- Nothing could be more damaging to the country in the long run than implementation of a common school system. Since Independence, at various levels the efforts had been one of levelling and reducing everything to the least common denominator. A country

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can march ahead if only there are peaks of excellence. It would be tragic if such excellence is want only destroyed. It is also unfortunate that anything out of the ordinary is detested and maligned by labelling it as "elitist aberration". The prudent course would be to evolve a "minimum common comparable standard" and leave the freedom to the schools to excel above this minimum.

Sh. Poromesh Acharya, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta Joka, Diamond Harbour Road, Calcutta-700027 (12.10.90)

- Participation of vocal `bhadraloks' in free vernacular schools would create pressure for maintaining standard in those schools. This will pave the way of a good common school system. This may be the most democratic way of achieving a common system of education to ensure equity and excellence.

Shri K.S. Acharlu, Gandhi Vigyan, 80, Temple Road, I Main., Malleswaram, Bangalore-560 003 (8.10.90)

- The evolution of a common school system should not certainly mean uniformity of curriculum, plans and programmes all over the country for all sections of the people and for all regions but the reconstruction of education to suit the life needs of the different life styles and cultural patterns of the people without permitting elitist aberrations.

- The suggestion that all the traditional wisdom, knowledge and experience should be integrated with the content and process of education is a move in the right direction and should be implemented with zeal and sincereity.

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Shri R.S. Pandey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Welfare, New Delhi (12.10.90)

- In the perspective paper there is no mention about the education of the handicapped. This is a significant omission. It would be desirable to make specific mention of the strategy to be adopted for educating the disabled.

- The population of the educatable handicapped in the 5-14 year age group has been estimated as follows:

        
                  Locomotor disability          12.20 lakhs
        
                  Visual disability             1.27 lakhs
        
                  Hearing disability            5.35 lakhs
        
                  Speech disability             7.44 lakhs
        
                  Mentally Retarded             (No reliable estimates)
        
                                          

- There are 280 schools for the deaf covering 28,000 students, and about 200 schools for the blind covering about 15,000 students. Besides, the scheme of integrated education covers large number of handicapped students in the normal schools. Government propose to upgrade some of the existing schools and open new schools to meet the needs of the target groups during the Eighth Plan. A mass implementation strategy for providing educational services to disabled children in an appropriate and cost-effective manner should be devised. It would be desirable to make specific mention of the strategy to be adopted for educating the disabled.

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

- Common school system has been talked about for a long time. While it has worked in rural areas, it has not been implemented in urban areas where a choice of schools is available. The common school system will work only if every school has the basic facilities like classrooms, library, laboratories, good motivated teachers and sports facilities.

- During the school education it is not advisable to separate the talented children from the others. All the children have to be given all opportunities, while the talented could be given extra opportunities for further growth.

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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