8.14 Standards of Attainment at the Different Stages. Though the curriculum of the first ten years of general education covering seven years of primary education (four years of lower primary and three years of upper primary) and three years of lower secondary education should be organized as a continuous programme of studies, the standard of attainment at the end of each sub-stage in the total course should be clearly indicated. These standards should be defined in terms of the knowledge, skills, abilities and attitudes to be developed with reference to the overall objectives of school education.

8.15 At the lower primary stage (classes I to IV) the child should receive instruction in the basic tools of learning such as reading, writing and computation, and learn to adjust himself to his surroundings through an elementary study of his physical and social environment. He should participate in activities which develop his constructive and creative skills and teach him the habits of healthy living. in order that a sound foundation in the mother tongue may be laid at this stage, no language other than this should be introduced during the first four years. The curriculum of these classes should be gradually expanded and developed in keeping with the child's growth and development.

8.16 At the higher primary stage (classes V-VII) the study of a second language will be added to that of the mother tongue; arithmetic skill will develop into the acquisition of more difficult mathematical knowledge; environmental activities will lead to the study of natural and physical sciences, history, geography and civics; constructive and creative skills will provide the basis for the practice of simple arts and crafts; and the practice of healthy living will serve as the foundation for physical education.

8.17 The curriculum at the secondary stage should meet the needs of the adolescent as well as the needs of the democratic society in which he is expected to participate as a citizen on reaching maturity. The needs of democratic citizenship will require the development of certain skills, attitudes and qualities of character such as the capacity

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326 EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 8.18

for clear thinking, the ability to communicate easily with one's fellow-men, the scientific attitude of mind, a sense of true patriotism and an appreciation of the value of productive work. The secondary school curriculum should contain the necessary educational elements for the cultivation of these habits, attitudes and qualities. The needs of adolescence are related not only to the acquisition of knowledge and the Promotion of intellectual ability but the fuller development of the physical, emotional, aesthetic and moral aspects of the pupil's personality. Provision has, therefore, to be made in the curriculum, on a more systematic scale than before, for programmes of physical education and subjects like art, craft, music, dancing and education in moral and spiritual values.

8.18 We give below what we believe should be the broad areas of curricular studies for the different sub-stages, and shall follow this outline with a discussion of the special features of the curriculum at each sub-stage.

(1) Lower Primary Stage (Classes I-IV) (a)One language-the mother tongue or the regional language.

(b) Mathematics.

(d) Creative Activities.

(e) Work-experience and Social Service.

(f) Health Education.

(2) Higher Primary Stage (Classes V-VII)

(a) Two languages-(i) the mother tongue or the regional language, and (ii) Hindi or English.

[Note: A third language (English, Hindi or the regional language) may be studied on an optional basis.]

(b) Mathematics.

(d) Social Studies (or History, Geography and Civics).

(e) Art.

(f) Work-experience and Social Service.

(g) Physical Education.

(h) Education in Moral and Spiritual Values.

(3) Lower Secondary Stage (Classes VIII-X)

(a) Three languages. In non-Hindi speaking areas, these languages will normally be (i) the mother tongue or the regional language, (ii) Hindi at a higher or lower level, (iii) English at a higher or lower level. In Hindi speaking areas, they will normally be (i) the mother tongue or the regional language, (ii) English (or Hindi, if English has already been taken as

8.20 SCHOOL CURRICULUM 327

the mother tongue), and (iii) a modern Indian language other than Hindi. (Note: A classical language may be studied in addition to the above three languages on an optional basis.)

(b) Mathematics. (c) Science. (d) History, Geography and Civics. (e) Art. (f) Work-experience and Social Service. (g) Physical Education. (h) Education in Moral and Spiritual Values.

