An evaluation of learning

levels with relation to the

planning process for
teacher education in the
state of Uttarakhand,
India.

Name: Guy Brickley

Student Identification Number: BRI08064271

Module: Planning and Educational Development

Course: MA in Education and International Development

Contents
An evaluation of learning levels with relation to the planning process for teacher
education in the state of Uttarakhand, India...................................................................1
Contents..........................................................................................................................2
An evaluation of learning levels with relation to the planning process for teacher
education in the state of Uttarakhand, India...................................................................4
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................4
Methodology..................................................................................................................4
Uttarakhand - Economic & Social Context................................................................5
Political context..........................................................................................................6
The Study.......................................................................................................................7
Social, Economic & Educational Factors.............................................................7
Assessment Methods..................................................................................................8
Accuracy of Data..................................................................................................8
Assessment Results...............................................................................................9
ASER .......................................................................................................................10
Findings in Uttarakhand......................................................................................10
What is the problem?....................................................................................................10
Education Policy in India.............................................................................................11
The Xth 5 year plan, clearly outlines its objectives in terms of teacher education as
part of the SSA programme......................................................................................12
References...................................................................................................................18
Decision-making process.........................................................................................13
Analysis of the existing situation........................................................................13
Likely constraints and problems.........................................................................13
Evaluation of policy options....................................................................................14
Making the policy decision......................................................................................14
Planning of policy implementation..........................................................................15
Likely constraints and problems.........................................................................15
Policy impact assessment.........................................................................................15
Likely constraints and problems.........................................................................16
Subsequent policy cycles.........................................................................................16
Likely constraints and problems.........................................................................16
Conclusion ........................................................................................................16
An evaluation of learning levels with relation to the planning
process for teacher education in the state of Uttarakhandi,
India.
Executive Summary
This report aims to examine the govt. planning process for teacher education &
training in India with specific reference to the newly formed state of Uttarakhand.
Through my own survey work and study of secondary data it appears that learning
levels in the state are low and on a decline. By looking at the planning process with
relation to teacher training, I wanted to see where the process was lacking and
suggest some recommendations for improvement in the scheme.

Although there seems to be a sound planning process in place with a highly

decentralized structure, the implementation process seems to have some shortfalls.
My recommendations point to an increased level of monitoring at the project
implementation stage and a more straightforward approach to project design. The
report also notes the issues faced by the decentralised administrative structure, where
corruption is commonplace and suggests some measures to pre-empt these issues. The
government of India’s drive to achieve EFA goals has led to an emphasis on quantity,
but the current problem faced is how to improve the quality of education in all
aspects. The report concludes by summarising that a simplified approach to planning
may be more effective, which could mean centralizing some parts of the planning
process.

Methodology
The reason for my focus on the state of Uttarakhand is twofold. Firstly, I have been
living in this state for over one year, working for a local NGO and primary school,
and have observed first-hand the practical, day-to-day issues faced by teachers and
students. Secondly, the fact that Uttarakhand has only existed as a state since 2000
makes it an interesting case study. Having only lived through one complete 5 year
planning cycle, it provides an opportunity to assess the progress made by the state
government in the field of education over a relatively short time frame. I intend to
examine Primary level schooling in particular and the challenges faced by the State
education department since the state was formed in 2000. This study will hopefully
provide a useful snapshot of India's progress towards Millennium Development Goals
and highlight some of the areas where problems exist in the planning process.

My focus on teacher training is based on my experience working in an educational

NGO in a rural village. The NGO where I work exists partly as a response to the poor
quality of education available in the local government schools. It provides an
alternative for a few lucky students from the local villages to have access to excellent
learning facilities and dedicated and motivated teachers. My work as Academic Co-
ordinator and teacher at this local NGO has led me to work closely with all of the
stakeholders, including village communities, government officials, local teachers and
most importantly the children from this rural area. In November 2008 I was involved
in a survey of the local areas, in which we conducted assessments of a selected group
of government & private primary school students between the ages of 8-11. This
survey took into account social, economic and educational background of the children
and aimed to assess their learning levels and cognitive skills. The data obtained from
this research will be combined with data from the ASER 2008 conducted by Pratham
(reference) to form a background to the planning processes examined and highlight
possible constraints and problems faced in relation to students' learning and
achievement.

Sub-standard learning levels within schools can be attributed to many factors, but this
paper focusses on quality of teaching and teacher training, purely as a means of
assessing the planning process in this area.

