EDUCATION FOR THE SCS/STS AND OTHER EDUCATIONALLY BACKWARD SECTIONS
THE ARGUMENT In the Approach to the Report, the NPERC makes its premise very clear, namely,
i) That much of what is contained in its report has already been dealt with by different Commissions and Committees which were called upon to go into educational policy from time to time from the 19th century onwards.
ii) However, it is a fact that many of the ideas and concepts have remained as such without being translated into action.
iii) The Committee's effort has, therefore, largely been one of advising on possible alternative modalities of implementation. (vide para 2.6.0)
This premise is particularly true in respect of Committee' treatment of education for SCs, STs and other educationally backward sections. The Committee has not come forth with any suggestions for policy change; it has only suggested marginal changes to ongoing programmes.
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2. In keeping with its philosophic approach to the dialectical relationship between education and socioeconomic development, NPERC enjoins that upliftment of SCs and STs should not be an isolated activity in every department but instead should be a part of an equity package. Reforms in education should not be isolated phenomena but a part of all-round reform in other related areas. The Committee is of the view that the participation of the weaker sections in educational process will be a far cry unless they are put in possession of means of production and livelihood through measures such as land reforms, they are meaningfully provided with essentials of life such as fuel, food and water, and are assured of fair wages for their work. While the existential dilemma highlighted by the Committee cannot be wished away, the basic question is how to operationalise the equity package. Operationalisation necessarily involves a certain degree of prioritisation and phasing. A clarion call for systemic change and comprehensive reform in one go can, in practice, be a charter for inaction, and hence, for status quo. As the preface itself recognizes "All the basic reforms recommended in their report cannot be introduced at once. So, the reforms may be divided into three categories - immediate, inter-mediate, and ultimate. There
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are still questions that require fuller consideration. A thousand practical details have to be worked out."
3. However, the point implied in the report that there is a two-way relationship between education and socioeconomic change is valid. It needs to be stressed that the District Collectors and all agencies and personnel dealing with development in the districts need to be sensitised to the inter-relationships amongst the various programmes designed for the socioeconomic amelioration of weaker sections. Traditionally, education has not been perceived to be a developmental department and consequently vital issues like equalisation of educational opportunities, universalisation of elementary education and adult education did not receive attention from the District Collectors and remained in the exclusive domain of the functionaries concerned of the Education Departments. It is only recently that many Collectors have been involved in the educational issues through total literacy campaigns. Another dimension that is critical for the delivery of equity package is the empowerment of local communities. To a certain extent, empowerment is promoted by a strong Panchayati Raj System, particularly at the village level. However, it should be ensured that weaker sections have an effective voice in the functioning of these institutions. Experience with Mahila Samakhya has adumbrated the possibility of organising women's groups who are articulate and demand accountability of the educational system. Such organisations, when they take roots, can ensure that the various programmes and activities are really accountable to the community - a denouement
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which would make the delivery systems more effective.
4. The Committee opined that while the administrative measures mentioned in NPE/POA are indeed important, basically there is a need for predicating the choice of strategies on the need profiles of different communities. The various components of NPE/POA have to be taken together. Suffice to say that the strategy suggested by the NPERC is not variant from what NPE and POA had prescribed. NPE 1986 had indeed stated that it would give "the highest priority to solving the problem of children dropping out of school and will adopt an array of meticulously formulated strategies based on micro-planning, and applied at the grass-roots level all over the country, to ensure children's retention at school. This effort will be fully coordinated with the network of non-formal education." The POA had clarified that by micro-planning is intended family-wise and child-wise design of action to ensure that every child regularly attends school or NFE centre, continues his/her education at a pace suitable to him/her, and completes at least five years of schooling, or its equivalent at the NFE centre. So far micro-planning has been in an exploratory phrase; the need of the hour is to operationalise it and to make it the critical element in universalisation of elementary education.
5. The Committee had also suggested to make impact studies of the various measures taken over the years. There are a large number of studies on programme implementation by various organisations like NCERT, NIEPA and such other organisations. The NPERC itself provides a detailed statistical analysis of
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educational disparities. There can be differences of opinion on the indicators adopted or relative emphasis but it is an incontrovertible fact that there are substantial disparities in educational development. What is needed is perhaps not more studies per se but time-bound, determined and informed action. To paraphrase a thinker of the 19th century, philosophers had interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.
