of their views, judged either from their dissatisfaction with what is being taught today or from their conviction and advocacy of what, instead, should be taught and why.

As was the case in an earlier study, in this case too, nearly one out of every three of the nearly 750 correspondents speaks specifically about content and curriculum. However, a stylistic difference adopted in this study for examining the viewpoints and suggestions relating to content, and curriculum needs to be explained. A good deal of the viewpoints and suggestions regarding the aspects to be emphasized in education has already been covered in the section on goals and objectives. Argued mainly from the point of view of national and social goals, these suggestions span far beyond the narrow confines of content and curriculum and relate to the very basis of education. what is sought to be highlighted here would relate largely to those suggestions which are specific to content an and curriculum.

The correspondents' observations regarding content and curriculum way be treated as an index of their views of the education system itself. These reflect their disappointments, frustrations, anxieties, hopes and aspirations as well as specific and business-like suggestions cutting across ail stages of education. Certain broad categorisation appears useful to comprehend in. a comprehensive manner the viewpoints regarding content and curriculum. These relate to suggestions regarding (a) inculcation of morals and ethics as an important dimension of' curriculum; (b) vocationalisation of education (c) streaming, off at different stages; (a) imparting such education as would fit students in different situations in life in the context of new challenges; (e) content and curriculum at different stages of education; (f) content and curriculum suited to rural-urban settings; (g) emphasis on relating education more to the needs of agriculture, industry and crafts; (h) emphasis on national heritage; (i) opposition to the present overloaded syllabus, etc.

By and large, most of the suggestions offered in these communications could be clubbed under four major categories viz; (i) the plea for uniformity or standardisation of contents and curriculum throughout the country; (ii a severe criticism against overloading of syllabus at too early an age; (iii) a heavy emphasis on national and social goals oriented curriculum, and (iv) specific suggestions to relate education to the world of work, through vocationalisation.

The plea for uniform content and curriculum stems from the correspondents' notes of national unity and integration as the larger goals and comparability and easy mobility of the students as the immediate objectives. This demand for uniform content and curriculum finds greater number of votaries among teachers and those in service. The, convictions of a college teacher aptly portrays the opinions of many correspondents.

There should be a national syllabi for both higher and the secondary levels to enable (a) uniformity of standard (b) national integration, (c) free exchange of teachers, and (d) awakening of national conscience and consciousness...

The same demand is voiced in a different vein from the standpoint of equity and social justice by an educational administrator:

Make education uniform, both in public and in Government schools, throughout the country. The syllabus and the teaching standard and the facilities should be the same without any discrimination in respect of castes, region, status and religion....

After dealing at great length the content an curriculum at different stages of schools and colleges education, an eminent educationist explains his reasons:

In the present educational system, there is variation in the standard of academic education in the different states which puts the students in an embarrassing condition, when they go to

another state for further education. The proposed system, it made applicable in all the states of the country, will help to establish uniformity the standard of education and also; produce best results.

No doubt, there is a predominance of the viewpoints in favour of uniform curriculum and comparable standards throughout the country. but occasionally one does come across a dischordant note against the core curriculum. In this case, it is a school teacher who says:

In order to give equal opportunity, education should be such that caters to all kinds and types of individuals.. hence, it just cannot be one core universal curriculum, one method (of teaching) and one teachers training... Even in the cities as there are children from various backgrounds, education according to their needs is a must; there cannot be one core curriculum...

Having fervently pleaded for uniformity in the Syllabus and standard of education, the correspondents are also concerned about the work load to which students are subjected, especially at the school level. The irritations and complaints of a parent to the Union Education Minister can be treated as a, typical cases of the views of a majority of the correspondents towards the load of syllabus:

...The present day overloaded syllabus has to be scrapped. You may not nave carried the weight these kids do today, aria I never dia. The portions in the schools and the home work, besides periodical tests, sap the energy and are not conducive to the growth of the personality of the kids....

The indignation expressed against the present system of education in which, the major blame is apportioned to the syllabus was seen in the section dealing with assessment. It would be worthwhile to recall here just one illustration in the context of content and curriculum:

... but our whole attention is given to memorisation end to stuffing the mind with a world of irrelevant information in the name of general or whole knowledge. Our syllabus is too weightly to be borne, consequently, our original faculty is pressed and suppressed to die or to revolt; personality in blunted, deformed and (turned) artificial. Present burdensome syllabus encourages the impulse of copying. Therefore, full attention must be given to awaken the original and inherent mind.

