BPSC Headmaster key terms

A land revenue arrangement introduced by the British in 1793 in Bengal and Bihar under which zamindars became permanent owners of land in exchange for a fixed annual payment to the Company.

A British revenue method in which the individual cultivator, called a ryot, was recognized as the direct payer of land revenue to the state, bypassing intermediary landlords.

A revenue settlement in which the village or estate as a whole was treated as the unit of assessment, with responsibility for payment shared among the village community.

A 1917 peasant movement led by Gandhi in Bihar against the tinkathia system, under which indigo planters forced tenants to grow indigo on part of their land.

An oppressive arrangement in Champaran requiring tenants to cultivate indigo on three kathas out of every bigha of land for European planters at low prices.

The annual state day observed on 22 March, marking the separation of Bihar from Bengal in 1912 and celebrated with cultural and administrative programmes.

An ancient Buddhist monastic university in present-day Bihar that flourished from the fifth century CE, attracting scholars from across Asia before its decline.

A major Buddhist monastic university established in the Pala period in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, known for tantric studies and for training Atisha Dipankara.

A traditional folk art of the Mithila region of Bihar, characterized by line drawings, natural dyes, and themes from mythology, marriage rituals, and nature.

A major festival of Bihar and eastern India in which devotees worship the Sun god, observing fasting and offering arghya at riverbanks during Kartik month.

Six categories of rights guaranteed in Part III of the Indian Constitution, enforceable against the state through courts, covering equality, freedom, exploitation, religion, culture, and remedies.

Guidelines in Part IV of the Constitution directing the state toward social and economic welfare; they are not directly enforceable in courts but inform policy and legislation.

A formal application to a High Court or the Supreme Court seeking a constitutional remedy such as habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, or quo warranto.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, mandating free elementary education for children aged six to fourteen and setting school norms and duties.

A body constituted in government and aided schools under the RTE Act, with majority parent members, responsible for monitoring school functioning and preparing development plans.

A three-year plan prepared by the School Management Committee covering school needs, improvement priorities, and resource requirements, used to guide funding and monitoring.

India's comprehensive education policy replacing the 1986 policy, introducing the 5+3+3+4 structure, foundational literacy goals, multidisciplinary higher education, and teacher reforms.

A national mission launched in 2021 to ensure that every child attains foundational literacy and numeracy by the end of Grade 3 by a specified target year.

The ability of young learners to read with comprehension and perform basic numerical operations, treated as the highest priority in early primary education under NEP 2020.

An assessment approach covering scholastic and co-scholastic areas through ongoing school-based evaluation, reducing dependence on a single terminal examination.

Assessment conducted during teaching to gather evidence about learning progress and adjust instruction, typically low-stakes and feedback-oriented rather than grading-focused.

Assessment carried out at the end of a unit, term, or course to judge overall achievement against learning outcomes and to certify or grade performance.

A specific, observable statement of what a learner should know or be able to do after instruction, used to plan teaching and judge achievement.

A learning theory holding that learners actively build knowledge by connecting new information with prior experience, rather than passively receiving transmitted facts.

Vygotsky's concept describing the gap between what a learner can do alone and what they can achieve with guidance from a more capable person.

Temporary support provided by a teacher or peer that enables a learner to complete a task beyond current independent ability, gradually withdrawn as competence grows.

An approach in which children with disabilities and diverse backgrounds learn in mainstream classrooms with appropriate adaptations, rather than being segregated into separate settings.

A written plan for a learner with special needs specifying current levels, goals, services, accommodations, and review timelines, prepared with parents and specialists.

A motivational model arranging human needs from physiological and safety needs upward through belonging, esteem, and self-actualization, with lower needs generally prioritized.

The drive to engage in an activity for its own interest or satisfaction, without reliance on external rewards or punishments.

The process of guiding, observing, and supporting teachers to improve classroom practice, usually through visits, feedback conferences, and follow-up rather than fault-finding inspection.

A cyclical supervisory model involving pre-observation conferencing, classroom observation, and post-observation feedback aimed at improving specific teaching behaviours.

A structured review of a school's teaching, assessment, and record-keeping practices against defined standards, producing findings and improvement recommendations.

A governance arrangement delegating budgeting, staffing, and instructional decisions to the school level, with accountability shared among the head, teachers, and community.

A national programme launched in 2001 to universalize elementary education through school infrastructure, teacher provision, and community participation; now subsumed under Samagra Shiksha.

An integrated centrally sponsored scheme covering pre-primary to senior secondary schooling, merging earlier programmes for elementary and secondary education with a focus on equity and quality.

A school nutrition programme providing a cooked meal to children in government and aided schools to improve attendance, retention, and nutritional status.

The total number of students enrolled at a given level expressed as a percentage of the eligible age-group population, indicating participation but not completion.

Enrolment of children in the official age group for a level expressed as a percentage of that age-group population, indicating accurate age-appropriate participation.

The proportion of pupils who leave school before completing a given level, calculated for a cohort or year and used to measure retention problems.