Uttarakhand - Economic & Social Context

My research was carried out with a local NGO in a rural, hilly area on the outskirts of
Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The ASER study encompasses all of the 13 districts in the
state.

A Map of Uttarakhand State showing borders with China and Nepal

The state of Uttarakhand is a geographically challenging area due to the fact that 93%
is mountainous and 64% is covered by forest. It is home to some of the nation's most
revered private schools and colleges, as well as being the area where it is believed the
ancient Hindu scriptures and some of the epics were thought to have been composed.
Despite this rich heritage, many remote villages have poor access to education and
health facilities and population is sparsely distributed in several of the mountainous
districts. The capital of the state is Dehradun which has a population of around
530,263, and is home to the state government and house of representatives. The
government recognises 15,620 villages and 81 cities and urban areas and is home to
15058 primary schools. In the rural areas, socio-economic condition is mainly based
on horticulture, sheep rearing and tourism. Agriculture has also been adopted in many
areas with paddy being a major crop in irrigated areas and maize and other cereals
occurring in higher, un-irrigated slopes. Due to inadequate agricultural yield, an
increasing population, increasing demand on natural resources and a lack of
alternative employment opportunities, there is a migration of the men-folk from the
villages to cities, within and outside of the state. This tends to put more pressure on
the women to take on the responsibilities of managing the households and bringing up
the children.

The villages covered by my survey are around 10-20 km from the capital of the state,
Dehradun. The area is traditionally agricultural, and most households still cultivate
some land and own some cattle. However, the changing weather patterns, combined
with a sharp rise in land-prices in recent years has led to many families selling land
and looking for alternative means of income. At present, many men work as labourers
on a daily-wage basis or as part-time drivers. The villages concerned cover a 10km
radius in which there are mainly government-run primary schools and a growing
number of private educational facilities.

The Dehradun district is one of 13 districts in the state of Uttarakhand. The state is
divided into 95 blocks and 676 Nyay Panchayat or clusters (see figure 1.1). The area
where my study was conducted constitutes 11 villages, which fall under one Nyay
Panchayat or cluster. The area has one Cluster Education Officer, one Cluster/Nyay
Panchayat Resource Centre, and a Block Rescource Centre is situated in the city.
Dehradun is also home to the District Institute of Educational Training (DIET), where
much of the teacher training takes place. This part of the state has an advantage over
many other districts as the villages are in close proximity to the state capital and
therefore the teaching and administrative positions are in high demand.

Administrative District Quantity in Uttarakhand

Divisions 2
Districts 13
Tehsils 49
Development Blocks 95
Municipal Areas 71
Nyay Panchayat 676
Gram Panchayat 6805
Villages 15669
Figure 1.1, Table showing the breakdown of Uttarakhand's administration.

Political context
Before its formation in 2000 Uttarakhand was a part of Uttar Pradesh, the most
populated and politically powerful state in India. In the current political climate,
where power is becoming increasingly devolved to the state and local level, states
such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar hold enough seats in central government to
significantly influence national level politics. Uttarakhand has had two political
parties in power since its inception, but the longest term has been held by the Bharti
Janata Party (BJP).

The thrust on decentralised planning and management came in 1986, in the National
Policy of Education, which had proposed decentralisation as a fundamental
requirement for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of educational planning
and management and for evolving a meaningful framework for accountabilityii. The
following years resulted in a gradual decentralization process which is still very much
in progress. Figure 1.2 shows the hierarchical structure within the Education
department in Uttarakhand, and serves to illustrate the complexity of the planning
processiii
Figure 1.2,
Flow-chart
showing the
decentralised
structure of
educational
management in
Uttarakhand.

The Study
The purpose of my
research was to
assess the learning
levels of a cross-
section of female primary school students aged between 8-12 years old. Female
children are traditionally sidelined in these village communities and rarely pursue
their education past primary level, and the NGOs objective is to assist the girl-child.
This survey was aimed at testing not only academic ability, but also cognitive skills,
memory, responsiveness and participation.

A local man was employed to do a survey of the villages to find us 80 suitable

households who met the economic, social and educational criteria. The chosen
households were then visited by staff from the NGO carrying out the assessment and a
more detailed survey was conducted in order to verify information and eliminate any
unsuitable candidates. From the 80 households visited, 68 children were selected for
the assessment and this was carried out each Sunday in November 2008.

