Role of DIET

“To provide academic and resource support at the grass-roots level for the success of the various strategies and programmes being undertaken in the areas of elementary and adult education, with special reference to the following objectives: -

Elementary Education

•       Universalisation of Primary/Elementary Education.

•        Adult Education

•        NLM targets in regard to functional literacy in the 15-35 age group.

DIETs: Pace-setting Role
Pursuit of excellence would have to inform all activities of the DIETs, in which context, it will have two inter-related aspects:-

  1. Excellence in the Institute’s own work, and

  2. Helping the elementary and adult education systems in the district, in achieving excellence.

DIETs:  Part of a Larger Design

DIETs:  Transactional Philosophy

  1.  Training (both of induction level as well as continuing varieties)

  2. Resource support (extension/guidance, development of materials, aids, evaluation tools, etc.) and

  3. Action research

 Child Centred Approach
             A warm welcoming and encouraging approach, in which all concerned share a solicitude for the needs of the child, is the best motivation for the child to attend school and learn.  A child-centred and activity-based process of learning should be adopted at the primary stage…”

              In the case of Adult Education Programmes also, it is clear that functional literacy should be imparted to adults in a participative, learner-active mode.

•        Programmes will be need based.  Even within group of trainees/participants, individual differences and needs will be identified and catered to.

•        Trainees will be enabled to experiment, discover, learn, practice and innovate for themselves, rather than being lectured to. Learning activities will be suitably organised, in individual and group modes.

•        Maximum possible use will be made of the local environment in the learning process.  Curricula and learning activities will be suitably related to it.

 •       Good work done by trainees will be duly recognised, encouraged, displayed and publicized.
 •       The DIET will itself adopt the attitude of a “life-long learner” rather than that of an oracle or know-all.  It would receive as much from the ‘field’ as it would endeavor to give to it.  The district will serve as the ‘school’ for its learning experiences, while it may carve out one or two special areas as its ‘lab areas’.

 DIETs: Special Target Groups

 (i)  Girls and women

(ii) Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes

(iii) Minorities

  1. The handicapped, and

  2. Other educationally disadvantaged groups e.g. working children, slum-dwellers, inhabitants of hilly, desert and other inaccessible areas, etc.

 It follows that DIETs also, in all aspect of their work, would have to give primary attention to promotion of education of the above groups.

  DIETs: Autonomy and Accountability

  1. “Decentralization and the creation of a spirit of autonomy for educational institutions: and

  2. “Establishing the principle of accountability in relation to given objectives and norms”.

 In view of the above, DIETs would need to be given adequate functional autonomy-academic, administrative and financial-and would at the same time be accountable laid down objectives and norms.  They would be institutions of the State Government or UT Administration, and will therefore be ultimately answerable to them.  The State government/UT Administration, and will therefore be ultimately answerable to them.  The State Government/UT Administration may exercise its supervisory functions through the SCERT and SRC.