68 SOCIAL SCIENTIST iv) permission for conversion of high schools into higher secondary schools; v) rates of fees; vi) laying down general conditions for recognition; vii) conduce of primary and high school scholarship examination; and viii) such other powers as may be specifically entrusted to the Director of Education or reserved for the State Government under the Grant-in-Aid Code. In the case of private secondary schools, only recommending and loans and their disbursement on sanction from the Director of Education. aft Grant of loans and scholarship to students in respect of primary and secondary education. 8 7 Construction and maintenance of primary and secondary schools buildings of the zilla parishads. 28 Other educational objects. ' 9 Provision of equipment and pla/grounds for schools. 1 • Report of the Evaluation Committee on Panchayati Raj, Govercmcnt of Maharashtra, Rural Development Department, Bombay 1971. p 271. Also Marathi daily Marathwada, Aurangabad, of 8 October 1975 for details of these complaints. 8 Observation of the Evaluation Committee on Panchayati Raj appointed by Government of Maharashtra (Bongirwar Committee) is revealing in this regard. The committee in its report mentioned on p 106: "From time to time in our interviews and discussions with officials and non-officials and also in our visits to various Panchayati Raj bodies it was suggested in certain quarters to us that the subject of education must be withdrawn from the Panchayati Raj bodies and brought back to the state sector. The main reasons given in support of this proposal for rcshifting to the state sector are:" i Due to conflicts between officials and non-officials in matters of transfers, postings, punishments, etc. the work of the Education Department has greatly suffered. ii Since non-officials arc preoccupied with matters of transfers of teachers and other staff of the Education Department they are unable to pay proper attention to 'development' activities. iii There is a decline in the quality of education on account of laxity in inspection. iv There is indiscipline in the teaching staff itself. v There is general inefficiency and indiscipline on account of the various malpractices in the zilla parishads. vi The zilla parishad leadership is of ordinary calibre and docs not have sufficient understanding of the education policies and is unable to solve the myriad problems in this field and any rational and scientific attention to educational development. vii The Panchayati Raj bodies arc 'election-oriented* and primary teachers have become pliable instruments for election campaigns of the office-bearers. e The name of the district is not mentioned in this report because the teachers who cooperated with this survey were promised by the author that the name of the teacher place or the district would in no case er manner be disclosed to anybody. This was to avoid possible victimization of the teachers by the concerned leaders. 7 Most of the teachers selected were found to be teaching subjects like mathematics, science, and English in their respective schools and had relevant qualfications. 8 Report of the Evaluation Committee, op.cit., pp 219-220; Also see N R Inamdar, Functioning of Village Panchayats, Popular Prakashan, Bombay 1970, p 282. 9 See M V Mathur (ed.) Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan, Impcx India, New Delhi l971> P 280.