Social, Economic & Educational Factors

The girls are all from families with an average income of about (Rs.2500) £30 a
month and live in simple (kuccha) mudhuts, or small (pucca) concrete bungalows
with one or two rooms. Most households who took part in the survey use firewood to
cook with and often have no toilet or running water facility. Educational status of the
parents was taken into account, as was the size of the family and whether the student's
studied in a government or private school. It was also noted if the family possessed a
Below Poverty Line ration card, although this did not always seem to be an accurate
measure of poverty or income.
Assessment Methods
The assessment was broken up into 8 tests aimed at monitoring the following :
1. Observation – A short film was shown followed by questions on the movie.
2. Perseverance – A maze game was given at varying levels of difficulty.
3. Visual and aural memory – Cards were shown with varying body parts and a
memory game was played.
4. Physical agility – A short sequence of yoga poses was conducted.
5. Numerical skills –
i) A Maths Activity involving counting blocks and number tiles. Level 1 was a
simple counting activity, Level 2 was a number recognition activity and Level 3 was a
1 digit addition and subtraction activity.
ii) An activity where geometric shapes were counted in a picture.
7. Observational skills – A Puzzle Activity with 4 levels of difficulty
8. General Awareness – Simple General Knowledge questions were asked.

For the purpose of this report I will look only at the numerical and observational tests
carried out to illustrate learning levels. Although it could be argued pedagogically that
each test can point to the quality of teaching in some way, these are the most obvious
and realistic. The assessment took place over several days, with each student being
observed over a period of 5-7 hours and involved local teachers and volunteers from
the NGO with a ratio of 1 teacher to 5 students.

Accuracy of Data
The accuracy of data given to us by the children's families was verified as far as was
feasible. It may be possible that some families have given incorrect information about
their income. Although the nature of the assessment was made clear to all involved,
there could be a feeling that some financial benefit may be awarded to those claiming
poverty. The majority of the children involved in the study do not possess a birth
certificate, and the parents are often unsure of the exact birth date. Therefore some of
the background data could be considered unreliable.
Assessment Results

The findings showed that basic numeracy and observational skills amongst the target
group were relatively poor. In the Maths Activity, 51% of the students assessed were
unable to complete 1 digit addition and subtraction and 13% of the students assessed
were unable even to carry out simple counting and number recognition. 38% of
children assessed were unable to count geometrical shapes in a picture past level 1 of
3 levels of difficulty, and 25% could complete all 3 levels of the activity. In the
puzzle activity, 31% of students were only able to complete level 1 of the activity and
only 16% of children assessed could complete all four of the puzzles.

It was also observed that the general awareness amongst most of the children was
weak and many of them were unable to memorise pictures or cards when prompted.
Other tests showed that many of the students were lacking in attentiveness and
perseverance.
ASER
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) is a nationwide study funded through
grants from google.org, Oxfam Novib and UNICEF, conducted each year since 2005.
The report aims to assess the child-learning levels within every state in India in order
to answer the question of whether the education system in India is “working”. It
provides detailed and clearly presented information on numeracy and literacy from
state to state, using well-developed assessment tools and taking as wide a scope as
possible. The 2008 ASER analysis in Uttarakhand was based on data from all 13
districts within the state and was conducted at the cluster level.

Findings in Uttarakhand
Although the State remains a relatively literate state in comparison with States such as
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, the percentage of children who can read a
simple text remains worryingly low. The ASER findings in Uttarakhand show a
decline in learning levels over the past three years.

Figure 1.3 ASER data for Uttarakhand, 2008-9.

According to the ASER data, there has been a marginal increase in the percentage of
children who cannot identify letters in Std I-IV classes from 2006-2008. An average
class III child is 8 years old and according to the data, over 10% of children at this
level are unable to read single letters. The trend in Mathematics learning levels in the
state is even more clearly visible, showing a decline of almost 20% in some classes
when it comes to being able to do simple division. The study also shows that of the
children in Std III-V, 75.2% of children tested can read a Std I level text, only 59.8%
of children are able to do subtraction and 48.7% can tell the time. The study also
shows that the learning levels at private schools in the area are significantly higher
than those at government schools in Uttarakhand.

The government has also conducted a report on learner assessment between 2007 and
2008 and has noted that up to 63% of children across all classes are securing less than
50 percent marks in Hindi and Maths.iv It is worth noting that prior to 2005 there is
little data available to illustrate the learning levels of children in the state, since the
thrust of SSA at that point was to build schools and create the infrastructure to ensure
education was available to all.

