 THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS

EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENT

4.1 There is a great need to create environmental consciousness. In a country with wide-spread poverty, it is all the more important to preserve the environment, as the poor are the most affected by environmental destruction. 'Environmental awareness must permeate all ages and all sections of society; it must begin with the child and continue throughout the educational process. The new generation must become aware of the unity of the bio-sphere, and of the ecological underpinnings of our ancient civilisation. For this, environmental consciousness should inform the teaching in schools and colleges. This aspect will be appropriately integrated in education under the new Policy.

MEDIA AND EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

4.2 The place of educational technology in the New Educational Policy is a matter of great concern to educational experts and planners as also to communication and media experts.

4.3 Modem communication technologies have the potential to bypass several stages and sequences in the process of development encountered in early decades. Both the constraints of time and distance at once become manageable. However, such. an achievement invariably requires a policy-cum-institutional framework, in the absence of which these very technologies could accentuate structural dualism, leading to the emergency of a privileged elite on the one side and vast deprived sections on the other. The' policy thrust, there fore, should be on making-modem educational technology reach out to the most distant area's and the most deprived sections of beneficiaries simultaneously with the area of comparative Affluence and ready availability.

4.4 Educational technology will be employed in the spread of useful information, training and retraining of teachers, improvement in quality, sharpening of the awareness regarding art and culture, inculcation of values, etc. , both in the formal and non-formal sectors. Broad areas which lend themselves to the mass media will be taken up for application on a larger scale. Maximum use will be made of the available infrastructure. In villages without electricity, batteries or solar packs will be used to run the programmes.

4.5 Generation of relevant and culturally compatible educational programmes both for non-formal and formal sectors and creation of appropriate management structures suited to software, planning, will have to be undertaken. This shall form an important component of the new Education Policy.

4.6 The media have a profound influence on the minds of children as well as adults; some of it has a deleterious effect on them. Radio and T.V. programmes which clearly militate against educational objectives must be prevented. Steps will be taken to discourage such- trends in films and other media also. An active movement will be started to promote the production of children's films of high quality and usefulness.

THE CULTURAL PERSPECTIVE

4.7 In spite of many efforts after independence, a schism has continued between the formal system of education and the country's rich and varied cultural traditions. If effective action to resolve this problem is put off in the preoccupation to keep up with emerging technologies, a new generation having no roots in India's history and culture will appear on the scene. This will result not only in their own dehumanisation but also in their alienation from the mass of Indian people who draw sustenance and strength from a way of life which has stood the test of time.

4.8 Education can land must assume the responsibility to bridge the gap between the pressure, of change-oriented technologies and the 'continuity of cultural tradition and to ensure that the coming generations will represent this fine synthesis.

4.9 In order to achieve this objective, the curricula and processes of education will have to be enriched by the cultural content in as many manifestations as possible. Children will be enabled to develop sensitivity to beauty, harmony and refinement. Resource persons in the community will, irrespective of their formal educational qualifications, be invited to participate in the cultural enrichment of education and allowed to employ both -the literate as well as the oral traditions of communication. To sustain and carry forward the cultural tradition, old masters who train pupils through the informal mode, will be given support and recognition.

4.10 The new Policy will seek to establish linkages between the university system with institutions of higher learning in art, archaeology, oriental studies etc. Due attention will also be given to the specialised disciplines of Fine Arts, museuology, folk lore etc. Teaching, training and research in these disciplines will be strengthened so as to arrest the impoverishment of these fields in respect of specialised manpower.

SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION

4.11 Education would be incomplete without sports and physical education as an essential feature. These cannot, therefore, be taken as extraneous and shall be an integral part of the learning process, included in the evaluation of performance. Acceptance of this principle would entail a nation

wide, infrastructure for physical education, sports and games built into the entire educational edifice.

4.12 A nation-wide effort will be made to provide infrastructure in terms of playfields, equipment, coaches and teachers of physical education as, 'art of the School Improvement Programme. Available open spaces in urban areas will be reserved for playgrounds, if necessary by legislation. In order to nurture and develop sports talent to its full potential among students, efforts will be made to establish sports institutions and hostels where specialised attention will be given to sports activities and sports related studies along with normal education. Appropriate encouragement to those talented in sports and games shall be given as a matter of policy . In addition to modern sports, due stress will also be laid in educational institutions on indigenous traditional games and Yoga. Efforts will be made to introduce Yoga in all schools. To facilitate this, Yoga will be introduced in Teacher Training Courses so that every teacher would later be, able to train the students.

