Description
Shipra Publications Education For Rural Development (PB) by D P Nayar
The primary focus of this book is to identify the various dimensions of the role that education should play, as an instrument of socio-economic transformation and reconstruction of the rural communities, commensurate with their predominant share in India's population and their contribution - socio-economic, political and cultural - to the development of the country. The book highlights the vital role that education plays in the development process. The questions that the author discusses in this context are: what should be the type of education, which will meet the engaging challenges? How can it be introduced and operated in the present situation? What has been our experience in the past? What orientation is required for the future? These and host of similar problems are sought to be discussed in the Study.The study has been divided into three parts: 1. The Dynamics of Rural Development; 2. The Educational Imperatives, Processes, Programmes and Structures; and 3. The Implementation Challenges.The first part - is devoted to the study of forces operating in rural areas; the extent to which and the manner in which they could be manipulated to obtain the 'Preferred Future' - the future, to which the entire process of planning should be directed.The second part - Educational Imperatives forms the main theme of the study. The main thrust of the study is to identify the manner in which the processes, programmes and structures of the educational system should be modified to meet the diverse needs of rural development. This part, divided into three main chapters: school education, higher education and non-formal education, analyses the present status of educational development at various levels, the deficiencies that have afflicted the system and how they can be modified/restructured to make them important contributory factors to the development process relating to rural areas.The third part - the Implementation Challenges discusses the role of education as an instrument of socio-economic change; the needed modifications in the existing policies - both academic and administrative - and the challenges for our management capabilities. The management challenges have been analysed down to the village level.It is hoped that the study will be of interest to all those concerned with education - teachers, administrators and planners by giving them a synoptic view of educational development in the post-independence period. It will also be able to highlight the significance of education as a process of socio-economic development, and cultural regeneration, particularly of the rural areas, which have so far not been given the priority that they rightly deserve. Any further delay in achieving this goal will be counter-productive.