 THEMATIC ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES

This section presents a qualitative analysis is of the viewpoints regarding educational themes enumerated in the previous section. Oar endeavour is to highlight the catalytic role of education for structuring a new India as it is discernible from these communications. The discussion here is more illustrative rather than exhaustive scrutiny of the communications.

Assessment of the Education System

The basic concern of all those who have written letters on the national policy on education has two dimensions: firstly, the dissatisfaction with the present system of education vis-a-vis their expectations, and secondly, their anxiety for its reorganization along lines they perceive best. It can be said without any exaggeration that if there is any single element in the communications which stands out prominently it is the measure, of disenchantment, disappointment and disillusionment with the present educational system. Similarly, the plea for educational reconstruction is another equally significant aspect in these communications.

Understandably, the inadequacy of the existing educational system has been assessed from numerous standpoints, both on the basis of self-perceived goals and objectives as well as those enshrined in the Constitution and elucidated by various commissions and committees on education, including the National Policy on Education (1968). Given this background of perspectives and approaches, there is an inevitable overlay between the general and specific aspects of the educational system diagnosed by the respondents. The first reason for the disenchantment with the educational system stems from respondents' assessment of its failure to fulfil the nationally accepted goals and objectives, which were embodied in the National Policy on Education

(1968). The second reason for the disappointment stems from the woeful gap between individual's expectations from education, on the basis of perceived goals and the latter's failure to meet them. whether the failure was on the count of stated goals or self-perceived objectives, the disappoint is wide-spread.

The intensity of resentment, in either case, against the failure varies according to the reasons they perceive to have thwarted the, implementation of the policy, such as, political indifference, bureaucratic apathy, grossly inadequate resources, etc. Therefore, as an integral part of, or inevitable corollary to the deficiencies discerned in the education system, as planned and administered, the respondent hasten to suggest a set of objectives and goals which education should embody. This section attempts to bring to focus, more by way of illustration than by means of detailed analysis, some viewpoints about the disappointment and disenchantment with the education system as well as indicate, in passing, the expectations from education.

A perusal of the observations relating to the educational system reveals broadly two categories - one, those who are overwhelmed by magnitude of the malaise and the others who, besides being stunned by its degeneration are also anxious to indicate the lines of reorganisation. In both categories, there are those who restrict their opinions to more general terms, as well as those who choose to pinpoint the areas either affected or desired to be mended most or both. In either case, what is attempted here is illustrative rather than an elaboration of each point.

Even though it comes from one, not directly involved in education, a. typical example of the all-round deterioration of education is:

The present system of education in the country has been a target of vehement criticism from politicians and public men alike. it cannot be denied that the system is in need of far- reaching

changes. Its social purpose is no longer obvious nor is its utility transparent Out of its spring has been oozing stream of ill-educated men and women who Soon suffer frustration because the Country cannot offer them jobs. The desirability of change being beyond doubt, the question rises as to who is going to change it and when.

The all-pervasiveness of the malaise in our educational system is portrayed from a different angle by a student who observes: "At present in the field of education, there is a confusion and chaos in the country". It is the considered opinion of yet another respondent, a professor, that "the education we receive, somehow, does not lead to self employment, does not build a solid national character, does not enhance individual integrity and does not encourage us to have respect for all types of work and labour".

The above portrayed all-pervasive malaise, to a number of observers, is due to the deficiency of certain vital components of education. The following is typical of a large number of respondents, who feel that:

The most outstanding maladies of our education are lack of relevance to the native needs and aspirations absence of conscious efforts to design and inculcate a value base for education and abundant redundancy in the curricula.

As if to elaborate the absence of the vital elements in the education system, an educationist points out that:

The common shortcomings of present system can be identified as wider: it (i) fails to arouse desire to probe the environment...(ii) lacks in maintaining the interest in the acquisition of knowledge; (iii) is unconcerned with the life of neighbouring communities; (iv) fails to build scientific attitude towards life, and, (v) is non-appreciative of cultural heritage. These

are broad dimensions along which one can enlist dozens of micro elements in detail...

