the maintenance of proper standards. The education and their responsibilities. According to
B.G. Kher Committee (1953) emphasized the this report there should be three level for
need for decentralization of management to management of education and their responsibility
attract community involvement at the grassroots as 1) Panchayat level where Panchayat comprises
level and involvement of all types of local bodies single village and village level where panchayat
to promote and manage education in the interest comprises a group of villages, 2) Panchayat Samiti
of mass education. Subsequently, the Balwant Rai at the intermediate level, Zilla Parishad at the
Mehta Committee (1957) recommended that district level.
primary education should become the
responsibility of the Panchayats. Kothari National Curriculum Framework 1975, 1988,
commission (1964-66) emphasized the 2000, 2005 have also strengthened the importance
importance of community participation in the of involvement of community members for
school education. It recommended that it is curriculum development and management of the
essential to establish intimacy between local school. It also focuses the importance of
communities and school to develop quality communities for providing local resource
education in the school. It also recommended that materials.
decentralization of education at all levels. It also
says that only decentralization of administration The Right to Education Act 2009 came into force
and to vest it in the local authority is not enough on April 1, 2010. It was an important act in the
but also provides local leadership and trained Indian education. One ofthe important provisions
officers to prepare their duties and make the of the RTE Act 2009 is to constitute school
necessary resources available to the local management committees. According to thisact, At
authority. This will be a major task for states least 75 percent of the SMCs are to comprise
educationdepartment. parents, disadvantaged groups, and weaker
sections of society and also there is a
According to National Policy on education 1986, representation of minimum 50 percent
District boards of Education will be created to representation of women in the committee. The
manage education up to the higher secondary role of SMCs in the school is assigned to monitor
level. Within a multi-level framework of the working of school and grants received by the
educational development, Central, State and governments or local authority or any other source
District and Local level agencies will participate and preparing a plan for the school development
in planning, co-ordination, monitoring, and which fostering quality education. So that it is

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clear that role of community participation is to The government of India has initiated a
establish democratic value and ensuring the right programme for universalization of secondary
to education is a fundamental right. education, “Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha
Abhiyan” in 2009.According to RMSA,
19 years’ plan says that it is equally necessary that Involvement of Panchayati Raj and Municipal
the problem of universal elementary education and Bodies, Community, Teachers, Parents and other
literacy is tackled through a strong social stakeholders in the management of Secondary
movement with clearly perceived goals and Education, through bodies like School
involving the State and Central Governments, Management Committees and Parent – Teacher
Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies, Associations will be ensured in the planning
voluntary agencies, social action groups, the media process, implementation, monitoring, and
and every supportive element in society. The tenth evaluation.
five-year plan also emphasized to the involvement
of the community and it will be made more After independence, time to time, Government of
systematic by involving the panchayat raj India has been made policy and Act for
institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies. VECs, decentralization of education. Many programmes
Mother-Teacher Associations (MTA) and Parent- have been initiated to achieve the goal of
Teacher Associations (PTA) would have a formal decentralization of education.
role in the management of schools in the village.
Twelfth five years planalso emphasis involvement 5.0 Current status in community participation
of parents in the school management to bring in school education
quality education. Effective functioning of SMCs School level committees have been created in all
and Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) is most states under SSA programme. They are
essential for quality education in the school. known as different name village education
Special efforts and innovative approaches should committee, school management committee,
be requiredto enable illiterate, semi-literate or less- school development and management committee,
educated parents to partner with schools in their parent-teacher association, academic monitoring,
children’s learning process. teacher association etc. In force of Right to
Education Act 2009, School Management
The District Primary Education Programme Committee (SMC) have been created by states to
(DPEP) was launched in 1994 with the assistance achieve the goal of decentralization of education.
of World Bank, European Commission, and
Department for International Development 5.1 At Primary Level:
(DFID) of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands All government, government aided and special
and the United Nations International children’s category schools shall have to constitute
emergency Fund (UNICEF). Its aim was to
operationalize successful total literacy campaign SMCs as per Section 21 of the RTE Act. Since
in a favorable climate. DPEP has provided private schools are already mandated to have
training to over three million community management committees on the basis of their
members and about one million teachers. trust/society registrations. It is a permanent body,
the president and members shall have a term of
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA, 2001) is three years. Key function of SMCs are
Government of India's flagship programme for 1. Making School Development Plan (SDP) as
achievement of Universalization of Elementary per the RTEguidelines/norms
Education. It also ensures that involvement of 2. Management of school
community participation for the success of the 3. Supervising and supporting implementation of
programme. Many kinds of community-based SDP
institutions have been involved such as Parent 4. Supervision/monitoring of finance,
Teacher Association (PTA), Mother Teacher management,academic progress, distribution of
Association (MTA), Village Education entitlements & other functions
Committee (VEC) and Gram Panchayat. 5. Ensuring accountability and transparency in the
system through the social audit mechanism

