CONTENT AND PROCESS OF EDUCATION
 

NPE/POA Stipulations.

12.1.1 NPE, 1986 calls for a reorientation of content and processes of education. The modalities envisaged are:

The curricula are to, be enriched by cultural content; value education to be the given significant place; media and educational technology are to be employed in all the spheres; work experience is to be an integral part of the learning process at all stages; environment consciousness is to be promoted; science and mathematics teaching are to be geared for promotion of spirit of enquiry; the examination system is to be recast in terms of continuous comprehensive evaluation of scholastic and non-scholastic achievements; and development of language is to be in terms of 1968 Policy. 12.1.2 Going into greater details, the Policy implications in this regard are elaborated by POA in terms of the following:

- Access to education of a comparable quality for -all;

- Introduction of minimum levels of learning and provision of threshold facilities;

- Articulation of national system of education and a national curricular timeframe with a common core.

- Improvement of teaching and 'Learning through examination reform.

- Development of culture-specific curricula and instructional material for the disadvantaged;

- Overhauling of teacher education system;

- Decentralisation of educational administration;

- Promotion of voluntary efforts and people's participation.

- Use of modern communication technology in education, training and awareness creation.

12.1.3 Several intervention programmes have also been envisaged in POA with reference to the above implications of the Policy.

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12.1.4 The organisational responsibility for bringing about the reorientation of content and process of education has been cast by the Policy of the NCERT, State Directorates of 'Education, SCERTs, State Institutes of Education and Boards of education.

12.1.5 The intervention programmes, according to POA, are to be implemented in areas of content reorientation, process reorientation, development of technical support system, and mobilisation and motivation by effective uses of communication technology and monitoring mechanism.

Committee's Perspective

12.2.1 While the national core curriculum is important, the Committee would call for full scope being provided in addition to core curriculum for diversity in content and pedagogy according to the socio cultural milieu of the school, college or university.

12.2.2 While the POA does speak about decentralisation of educational administration and creation of institutional autonomy as already pointed out, even in the process of reorienting the content it has recommended a fairly highly centralised modality, namely, preparation of instructional packages in core-curriculum areas, exemplar packages on specific work-experience activities etc. In the course of responses to the Perspective Paper on Education apprehensions have been expressed about introduction of a standard, uniform curriculum which would be the result of Centrally directed efforts. While Central coordination would be meaningful, the process of preparation of curriculum should be decentralised through the involvement of State agencies.

12.2.3 So far as process reorientation is concerned, while teacher training is very crucial, the Committee would call for modalities which are innovative and are designed to cater to the requirement of having to provide teachers in mass scales particularly for the primary level. Apart from this, courses for education of teachers required at the secondary levels in the schools have to be redesigned universally over a period of time to develop meaningful teaching comptetencies. Examination reform cannot be construed a is an isolated activity to bring about process orientation. It has to go as a package along with reform in the structuring of courses and flexibility for students to avail of the restructured courses according to their convenience.

12.2.4 Education Technology should not be construed as merely referring to technological aids like TV, VCR, RCCP, Computer etc. More importantly, it refers to the whole area of process of teaching/learning and designing courses for the same irrespective

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of use of technological aids. While educational technology as a 'means of communication and motivation is important, its use should be modulated to meet the class room situations obtaining in the schools most of which are very unsatisfactorly provided in terms of infrastructure. Education Technology should emerge out of the felt needs in the class rooms. It should not be thrown at. the students. and the teachers, so to-say, in terms of an external imposition whether the teachers and the students want it or not. While computer education is indeed important, its implementation in schools should be in the perspective of the resource costraints seriously inhibiting education at primary level.

Culture content

12.3.1 NPE and POA have dealt with the question of enrichment of the curriculum by culture content etc. at two levels. At one level India's common cultural heritage has been identified as one of the elements of core-curriculum. The NCERT while preparing the model syllabi and exempler instructional packages is to apropriately include this core in the content of education. At another level ( paras 8.1 to 8.3 of NPE ) a synthesis has been envisaged between change oriented technologies and cultural traditions through education and establishment of linkages between the university* system and institutions of higher learning in art, archaeology and oriental traditions.So far as cultural content of education is concerned, apart from the common cultural heritage, diversities of the cultural traditions in India are as important. The oral and folk traditions also symbolise the vibrance of Indian culture as distinct from textbook culture.