8.19 Curriculum at the Lower Primary Stage. We have already suggested in an earlier chapter 83 that the first two classes of the primary school should be graded as a single unit, and wherever possible, this arrangement should be extended to cover classes III and IV. The proposed curriculum for these classes is very simple and reduces the load of formal subjects. Only language and elementary mathematics are to be specially emphasized with a view to developing the basic tools of learning. The study of the environment will be largely informal in the beginning and will be provided by making the child observe his immediate social and physical surroundings and talk in class about what he observes. In class III, environmental studies will gradually lead to social studies and science which may now be treated as regular subjects, but in a very elementary manner. While the activity method will permeate all teaching, special activities in the form of music, art work, dramatics and handwork should be organized for creative self-expression. Health education will stress the formation of good health habits. Work-experience will consist largely of handwork, and social service will involve simple activities like cleaning the classroom, decorating the school, etc.

8.20 We would like to emphasize one important aspect of education at this stage, viz., reading with understanding. If the proper foundation for this is not laid at this level, the entire future education of the child will receive an irreparable set-back. Adequate attention has not been paid so far to research in beginning reading, to the evolution of proper methods of teaching reading to young children with phonetic scripts which the Indian languages have, to the preparation of graded vocabularies, to the designing of primers and readers for class I and to the evolution of tests of reading readiness or competence. It has not yet been possible to organize the proper training of teacher-educators at

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328 EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 8.21

the primary level in these matters, and the average primary teacher generally tries to teach reading in a rule-of-thumb manner. It is the neglect of this crucial area that is responsible for a good deal of the stagnation at the lower primary stage. We recommend that a study of these problems should be taken up in earnest and that a vigorous programme of improving reading instruction at the lower primary stage should be developed in all parts of the country.

8.21 Curriculum at the Higher Primary Stage. When the pupil enters the higher primary stage, learning will become more systematic with greater stress on discrete subjects. The curriculum will broaden in respect of subject-coverage and deepen in respect of content. Teaching methods will become more systematic and standards of attainment more specific and definite than before.

8.22 A second language, either Hindi or. English, has now to be introduced so that a working knowledge in one of the two link langua- ges may be attained by the end of class VII. While only two languages will be compulsory at this stage, a pupil may study three languages the regional language, English and Hindi-if he so desires, and facilities will have to be provided for the teaching of the third language in every school. Mathematics and science will receive greater stress than before. Social studies may continue as an integrated course if competent teachers and the requisite facilities are available; otherwise the study of history, geography, and civics should be taken up as separate disciplines. Arts and crafts will figure more prominently, the latter as a part of work-experience, and physical education and games will have their due place. A period or two a week should be allotted to education in moral and spiritual values in an organized attempt to develop the character of the pupils and inculcate in them a respect for religions other than their own. Social service activities will now include participation in the life of the local community.

8.23 Curriculum at the Lower Secondary Stage. The subjects that were studied in classes V, VI and VII will be continued at the lower secondary stage; but with the increasing maturity of the students, their study has to gain in rigour and depth. Subject competence in science is particularly important in view of the phenomenal advances made in recent years in scientific knowledge, history, geography and civics; and present-day problems will be taught separately with such correlation as is natural and necessary. A third language-Hindi or English or a modem Indian language-will be introduced here on a compulsory basis. Work-experience will be organized, as far as possible, on a farm, workshop or other production unit; social service will be undertaken

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continuously for a fixed period every year; and education in moral and spiritual values will be provided on a more systematic basis.

8.24 Curriculum at the Higher Secondary Stage. After the completion of the first ten years of schooling leading to the high school examination, the special interests and abilities of the student will have been generally formed, and, with a good system of guidance and counselling, he can be helped in the choice of his future career and educational course. An extensive and varied programme of vocational education should be provided at this stage. In the light of the proposed enrolment policies discussed in the preceding chapter, 50 per cent of those who wish to continue their studies beyond class X are expected to take up full-time or part-time vocational courses and 50 per cent to join courses of general education. The latter type of courses will be diversified to enable the students to select for special study a group of any three subjects based on the work already done at the lower secondary stage. As in the existing higher secondary scheme, the primary object of the new diversification is to provide opportunities in the last two years of schooling for the development of the special academic interests of the students.

