A GLUT OF SCHOOL BOARDS & NO COMMON STANDARDS

The word 'school' appears in the Constitution only once, with reference to the qualification of candidates to contest in state legislative council elections.

- R SRINIVASAN, M V SRINIVASAN

The word 'education' appears 28 times with reference to the development of educationally backward communities, right to education and management of educational institutions by minorities, etc. The powers and functions of the Union and state governments in the Seventh Schedule do not specify anything about school education.

Most states have legislated on school education. The most common is the School Education Act. These provide regulations relating to schools, particularly private schools. Some Acts mention the constitution of the school board. But rarely do we come across information about the rules framed under these Acts relating to school boards.

Certifying students based on a school curriculum was a colonial practice. Universities in India set up by the colonial government conducted matriculation examinations. After 1947, state governments and the Union did not realise the need for a law to set up school boards; rather, they used the 'resolution' route to establish the boards.

A school board is usually an institution that creates syllabuses, textbooks and conducts assessments to certify students in the secondary and higher secondary levels. Some educationists argue that the school board should be separate from the school examination board, because if there is a single board for curriculum design and assessment, the opportunity for critical evaluation of curriculum design will be lost.