REPORT OF THE GROUP ON SECONDARY EDUCATION (ANNEXURE-IX)
Chairman :
Shri Kanti Biswas
Education Minister (P&S)
Government of West Bengal
Rapporteurs :
(1) Dr. H. B. N. Shetty
Education Secretary,
Government of Tamil Nadu
(ii) Dr. (Mrs.) D. M. de Rebello
Joint Secretary (S)
Department of Education
RECOMMENDATION OF THE GROUP ON SECONDARY
EDUCATION The Group of the CABE which met to discuss secondary Education had a very interesting and thought-provoking session. It was the opinion of all the members that, although most of the individual schemes had not really taken off so far, the schemes themselves are essential for the improvement of meaningful education at the secondary level and should be continued. What was needed was to identify the restraints in the implementation of the programme and their solutions. After animated discussion in which different points of view were expressed, the following consensus emerged.
VOCATIONALISATION OF EDUCATION 2. It has been estimated in 1985 that about 71% of the educated unemployed are those who have passed the Secondary/ Higher Secondary Examinations. Against this background the 80
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need for vocationalisation of education becomes most apparent. Vocational, education reduces the pressure on the Universities for admission thereby contributing to the unemployment of graduates, by making students employable after the +2 stage. The National Policy on Education has laid down a target of diversification of 10% students at the higher secondary stage to the vocational stream by 1990. Though there has been some progress in this direction-notably in the case of some states like Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, it has not come to the accepted level. The main reasons for the shortfall are :-
(i) inadequacy of the course content itself;
(ii) the courses are not organised after a detailed survey of the requirement of jobs which results in was- tage of trained manpower;
(iii) the training given for a period of 2 years is at times found to be not adequate; and
(iv) the parents have not taken kindly to vocational courses hoping that graduation would get their wards better job opportunities.
3. The time has come to take a serious look at the voca- tionalisation of education so that a second stream of education is developed with all the required inputs to make it acceptable and worthwhile to the community. While conceding that linkage with employment is a crucial variable it was realized that vocational education cannot be a guarantee for employment. It increases the employability of youth, it increases the prospects and opportunities for employment, but as in the case even of persons with the most sophisticated training, it cannot guarantee employment to all.
4. Vocational Courses can be made more acceptable by adopting the following approaches :
1. By restructuring the courses so that atleast 70 % of the time is given to specialisation in the vocational subjects.
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2. The courses are matched with demand in the market so that frustration among the trained students is avoided. The Committee noted that there was acute shortage of trained manpower in the fields of dairy development, paramedical skills, and computer techni- cians. Vocational courses in these areas should be given priority since students will find ready employment opportunities.
3. By improving the training facilities making full use of the assistance given by the Government of India for equipment, construction of sheds, training of vocational teachers and so on.
4. By giving adequate publicity to the efficacy of vocational education.
5. In order to provide better employment opportunities the service and recruitment rules at all levels will need to be suitably modified, making graduates of the vocational stream eligible for employment. Some states have already done it and this should be emulated by others. For those students seeking self-employment, administrative and financial support should be provided, particularly from banking institutions.
6. The success of vocational education will greatly depend upon its acceptance by the industry. The credibility of the training is linked with its quality which should be of acceptable standard.
7. The absence of an appropriate management structure for looking after vocational education is one of the most important reasons for its poor implementation. It is, therefore, recommended that the management structure sanctioned to States/UTs is created without any further delay.
8. The committee strongly recommends that the trades notified under the Apprenticeship Act may be enlarged to include a number of new vocational courses started under the Vocationalisation Scheme. It will be necessary to strengthen the
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Regional Boards of Apprenticeship Training to handle these additional courses.
9. The Committee felt that there is an inadequate number of competent teachers to handle vocational courses. The Committee was of the opinion that in order to supplement the availability of trainers, teachers could be employed on a parttime and contractual basis drawn from local practitioners in the respective trades. This would also facilitate an evaluation at regular intervals of the relevancy and need for continuing certain courses.
