Report of the Submitted on 8 June 2007 Government of Bihar Patna Dedication We Dedicate this Report to the Children of Bihar (Dr. Madan Mohan Jha) (Prof. Anil Sadgopal) (Prof. Muchkund Dubey) Member-Secretary Member Chairperson Common School System Commission Govt. of Bihar Patna 8-6-2007 Dear Shri Nitish Kumarji, It is a pleasure and honour for me to submit herewith the Report of the Bihar Common School System Commission. My colleagues in the Commission join me in expressing our profound gratitude to you for the trust you reposed in us and the personal interest you took in our work. In fact, the Commission was the product of your vision and initiative. 2. Included in our Report is a near complete blueprint of a Common School System in Bihar, which will universalise school education up to Class X, provide 70 percent transition from Class X to the Senior Secondary level and, as mandated under Article 21A of the Constitution, ensure free and compulsory education to all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years. In our scheme of the Common School System, the children in the age group of 5 to 6 years will also receive free and compulsory pre- elementary education. 3. As mandated, we have established in considerable details the Norms and Standards of the Common School System, determined the unit cost of all the elements which have gone into these Norms and Standards and calculated the financial implications of the Common School System. 4. We have also examined several other problems and issues, some of which were specifically included in our terms of reference, relating to the school education in Bihar and have made suggestions and recommendations for dealing with them within the overall framework of the Common School System. These include the types and structure of schools, place of teachers in the CSS, rejuvenation of teacher education, medium of education and teaching of languages, curriculum and syllabus, and administration and management of schools. 5. Finally, we have prepared for possible adoption by the Bihar Legislature, the text of a legislation on Right to Education and Common School System in Bihar. This legal underpinning of the Common School System covers the entire school system and, if adopted, should replace all existing legislations on school education. In addition, we have drafted two almost identical legislations on the Management of Schools, one for the Primary and Middle Schools and the other for Secondary Schools. 6. The financial implications of the Common School System that we have calculated may appear to be daunting; but given the cumulative neglect of the past and the inherently ambitious task of building a Common School System, they are not at all surprising. Our nation, society and the governments both at the Centre and the States, will have, some time or the other, to come to terms with the inevitability of mobilising resources on the required scale for school education, if India is to survive as one nation and claim its rightful place in the comity of nations. We have suggested a set of measures for mobilisation of resources. 7. We have done our job and the ball is now in your court. We are acutely aware of the problems you will face and the resistance you will encounter in pursuing this pioneering venture of establishing a Common School System in your State. But we have confidence in your leadership and your commitment to social justice and equality. You have already demonstrated your political courage and ability to live up to your vision by taking the decision to establish a Common School System in Bihar. 8. Finally, we would like to convey through you our deep appreciation and gratefulness to the Heads of the relevant Departments, Divisions, Units and Agencies of the Government of Bihar who extended their unstinted support and cooperation to the Commission during the course of its work. 9. Personally, I would like to say: Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity of rendering this humble service to the people of Bihar and thus paying back a small fraction of the immense debt that I owe to this State. With deep regards, Yours sincerely, (Muchkund Dubey) Shri Nitish Kumar Hon’ble Chief Minister Government of Bihar, Patna. CONTENTS Page No. List of Tables i-ii Abbreviations i-iv Introduction i-v Chapter 1 The Evolution of School Education in Bihar :A Historical 1 Perspective Chapter 2 Right to Education and Equal Opportunity 20 Chapter 3 Common School System : Concept, Rationale & Content 29 Chapter 4 Present Status of School Education in Bihar 42 Chapter 5 Some Issues Relating to the Common School System 64 5.1 Types of Schools 5.2 Pre-elementary Education 5.3 The Schedule for Guaranteeing Right to Education and Building the Common School System 5.4 Elements of Free and Compulsory Education 5.4.1 Provision of Textbooks and Stationery 5.4.2 Provision of School Uniform 5.4.3 Mid-day Meals 