8.25 But there are two important differences between the new scheme and the old one. The first is that, since the technical, commercial and agricultural courses and probably also the courses in fine arts and home science, will in future be studied, generally speaking, in special vocational institutions, the present seven categories of elective subjects will in effect be reduced to arts and sciences. The second is that there will be no sharp distinction even between these two categories and there will be no streaming of subjects on the prevailing pattern, in which a student is compelled to take his three electives from only one group in the form of a package deal, as it were, and cannot combine an elective from one group with optional subjects from another. While a student specially interested in science will normally opt for three science subjects such as physics, chemistry and mathematics, or physics, chemistry and biology, he should not be debarred from taking, if he so desires, a subject like psychology or logic along with physics and mathematics. Similarly, though a student who is keen on taking special courses in arts may select all the three subjects from this group, such as English, history and geography, he should not be prevented from combining, if he so desires, a subject like biology along with English and history. It will thus be seen that, while the changes proposed in the existing higher secondary scheme restrict the wide range of optional courses at present permitted in classes IX, X and Xi, they provide for greater freedom and elasticity in the grouping of subjects within the limited range in the new classes XI and XII As the education imparted in the higher secondary classes

330 EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 8.26

will lead in most cases to university studies, the subjects in arts and sciences with the elastic groupings that we have recommended above will meet the needs of most students.

8.26 In addition to the three elective subjects, a student should select for further study any two languages. These may be two of the three languages studied by him at the lower secondary stage, but these may also include any modern Indian language other than the one taken previously or any foreign language or any classical language. The normal combination for the majority of students, as far as the two, compulsory languages are concerned, will probably be Hindi or the regional language and English. But we do not wish to recommend any particular grouping in this case. The combination should be left to the choice of the student which, of course, will be determined by the facilities for language study provided in the higher secondary school he has joined. In Chapter If we have stressed the importance of promoting in every linguistic region the study of modern Indian languages. other than the language of the region. We have also reco- mmended that a few carefully selected schools could provide for the study of foreign languages other than English, and particularly of Russian. At the higher secondary stage, some good schools would like to make such provision in their courses of studies; and they should be encouraged in their efforts to strike out a new path in the language curriculum.

8.27 We have referred above to the need for attending to the development of the physical, aesthetic and moral aspects of the adolescent's personality. The need is perhaps even greater at the higher secondary stage than in the early years of adolescence. With the narrowing down of the curriculum range to five academic subjects and the specialized study of three of these subjects demanding greater time and more intensive study, it becomes all the more necessary to include a complementary element in the curriculum which will effectively contribute to the full development of the student's personality. Provision must be made here, as at the lower secondary stage, for work-experience and social service, for arts and crafts, for physical education including games and Sports, and for education in moral and spiritual values. In our discussion of curricular problems we have not suggested any allocations of time for different subjects at any stage. But we would like to depart from this procedure in the case of the higher secondary stage. As there is a danger of the specialist subjects making heavy demands on the time- table, we suggest that about one half of the instructional time should be devoted to the three electives, one-fourth to the study of the two languages and one-fourth to the complementary activities or subjects referred to above.

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8.28 Subject Areas in the Higher Secondary Course. The existing one year higher secondary course will soon have to be reorganized to cover a two-year period. We give below a list of subject areas which, we think, should form part of the curriculum.

(1) Any two languages, including any modern Indian language, any modem foreign language and any classical language.

(2) Any three subjects from the following : (a) An additional language. (b) History. (c) Geography. (d) Economics. (e) Logic. (f) Psychology. (g) Sociology. (h) Art. (i) Physics. (j) Chemistry. (k) Mathematics. (l) Biology. (m) Geology. (n) Home Science. (3) Work-experience and Social Service. (4) Physical Education. (5) Art or Craft. (6) Education in Moral and Spiritual Values.