Back to: Education in Contemporary India – Unit 2
According to Jean Bodin,
“A state is an association of families and their possession governed by a supreme power and by reason.”
The state government is responsible for maintaining law and order in the state. They preserve public health and harmony through the administration of Justice. Bluntschli states,
“state is a politically organized people of a definite territory.”
Burgess states that the state is a
“particular portion of mankind viewed as an organised unit.”
The role of state government in education is as follows:
Promote Education
The state government must take the initiative to promote education through the formulation of various policies.
Establishment of Schools
The State government must ensure that there are adequate schools and other educational institutions established in different communities.
Free Education
The state must provide facilities and resources to facilitate free and compulsory education.
Incentives
They must ensure that incentives are rewarded at frequent intervals to family and children to motivate them.
Focus on rural areas
The state government must focus on the development of rural areas and offer adequate accommodation and transport facilities.
Appointment of Teachers
They must recruit and appoint trained teachers who are qualified so that education can be of high quality.
Financial aid
They must offer financial aid to educational institutions for their proper functioning.
Frame the Syllabus
They must also aid in framing a syllabus and curriculum that promotes their culture and is child friendly.
These are the various functions a state government has to take responsibility for in terms of education. Its educational strategies must foster the overall development of the future generation. Aristotle adds,
“The state is a union of families and villages and having for its ends a perfect and self-sufficing life by which we mean a happy and honorable life.”
