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Shri Gangaram M. Mistry, Headmaster, Unchi Dhanal Prathmik Shala, At&PO Unchidhanal, Distt. Sabarkantha (Gujarat) (15.10.90)

- Technical and vocational education should be introduced in standards III to VIII according to the calibre of the students. Supply of equipments necessary for such courses should be ensured.

- Secondary schools should be established within a distance of five kilometres in tribal areas and seven kilometres in other backward areas.

- The school structure should be as under:

        
                  I to IV        Primary school
        
                  V to VIII      Middle school
        
                  IX to X        Secondary school
        
                  XI to XII      Higher Secondary School
        
        
                                          

Prof. B.S. Sonde, Prof. S.V. Subramanyam and others, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (18.10.90)

- WE/SUPW have generally not succeeded, for want of commitment on the part of the teachers. Secondary education should not be fragmented into academic and vocational streams. Ten years of common education should be provided to all.

Shri Rajesh Kumar Jain, 330 income Tax Colony, Uttari Pitam Pura, Delhi (23rd October, 1990)

- More vocational colleges specially suited to weaker sections of society should be opened and free education should be provided. Vocational study (specially for the students of weaker sections of society, who are unable to attend colleges) should be imparted just

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after the primary school. For encouraging them, stipends should be given. Interest free loans upto Rs. 25,000/- should be given which should be claimed back within five years. Only people of weakers sections of society whose income do as not exceed Rs. 8000/- per annum should be admitted to these institutions.

Dr. T.H.V. Prasada Rao, Principal, M.V.S.R. Engineering College, 6-1- 486, Saidabad, Hyderabad (14.10.90)

- There is a large manpower in traditional skills like village midwife, carpenter, plumber, handloom weaver etc. In fact, most of them are educated in the right sense of the word. They lack only the formal stamp of "educated persons". To fulfil this they must be offered an appropriate scientific and academic base to their skills through regular courses consisting of lectures, demonstration and practice. The medium of instruction should be vernaculars. At the end of the course they must become knowledgeable carpenters, midwives etc., as the case may be and must become eligible for entry into the mainstream of the respective professionals and craftsmen.

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