4.13 Youth have a right as well as an obligation to involve themselves in programmes of national and social development Such opportunities shall be provided to young persons in educational institutions and they will be required to be involved in one or the other of the existing schemes namely, the National Service Scheme, National Cadet Corps, etc. outside the educational institutions, youth will be encouraged to take up programmes of development, reform and extension, on a permanent and institutionalised basis. The National Service Volunteer Scheme will be strengthened.

THE EVALUATION PROCESS : EXAMINATION REFORM

4.14 In any process of learning and teaching, assessment of achievement an integral part. With all their limitations examinations nave come to occupy a dominant position in our education system. They should, as a part of sound educational strategy, be employed to bring about qualitative improvement in education. This, however, does not always happen.

4.15 Examinations nave been dubbed as a 'gamble' and a 'necessary evil'. Their results have become undependable in the public eye. Still they continue to dominate the curriculum as well as the methods of teaching; the aspirations of parents and the pupils alike centre round examinations. Rigidity has come to characterise their operation; improvement in the level of proficiencies of the pupils stands, to a large extent, shadowed.

4.16 The objective of the reform ought to be to re-cast the examination, system so as to ensure its assessment value as a valid and reliable measure of pupil growth and as a powerful instrument to improve teaching and learning.

In functional terms, this would mean:-

i) elimination, of the element of chance and subjectivity;

ii) de-emphasis of memorisation;

iii) comprehensive evaluation incorporating both scholastic and non-scholastic aspects of pupil development;

iv) continuous and comprehensive evaluation spread over the total span of the instructional time and as an integral aspect of the total teaching-learning process;

v) comprehensive and credible evaluation for effective use by teachers, students, parents and the society and for diagnosis and remedial and enrichment programmes;

vi) improvement in the mechanics of conducting examinations;

vii) introduction of concomitant changes in instructional materials and methodology;

viii) introduction of the semester system from the secondary stage; and

ix) the use of grades in place of marks.

4.17 The above goals are relevant both for external examinations and evaluation within the educational institutions. However, the ideal of strengthening continuous and comprehensive evaluation at the institutional level and reducing the present predominance of external examinations has by and large, not succeeded. The New Education Policy will take up this long-awaited reform expeditiously and in right earnest.

MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATION

4.18 Management questions assume great importance in education. The present pattern is both a cause and a reflection of the ills of the system of education and any desired change would inevitably involve an overhaul of the planning and management methodology. It will receive high priority.

GUIDING CONSIDERATIONS:

4.19 The guiding considerations in this process would comprise the following:

a)Evolving a long-term planning and management perspective of education and its integration with the country's development and manpower needs;

b) Decentralisation and creation of a spirit of autonomy

for educational institutions;

c) Giving a place of pre-eminence to people's participation and community involvement, including association of non-governmental agencies and voluntary effort;

d) Creation of conditions to enable women to get involved in the planning and management process;

e) Establishment of the principle of accountability in relation to given objectives and norms.

NATIONAL LEVEL:

4.20 The Central Advisory Board of Education will play a pivotal role in reviewing educational development, determining the changes required to improve the system and monitoring implementation. It will function through appropriate Committees and other mechanisms created to ensure constant contact with, and continued coordination among, the areas of activity in Human Resource Development at Governmental and non- Governmental levels. The Departments of Education at the Centre and in the States will be strengthened through professional involvement to play their rightful role under the new Policy.

INDIAN EDUCATION SERVICE:

4.21 Proper management structure in education will entail the establishment of the Indian Education Service as an All India Service. It will bring a national perspective in this vital sector. The, basic principles functions and procedures of recruitment and induction pertaining to this service will be

STATE LEVEL:

4.22 State Governments may establish State Advisory Boards of Education on the lines of CABE. Effective measures could be taken to establish integrative mechanisms among the various State departments concerned with human resource development. This would make coordination between the Central and State administrations easier and more effective.

4.23 Special attention will be paid to the training of educational planners, administrators and heads of educational institutions. State bodies of Educational Planning and Management may be set up in a phased manner, whether as part of the State Institutes of Education or otherwise, as the States may choose.

DISTRICT AND LOCAL LEVEL:

4.24 District Boards of Education will be set up with responsibility to manage education upto the higher secondary

level. State-Governments will attend to this aspect with all possible expedition. In all such cases, coordination, evaluation, monitoring and guidance will be provided from the state and national levels.

