Educational Policies in India: Analysis and Review of Promise Andperformance Edited By

Educational Policies in India:
Analysis and Review of Promise andPerformance
Edited bySudha Rao, NIEPA

In India, improving access to and quality of education has been the focus of almost all the national consultations and the committees constituted at different stages of the development of its education system. Among the various national consultations, discussions, and recommendations that gave a direction and focus to its developmental strategies after independence, the National Policies on Education (NPE) have played a ma-jor role. The latest in the series is the NPE 1992 (revised) and the Programme of Action 1992 (revised). Although NPE 1992 has served the objectives well, the changing context of the nation calls for a review. With developments in technology coupled with globalisation and liberalization, education has gained an international dimension and consequently, new challenges have emerged. To face the emerging challenges, there is a need to review the policies of education –
review that could provide valuable inputs for policy formulation in the changing context.

This book is an effort to fulfill this need. It is an excellent compilation of the analysis and review of the National Policy on Education and the Programme of Action (PoA) 1992. It brings out clearly the state-of-the-art on the recent changes in educational policies in three sections. Section I gives the backdrop in terms of the detailed profile of NPE, which helps the readers in understanding the policy initiatives and Section II presents the area wise analysis. It is the Section III that highlights the future perspectives and adds to the contributory value of the book.

The sectoral analysis given by the subject experts on the actions taken so far and direction for further action is informative and exhaustive. The Further Dimensions of NPE discussed in Section III provides valuable inputs for policy formulation.

This book is an admirable treatment of the policy analysis and has depth of understanding of the issues involved, virtue of clarity in presentation and readability in language. It is no exaggeration to say that a reader interested in educational administration and policy studies can read it effortlessly. For a reader who has been just initiated into policy studies, it is an excellent guide and reference material to a new domain with every chapter well written. This book will certainly be a valuable addition to the literature in educational policies.

ANTONY STELLA

Contributor
STELLA ANTONY:Is advisor, National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Bangalore, India.