10. Initially public sector undertakings, but eventually other industrial houses, should communicate their skilled manpower requirement to the concerned education authorities, so that the needed vocational courses could be organised on a sponsorship basis with full funding. Students so trained will have to be employed by the industry concerned if they are of the required standard.
11. There should not be any difference in the certificates issued to those passing the +2 level either through the general stream or the vocational stream. The Committee felt that bridge courses for a period of upto one year in some professional institutions should be organized for upgrading their skills, if required. A small percentage of seats in professional colleges should be reserved for students passing +2 through the vocational stream.
12. The Committee also felt that the Government of India should examine the establishment of vocational schools in different parts of the country for imparting specialised courses for which there is a great demand in the country. The examination conducted at the end of the such courses will also be at the +2 level and the certificate awarded will be the +2 certificate. There should be no duplication between these courses and those of ITIs and Polytechnics.
13. The Committee noted that there are several success stories in the area of vocational education within India but exchange
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of information regarding these achievements is almost totally absent. Administrators and Planners, and perhaps even some teachers responsible for organising vocational education should be given the opportunity of visiting successful states within India. In some cases it was also recommended that certain foreign countries should be visited where successful experiences in vocational education would help us to make the scheme work better in India.
14. The Committee recommends that in selected areas the question of introducing vocational courses after class VIII can be considered since a number of children do not continue their studies beyond class X and it would be useful for them to have employable skills.
15. The Committee felt that reduction of the language load on students in the vocational stream may be considered so that more time is available for specialisation.
16. The Committee recommends that in addition to conducting courses in the traditional trades, encouragement for starting innovative programmes in vocationalisation should be given.
17. Vocational Courses have tended to have an urban bias. To overcome this bias an, ad hoc group had been set up by the CABE Committee on vocationalisation to study the special inputs required to popularise and made more effective vocational courses in the rural areas. The recommendations of the ad hoc group as accepted by the expert group were generally endorsed by the present Group on Secondary Education. Similarly the recommendations of the ad hoc group on Vocational Courses for Women as accepted by the expert group were endorsed by this group on secondary education.
18. Finally, in respect of Vocational Education it was the unanimous resolution of the Committee that the scheme should be continued as centrally sponsored during the Eighth Five Year Plan. The Programme has not yet taken off and discontinuance of central assistance will spell the doom of the scheme.
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Improvement of Science Education in Schools 19. The Committee felt that the scheme is very useful but there are some bottlenecks which require to be removed to make the scheme really effective in bringing about a qualitative improvement in the teaching of science in the schools.
20. It is imperative that the teachers in science are given adequate training. It was brought to the notice of the Committee that sonic of the States have lagged behind in implementation as they have not made adequate provision in their budget for meeting TA/DA expenses of the teachers to be trained. Request was made for financial assistance from the G.O.I.
21. The core design for teachers training also has not been developed in many States. Unless this is completed there is no purpose in giving only the equipment and materials, as it is only adequately trained teachers who can make effective use of this equipment to bring about qualitative improvement in the teaching of the science.
22. It would be desirable if the District Resource Centre to be set up under the scheme are located in colleges or any corresponding Institutes rather than Secondary/Higher Secondary schools. This would not only ensure linkage between the higher education sector and the school sector but would also ensure better academic capability. Only in exceptional cases should secondary/higher secondary schools be recommended for setting tip of District Resources Centres.
23. The Committee was of the unanimous opinion that the Scheme for the Improvement of Science Education in schools must be continued in the 8th Plan as a centrally sponsored scheme.
Educational Technology 24. The Committee re-endorsed the statement in the NPE, 1986 that "modem educational technology must reach out to the most distant areas and most deprived sections of beneficiaries.
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simultaneously with the areas of comparative affluence and ready availability". Educational Technology has two components :
(a) development of a system approach, planning etc.
(b) application of hardware-TV, Video, Computers, etc.
25. While it is easy to bring in the services of the hardware, the planning process takes a long time. Educational technology by itself will have little impact without the availability of the necessary management infrastructure and basic minimum facilities in the schools. There is also an urgent need for large scale generation of quality software in the regional languages.
