State and its Educational functions

Define State and elaborate educational functions of state

Definition 1 – “A state is an organized civil government, national or local, which exercises its political power in maintaining law and order, in administering justice which preserves public health (physical as well as mental) and which regulates several activities of public importance.”.

Definition 2 – “A state may be defined as an organized political community with a government recognized by the people.”

Educational functions of a state are –

1. To protect and promote education among the citizens in the society.
2. To keep a watch over the spread of education and the measures implemented for the educational and thus the social upliftment of the citizens.
3. To see that schools are established as per the needs of the community that they are located in and to establish schools, colleges, universities, boards wherever there is a demand and need for the same.
4. To ensure that the basic right of every citizen to avail the facility of education is met.
5. To achieve schematic progress towards making education free and compulsory till the secondary stage.
6. To ensure that due attention and incentives are given to encourage the family to send the girl child to school and to ensure that the backward classes and minority communities are not neglected and are properly drawn into the educational system.
7. To set up schools in rural areas along with the necessary transport and hostel facilities.
8. To impart proper and qualified training to teachers and give them an attractive salary and incentives so that they are not tempted to quit and look elsewhere for jobs.
9. To provide financial aids and grants wisely and judiciously.
10. Framing of syllabus and curriculum.
11. To set aims and objectives of education.
12. Formulation of various schemes such as “Earn and learn”, free mid-day meals, “Sarva Shiksha Abhyan”, shikshan sevak”, etc.
13. Pre-service and In-service training for teachers.
14. Appointing committees and commissions for inspections and to think about educational problems and implementation of educational programmes.
15. Research and development programmes.