12.3.2 Following up on NPE stipulation for synthesis between change oriented technologies and cultural traditions, the Department of Culture formed two committees and also prepared certain schemes such as production of cultural resources and software for education; review of textbooks; introduction of cultural components in school under minimum cultural content programme; introduction of courses in colleges and universities; courses on archaeological engineering etc. These schemes involved coordination with agencies like Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT), NCERT (CIET), Archaeological Survey of Indian etc. However, the Planning Commission was unable to allocate resources and advised the Department of Culture to Secure the resources from 'the Department of Education. The Department of Education was also unable to provide resource support, apparently on account of inadequacy of resources for its own priority areas.

Recommendations

(i) The cultural content of education should include not merely the common cultural heritage of India as a whole but also

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diversities of cultural traditions of all parts of India, particularly those symbolised by the oral and folk traditions.

(ii) In conveying to the student community, through the content of education, the cultural traditions of the country, the needs for acceptance/rejection of the same based on critical analysis should also be inculcated.

(iii) The Department of Education should take upon itself the primary responsibility of linkages between the university system and institutions of higher learning as envisaged in the NPE instead of leaving it as a sectoral responsibility of the Department of Culture.

Value education

12.4.0 The modality envisaged in the POA for value education is also the inclusion of the same in the core curriculum to be followed up by production of exemplar instructional packages by the NCERT. In the same way as unity of culture has been sought to be projected, in the area of value education also the emphasis is on unity, that is, on unity and integration of the people (para 8.5 of NPE) . This is indeed appropriately so. However, value education should be much more broad based. The modality of imparting education on these values cannot also be confined to the translation of the core curriculum into instructional packages.

Recommendations

(i) Democracy, secularism, socialism, scientific temper, equality of sexes, honesty, integrity, courage and justice (fairness) , respect for all life forms, different cultures and languages (including tribal) etc. constitute the mosaic of values which is vital to the unity and integrity of the country. The content and process of education should be all pervasively informed by these basic values.

(ii) Imparting of value education should be an integral part of the entire educational process and school climate, as distinct from dissemination of values through special classes or lectures in morality or through mechanical textbook-based learning methods. Some of the specific activities that could be promoted in this context are:

- Establishment of linkage between the school and the, community to stress the harmony and inter- dependence between human being and human being and human being and nature;

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- Narrating stories, including folktales depicting heroism, of martyrdom' and supreme self-sacrifice on the part of great personalities belonging to different religions and regions etc.

- Community singing of folk-songs;

- Study of classical traditions of India as part of social sciences.

- Systematic and greater exchange of students within a region and between regions.

- Encouraging schools and colleges to take up projects on States or regions of the country other than their own.

(iii)In value education importance should also be given to 'hidden curriculum' whether it be inside the class room situation or outside. Subtle inculcation of values contributing to the development of total personality of the individual should be organised. These values would encompass a wide range of attributes such as courtesy in person to person interface, a result oriented behaviour, personal and intellectual integrity, magnetic conduct etc. In other words, the overall output of hidden curriculum shall be what is normally understood by the use of the expression 'Tehzeeb'.

Languages

12.5.1 NPE, 1986 calls for implementation of Education Policy of 1968 so far as it concerns languages. An energetic development of regional languages and literature, implementation of three language formula, development of Hindi as envisaged in Article 351 of the Constitution, provision of facilities for the teaching of Sanskrit and strengthening of study of English are the important aspects of the 1968 Policy relating to languages.

12.5.2 The Policy in respect of languages enunciated during 1968 and 1986 has come to be stabilised and generally accepted all over the country. The Committee is not in favour of reframing it. However, certain implementation strategies are crucial and should be taken recourse to.

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Recommendation

In order that the language Policy which has already come to be established and stabilised is meaningfully implemented, the following measures should be taken:

- Universalisation of imparting instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage including for minorities and tribals.