What is the problem?

It is clear that learning levels in Uttarakhand leave room for improvement. In rural
village government primary schools many problems can exist for both the students
and the teachers:
  Children of mixed ages and abilities are often taught simultaneously.
 Teachers are given many administrative duties which can detract from
teaching time.
 Teachers are rarely monitored or evaluated by local education committees or
representatives despite govt policy.
 Teachers are not motivated to promote learning and in some cases do not even
turn up to school.
 Due to their revered status in society the teachers performance is not
questioned, especially by parents who are themselves often uneducated.
 Due to their powerful union status, teachers can often influence government
decisions about salaries and are also unlikely to be dismissed from their jobs.
 Pre-service training occurs in the form of a BEd certificate or BT
qualification, both of which are undertaken as correspondence courses and can
be done without any practical training.
 In-service training is limited to 20 days per year, the effectiveness of which we
shall evaluate.

All of these factors obviously affect the quality of education the children are receiving
and many young adults are left without basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Consequently many young children, especially girls, drop out of school at a young
age to work in the home. In the following chapters I will attempt to examine whether
the government planning process is responsible in some part for this decline in
learning levels. Whether teacher training can help to alleviate some of these problems
is a matter for debate, but it is undeniably one tool which can be used to improve
learning levels.

Education Policy in India

In 1986 India's National Policy on Education was announced and it was modified in
1992, giving greater priority to Universal Primary Education. The policy states its
three main priorities as:
(i) Universal access and enrolment,
(ii) Universal retention of children up to 14 years of age, and
(iii) A substantial improvement in the quality of education to enable
children to achieve essential levels of learning.

We could define these policies as strategic in their scope. According to Haddad and
Demsky (1995), policies can be defined depending on their scope, complexity,
decision environment, range of choices, and decision criteria. Haddad and Demsky
define the strategic policy as one which is broad in it's scope and therefore often
problematic. According to Kaufmann, strategic planning involves a societally
focussed approach based on an ideal vision in which we plan what kind of future we
want for tomorrow's childv .

The objectives of National Policy on Education 1986, revised in 1992 were addressed
during the Tenth Plan period (2002-2007) mainly through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
(SSA) which is the flagship programme of Government of India being implemented
in partnership with States and UTs. This centrally funded programme commenced in
2001 and encompasses elementary education (class 1-8). The state contributes 25% of
funding support, with the remainder coming from the central government. It was
introduced as a new scheme towards the end of the ninth ten year cycle, but in fact
incorporated several programmes which had been in place since the late 1980s,
including the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and Operation
Blackboard. This nationwide initiative, in line with the Millenium Development Goal
of providing Universal Primary Education, outlined it's objectives as:

1 All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School or "Back-

to-School" camp by 2003.
2 All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007.
3 All children complete eight years of elementary schooling by 2010.
4 Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on
education for life.
5 Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at
elementary education level by 2010.
6 Universal retention by 2010. (SSA website)

The Xth 5 year plan, clearly outlines its objectives in terms of teacher education as
part of the SSA programme.
 Ensuring pre-service training to all elementary school teachers so that all
untrained teachers can be trained within a period of three years, including
through the distance learning mode.
 Enhancing pre-service training facilities in selected districts where the
present capacity is not adequate.
 Improving the quality of elementary teacher pre-service education.
 Extending the provision of pre-primary teacher training by strengthening
existing institutions that provide, or are willing to provide, pre-service
education for the preprimary stage.
 Developing specialised correspondence courses, of two months to one
year’s duration, for elementary teachers in collaboration with open
universities, higher education institutions, good IASEs, NGOs with
experience in quality education, and other professional organisations.
 Development of courses for in-service education of teachers that will carry
credits and linking these to promotions and benefits.

The Xth 5 year plan commenced in 2002 with these goals very much in the forefront
of the planning and policy-making process. Uttarakhand therefore had the opportunity
to benefit from the launch of this new initiative at an early stage of its development as
a State. Having formerly been a part of U.P., the largest state in India, all educational
data had been lumped together with that of this vast, overpopulated state. Uttarakhand
now had a unique opportunity to prove itself as an independent entity and compete
with its neighbour Himachal Pradesh, where there had been significant progress in
terms of educational development in the late 90svi. (reference). Over the past years,
education expenditure in the state has almost doubled from 97 crores in 2005 to 188.9
crores in 2007(reference Ministry of Human Resource Development). Although much
of this expenditure has been used to increase infrastructure and employ teachers, there
has also been an increase in spending on teacher education and training at the state
level.