Ailments and Remedies

The respondents' perceptions vary on the question of what constitutes the most important part of education. There are those who feel that the contribution of education has been the most neglected subject in free India- the rich potentials of national integration and unity of the country and the nation have not been exploited as much as they ought to have been". But there are others who are convinced that ; "The malady of education is a drastic one and it requires drastic remedies Building of national character should be the all-important aim" (emphasis original). Almost in identical tone a politician asks: "...unless our present system of education is reformed with cause of society and nation, how dynamic change and moral upliftment is possible?"

Most of the observers seem to be extremely concerned about discerning where does or did the failure in the education system lie. Almost every one of them proceeded to point their fingers at certain specific quarters or aspects. The attempts to examine the educational situation leads an observer one who is directly involved in education to pronounce :

What is needed is a serious re-thinking on all sorts of our earlier educational ideas, experiments and research findings and a shifting of emphasis in many cases. What actually led to the failure of the earlier education policy was that many of its items were not implemented in all its seriousness. More than teachers, the educational administrators have been responsible for our educational crisis, and more than educational planners, our politicians have been responsible for making mockery of the pious declarations in earlier education policy.

Quite often, the degeneration in the education system is Pinpointed at the higher education levels. It is here that the erosion of national hope and aspirations is seen most:

Every year scores of colleges keep coming up. Most of these exist only in sign boards. Their progenitors are local Politicians whose sustained pressure State Government is not willing to withstand for long. Literally in wholesale these colleges are granted recognition. Their successful fate inspires new adventurers to enter the field. They too succeed. And so it goes On and on....

The sentiments of another observer, a former Vice-Chancellor of one of the large Universities, reinforces the point:

It is painfully evident that our colleges and universities are desperately ill. They have degenerated into veritable centres of indiscipline and vandalism. It is quite uncommon to find an education institution, where teachers really teach and students really study.

By and large, the respondents, criticism of the, education system stems, as mentioned earlier, from their conception of the relation between education and life. It stems from the conviction that the inadequacies bequeathed by the education system unfailingly affect or reflect in the prospects and positions in later life. "More than half of our problems", feels one of the teachers, "in the way of improving the lot of India's masses stem directly from the current structure of our educational system which keeps perpetuating, in large part, the production of clerks and civil servants".

No doubt, there is universal disappointment with the educational system for its failure to meet the nationally cherished goals and aspirations. There are, however, a few who, rather than laying the whole blame on the educational system, would like to go beyond to discern the impact which can make or mar the educational system in

terms of its ability to deliver the goods. They would view that:

Of course, the foremost problem which confronts the country is the tendency of the "least work and utmost personal gain..." And, secondly of course the problem of finances. Can the country find the funds to invest for real education? It is a must but then....

Those who feel that it is not the education system that failed us, but it is we who emaciated the education are not rare. As one directly involved in the field of education ? "Social change by means of education is expected. But due to ineffective implementation of new revised curriculum, the situation has gone from bad to worse".

A brief overview has been taken of the respondents' perception of what ails the present education system and what they expect from it. There is a second category of respondents who without necessarily being dismayed by its. inadequacies, proceed to state the objectives, aims, and goals which education should embody. The next section reviews their views.

Goals and Objectives of Education

The urge to see education invested with some goals and objectives universal to all who, plead for change and improvement in the education system. Out of the total of 737 letters 253 contain some reference to goals and objectives of education.

This is next only to the "Content" and "Planning and Management" themes. Although not viewed in dichotomous terms, the aims and objectives of education, as perceived by the respondents, can be divided along broad dimensions, namely, (i) national and social goals; (ii) goals and objectives perceived in terms of development orientation; (iii) values; and (iv) goals viewed in terms of individual development.

