BESC 102 Solved Guess Paper 2026 for Structure and Management of Education, Bachelor of Arts (Education) BAFEDU

Fundamental Rights of Education in the Constitution

Question: Discuss the fundamental rights of education as envisioned in the Constitution of India.

"The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine."

Meaning: Education holds a central place in the Indian Constitution and reflects the country's commitment to an informed, equitable and empowered society. The provisions are spread across Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties.

1. Article 21-A, Right to Education: Inserted by the 86th Amendment (2002), it makes free and compulsory elementary education a fundamental right and forms the legal basis of the RTE Act, 2009.
2. Article 45, Early Childhood Care and Education: A Directive Principle asking the State to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete six years of age.
3. Article 46, Upliftment of SCs, STs and weaker sections: Directs the State to promote their educational and economic interests and protect them from social injustice and exploitation.
4. Article 30, Rights of minorities: Religious and linguistic minorities may establish and administer educational institutions of their choice, ensuring cultural and educational autonomy.
5. Article 29(1), Protection of minority interests: Any section of citizens with a distinct language, script or culture has the right to conserve it, including through education.
6. Article 350A, Instruction in mother tongue: Every State and local authority should provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage, especially for linguistic minorities.
7. Article 51A(k), Fundamental duty of parents: Every parent or guardian must provide opportunities for education to their child between 6 and 14 years of age.

Conclusion: Together these provisions uphold the right to education, promote equity, support diversity and place responsibility on both the State and citizens, forming the foundation for the RTE Act and NEP 2020.

NPE 1986 and NEP 2020 Compared

Question: Compare the National Policy on Education, 1986 and the National Education Policy, 2020 with regard to structure, access, inclusion and governance of education.

Meaning: NPE 1986 was adopted by Parliament in May 1986 and guided Indian education for almost 34 years. NEP 2020, finalised under Dr. K. Kasturirangan, replaced it and aligns with SDG-4 of the 2030 Agenda. The two differ across four key dimensions.

1. Mother tongue or home language as the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, preferably Grade 8.
2. A National Mission on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and a new assessment centre, PARAKH.
3. Holistic, multidisciplinary higher education with multiple entry and exit options and a National Research Foundation.

Conclusion: NPE 1986 expanded access within a fixed 10+2+3 structure, while NEP 2020 restructures schooling to 5+3+3+4, deepens inclusion through SEDGs and adopts flexible, light-but-tight governance for a knowledge society.

Functions of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA)

Question: Describe the functions of Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) with regard to shaping secondary education.

Meaning: Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan was started in 2009 by the Government of India to improve access to, and the quality of, secondary education.

1. Improving access by establishing a secondary school within a radius of every 5 kilometres.
2. Improving the quality of secondary education provided in schools across the country.
3. Removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers that keep students out of secondary education.
4. Providing universal access to secondary education, a goal it aimed to reach by 2017.
5. Working toward the larger objective of universalising secondary education in India.

RMSA has since been subsumed, along with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, under the integrated Samagra Shiksha scheme, which treats school education as a continuum.

Conclusion: By bringing schools within reach, removing barriers and raising quality, RMSA has been central to extending and universalising secondary education in India.

Academic and Administrative Bodies of a University

Question: Describe the functions of academic and administrative bodies of a University.

Meaning: A university is run through a set of statutory bodies. The Academic Council is the principal decision-making body in academic matters, while the Executive Council is the highest decision-making body of the university.

1. Court or Senate: Called the Court in a central university and the Senate in a state university; it reviews broad policies and programmes and passes the annual report, accounts and audit report.
2. Executive Council, Syndicate or Board of Management: The highest decision-making body, representing faculties, colleges and teachers; it takes policy decisions and oversees overall functioning.
3. Academic Council: Coordinates academic policy, sets norms and standards for teaching and research, and advises the Executive Council.
4. Boards of Studies: One for each department; subject to the Academic Council, it approves courses and research subjects, appoints supervisors and examiners and improves teaching standards.
5. Finance Committee: Headed by the Vice-Chancellor; it examines accounts, scrutinises expenditure proposals and recommends limits on recurring and non-recurring expenditure.

Conclusion: The Court or Senate sets broad policy, the Executive Council governs, the Academic Council and Boards of Studies steer academics and the Finance Committee manages funds, together ensuring effective university governance.

Institutional Autonomy in Higher Education

Question: Describe institutional autonomy in the context of higher education.

Meaning: Derived from the Greek auto (self) and nomos (rule), autonomy in education means the degree of professional independence given to institutions to decide on curriculum, methodology, courses and programmes.

1. Freedom to function in a way that achieves academic excellence.
2. Freedom to administer and manage the institution through its own rules and regulations.
3. NEP 2020 recommends both academic and administrative autonomy and introduces the idea of graded autonomy.

In practice, autonomy is often limited by close links with political power and by financial constraints, with funding sometimes used to curtail it.

Conclusion: Institutional autonomy decentralises decision-making and, working hand in hand with accountability, creates an enabling environment for quality higher education.