SCHOOL COMPLEX :

4.25 A very important role must be a signed to the head of the educational institution. The heads will have to be specially selected and trained. School complexes will be promoted on a flexible pattern so as to serve as networks of institutions and synergic alliances to encourage professional growth among teachers, to ensure observance of norms of conduct and to enable sharing of experiences and facilities. A developed system of school-complexes would, it is expected, take over bulk of the inspection functions in due course.

4.26 Local communities through appropriate bodies, will be improvement. These structure would also provide necessary support and assistance to the non-formal sector.

VOLUNTARY AGENCIES AND AIDED INSTITUTIONS :

4.27 From time immemorial education has been imparted in our country through institutions and individuals who undertook this task with a, sense of mission. As a result of the renaissance of the 19th Century, a large number of organizations came into being to establish educational institutions. They played an important role in our country's freedom movement. Several leaders of the freedom movement also created nationalist educational institutions. In recent years a large number of youth have formed voluntary agencies or social activist groups to work in the field of education. Such non- government and voluntary effort in education will be encouraged, subject to proper management, by providing financial assistance.

4.28 While appreciating the contribution made by the people towards the expansion of educational opportunities, steps will be taken to prevent the establishment of institutions set up only with the object of commercialising education.

DISCIPLINE:

4.29 It is obvious that these and many other new tasks of education cannot be performed in a state of disorder. Education needs to be managed in an atmosphere of 'utmost intellectual rigour, seriousness of purpose and, at the same time, of freedom essential for innovation and creativity. While far-reaching changes will have to be incorporated in the quality and range of education, the process of introducing discipline into the system will have to be started, here and now, in what exists.

TEACHERS

4.30 The status of the teacher reflects the socio-cultural ethos of the society; it is said that no people can rise above the level of its teachers. Success of educational reorganisation depends largely on teachers, their intellectual, pedagogical and human qualities, their faith in national goals, their social sensitivity and willingness to interact with the community around. Knowledge of the subject and the Ability to relate it to the environment, skills acquired and maintained through continuing study and a sense of personal and corporate responsibility for the attainment and welfare of the students, are essential characteristics of the teaching profession. it should be the endeavour of the government and the community to create conditions which will help motivate and inspire teachers on these lines. Teachers should have the freedom to innovate, to devise appropriate methods of communication and activities relevant to the needs And capabilities of the learners and the concerns of the community.

Methods of recruitment of teachers will be reorganised to ensure merit, objectivity and complementarity with spatial and functional requirements. Pay and service conditions of teachers have to be commensurate with their social and professional responsibilities and with the need to attract talent to the profession. Efforts will be made to reach the desirable objective of uniform emoluments, service conditions and grievance removal mechanisms of teachers throughout the country. A system of teacher evaluation -- Open, participative and data-based -- will be created and reasonable opportunity of grade promotions provided to them. Teachers will continue to play a crucial role in the formulation and implementation of educational programmes.

4.31 Teachers' associations must play a significant role in upholding the professional integrity and enhancing the dignity of teachers; they should also help in curbing professional misconduct. National level Associations of teachers, in cooperation with Government, will prepare a National Code of Professional Ethics for Teachers and see to its observance.

TEACHER EDUCATION:

4.32 Teacher education is a very critical area in the educational process. It is a continuous process which includes pre-service components as related and inseparable. There is a great need to give inservice training to teachers regularly, to upgrade subject matter content, and to remedy sub-standard institutions and outdated methods. As the first step towards implementation of this Policy, the system of teacher education will be overhauled.

4.33 Emphasis in the new programmes of teacher education would be on continuing education and on preparing the teachers' in accordance with the thrust envisaged in this Policy. These include the emphasis on child-centred learning, environment orientation, stress on secularism and national integration, and to provide the teachers with the scope to exercise initiative And innovation.

4.34 District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) will be established with adequate capability for organisation of pre-service and inservice courses for elementary school teachers and for the personnel working non-formal and adult education. As DIETs get established, sub-standard institutions will be phased out. Selected Secondary Teacher Training Colleges will be upgraded to complement the work of State Councils of Educational Research and Training. National Council of Teacher Education will be provided necessary resources and capability to undertake accreditation of institutions of teachers' education and to provide guidance in regard to curriculum and methods. Networking arrangements will be created between institutions of teachers' education and university departments of education. Books and journals will also be provided to teachers.