Except in marginal degrees, each one of the dimension of goals and objectives has been stressed with equal intensity.

i) National and Social Goals

National goals note the respondents' desire to see that education promotes, its most important function, the unity and integrity of the nation as well as the development of national character. however, within this category, the majority of the respondents emphasise national integration as the most important element of the objectives of education. This is possible, they feel, only by according the highest place to the study of India's freedom struggle, contribution of national leaders, India's rich cultural tradition and ancient history. Opinions such as: "The love of our country with all its diversities must be cultivated among our children from the very young age...." or that "the need for a new thrust in the educational field is also an essential pre-requisite in strengthening the unity and integrity of the nation..." have been expressed by more then one respondent.

The second aspect of educational goals relates to the manner in which it subserves the national goals like democracy, secularism and socialism. Many respondents view this role as of the "national character-building".

The new educational system must be able to build up the mind of the children right from the beginning in tune with the objectives the nation has accepted i.e., democracy, socialism and national unity and integrity. These four objectives are mutually complementary and unity and integrity of the nation cannot be preserved without achieving the other three objectives.

Many respondents identify the fulfilment of social needs of the nation through "cultural training, creation of a mature society" improved structure of Government The positivity with which this. PA

conviction is formed could be seen from the following:

Unless our present education is reformed with a view to produced responsible citizens the cause of society and nation, how dynamic change and moral upliftment is possible?

The third element of the objectives of education relates to the manner in which it should be linked to national development economic, industrial, scientific and technological. One of the respondents, a university professor, opines:

Education system should be in keeping with the needs of independent development of the nation as a whole... The content of education at different levels be in tune with constitutional and national goals of development,

In respect of this point another respondent adds:

What are or ought to be the principal objectives which educational institutions should aim to achieve in present day India? Whether she wants it or not, India is in the race after attaining,the highest possible levels not only of science and technology but in the fields of industrial management, running of the country and the broad socio- economic development of the country generally.

ii) Values in Education

Both numerically as well as in terms of intensity of feeling, the values, as evident from the responses, is identical with the plea that education should be national-goal orientated.

Inculcation of moral and spiritual values has been deemed so important that there is a near unanimity in regard to its compulsory inclusion in education from primary to university levels. This has

been desired to be "the corner stone", and "the important part of the educational system".

As in the case of national goals, general goals or ideals have also been perceived in numerous ways. These span across development of responsible citizens, leading to the acquisition of knowledge and not mere information, proper development of human values, work ethics, generation of scientific temper, rational outlook, widening philosophical impulses, development of physical, aesthetic, intellectual and ethical faculties, inculcating honesty and decency as basic qualities, building up self-confidence and an appreciation of cultural tradition - all these are desired to be embedded in education. The desire, to see education invested with these objectives is equally intense in most of the letters although the degree of concretisation into easily identifiable categories, attempted by different respondents may not be the same. One, illustration of how education should embody these ideals may be seen from the following:

In a vast country of the dimensions and diversities of India with tremendous regional and local disparities of caste, colour, dialect, economic status, etc., it is necessary that any programme of education must take into account the various diverse factors like psychological, emotional, cultural, regional, local, national and linguistic needs and aspirations of the people.

iii) Education and Employment

There is no level or sphere of the educational system of which respondents have not talked of utility and relevance as an integral part. True, numerically, the percentage of respondents talking about the goal of education and national development in general terms are more than those speaking of education and employment. They argue: "Relevance and realism should be the watchwords of our new educational policy", typifying the line of thinking which underlines the functional element of education at the general level. Yet another example of this line of thinking is the following: " The type of

education imparted should correspond to the societal tasks and economic roles to be played by the individuals".

However, the emphasis laid on employment orientation, expected of the educational system, even by the lesser number of respondents is equally intense as those who stress on general, national goals and individual creativity. They would desire education to be vocationalized and career-based, promoting entrepreneurship, making people productive, preparing people for the world of work, and so on. In fact, there are many who feel that the functional character or utility of education is at the same time a complementary factor for rational and social goals.

iv)Individual objectives

Many of the goals cited in the general category are also commended in respect of goals relating to individuals. At the same time, it is not uncommon to find goals related to individual development and creativity as a result of each stage of education. The following illustration substantiates this point: