SECONDARY EDUCATION AND
 VOCATIONALISATION
 

Dr. V.R.P. Sinha, Director, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Seven Bunglows, Versova, Bombay-400061 (20th September, 1990)

- The 10 + 2 + 3 structure is good as a common base and should be continued.

Prof. B. Ganguly, Head, Department of Education in Science & Mathematics and Dean (Academic), NCERT, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi- 110016 (24th September, 1990)

- The para on Empowering People for work is full of contradictions. It is hoped that members will give some more details about their thinking. The 10 years general education is recommended after considering the physical and mental growth of the child. Mere lack of resources should not get priority over the pragmatic reasons.

Dr. H.S. Singha, Chairman, Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi - (24th September, 1990)

- The CBSE faculty is in full agreement with the stand of the Review Committee on Work Experience. It has, however, Its reservations on non-streaming of the secondary schools. The latter if implemented would imply considerable time being spent on vocational subjects by students who are bound for Universities. It will also create problems of implementations like lack of teachers, equipments and resources in general. The experience of the Board with vocationalisation of education Is not very happy and it would like to have a pragmatic approach towards the introduction of vocational

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courses which are directly linked with the economic needs of the community. The formulation as given in the Paper is too theoretical and may create serious problems.

Dr. Ramjee Singh, Professor & Head, Department of Gandhian Thought, Bhagalpur University, Bhagalpur - letter dated 29.9.90

- As a practical measure, the empowering people for work must start at the pre-primary level and at the Secondary level, the student should be made to acquire atleast one skill so that he can earn his livelihood. At the University level, education of arts must be discouraged and engineering, medical and other technical students should be tagged with concerned industries, workshops and hospitals as far as possible to lessen the financial burden of the Government as well as to make their education practically more perfect.

Shri S.S. Kalbag, Hony. Director, Vigyan Ashram, Pabal, Distt. Pune- 412403, (18th September, 1990)

- Introducing WE/SUPW from elementary school level as an integral part of the curriculum would need a lot of effort in reorienting teachers. Voluntary groups will need to be involved. Without the effort it will fail. But this should not be allowed to fail for want of effort.

- Concept of work benches/practice schools, may work in big towns and cities; but most villages have no workshop or farms where this could be made to work. Therefore, the school should set up these "work benches" and give service to the community. If services are promised, the community will raise the funds for the equipment. If we want to move ahead of what we are today, then setting up new facility is Imperative. This is particularly true of villages.

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Dr. U.C. Upadhyay, Vice-Chancellor, Narendra Deva University of Agriculture & Technology, Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh), Letter No. 10480/N-11/PA-VC, dated 20.9.90

- Regarding maintenance of quality of education, it would be necessary to re-orient our education system on need base. In doing so, probably we may have to think about vocationalisation in all the types of education so that middle level technicians are produced to be employed by the different agencies and also such students getting self-employed.

Shri V. Kanjayan, Headmaster, Panchyat Union Primary School, Tamil Nadu - Letter dated 1.10.90

- At the Secondary and Higher Education stages much more importance than is given at present should be given to Physical Education and Moral Education. This is necessary to build a healthy generation with men of character.

Shri Tarun Kumar Raha, General Secretary, Calcutta University Teachers' Association, Calcutta, Letter dated (1.10.90)

- Instead of delinking of degrees from jobs, a reverse approach will be in keeping with the spirit of the review paper. Agencies will inform the educational institutions their needs so far as the job is concerned. The institutes will suggest the type of personnel (that is students with a certain combination of modular courses) they need. If a particular user feels that special training programmes are needed for the required job, it will ask the educational institute to introduce such training programmes.

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- Integrating vocational and general education will develop a work culture and respect for work. The provision for horizontal transmission from vocational to general course and vice-versa will eliminate the elitist bias of general education.

Dr. H.S. Srivastava, Prof. and Head, NCERT, New Delhi, Letter dated 25th September, 1990

- Vocationalisation for all is a new concept and will need to be examined more throughly both from academic and feasibility point of view.

- Some of the measures that could be considered for delinking degrees and jobs are the following:

        
        (a)  Abolition of declaration of students' as 'pass' or 'fail'.
        
        (b)  Abolition of the declaration of results in terms of
             divisions based on aggregates.
        
        (c)  Declaration of subject-wise results of students in terms of
             grades rather than marks.
        
        (d)  Opportunity to students to clear examinations in parts.
        
        (e)  Opportunity to students to improve upon their grades through 
             subsequent attempts.
        
                                          

Dr. Viswanatham Kanithi, M.P. (LS), 39, North Avenue, New Delhi Letter dated (12th September, 1990).

- After the 10th class, students may be selected for the following courses depending on their grades and aptitudes:

(a) Self-employment course.

(b) Apprenticeship for selected career.

(c) Plus courses.

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- Secondary educational centres must be located in centrally located places in each and every Mandal.

Shri Mandhusudan Mishra, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Delhi Letter dated 2.10.90

- At the middle school stage we must introduce some of our items of traditional learning. They should be introduced in an integrated form with modern learning.

Dr. D.A. Ghanchi, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, North Gujarat University, Patna-384265 - Letter dated 5th October, 1990.

- The present school curricula should be revised and infrastructures be provided to make W.E./S.U.P.W. a genuine educational component in place of the present token, ritual and sham place given to it. The curricula of higher education must also have an integral component of productive work, particularly in "soft" faculties.

- At both secondary and tertiary stages the curriculum should be automatically supported by schemes of funding by corporate financial institutions to graduating students to launch self-employing ventures in agriculture, business industry, services, etc. Every school/college must have guidance-cum-placement-cumcoordination services for the purpose.

Professor Dr. Omkar N. Wakhlu, Consulting Engineering, Buchwara, Old Gangribal Road, Srinagar-190001 - Letter dated 30.9.90

- Night school system prevailing in United Kingdom for hundreds of vocational skills must be introduced in India.

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- The private sector is doing very well in popularising vocational courses needed by the market. These must be encouraged. States must organize similar units and provide healthy competition.

Dr. R.P. Singhal, Executive Director (Retd.), NIEPA, Former Chairman, CBSE and Consultant (Education), Asian Development Bank and Ed.CIL, letter dated 5.10.90.

- It is proposed that Secondary Education may not be compartmentalised into lower and higher stages. It is not clear whether it is intended that all students who gain class IX must go upto class XII and whether class X should cease to be a terminal stage. Is it proposed to upgrade all High Schools into Senior Secondary Schools? Implications of such a proposal need to be worked out fully.

- To ask all students of secondary stage to pursue a vocational course does not appear to be proper. Vocational courses of secondary education can only prepare for middle level jobs. We also need scientists, journalists, engineers, doctors and persons who can man various professions. Humanities., Sciences and Social Sciences are as important as Vocational courses. The choice should rest with schools and students.

Dr. K. Sivadasan Pillai, Director, Centre for Adult Education & Extension, University of Kerala, Kariavattom Campus, Thiruvanathapuram (8.10.1990)

- SUPW is currently just a ritual. It does not offer work experiences. It can't lead to employment either. It would be better to make vocationalisation compulsory for all in Standards X to XII but opportunities should be provided to pursue courses based on ability, aptitude, aspiration etc. The hand-head-heart

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collaboration is a must and is advocated. A work culture has to be evolved in the Community to facilitate parental cooperation.

19th Annual Conference of Council of Boards of School Education in India, 23, Ashiana Apartments, Pitam Pura, Delhi - (11.10.90)

- Strengthening the common school system can be achieved by (a) ensuring minimum school facilities in all the schools, (b) ensuring community's participation and school becoming accountable to community, (c) ensuring use of mother tongue/regional language as medium of instruction, (d) continuously upgrading the quality of teachers. The concept of school complex and neighbourhood school should considerably strengthen the present schools, thus enabling us to move to a common school system.

- The conference was strongly in favour of introducing vocationalisation at secondary/higher secondary stage. It, however, felt that it will succeed in this if (a) the students are enabled to have horizontal and vertical mobility; (b) industry/trade/agriculture are made to participate in making it more realistic in terms of job requirements; (c) beneficiaries are assured of jobs or facilities to start their own entrepreneurship.

- The participants were of the opinion that separate vocational schools will be more successful as they will be fully equipped to meet the infrastructural requirements of different vocations. One of the problems which is haunting the introduction of vocationalisation is the lack of infrastructural facilities in schools.

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- The continuation of Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) as a pre-vocational education programme was strongly advocated. The need to reflect students' performance in SUPW in our evaluation system in a realistic manner was considered as important precondition for the success of SUPW. The overall thrust was for ensuring that vocational education is integrated in all sectors of school stage.

Shri J.A. Ryan, Director of Education (Retd.), No. 3 Rosern, III Street, Nandanam Extension, Madras (1st October, 1990).

- What we plan in school should integrate the academic competence and vocational aspects of education in the general school system, the aim of which will be to equip students with a good general education together with a basic familiarity with two or more vocational opportunities available to them. This should not mean any reduction in the academic content. What it means is that the materials taught and the whole process of teaching will have meaning for the student and will give them the needed self confidence to embark upon a vocation when he or she leaves the school system. What we give must be graded to suit the age and ability, covering such wide areas as: art & music, agriculture and animal husbandry, commerce and business, industry and engineering, health and nutrition, home life and needs, and social and integrated life.

- Manpower In firms, farms, factories, trade and business are broadly required at three levels - top, middle, bottom. The approximate proportion of these three levels is of the ratio of 1:10:100. Of course, this will vary with different organisations. Can we not plan for a system of education that would look after the interest of the third category?

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Shri G.M. Verma, C-4/H/164-B, Janak Puri, New Delhi (October 4,1990)

- Vocational education should be made more comprehensive to include all types of occupations and should be called occupational education. It should be a separate stream. All occupation courses at various stages should include a component of general education. Teacher training programmes should be remodelled to prepare the teachers for conducting occupational courses.

Shri B.N. Bhatia, 286, Adarsh Nagar, Jaipur 302004 (5.10.90)

- Vocational training be given after five years of school instead of introducing it only at higher secondary stage.

Prof. Srinivasa Narayanaswami, Faculty of History, Rajah Serfoji Government College, Thanjavur-613005, (1.10.1990)

- In the case of vocational education, work and theory should be closely linked. At present vocational/technical/professional education is very costly. Cheap alternatives will have to be suggested. It should be remembered that vocational education is to facilitate enhancement of employability. Accordingly suitable policy will have to be devised. Vocational training should be given in actual work situation.

Shri A.K. Panda, Harijan Adibbasi Dina Daridra Nari Seba Sangh, Vill/PO Bachhipur, Via Brahmangaon, Distt. Balasore, Orissa (29th September, 1990).

- The perspective paper has not given any lead as to how the dichotomy between education and production will be removed. The details of vocationalisation are not available in the Paper.

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