26. The Committee recommends that all-out efforts should be made to optimise the time available for the broadcast of educational programmes. The transmission schedule of the educational programmes should be chalked out in consultation with the concerned states/UTs.
General Observations 27. Certain recommendations common to all the above mentioned programmes are listed below :
1. Greater flexibility in the purchase of equipment/materials that exists at present.
2. The need for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of schemes.
3. The imperative need to continue the schemes as centrally sponsored schemes during the 8th Five Year Plan.
Three Language Formula 28. This issue was discussed in the context of representations received from certain sections of the pubilc questioning the present policy of making English a subject to be taken compulsorily at the X Class Public Examination. After considerable discussion it was resolved to reiterate the three language poicy in the country with the proviso that the students should pass in any two of the three languages.
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Examination Reform 29. The Group did not have the time to discuss the question of Examinaion Reform in detail. However, it reiterated the need for examination reform in pursuance of the directives of NPE 1986. It recommended that the Universities and Boards may take concrete steps towards introducing.
(a) grading and sealing.
(b) continuous comprehensive evaluation concerning both scholastic and non-scholastic aspects of pupil growth with a separate certificate.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE GROUP ON SECONDARY
EDUCATION 6-7 July,
IIT, New Delhi
1.Shri Kanti Biswas Chairman
Education Minister
Government of West Bengal.
2.Dr. (Mrs.) D. M. De Rebello Rapporteur
Joint Secretary
Department of Education
3.Shri B. B. N. Shetty Rapporteur
Commissioner & Secretary Education
Government of Tamil Nadu
4.Shri Anil Bordia
Education Secretary
Department of Education
5.Shri K. S. Sarma
Joint Secretary
Department of Education
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6.Mrs. R. Mehra
Deputy Secretary
Department of Education
7.Mrs. S. Brar
Deputy Secretary
Department of Education
8.Dr. C. L. Sapra
Former Consultant
Department of Education
9.Dr. B. Madhava Reddy
Secretary
Board of Intermediate Education
Government of Andhra Pradesh
10.Shri S. B. Sharma
Director, Higher Education
Government of Gujarat
11.Dr. S. Kumar
Deputy Director,
Secondary Education
Government of Haryana
12.Shri L. Shardamma
Director (Exams)
Government of Karnataka
13.Shri K. Guru Rao
Director, Vocational Education
Government of Karnataka
14.Shri A. Kalpande
Officer on Special Duty & Deputy Secretary
Government of Maharashtra
15.Shri K. M. Gedam
Director, Vocational Education
Government of Maharashtra
16.Shri P. A. Mathav
Joint Direcor of Education
Government of Nagaland
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17.Dr. P. C. Ravi
Professor (Education) SCERT
Government of Orissa
18.Shri Lalit K. Panwar
Director (P & S) Education
Government of Rajasthan
19.Shri H. S. Dhar
Hindi Education Officer
Government of Tripura
20.Shri B. P. Khandelwal
Director (Education)
Government of Uttar Pradesh
21.Shri Ramlal Sharma
Joint Secretary (Education)
Government of Uttar Pradesh
22.Ms. Kuldeep Kaur
DPI
Chandigarh
23.Shri G. K. Bhattacharya
Secretary (Education)
Delhi Administration
24.Shri S. K. Shukla
Additional Director (Education)
Delhi Administration
25.Shri P. R. Unnithan
Joint Director, SCERT
Delhi Administration
26.Shri H. S. Singha
Chairman, CBSE
27.Shri Hakim Syed Khaleefathullah
Member CABE
28.Dr. S. Priyokumar Singh
Member CABE
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29.Shri Y. P. Bhaskar
Joint Director (Trg.)
Ministry of Labour
30.Shri Kiran Karnik
Director
Development & Education Commission Unit
Indian Space Research Organisation
31.Prof. H. S. Srivastava
Dean (Aca.) & Head
DMES & DP
NCERT, New Delhi
32.Dr. B. Ganguly
Professor & Head
D & SM
NCERT, New Delhi
33.Prof. S. P. Bahl
I/C Head
Department of Vocational Education
NCERT, New Delhi.