SECONDARY EDUCATION
1. INTRODUCTION Secondary education has two objectives which are determined by the specific place that it occupies in the education system, consolidating the basic knowledge acquired in primary education and providing a preparation for higher education, on the one hand, and on the other, providing a preparation for working life and employment, These two objectives give rise to two functions a preparatory function and a terminal function. The success of secondary education system therefore, depends on how it meets the preparatory and terminal functions both on quantitative and qualitative basis for the students coming out of elementary system. Any sound planning for secondary education must, therefore, focus on the requirement of the two functions. However, the policy accent or the secondary system has not been as forceful as on the elementary system. While, therefore, there has been considerable expansion in elementary and higher/professional education, the same has not been visible in the secondary stage.
2. The need for expansion of secondary Education The Fifth Educational Survey has ascertained that the enrolment in class I (September, 1986) was 251 lakhs, enrolment in class IX was 63.97 lakhs and in class Xi was 20.69 lakhs. Thus, the enrolment in class IX is 25,49% and in class XI 8.24% of the enrolment in class I. Clearly, a small proportion of children who enrol in class I go in for Secondary Education. But the enrolment at secondary level has increased by 63% between 1978 (Fourth Survey) and 1986 (Fifth Survey) and at
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Higher Secondary stage by 87% compared to increase of 35.90% at Primary level In this period. The higher rat* of increase In enrolment at secondary and higher secondary levels has boon generating large demand for now secondary and higher secondary schools* This trend is expected to continue as the country makes progress in achieving Universal Elementary Education(UEE). The experience of the developed countries is that after achievement of UEE the social demand favours Universal Secondary Education. Many of the developed countries have already achieved more than 90% rate for Secondary Education, The trend for Universal Secondary Education is logical also because it stands to reason that a child continues to receive education till he attains the age of work i.e., around 18 years of ago. This indicates the perspective for the early decades of the Twenty First Century.
2.1 Disparities The NPE (Para 4.1) called for a special emphasis on the removal of disparities and to equalize educational opportunity by attending to the specific needs of these who have been denied equality so far In Secondary Education the disparity in access is sharp in the case of girls as well as in the case of SCs/STs, The enrolment of girls in the Science and commerce stream in higher secondary stage is lower than enrolment of keys In these streams. 2.2 A major Impetus should be given for substantial increase in enrolment of girls and SC/ST students in Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools. Each State should take up a Programme of school mapping for planning and implementation for location of secondry/higher secondary
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school on the basis of clearly defined norms and standards.Special emphasis will be laid on backward areas, areas pro-dominantly inhabited by SC/STs. School facilities for girls, and provision for science and commerce streams for girl and SC/ST students in the higher secondary stage. This programme can be undertaken by NIEPA in cooperation with SCERTs.
3. Management Structure A weak management structure is not conducive to attainment of acceptable standards. It reduces the efficiency of any programme that is taken up for the improvement of the system.
3.1 Common institutional structure of school Education The NPE in para 3,3 has observed that the National system of Education envisages a common educational structure. It is a well- known principle that uniformity in the structure of school education, can facilitate a general rise in the levels of attainment. There are two major areas of distortion in regard to the 10+2 structure of school education and these are:-
i) The + 2 stage is still outside the school system in quite a few States. In some States it is a part of the college system while in some others, it is an independent system not within either the school system or the college system.
ii) Difference in the break-up of first 10 years of schooling persists in some States.
In the overall interest of the student population of the country, efforts will be made to bring the + 2 stage of secondary secondary education within the school system.
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Resultant problems concerning the adjustment of staff members working in Junior and Intermediate College* in the school system, will be sorted out expeditiously.
3.2 It will also be necessary to ensure that the break-up of the first 10 years of schooling, as stipulated in para 3.3 of the NPE is adhered to by all the States.
3.3 Improvement in the functioning of Boards of secondary
Education The Boards of Secondary Education in the country appear to be preoccupied with their routine function of conducting public examinations only, with the result that there is little perceptible evidence of their academic functions or efforts to improve the quality of secondary education. Even in the area of conducting public examinations, some of the State Boards take a long time in the declaration of examination results.
3.4 The autonomy of the Boards should be sufficiently enhanced by giving them full responsibility, large powers and freedom in carrying out the academic functions essential for qualitative improvement in standards of secondary education. It is necessary to build up in the Boards a sympathetic and imaginative system free from bureaucratic control.
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3.5 The effectiveness of a Board would largely depend upon the attitudes and qualifications of the persons constituting It Special care has to be taken to ensure that a Board is headed by an eminent educationist.
3.6 In addition to their existing functions of conducting examinations, curriculum design and updating, textbook and teaching- learning material production and examination reforms; the Boards should also be responsible for the following:-
i) Advising the State Government In all matters relating to School Education.
ii) Prescribing conditions for recognition of schools in terms of number and qualification of teachers, curricula, equipment and other educational facilities.
iii) Undertaking a regular programme of- phase-wise evaluation of school system. The work of the Board in this sphere will broadly be of two kinds
(a) Diagnostic i.e. assisting State Education Departments in measuring achievements and indicating what are the accomplished educational standards in different districts of the State.
(b) Developmental: i.e. helping State Education Departments to adopt measures which would raise standards through such programmes as curricular reform, textbook preparation, examination improvement and conducting seminars,workshops in these fields.