In Uttarakhand, all primary education planning comes under the Sarva Shiksha
Abhiyan programme and takes place at the State Project Office in Dehradun. The SSA
philosophy is based on decentralised planning at the micro level, where the unit of
planning should be the habitation. The decision-making process is therefore an
incremental one, influenced by a gradual process of feeding up information from the
village level to the state level. Teachers at the primary level are required to have a
Bachelor of Education qualification and the central government has developed a Basic
Teaching Certificate which forms their pre-service training. Once the teachers are in
place, an annual 20 day, in-service teacher training programme is carried out at the
District or Local level.

Teacher training materials are currently developed by the State Council of

Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and teacher education and training is
carried out by the District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET). Block
Resource Centres (BRC) are sub-district training centres that provide in-service
training, academic monitoring and supervision to block teachers. In addition, they
support between 8-10 Cluster Resource Centres (CRC). Cluster Resource Centres
(CRC) each support 10 schools. CRC programs provide academic support and
guidance to Village Education Councils (VEC) and schools. The CRC usually employ
two pedagogical support staff. The staff travels to schools, arranges meetings and
provides resources for teachers.vii This framework was developed under the District
Primary Education Programme with the aim of decentralising the decision-making
process. The DPEP programme was launched in 1994, with 42 participating Districts
in 7 States and provided much of the administrative framework for the SSA
programme.

Decision-making process
Haddad and Demsky's framework for policy analysis gives us a useful set of
guidelines through which we can look at the planning and decision-making process.
Although we are not dealing with policy-making per se in this case, the model still
provides us with an excellent framework with which to assess the planning process
with regards to teacher training in Uttarakhand.

Analysis of the existing situation

In April 2008 the micro-planning process began under the supervision of the DPOs
and BEOs, and a needs assessment was carried out across the state. This large-scale
exercise was conducted by a group of educationalists, teachers, district and block
level co-ordinators based on the needs and concerns of teachers. Their job was to visit
villages and schools and find out what problems exist for teachers and school
management committees. Questionnaires were given to VECs and SCMs and all of
this information was then taken to the district level where the next stage of the process
began. SIEMAT Uttarakhand (established in 2005-6) has been entrusted with
execution and monitoring of research and evaluation studies commissioned under
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. In 2008-9 a study was commissioned on the impact of in-
service teacher training and the perception of teachers about the effectiveness of
teacher training, although this study was not completed when the 2009-10 annual plan
was made.

Likely constraints and problems

 Sparsely populated areas could be under-represented in terms of their
needs.
  Although they have been trained in micro-planning, the efficient
functioning of the VECs and SCMs could be limited.
 Research is often aimed at assessing quantitive rather than qualitative
results which do not inform us of classroom practices.
 Little effort seems to be made to observe the teachers and create a
constructive criticism.
 There is a danger of the analysis becoming too complex and beaurocratic
due to the involvement of many levels of administration.

Evaluation of policy options

At the district level, the various reports and data were assimilated and the annual
priorities were decided by the District Project Office before being passed on to the
state level. Little information is available about the evaluation process and it is
unclear whether various options and methods of carrying out the in-service training
are considered and evaluated based on desirability, affordability and feasibility.

At this stage it could be important to evaluate alternative ways of training the teachers
and improving their effectiveness. The eleventh five year plan openly admits that:
“The performance of teacher education programmes has not been satisfactory.” It
puts much of the blame on the innefectiveness of DIETs and SCERTs in terms of
carrying out the training. Therefore there should be a clear process of discussion
about ways to implement the training in a more effective way. The model for training
seems to have changed little since 2001, in terms of how the training is carried out
and where it takes place. Alternative methods could be considered at this point and
help could be taken from NGOs. This is happening to some extent with the
involvement of Pratham and the Azim Premji Foundation both of which are working
together with the govt of Uttarakhand to improve the quality of learning and teaching
in the state.

Likely constraints and problems

 Each year the training objectives are redefined and policies are adjusted
based on feedback, which could cause in-continuity in the long-term
training of teachers.
 Cost-effectiveness of the training programme and alternative options are
difficult to measure.

