Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/45

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Multi-skill do that, but given the right environment, the training seeds of invention and enterprise can germinate. broadens the horizon of experiences 3. The community pays for these services of the This economic transaction is necessary. It brings growing child. the criterion of economic viability in what the teacher teaches and the students learn. It also reduces the cost for both the user and the giver. For the school, part of the equipment cost and most of the material cost is borne by the community who uses these services. Also, it is an evaluation and quality control mechanism by the community. If these services are not used, it indicates that they are either not relevant or not up to the mark. We have found this as the lowest cost solution for providing services to the rural area. By providing services through the educational system, the demand for these services increases until they become commercially viable; thus it lays the foundation for creating new job opportunities. By providing essential services through schools, even in areas where such services are not commercially viable because of low demand levels, the community benefits. It can therefore be induced to pay the cost of the equipment and other infrastructure facilities for starting such a programme for the school. By thus involving the community, the financial burden on the government is reduced, thereby making it economically feasible to consider such a system for more secondary schools. This also makes it possible for the community to demand the services from the staff and the school as they have invested in it. The community now has a stake in the proper functioning of the school. 4. Using the surplus as an incentive The distribution of the surplus allows the staff to be given a core salary for the time they spend on actual instruction. The remaining Rural Development Through Education System 40