Explicate the role and responsibilities of school, parents and local bodies in community development.

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Answer:

School is a special institution, created to serve specific social needs. It, therefore, not only gets aims and objectives from society but its contents and methods are also determined in accordance with the activities, carried on in society, for which the school functions. But society is dynamic and changes very frequently. It is, therefore, essential that the character and nature of education, imparted in the school, also change according to the needs and developments of the society. A school is not merely a place of formal learning, but also a place of social learning. It is a social unit and an integral part of the total organisation of society. In the words of Professor K.G. Saiyidain: “A people’s school must obviously be based on the people s needs and problems. Its curriculum should be an epitome of their life. Its method of work must approximate to theirs. It should reflect all that is significant and characteristics in the life of the community in its natural setting. ” It is, therefore, that school education is correlated with the social environment of children. A good society is the product of a good school system and a good school system is the product of a good society. So there must be intimate relationships between the school and the society.

It should, however, be noted that in a big country like India, every community is inter-related with other communities and is a part of the large community, known as nation. The school, therefore, should adopt its educational programme in a way that it should render specific service to the local community and also meet the needs of the large community or nation, as a whole. In other words, the school should adopt its cultural and social activities to its regional and national needs.

If I were to ask you 'What did you learn in school?' what would you say? Would you tell me about the subject knowledge you gained and the classes you attended? Would you talk about the time you spent with friends and your participation in extracurricular activities? Schools certainly act as a transmitter of knowledge and academic skills like reading, writing, and arithmetic. But they also serve other functions in our society as well, and these can be categorized as manifest or latent functions.

A manifest function of school is a function that people believe is the obvious purpose of school and education. Manifest functions of education are those that are intended and that most people think about. For example, in elementary school, parents expect their children to learn new information but also how to 'get along' with other children and begin to understand how society works. So, two of the most significant manifest functions of schools beyond teaching subject knowledge are socialization and the transmission of cultural norms and values.

Socialization refers to a process by which individuals acquire a personal identity and learn the knowledge, language, and social skills required to interact with others. Again, students don't only learn from the academic curriculum prepared by teachers and school administrators. They also learn social rules and expectations from interactions with others. Students in America receive rewards for following schedules and directions, meeting deadlines, and obeying authority. They learn how to avoid punishment by reducing undesirable behaviors like offensive language. They also figure out that to be successful socially, they must learn to be quiet, to wait, to act interested even when they're not, and to please their teachers without alienating their peers.

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