- Development of regional languages.

- Progressively imparting education in regional languages including at the tertiary level in a time bound manner.

- Development of language competencies of students, by providing operational flexibilities for the national language institutions like Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages and the Central Institute of Indian Languages.

- Strengthening of language teacher training.

- Provision of national level facility for training in translation methodology.

(All the measures mentioned above are more elaborately dealt with in the chapter on Languages in Education).

Educational Technology

12.6.1 NPE, 1986 envisages use of educational technology 'to avoid structural dualism' and as a mode of delivery of education out to distant areas and deprived sections. It is also to be employed for dissemination of information, teacher training, sharpening awareness of art and culture and inculcation of values.

12.6.2 Measures envisaged by POA for use of education technologies are:

- Extension of TV and radio transmission

- Expansion of programme production facilities.

- Provision of radio receivers in primary/elementary schools.

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- Implementation of programmes for computer manpower development.

- Introduction of computer science courses at the Higher secondary level, extension of computer literacy programmes etc.

12.6.3 The Central Institute of Educational Technology and UGC have been identified in the POA for playing coordinating role.

12.6.4 In pursuance of NPE and POA the Department of Education brought under implementation a centrally sponsored scheme for educational technology with an outlay of Rs. 115.90 crores. The physical targets under the scheme were supply of one lakh colour TV sets and five lakh radio-cum-casette players to primary and upper primary schools. Assistance to States in the programme was envisaged at rates ranging from 75% to 100%. Presented in the Table below is the status of implementation of the educational technology programme as projected by the Department of Education:

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12.6.5 Some of the important problems encountered in the implementation of the scheme for distribution of TV sets and radio-cum-casettee players are the following:

* The rates originally fixed for the procurement of these equipment were Rs.600/- for RCCP and Rs.6,500/- for TV set. At these prices, the State Governments were notable to procure the equipment. The prices have since been revised to Rs.1,000/- and Rs.8,500/- respectively but the revision has come rather late - during 1989-90.

* There have been inordinate delays on the part of certain State Governments like in the case of Rajasthan, Gujarat and U.P. in the matter of effecting purchases of RCCPs and TV sets. Funds given to them in earlier years have not been used for these purposes.

* These equipment have often been supplied to schools where proper buildings are not available and where watch and ward facilities do not exist. on account of this, there have been cases where the equipment have been kept elsewhere outside the schools.

* For operating the RCCPs, software have not been given; on account of this, the equipment have remained unutilised.

* The State Education Departments have often failed to act with reference to the directories of education broadcasts of different regional stations of the All India Radio.

12.6.6 In the INSAT States (Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, U.P., Gujarat, Maharashtra and Orissa), Education TV Programmes are telecast for five days in a week for 45 minutes per day. This is done within the school hours. However, children do not have access to this programme for want of TV sets. (A recent study carried out in Orissa by the CIET has brought out that only in 15% of the cases, there has been successful utilisation of the equipment.)

12.6.7 A proposal has been pending for creation of an Educational Media Foundation with a corpus fund with the objective of use of educational technology to achieve the goal of universal elementary education and, for this purpose, to tap talents for the production of Radio and TV programmes. It was also envisaged that this Foundation could function as a clearing house on education technology for the school system. However, the Central Institute of Educational Technology which was to play a crucial role in the matter of establishment of this Foundation has not been able to show results.

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12.6.8 The six INSAT States were also expected to create State Institutes of Educational Technology to function autonomously. so far, only Orissa has taken a decision on the creation of this Institute. Reportedly, the Governments of Bihar and Maharashtra have since taken decisions for creating the same. Gujarat does not seem to approve of the idea of an autonomous institute. In the existing institutions, technical and professional posts have remained unfilled. The States are not providing full time Directors. Consequently, the capability of the INSAT States to produce educational software has not been of the desired level. Presented in the following Table is a statement on Education Technology Staff in Position (academic, technical, productive and administrative) in the CIET and INSAT States. This statement brings out the staff deficiencies, particularly in the professional side