Till 1949, it was the only advisory body advising the central and state governments on different sectors of education. The Board meets once a year, assesses the achievements of the year, discusses significant educational problems and recommends programmes for the future. (2) National Council of Educational Research and Training:(NCERT) and its Functions: Established in 1961 as an autonomous body financed entirely by the central government, it functions as the academic wing of the Department of Education of the MHRD and assists it in formulating ant implementing its policies and programmes in the field of school education. The Union Minister of HRD is the president of the general body. Its ex-officio members include the ministers of education in the states and union territories and the chief executive councillor, New Delhi; chairperson of the UGC, four vice-chancellors of universities, 12 nominees of the government of India including four teachers and all members of the Executive Committee are members of the Council. The Secretary to the Government of India in the MHRD is an ex-officio member. Its functions are as follows: 1.
Advising the Government of India on school education and teacher education. 2. Encouraging and undertaking research and development. 3. Providing extension services. 4. Organizing educational programmes at the National Level.
5. Developing and revising syllabi. 6. Developing educational technology including educational aids. 7.
Reviewing teaching methods and their development. 8. Disseminating information about improvised educational techniques and methods as well as research findings. 9.
Providing orientation to those concerned with school education and teacher education regarding new educational thoughts, ideologies and information in all subjects. 10. Developing evaluation procedures and techniques. 11.
Providing pie-service and in-service teacher education programmes to teacher educators and other personnel from teacher education and other education sectors. 12. Developing teaching-learning material.
The council runs the Central Institute of Education offering a one year B. Ed, and Post-graduate courses as well as Shillong regional colleges of education situated at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, and Mysore, a peda-gogy-cum-content course of four years duration leading to B. Sc. Education in Science and B. A. Education in Humanities. (3) University Grants Commission (UGC): Set up by the Government of India in 1956, it is concerned with higher education and its general duty is to take, in consultation with the universities or other bodies concerned, all such steps it may think fit for the promotion and co-ordination of university education and maintenance of standards of teaching, examination and research in universities. Its activities are as follows: (a)The UGC enquires into the financial needs of the universities.
(b)It allocates and disburses funds to universities established under a Central Act for their maintenance and development as well as for any other general or specified purpose. (c)It allocates and disburses funds to other universities as it may deem necessary for their development. (d)It recommends measures of improvement and advises universities about the actions required to implement such measures.
(e)It provides advice to any authority, if such advice is sought, about the establishment of a new university or about proposals pertaining to the expansion plans of existing universities. (f)It provides advice, if asked for, on educational matters to the Central and State Governments or universities as the case may be. (g)It seeks data from universities concerning their financial positions, courses offered, rules and regulations concerning the standards of teaching and evaluation etc. (h) It performs such other functions as may be prescribed or deemed necessary for improving higher education in India. (4) National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE): It was set up as a statutory body in 1993 and came into existence in 1995. It was established with a view to achieving planned and co-ordinated development of the teacher education system throughout the country, the regulation and maintenance of standards in the teacher education system, as well as the regulation of teacher education courses at different levels offered through formal channels, correspondence/distance courses.