The opinions of the parents anal the public present only a part of the Picture about the burden of excessive work load at too early an age of the child. The opinions, may anguishes of the students, constitute the other part. The following is typical of the views of the students community:

We, students, are preparing for out ICSE in 1986 and feel that the course is too extensive. We have test everyday, and feel its quite a strain on us. There is so much theory work that we loose interest... We feel that if what is taught to us in a short span of time is taught to us in a longer span of time, we would understand it better.

Goal Oriented Curriculum

The emphasis laid upon the social and national goals pre- determines the content and curriculum and this is what is observed on most of the communications dealing with national and social goals oriented curriculum. The suggestions regarding what is to be taught on them. One connot be separated from the other as was also seen seem as much important to observers as the reasons why do they insist partly, in the section on goals and objectives of education. Even if they seem similar, it would still be worthwhile to cite some of them for the emphasis attached to the question of content and curriculum. Although not an educationist himself, a correspondent writies :

In the present system of our education, mental, social and cultural aspects, of our Heritage are not "being accurately imparted to. student class. The great need of the country is to give sound education to the present and to the coming, generations so that they -turn brilliant scholars..... broad minded patriotic citizens ... and tolerant to each other by shedding aside the feelings of caste, creed and tribe in the interest of national unity. -The student class needs social, mental and cultural revolutions on the pattern of Indian civilization.....

Towards a More Meaningful Curriculum : A Plea for Vocationalisation

A bewildering variety of suggestions greet the. reader of the communications as regards content and curriculum and yet leaves one with a clear impression about the plea to make education relevant, if not distinctly related to the world of work through vocationalisation. In this regard, one could see a three-fold pattern in the suggestions regarding, content and curriculum : (a) suggestions regarding content and curriculum for each stage, made in a comprehensive manner; (b) suggestions relating mostly to school stage, either elementary or secondary or both, and (c) specific suggestions, quite unconnected with either practical bias or vocationalisation. A few illustrations would suffice...

Quite a large number of correspondents, in many cases learned academics and others, tried to offer a detailed plan of content and curriculum for different stages of education. However, even within this category, there is a virtual unanimity of opinion regarding, (i) relating primary education to agricultural subjects and. ancillary industries in rural and -urban areas; (ii) providing vocational training through a large number of vocational training centres after class VIII and before going for higher secondary education; (iii) designing, content and curriculum at the secondary and hip-her secondary levels as per the aptitude and desire of students as well as on the basis of the likely job avenues in the surrounding areas; and (iv)

after streaming off those who do not have the aptitude to go for university education towards vocational/technical lines, relating education and training on the lines of business and industry, through ITIs and polytechnics.

There is a distinctiveness even in the suggestions regarding content and curriculum which is reflected in the specific emphasis placed on linking education in the rural areas to its economic and industrial environments. Both in the case of those who proposed a framework of content and curriculum for all stages as well as those who speak of the school stages alone there seems to be a special plea for dovetailing content and curriculum to the needs of rural areas. One of them writes:

... If the education in the country, specially in the rural areas, cannot eliminate hunger, poverty, disease and high percentage of illiteracy, there is enough reason for reconsideration in the right direction. The present situation in our country demands that public in rural areas should be taught agriculture .... according to the circumstances prevailing there.

Apart from the majority of the correspondents who stress the need to forge a strong link between education and employment prospects, there are also a number of others who touch upon various other aspects to arrest the irrelevance of education. A mention about a few of them would not be out of place here. Confronted with the rapid advances in science and technology with far-reaching remifications to education, a university teacher cautions:

... Unless education now takes this hard reality into account it is soon going to be largely irrelevant. our first question, thus, is: what shall we teach. Not knowledge, to use facts.. to live a better and happier life.. The schools curriculum must include new experience and intelligent awareness of the environment in which he lives is needed nut that is more important is that, he

must develop strengths to direct life into more meaningful channels. The accelerated rate of change which will characterise life in the coming, decades also puts another demand on us. We must develop among our children the qualities and skills to adjust -to a changing world...