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 6. Keeping proper accounts of the fund available and collection of data for SEMIS etc. The
and sharingits deployment and utilization with Academic Committee is responsible for ensuring
the Aam Sabha. quality improvements, equity, reducing barriers-
7. Creating and maintaining an educational like socio- economic, gender and disability,
database teachers and students attendance, recommending
8. Coordinating with the local authority, teachers for training, guidance, and counselling,
generating funds from other sources for students achievements, co-curricular and extra-
development of schools curricular activities and overall academic and
9. Monitoring academic progress of the children personality development of students and teachers.
10. Instituting social audit mechanism and
processes to bring transparency in the system Parent teacher association and mother teacher
and ensure universal participation association have co-existed with SMCs and
SMDCs at both primary and secondary level. The
5.2 At Secondary Level role of PTA is to conduct meeting at least one day
RMSA framework provides that every secondary in a month and present before SMCs andSMDCs
school have to construct a school management and to register complain and give a suggestion for the
development committee (SMDC) at the school proper functioning of the school. All states have
level. This committee is responsible for all the been created their own guideline for SMC,
activities including, planning, a collection of data SMDC.
under Education Monitoring and Information
System (SEMIS), implementation, monitoring, 6.0 Problems in community participation in
evaluation and taking corrective/remedial actions school education
on all the components/interventions of the scheme- According to recent research reviews, following
infrastructural as well as academic and others, at problems are found in community participation in
the school level. The committee maintain all the school education.
relevant records for recurring as well as non-
recurring expenditure. These records are updated 6.1 Problem-Related to SMC Meeting
on regular basis and placed before the committee 1. Lack of co-ordination of teachers and parents.
in every meeting. These records and progress on Teachers fail to communicate timings of the
each component/ interventions of the scheme are meetings and parents fail to attend. They also
also placed in the meetings of Panchayat / Urban found that barriers for the functioning of SMC
Local Bodies. such as Cultural Barriers, Corruption, Political
Pressure, communication.
The School Management and Development 2. The low percentage of meetings were
Committee is assisted by two sub committees, organized at the cluster level for SMC member.
School Building Committee and Academic
Committee, headed by the Principal and Vice 6.2 Problem-Related to Awareness
Principal respectively. 1. Lack of awareness among SMC about
RTE 2009.
The School Building Committee is responsible
for all the activities including planning, 2. SMC members were not aware much
estimation, management, monitoring, regarding their duty.
supervision, reporting, maintenance ofAccounts, 3. Lack of awareness of PTA, lack of
monthly squaring up of accounts, presenting Membership in PTA, lack of participation
accounts before the School Management in school planning, lack of training
Committee or Panchayat or Urban Local Bodies programme on the role of PTA, Lack of
etc. relating to construction, renovation, repairing awareness of financial grants.
and maintenance and other related civil works. 4. Local elitism, decreasing interest of
community members, Illiteracy and low
The Academic Committee is responsible for all educational level, Lack of interest on the
academic activities including planning, part of political leaders and bureaucrats,
management, monitoring, supervision, reporting, Dearth of human resources fit for the work
is a major problem of the field, Lack of

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 expertise in the planning, Lack of participation enhances the quality of education. In
propaganda and ensuring awareness. a developed country, community participation is
important for school management and its impact
6.3 Problems Related to Developing School is positive. Community boards / councils have a
Development Plan lot of powers for school management such as
1. Functioning of SMC such as no democratically education, administration, school operations,
elected body, totally HM has to lead SMC, no curriculum preparation, etc. But in India, parents
adequate resource material to develop skill, the are neglected in curriculum preparation.
gap among gram panchayat, SMC, parents and
teachers (Pawar S. 2016). Community participation is not an amulet for
2. Lack of SMC member's awareness, Lack of solving every problem and problem of school
fund for School Development Plan, lack of education but it facilitates bringing quality
interest among poor and illiterate parents is the education in the school. It is the decentralization
main problem of participation in SMC meetings. of school governance to enhance quality
(Mohalik R. & Bhattacharya D. 2015). education. Foreign countries have different
3. There was a significant relationship in the level policies and practices of community
of functioning of school management participation. Communities are involved in many
committee in awareness of RTE Act and areas such as administrative, educational and
utilization of grants, meeting of committee and financial power and school operations etc. In
preparation of school development plan India, many policies are recommended for
(Mozhiyarasi K.S. 2016). community participation in school education to
enhance quality education. After the RTE Act
7.0 Suggestions for improvement in community 2009, it is necessary to create a community board
participation for each school. Indian states have made their
There are following suggestions for improvement own rules for community building for school
in community participation. education. Many research findings show positive
1. The training programme should be given to all results of community participation in school
teachers, HMs and community member about education. But the reality is that in many places,
current amendments(RTE, 2009). communities are not working properly. So it is not
2. Awareness programme should be organized at enough for him to just make policies and acts.
villagelevel about community participation. Now the education system is going to be
3. Democratically, community members should be privatized. Many schools are run under a private
elected. institution. Do they follow rules, regulations,
4. Proper communication should be established policies and actions? So, how can we achieve the
between school and community members. goal of decentralization of education? The
5. SMC should be straightened and monitored by objectives set out in the RTE Act of 2009
higher authorities regarding community participation in school will
6. Community linkage programme should be only be realized if the training program,
organized at all level. awareness and motivational program, is carried
7. The involvement of SMC members needs to out properly at the grassroots level. The SMC
improve in the daily activities of the school. should be overseen by higher authorities.
8. Meeting should be organized for SMC member
at all level. 9.0 References
9. SMC members should be motivated to take part
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8.0 Conclusion
and national extension services, New Delhi.
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Constitution (Eighty- Sixth Amendment)

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