Education Governance: State vs. Concurrent list

Context

The debate over whether education should be brought back to the State list or remain under the Concurrent List has been a longstanding one in India. This issue touches upon the fundamental questions of federalism, autonomy, and the role of the central government in shaping the country’s education system.

The Current Status of Education in India

Currently, education in India is a subject under the Concurrent List of the Constitution, which means that both the central government and state governments have the power to legislate on educational matters. This arrangement was established through the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution in 1976, which shifted education from the State List to the Concurrent List.

Arguments for Bringing Education Back to the State List

• Decentralization and Autonomy: The campaigners for taking education back to the State list consider that this will enable state governments to enhance their sovereignty in delivering and formulating educational policies that will meet the demands and goals of their regions.
• Diversity and Flexibility: Every Indian state may have its own social, cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic context and thus it would be more appropriate to give more decentralised control to states, including state level educational policies.
• Reduced Bureaucratic Interference: Since education falls under the Concurrent List the central government intervenes in the matters of education and at times the policies can be very bureaucratic and standardized. Transfer of education to the state list could check such interferences and provide flexible and appropriate reform in education at the state level.
• Improved Accountability: Down at a state level, the state governments would shoulder a greater deal of responsibility for the performance and quality of the systems of education in their jurisdictions rather than the centre.
• Experimentation and Innovation: Perhaps if the control of education lies at the state level more experimentation and innovation in the application of methods, curriculum, and ways of managing the education process might be possible since different states will be able to test different ways of doing things and then see which ways work best.

Arguments for Retaining Education in the Concurrent List

• National Standards and Coordination: That is why many proponents of the current distribution of educational competencies, according to which education is located in the Concurrent List of the Indian Constitution, stress the necessity of the direct intervention of the central government aimed to set and enforce the minimum national standards, to coordinate the processes of education, and to provide the proper distribution of educational resources between the different regions of the country.
• Economies of Scale: Some education programmes, including the setting of national level entrance tests, the establishment of central standard education institutes and the framing of general provisions can have advantages of central government’s larger resource availability due to scale furthering.
• Addressing Disparities: Having the central government involved in education can help equalize certain regions which often lack adequate funding and other forms of support, to provide education to less privileged states and or communities which would not be possible if states bore all the responsibilities in providing education.
• National Integration and Identity: Education acts as a weapon for positive integration toward the Indian identity of people from all streams. Thus, the central government should become actively involved in the promotion of these goals in education.
• International Competitiveness: The fact that education has been retained in the Concurrent List places the educational system directly under the control of the central government while it allows the central government to occasionally fuse the education system with the general economic and strategic needs of the country to keep India’s educational system competitive globally.

The Way Forward

• Given the valid arguments on both sides, a possible solution could be to find a balance between the need for national coordination and standards, and the desire for greater state-level autonomy and flexibility in education.
• One approach could be to maintain education in the Concurrent List, but with a clear delineation of responsibilities between the central and state governments. The central government could focus on setting broad national policies, standards, and frameworks, while the state governments could have the autonomy to implement these policies in a manner that best suits their local contexts.
• Additionally, the central government could provide more financial and technical support to the states, while ensuring that the states have the necessary resources and capacity to effectively manage their education systems.

Conclusion

The debate over whether education should be brought back to the State list or remain under the Concurrent List is a complex one, with valid arguments on both sides. Ultimately, the decision should be guided by the principles of federalism, the need for national coordination and standards, and the desire to provide quality education that caters to the diverse needs of India’s states and communities. A balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both the central and state governments could be the way forward in addressing this long standing issue.

Source: The hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q. Examine the implications of moving education back to the State List from the Concurrent List in India. Discuss the potential benefits and challenges associated with such a shift.

Download as PDF