When the present needs axe not met by our education, where is the, question of preparing it to meet future challenges - such is the reservation of a correspondent who feels:

Lack of political knowledge is one of the major problems in our society. Democracy will be successful only if its citizens are politically conscious. Our present education fails to provide adequate and necessary knowledge to our children Hence the introduction of political knowledge from middle school.

If political knowledge is indispensable to the survival of democracy, to some, education in economics is essential to others. Another correspondent writes :

Economics should be taught from secondary stage... Each subject should be optional at secondary stage except economics.

Many more, in fact, innumerous illustrations can be cited to show the diversity of opinions put forward by the correspondents in respect of content and curriculum. But it would be sufficient to conclude this section with just one more example of the uneasy position to which our education - its contents and curriculum - has been pushed into by our policy makers. A Professor asks :

Our educational policy-makers, familier with institutions abroad, have transplanted courses from Western countries, where hardly 10 per cent of the population is engaged in agriculture... These courses may be relevant there. But here in India, modern science education is biased to provide for the new elite class, a small minority, who alone are enjoying the fruits of scientific

advances. The, masses are far behind, and for them there is not much meaning in studying these alien. science subjects, even in their mother tongue... Why can't the Higher Secondary school level practicals include such things soil testing... physical properties of soil... water table measurements, etc... There are also two subjects completely neglected in school curriculum, geology and meteriology. In a country where agriculture is still rainted, elementary meteriology which deals with cloud types, signs of rains, use of barometers and other simple instruments should be very useful.

An attempt has been made in this section to survey and examine the correspondents views and suggestions regarding content and curriculum as well as those relating to vocationalisation of education. Seen broadly under four categories, the plea for uniformity, comparability and standardisation of syllabus throughout the country was essentially from the point of view of national unity, easy mobility, and also to a lesser extent, from the point of view of improvement of standards. The indignation against the early loading syllabus, as evident from the opinions of a cross section of Society, was seen next.

In examining the suggestions relating to the content and curriculum, it was noted that the suggestions ranged from those advanced keeping view the goals and objectives of education, to those relating to each stage as well as certain specific aspects like knowledge of economics, politics, etc,

A survey of the whole range of issues raised in respect of contents and curriculum leaves three aspects stand out as most prominently. These relate to (i) the correspondent's disapproval of the excessive load of syllabus at too early an age, besides its irrelevance; (ii) their suggestions in respect of content and curriculum for each stage or level as well as certain specific aspects to be emphasized in curriculum; and (iii) the universal plea to arrest

the irrelevance of the curriculum and to relate it to th6 life situations, in general, and economic development end employment prospects in particular.

Structure of Education

A major concern of the present day education system in India. is the varied patterns being pursued by the different State/Union Territories. `Although the National Policy on Education (1968) has envisaged the 10+2+3 pattern of education throughout the country, this has not been implemented fully. This sometimes leads to highly complex situations putting students as well as parents into a lot of hardships.

The present volume of communications agree on one singular aspect that there should be a uniform pattern of education throughout the country. Whether to have 10+2+3 system of education or an alternative system, is a point which calls for locking deep into the education system in its totality. The implications of any pattern, therefore, are to be studied before suggesting any alternative. It is in this context that one finds that not many people find it comfortable to put their viewpoints on this issue. This is evident from the fact that only 75 respondents (about 10 per cent of total respondents) have expressed their viewpoints.

A majority of the respondents are in favour of implementing the 10+2+3 pattern across the country. This is favoured because in a large number of states it has already been implemented. They feel that adoption of an alternative model will call for dismantling of entire efforts put in during the last 15 years. The uniformity of structure is favoured in order to increase the mobility of students from one state to another.

A significant point made by some of the respondents is to incorporate some kind of extra-academic activity as part of the

educational system so that students may have a feeling of national need and,desire. A respondent feels :

After secondary stage every young person should be required to work in a National Youth Corps: for a minimum period of one year preferably in a place and organisation of one's choice. During this tenure in the National Service Corps, the youth should be provided, with free boarding lodging, uniform and a national stipend.

Another respondent goes even a step further

Every student seeking an admission in the first year of any college or university after passing 10th or 12th class (Secondary or higher secondary), must necessarily undergo two years military training without any exception.

Considering the fact that education is a vital component in social development, a few respondents feel that students should be involved in the work of social services. One of the correspondents feels that :