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3.7 Elevation of Status of Heads of High/Higher Secondary
schools. The Headmaster of a School holds a unique position. He is an institutional head as well as the head of the structure, As institutional head he has to anchor himself in the philosophy, mission, elm, directions and finally the synergy and ambience of the learning situation. As head of the structure, he is the holder of the policy, objectives, tasks, role boundaries, performance, evaluation, reward and punishment. In order to actualize his institutional and structural roles, the Headmaster should be given wider academic, administrative and financial powers and higher pay scale and status. There should be a mechanism to implement the directives in para 10.7 of the NPE.
4. Content and process, of secondary education
4.1 Examination Reform This is, perhaps, the weakest area in so far as Secondary Education is concerned. Though some isolated efforts have been made by the NCERT, CBSE and a few State Boards, there is lot more to be done to actualize the directives given in para 8.24 of the NPE. A Central initiative is required to be undertaken in following directions :-
i) Preparation of a status report of Examination Reform measures undertaken by various Boards.
ii) Developing an effective mechanism for coordinating and monitoring implementation of examination reforms undertaken by the Boards.
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iii) Preparation of a National Examination Reform Framework to serve as a not of guidelines to the Beards intending to adopt reforms, and
iv) introducing Examination Reform measures in CBSE- affiliated schools for a few years and evaluate the impact of such measures by comparing performance of students during the pre-reform stage and post-reform stage.
4.2 Teacher Training
4.3 Pre-Service Training The pre-service teacher training programmes have not kept pace with changes in school curriculum. The revitalisation of the pre- service teacher training throughout the country will need to be taken up as a major enterprise. It is necessary to have pre-service training programmes of 4 years' duration for secondary teachers.
4.4 In most States, pre-service teacher training programme (B.Ed etc.) is not a requirement for Post-Graduate Teachers (PGTs) of higher secondary classes. Since the training requirements for higher secondary stage teachers are very, different from those for the secondary stage teachers there should be provision for a specialised training to the former group. Such pre-service training should be a pre-condition for recruitment of PGTs. The purview of the SIEs/SCERTs should be extended to include secondary and higher secondary education after strengthening these bodies with their own specialist cadres.
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4.5 In-service training The changes that have taken place in the secondary education curriculum during the past 16 years and more particularly since the adoption of the NPE, 1986, require an intensive programme of in- service training of teachers for effective implementation.
4.6 Networking of institutions working for teachers preparation at the secondary stage will be necessary to create the needed infrastructure for in-service teacher education of secondary teachers in the Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs/Institutions of Advanced Study in Education (IASEs) and University Departments.
4.7 Computer literacy In the changing technological world of today, computer literacy in schools is considered essential in developing the 'process' skills of observation, classification, making hypotheses and drawing conclusions. In many countries, computer knowledge has ceased to have the character of a narrowly specialized line of study and has been incorporated into practically all branches of study as basic subject- matter. Expertise in handling computers is now an essential tool in all professions. In order to make the secondary education of India relevant to the demands of both the present day society and the shape of things to come, it is necessary to launch a massive programme for introducing computer education into the secondary and higher secondary curricula of the country. This should involve not only hands-on
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experience but also some knowledge of the basic concepts of the computer technology. Attempts will be made to provide universal access to and participation in the programme for computer education in the secondary and senior secondary schools.
4.8 Improvement in Science and Mathematics Education The Central initiative in improvement of Science education on lines of NPE'86 has been mainly in the directions of expansion of physical facilities of libraries and laboratories. There has been little progress in improvement of mathematics education. A programme for improvement of science education cannot be successful if the teachers lack competencies and motivation. A well-planned are systematic central programme should be launched to provide the science and mathematics teachers with suitable training so that they can have:-
i) familiarity with environment, competencies and skills to provide guidance to pupils.
ii) ability to mobilise resources and ability to use and maintain various types of equipment.
iii) skills off communication, planning and implementa- tion and curricula evaluation.
4.9 In addition to continuing the existing activities under the central scheme of improvement of science education. the Central initiative should also be directed towards substantial increase of enrolment of girls and SC/ST students
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in the Science stream of higher secondary stage. This initiative needs to be monitored meticulously at the block, district and state levels. There should also be a drive for increasing the number of women teachers of science and mathematics. A new central scheme for improvement of teaching of mathematics in schools should be launched for curriculum development, preparation of resource and teacher- training material, orientation and training of teachers and resource persons, organising mathematics competitions at district, state and national levels, opening of mathematics clubs in schools and giving incentives to SC/ST and women candidates opting for teaching of mathematics.
5. Language Teaching One of the prominent reasons for low standards of education at secondary level is the poor standard of languages teaching. This weakness can be removed by having an effective in-service training programme in language teaching with emphasis in creative writing and self-expression. The process of selection of language teachers should be strengthened and research in language teaching encouraged.
5.1 English will, for a long time to come, continue to be the 'library language' in the field of higher education. A strong foundation in English language, therefore, will have to be laid at the secondary stage. It is necessary to launch a central scheme for raising the proficiency in English language for the students of senior secondary levels.
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5.2 One of the recommendations of the CABE Committee on Content and Process of School Education set up in 1987 was for effective implementation of the three language formula. Without provision of a language teacher for the third language, its teaching is not likely to take place. There has been programme for assisting the States for providing Hindi teachers, in non-Hindi States and that has been found to be very helpful, It is felt that this programme should be extended to cover Hindi speaking States by providing assistance to them on 50% basis for teaching of third language in accordance with the 3-language formula.