Peoples Council of Education (PCE)
Peoples Council of Education (PCE) is a national educational organization in India. Its registered headquarters is in Allahabad. The organization was established on 15 August 1995 and was officially registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1861 on 17 June 1998.
Today, PCE owns 3.75 acres of land in Allahabad for building its educational facilities. On this land, part of the Saubhagyavati–Prabhakar Singh Peoples Science Library building and the Nursery Section of Flower Valley Peoples School, called “Shanti Sadan,” have already been constructed.
PCE is also working to acquire land in Sonbhadra District of Uttar Pradesh for its future projects, including Lok Vigyan Sansthan and Peoples University.
Objective of Peoples Council of Education (PCE)
The main objective of the Peoples Council of Education is to discover, develop, and spread a democratic, scientific, and creative education system that meets the needs, hopes, and creative potential of the people of India.
The creation of PCE is the result of many years of innovative and creative efforts by dedicated individuals and groups working in the field of education across the country.
Its ideas are inspired by the early educational experiments of great Indian leaders such as Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Nanabhai Bhatt, Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, and Zakir Hussain, along with many others.
Over the past several decades, many organizations in India—such as Krishnamurti Foundation, Kishore Bharati, Eklavya, HBCSE, Anand Shiksha Niketan, Lok Bharati Gram Vidyapith, Gujarat Vidyapith, and Gandhi Gram—have also contributed through their educational experiments and ideas.
Important inspirations for PCE include Lok Shala for Lok Shiksha created by Nanabhai Bhatt and the Nai Talim education philosophy of Gujarat Vidyapith. The continuous efforts of people demanding a free and equal common education system also motivate this initiative.
The formation of PCE was also influenced by the declining creativity in science, the growing challenges in the education system, and the reduced involvement of the government in education and health sectors.
Indian Academy of Social Sciences (ISSA) and its members played a major role in the creation of the Peoples Council of Education (PCE). This initiative represents an effort by the people of India to build a new education system that is different from the current British-based education system, which later adopted some features of the American education system. The new system aims to be closely connected with family, community, and society.
Unlike the present system, the proposed education system should be non-alienating, non-violent, non-commercial, and harmonious. The current dual education system should be replaced with a single, common, and uniform education system for everyone.
The new system also aims to remove all forms of discrimination, including caste, class, religion, race, and wealth that exist in the present system.
The main motto of the Peoples Council of Education is the development of the creative potential of every Indian child through a democratic and scientific education system, especially through education in Indian languages.
Peoples Council of Education (PCE) is of the people, by the people, and for the people. It encourages active support and participation from all Indians—men and women, rich and poor, educated and uneducated—to help build and spread a new democratic and scientific education system for the well-being of society.
To achieve its goals, PCE works through several institutions and initiatives, including:
Peoples Education Congress (PEC)
All India Peoples Medical and Health Science Convention
All India Peoples Teachers Convention
All India Peoples University and College Teachers Convention
Flower Valley Peoples School
Lok Vigyan Sanchar Sansthan
Lok Swasthya Vigyan Sansthan
Lok Praudyogiki Sansthan
Peoples University
Peoples Science Library and Children’s Library
Peoples Education Journals, Monographs, and Books in Indian Languages
Prabhat Mandal Open Theatre
Nanabhai Bhatt Memorial Foundation
Peoples Council of Education is a membership-based national educational organization. All members together form the General House, which is the highest decision-making body of the organization.
The General House elects an Executive Council to manage the activities and administration of PCE. The officials and members of the Executive Council are elected by the General House through a postal ballot for a term of three years.