5.4.4 Incentives for the Children Employed as Labour and Street Children 5.4.5 Provision of Free and Compulsory Education by Private Schools 5.4.6 Education of Children with Disabilities 5.5 Supplying Bicycles 5.6 Medium of Education and Teaching of Languages Chapter 6 Teachers in the Common Schools System 83 Chapter 7 Position of Different Types of Schools in the Common Schools 90 System 7.1 Vitta-rahit Schools 7.2 Government-aided Madarsas and Sanskrit Vidhyalayas 7.3 Private Schools 7.4 Schools Run on Welfare Grounds 7.5 Kendriya & Navodaya Vidyalayas Chapter 8 Administration of School Education & Management of 101 Schools in the Common School System 8.1 Management of Schools 8.2 Administration of School Education Chapter 9 Teacher Education 122 Chapter 10 Curriculum and Pedagogy 155 Chapter 11 Place of Buniyadi Vidyalayas in the Common School System 162 Chapter 12 Proposal for Establishing Zila Adarsh Vidyalayas 172 Chapter 13 Norms and Standards and the Financial Implications of the 174 Common School System Chapter 14 Legal Framework for the Common School System – The Bihar 222 Right to Education and Common School System (Equality, Excellence & Social Justice) Bill, 2007 Chapter 15 Summary of Recommendations 244 Annexures – I-IX i - xxvii List of Tables Table 1.1 Status of Schools in Bihar at the End of 19th Century Table 1.2 No. of Primary Schools and Enrolment in districts of Bihar (1911-91) Table 1.3 Number of Educational Institute (1947-77) Table 1.4 Pencentage of Male-Female Trained Teacher in Primary and Middle Schools (1951-1977) Table 1.5 District-wise number of Trained and Untrained Teachers in Primary Schools (1969-70 to 1976-77) Table 1.6 District-wise number of Trained and Untrained Teachers in Secondary Schools (1969-70 to 1976-77) Table 1.7 Pencentage Expenditure of Total Budget (Revenue & Accounts) on Education (1968-69) Table 4.1 Literacy Rates 1991-2001 (Bihar & India) Table 4.2 Literacy Rates of India, States and Union Territories Table 4.3 Literacy Rates for Bihar and its Districts Table 4.4 Gross Enrolment Ratios (2006) in Broad Socio-Religious Categories Table 4.5 Drop-outs Rates at Various Stages of School education in Bihar (2003) Table 4.6 Contribution of Private sector in school Education of Bihar (2002) Table 4.7 Provision of schools in Bihar in Relation to Policy Norms Table 4.8 Status of Mainstream Schools System Under State Government in Bihar- 2006-07 Table 4.9 Status of School Education in Bihar: All categories of Schools – 2006-07 Table 10.1 A Comparison of the Underlying Premies of the Prevailing Curriculum and that Required for the Common school System Table 10.2 Major Pedagogic Shifts Required in teacher education curriculum Table 13.1 Structure of Schools Table 13.2 Estimated Number of School-Going Age Children (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.3 Yearwise Target for Construction of New School Buildings (Primary) (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.4 Yearwise Target for Construction of New School Buildings (Middle) (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.5 Yearwise Target for Construction of New School Buildings (Senior Secondary) (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.6 Estimated Yearwise Requirement of Buildings, Teachers and Non-teaching Staff (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.7. Estimated Unit Cost for Building of a New Primary School Table 13.8 Estimated Unit Cost for Building of a New Middle School Table 13.9 Estimated Unit Cost for Building of a New Senior Secondary School Table 13.10 Assumed Average Monthly Salary of Teaching and Non-teaching Staff Table 13.11 Estimated Annual Non-Salary Recurring Expenditure in Primary, Middle and Senior Secondary Schools Table 13.12 Estimated Yearwise Non-Recurring Expenditure for Building of New Schools and Upgradation of Infrastructure of Existing Schools (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.13 Estimated Yearwise Non-Recurring Expenditure for Building, Renovation and Strengthening of Teacher-Education Institutions (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.14 Estimated Yearwise Recurring Expenditure for Primary, Middle and Senior Secondary Schools (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.15 Estimated Annual Recurring Expenditure for Teacher Education Institutions Table 13.16 Estimated Yearwise Number of Required Additional Teachers and Non-teaching Staff (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.17 Estimated Yearwise Number of Teacher to be Trained Table 13.18 Estimated Yearwise Recurring Expenditure for Teacher Training (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.19 Estimated Yearwise Total Expenditure (Non-Recurring and Recurring) for School Education Sector (2008-09 to 2016-17) Table 13.20 Estimated Yearwise Total Expenditure (Non-Recurring and Recurring) for School Education Sector at 2007-08 and