6. The Committee lays strong emphasis on intensive area approach and more vigorous monitoring. This is the crux of programme implementation. The recommendation of the NPERC that a single focal agency should be identified in each State for the purposes of reporting to the Central Government is welcome. Particularly in regard to SCs, STs and minorities, there is a multiplicity of implementing agencies in State Governments. Some programmes are administered by the Welfare Departments and many by the Education Departments. Even in Education Departments activities are spread over many Directorates. There is really need for a nodal agency at the State level which can have synoptic overview of the various programmes, to assess what they all add up to. Monitoring has been indeed the Achilles' heel of programme implementation. Effective monitoring systems need to be put in place. Representatives of beneficiaries have to be associated with the monitoring system so that they can give a fillip to programme implementation from within the system.
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ANALYSIS OF RECOMMENDATIONS INCENTIVE SCHEMES
RECOMMENDATION NO.63 This recommendation has four parts, viz;
i) evaluation studies of incentive schemes should be undertaken
ii) community profiles of educationally backward communities should be prepared.
iii) planning for the enrolment and retention of SC/ST children should be based on evaluation studies and community profiles
iv) targets and strategies should be set on a disaggregated basis.
The recommendation is a reiteration of sound management principles viz; that planning must be based on analysis and should be adequately disaggregated, that implementation should be evaluated and that the conclusions of evaluation inbuilt into planning. Or in other words, planning, implementation and evaluation should be part of a cyclical process.
Planning
Evaluation Implementation
However, the recommendation has no policy implication.
Impact studies are being conducted by a number of organisations including NCERT, NIEPA, Tribal Research Institutes and State Governments. While such studies need to be continued, the emphasis should be on concrete and effective action.
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Regarding disaggregated targets and strategies it may be mentioned that the NPE/POA gives the highest priority to universalisation of elementary education (UEE), and adoption of participative micro-planning to achieve UEE. Micro-planning envisages "family-wise and child-wise design of action to ensure that every child regularly attends schools or non-formal education centres, continues his/her education at a pace suitable to him/her, and completes five years of schooling or its equivalent at non-formal education centres". That is to say that NPE and POA envisage disaggregation of planning being carried to the logical conclusion of the family and child. Micro-planning has to be an important component of the strategy for UEE. So far it has been in an exploratory phase. It has to be opertionalised on a larger scale.
STATUS OF ACCESS TO EDUCATION
RECOMMENDATION NO.64 : According to the Fifth All-India Education Survey, for the country as a whole, 94.01% of all habitations with a population 300 or more have primary schools within a distance of 1 Km. The corresponding percentages for SC and ST habitations are 92.02% and 94.14%.
The position varies from State to State. In the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Sikkim and in the Union Territories of Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi and Pondicherry all SC habitations with a population of 300 or more have primary schools within a distance of 1 Km. Compared to the national average, the position was worse in Himachal Pradesh (84.56%), Tripura (88.15%), Rajasthan (84.63%) and
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Uttar Pradesh (82.62%). As far as ST habitations with population of 300 and more are concerned, the position was worse than the national average in the states of Arunachal Pradesh (90.50%), Assam (92.73%), Bihar (92.13%). Kerala (46.15%), Rajasthan (89.96%), Sikkim (86.15%), Tamilnadu (87.87%) and Tripura (84.25%).
84.45% of all habitations with a polulation of 500 or more have upper primary schools within a distance of 3 Km. The corresponding percentages for SC and ST habitations are 81.71% and 72.62%.The position again varies from State to State. In respect of SC habit- ations, the position compared to the all-India average was worse,in Bihar (81.14%), Karnataka (81.48%), Madhya Pradesh (66.70%). Maharashtra (78.81%), Rajasthan (65.88%) and Sikkim 50.00%). Similiarly, in respect of ST habitations, the position, in comparison with all-India basis, was worse in Arunachal Pradesh (54.63%). Karnataka (68.68%), Kerala (62.50%), Madhya Pradesh (63.41%), Maharasthra (63.25%) Nagaland (64.06%), Tamilnadu (38.27%) and West Bengal (60.29%).