Making the policy decision

Since 2001 an annual training focus has been decided upon, which constitutes the
training policy and direction for the in-service training each year. Between 2001 and
2007 the general focus of the training was subject-specific and aimed at improving
teaching materials and learning methods. In 2008 there was a philosophical shift in
the training policy to one of Self Instruction as the training modules became less
focussed on subject-specific improvement and began to look at areas such as Action
Research, Classroom Psychology, School Environment and School Visioning. In
2009-10 this trend seems to be continuing with main areas identified including
Personality Development, Attitudinal Change and Advancement of Educational
Performance Through Teacher Support.

Likely constraints and problems

  The tangible shift away from straightforward classroom procedures and
towards abstract pedagogical issues as mentioned above could be difficult
to understand for the teachers and even more difficult to implement when
basic-teaching skills are also lacking.

Planning of policy implementation

Modules were developed by a State Resource Group which comprises of members
drawn from SCERT, DIETs, primary/junior high school teachers, pedagogical experts,
experts from NGOs and Ed.CIL, New Delhi. Throughout 2008-9 four workshops
were organised for this SRG in which various stages of the training modules were
developed and discussed at length before the training commenced. In 2008-9, it was
decided that the areas that should be prioritised were:
1. Pre-phased planning,
2. Integrated lesson planning,
3. Local Resource Groups,
4. Child Psychology,
5. Action Research,
6. Evaluation.

The next stage of implementation planning was the training of master trainers which
was followed by the training of trainers at the CRC, BRC and DIET levels. The
chosen modules were covered over a period of 20 days at the DIET or BRC level as
part of the in-service training compulsory for all primary school teachers. In many of
the more remote districts of Uttarakhand, it was unfeasible for the teachers to travel to
the DIET, so training was held at the Block level. Training was implemented in 3
sessions of 10 days, 4 days and 6 days with each session incorporating different
modules of training. The training sessions are held during school holidays, so as to
avoid any interruption of the teaching process.

Likely constraints and problems

 The State Resource Group is a systemic input and could become
insensitive to the problems faced by the teachers on the ground level.
 The implementation of the training programme could face problems in
terms of co-ordinating the training at the micro-level.
 A clear timeframe of the training of master trainers and trainers was not
available.
 Teachers may resent using their holiday time for training, which may
cause lack of interest in the training.

Policy impact assessment

The monitoring process to evaluate the teacher training process was conducted by an
appointed Nodal Officer at each training centre, who was usually a Principal of a
secondary school. There was evaluation of the classroom process and feedback was
then given to the resource centres at cluster, block and district level and it is stipulated
that the SPO would also conduct monthly monitoring through video conferencing,
meeting, teleconferencing and field visits. The Continuous and Comprehensive
Evaluation (CCE) monitoring programme was commissioned in 2005-6 and piloted in
two districts of Uttarakhand in 2008-9, and aims to evaluate the classroom process at
regular intervals throughout the year. This information was utilised to monitor and
evaluate the performance of schools in the pilot districts and in 2007 the state
government issued an order for state-wide implementation of CCE at both primary
and upper primary levels. The aim of this school mapping system is to monitor the
performance of students and the teaching and non-teaching staff at the school level.

Likely constraints and problems

 In remote, mountainous districts it is difficult to monitor how effectively
this evaluation is being carried out.
 The idea of video-conferencing and teleconferencing in remote mountain
areas is unfeasible.
 Incorrect information could be given at the micro-level so some measures
to prevent this could be developed in the planning process.

Subsequent policy cycles

The 2009-10 state plan has recognised several shortfalls in the teacher education
process and this is also reflected in the eleventh five year plan at the national level. It
has been observed that BRC and CRC performance is unsatisfactory and that they are
not providing proper support to the school management and teachers. There is also
concern at all levels about the performance of DIETs and the eleventh five year plan
states:
DIETs have not justified their existence in terms of outcomes despite their
existence for about two decades....Structural problems and the absence of linkages
with higher education seem to have isolated DIETs from current trends in research as
well as from the academic community. The quality of teacher training leaves much to
be desired.
At the state level there is therefore a commitment to institution building in order to
improve the performance of all institutions involved in the training process. The
annual state plan lays out the guidelines for these institutions, and gives them

The 2009-10 plan for teacher education is based on improving the classroom process
and the planning process for teacher training reflects this clearly in its choice of
modules. The structure of the SSA training remains mostly the same as the previous
year. Alongside this however, several piloted programmes are now in the process of
being introduced in the state in partnership with NGOs and central government
agencies and a multi-pronged effort seems to be in progress to improve learning
levels.