States do open educational institutions keeping in mind the norms and subject to resource availability. The continued existence of any habitation which is not served by a primary school according to norms remains an avoidable gap in the provision of school facilities. Efforts should be made to fill this gap during the Eighth Plan.
- State governments can be expected to take into account the recommendation while expanding facilities for education.
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IMPROVEMENT OF CAPABILITY AND EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
RECOMMENDATION NO.65 : This recommendation has no policy implication. That individual differences among the students of a class should be recognised and that the learning process should be child centred are among the first principles of pedogogy. The NPE (para 5.6) observed that " a warm, welcoming and encouraging approach, in which all concerned share a solicitude for the needs of the child, is the best motivation for the child to attend school and learn. A child-centred and activity-based process of learning should be adopted at the primary stage. First generation learners should be allowed to set their own pace and be given Supplementary remedial instructions". Remedial instructions should thus be an essential part of learning at all levels, more so in case of students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Some State Governments provide remedial coaching to SC and ST students especially just before the public examinations at Class X and II. The recommendation suggests a sustained programme to cover the entire academic session. State Governments are expected to take note of the recommendation.
RECOMMENDATION NO: 66 That the socio-cultural mileu of ST has its distinctive features
and that tribal development has to take note of these features and devise appropriate strategies and programmes are universally accepted principles which informed planned development in our country.
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The NPE/POA do recognise the special needs of STs and envisage a number of measures for their educational development. For example, priority in the opening of primary schools in tribal areas, development of curriculum and instructional material in tribal languages at the initial stages with arrangements for switching over to regional languages, appointment of local tribal teachers for teaching in schools in tribal areas, establishing residential schools and Ashram schools and designing the curriculum at all stages so as to create awareness of the rich cultural identity of the tribal people and also of their enoromous creative talent. The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore has been working on 75 tribal languages. It has developed bilingual materials in several languages.
This recommendation is thus a restatement of the formulations in NPE/POA.
- Recommendation has no policy implication
- NPE/POA recognise the distinctive features of the education of ST
RECOMMENDATION NO. 67 This recommendation has no Policy implication.
The recommendation has three parts:
i) setting up a network of school linked libraries.
ii) Provide library facilities to smaller habitations without schools through bicycle-borne mobile libraries.
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iii)Promote children's literature, particularly in local dialects.
The NPE (para 8.9) envisages provision in all educational institutions of library facilities. Our endeavour should be to realise this objective so that reading habits are promoted among children.
A strong library movement has also been envisaged by the NPE. The status of library movement varies from State to State.Mobile libraries operating in many States. However, the concept of bicycle-borne mobile library does not seem to be practical.
Regarding children's literature, the NPE itself (para 8.8) enjoins that special attention should be paid to the production of quality books for children. The Children's Book Trust and the National Book Trust have some programmes for this purpose. This is an area where efforts have to be intensified.
RECOMMENDATION NO. 68 This recommendation relates to process and content of education and not to policy.
That education should not be limited to the transactions of text books but should strive to promote all-round development of the student's personality is an accepted and sound principle of education. Therefore, schools should have activities which go beyond teaching of text books; teachers should necessarily be provided the competencies required. Resource back-up institutions such as DIETs should provide facilities for building up and
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renewing such competencies. The recommendation envisages a crucial role for educational complexes. It also seems to suggest that students and even dropouts should participate In such programmes in the education complexes. The role envisaged for education complexes seems to be not practical.
- Arrangements should be made in resource institutions to build up teachers competencies in all aspects of education including extra-curricular activities.
RECOMMENDATION NO. 69 Recommendation relates to content and process of education and not so much to policy.
This recommendation suggests a separate curriculum for the educationally backward. All students, irrespective of caste, community and religion, should have a common curriculum. Though instructions should be child-centred and cater to individual differences, it is not advisable to differentiate amongst students in the matter of syllabus and curriculum. Even the educationally backward would not prefer to be segregated through a separate curriculum. They are likely to perceive such a curriculum to be second rate. Science and Mathematics, language competencies, contribution of different communities, regions and women, to the nation's life, culture and development should be inculcated in all students.
- All students, irrespective of caste, community, and religion, should have a common curriculum.