Likely constraints and problems

 The involvement of such a large number of institutions in the training process
could possibly lead to confusion and a deterioration of quality.

Conclusion
It is evident that much thought and discussion has gone into the development of the
planning process both at the national and at the state level. Yet despite all of this
effort, there has been a visible decline in learning levels and many teachers remain
unmotivated and ineffective on the ground level. I have suggested what may be some
of the constraints of the present planning process in terms of teacher training and
offered some suggestions in how this can be improved. With so many inputs in terms
of teacher training, it should follow that the quality of teaching and levels of learning
would improve significantly. This may still prove to be the case, as Uttarakhand is
still a state in its infancy and much work has been done over the past years simply to
set up the necessary infrastructure and administration to facilitate the implementation
process. However, I believe that no matter how effective the central and state level
planning is and how much outside support is given from NGOs, IGOs and various
other supporters, will have little effect unless the teachers themselves are motivated to
teach. Unfortunately, in the present climate of petty corruption and inefficiency, they
are not encouraged to do so. It remains the case that teachers are paid the same salary
regardless of whether they perform well or badly, and the likelihood of their being
dismissed once in a post is almost none. At the same time, those who have the
responsibility of monitoring the work of the teachers at the cluster level will often not
carry out their duty properly. The problems are therefore not simple ones that can be
solved with a slight change in the planning process, as they appear to be deeply rooted
in cultural problems in many cases. However, the main area that needs to be focussed
on is the monitoring process to ensure complete transparency in the performance of
all the levels of planning and administration. By involving more NGOs and outside
organisations in the education process, this may slowly happen as more objective
monitoring will take place and better work ethics may be imbibed.

From my experience working in a primary school and talking to teachers, I have

found that many of them find the training programmes to be irrelevant and few take
them seriously. Teachers at our school have benefitted the most from observing
lessons conducted by other teachers rather than listening to pedagogical lectures or
attending workshops. Due to the fact that all of the teachers in the state have been
educated in the traditional, rote-based manner there is a huge tendency to fall back on
this process. The shift in thinking which needs to take place to incorporate many of
the new pedagogical ideas, most of which come from the west, is often
underestimated and teachers are overburdened with new concepts and information
which they see as peripheral to the learning process. Therefore, a gradual
incorporation of new ideas and concepts needs to take place in an incremental way
with the help of locally-based institutions and schools.

Finally, it is clear that the decentralised system of governance can create problems
when it comes to planning in a state such as Uttarakhand. Due to the geographical
position of many of the districts, the monitoring stage of the planning process is
problematic. It could be possible that rather some of the monitoring and
implementation needs to be done from the state level, and that a shift towards a more
centralised model is appropriate. The simplification of the planning and specifically
teacher training process are not easy tasks in such a highly populated district, but with
increased input and well-trained teams at the state level, this is clearly a possibility.
i
Uttarakhand has also been known as Uttaranchal, but will be referred to as Uttarakhand thoughout this report.
ii
GoI 10th 5 year plan 2002-2007, page 16, 2.2.65.
iii
http://gov.ua.nic.in/schooleducation/SCHOOLEDUCATION/structure.htm.
iv
Observation on STLF-II: Learners' Assessment (Report of NCERT)
v
Kaufman, R, “Educational Planning: Strategic, Tactical and Operational”, Why Plan Strategically? & Tactical
Planning.
vi
Primary education: What is Himachal Pradesh doing right? http://infochangeindia.org
vii
DECENTRALIZATION & SCHOOL-BASED MANAGEMENT RESOURCE KIT-CASE STUDIES. Prepared by
Karen Edge for the Education Reform & Management Thematic Group, HDNED, World Bank [August 2000].

References
Cassell: London. Haddad, W. with Demsky, T. (1995) Education policy-planning process:
an applied framework
Forojalla S.B. (1993) Educational planning for development
Govt. of India (2002-07), Tenth 5 Year Plan
Govt. of India (2008-12), Eleventh 5 Year Plan
The Annual Status of Education Report 2008 (Rural), Facilitated by Pratham
Submitted by State Project Office, Annual Work Plan & Budget: 2007-2008 Uttarakhand
State Plan
Submitted by State Project Office, Annual Work Plan & Budget: 2009-2010 Uttarakhand
State Plan