CONTENT AND CURRICULUM
School Education 3.1 The process of change in content of education and curriculum which was initiated as a aftermath of NPE, 1986 has made a significant impact on the teaching-learning process. The broad developments in this sphere has been on following lines:
- enrichment of curricula by cultural content;
- significant place to value education;
- use of media mid educational technology;
- integration of work experience in learning process;
- promotion of environmental consciousness;
- gearing science and mathematics teaching for promoting spirit of enquiry.
3.2 The 10+2+3 pattern of education introduced in the country envisages a broad based general education in respect of all pupils during the first ten years of school education. The curriculum at this stage is, therefore, undifferentiated and all the curricular areas are compulsory and no attempt is made to introduce diversified courses at this stage. The focus of the curriculum at the primary stage is on development of basic skills of literacy and numerary, study of environment in terms of physical and social phenomena, participation in activities which would develop productive skills, creative expression and habits of healthy living. In the initial years, the content and methodology are directed to achievement of excellence in communication and computational skills with a view to developing the basic tools of learning.
3.3 The content and process of education at the upper primary stage are directed to the consolidation of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values acquired at the lower primary stage and acquisition of wider knowledge base in the context of a broad-based general education. At this stage, the pupil is required to continue with the curricular areas introduced at the primary stage but in greater depth in terms of content and processes.
3.4 The curriculum at the secondary stage is designed to equip the children either to take up higher level courses of study to prepare for entrance into the first degree in a college or to equip them for vocational instruction at the higher secondary stage or to enter the work force. Since secondary education continues to be terminal for a large majority of children who are likely to enter the world of work, the emphasis is on bringing their education to a standard which would enable them to enter life with self-confidence along with useful knowledge and skills, proper work habits, attitudes and character which would contribute to their productivity and wellbeing.
3.5 There is a renewed emphasis on use of new technologies for improving education in schools. It has been envisaged that modem educational technology should reach out to the most distant areas and deprived sections of beneficiaries simultaneously with areas of com- parative affluence and easy availability. Some of these programmes being implemented are described in the following paragraphs.
Content and Curriculum 39
Educational Technology Programme 3.6 An Educational Technology Programme was started in the Central sector in the year 1972 during the Fourth Plan Period for widening ac- cess to and bringing about qualitative improvement in education. Under the scheme, a Centre for Educational Technology was set up in the NCERT and 100 per cent assistance was provided to twenty-one States for setting up Educational Technology (ET) Cells.
3.7 In view of expansion of broadcasting facilities with the advent of INSAT and concomitant demand for educational software, the Department of Education decided to take on the responsibility of production of educational television programmes for relay through satellites. Accordingly, a scheme was prepared by the Department for creating Educational Television (ETV) programme production facilities within the education sector on a decentralised basis by setting up a Central Institute of Educational Technology (CIET) in the NCERT and State Institutes of Educational Technology (SIETs) in six States, viz., Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh and strengthening of ET Cells in other States.
3.8 The Educational Technology Scheme was revised in 1987 with the broad objectives of strengthening of both ETV and audio programme production capabilities and providing wider access to the same by supplying one lakh Colour Television (CTV) sets and five lakh Radio- Cum-Cassette Players (RCCPs) to primary schools during the Seventh Plan.
3.9 Programme production has commenced in CIET and all the six SIETs. In fact, from the academic year 1988-89, responsibility for programme production, which was until then being shared between CIET and Doordarshan on 50:50 basis, has been taken over by CIET and SIETs. The satellite based ETV service presently provides telecast of educational programmes for the children and their teachers at the primary level in the morning for 45 minutes duration in each of the five regional languages, namely Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Oriya mid Telugu on time sharing basis. The programmes for children are telecast from Monday to Friday and for primary level teachers on every Saturday. There are separate programmes for the children in the age groups of 5-8 and 9-11 years on each day.
3.10 The ETV programmes are relayed by all high and low power transmitters in the six INSAT States. The programmes in Hindi are relayed in the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
3.11 An ambitious programme of distribution of CTV sets and RCCPs was undertaken under the ET Scheme. Funds are also being sanctioned for audio programme production by State Governments and non-Government organisations. The CIET has also produced more than 1100 audio programmes on various educational themes at various levels of school education. SIETs have also geared efforts towards production of audio programmes either by themselves and/or through outside agencies. A list of about 40 video and audio programmes produced by the CIET have been identified for providing meaningful media support to the DIETs in their teacher training activities.
Computer Education in Schools 3.12 A pilot project on Computer Literacy and Studies in Schools (CLASS) was initiated in 1984-85 in 248 selected secondary/higher secondary schools jointly by the Department of Electronics and the Department of Education to acquaint students and teachers with the range of computer applications and its potential as a learning medium. Till 1989-90, 2,598 schools were covered under the project. Sixty-one resource centres were set up to train school teachers and provide logistic support to the participating schools. Installation of hardware and its maintenance is the responsibility of Computer Main- tenance Corporation (CMC) and the NCERT is the nodal agency for software development, academic support and organisation of teachers' training.The Steering Committee for the project is jointly headed by the Secretaries of the Department of Electronics and the Department of Education. Upto 1986-87, the schools received a set of two BBC Micros. This number was increased to five BBC Micros from 1987-88 on-
40 Development of Education of India
wards. Since the last financial year, a decision has been taken to provide an additional three BBC Micros to those old schools (1249) which have so far only two computers each. Therefore, no new schools have been added since 1990-91. The project is currently under review for streamlining its implementation.
Higher Education 3.13 The University Grants Commission introduced the scheme of restructuring of courses with a view to making the first degree courses more relevant to environment and to the developmental needs of the community and to link education with work/field/practical experience and productivity.
3.14 The scheme has been conceived as a major programme for reforms in higher education at the undergraduate level. The programme aims at imparting training to every undergraduate student in the following areas:
i) A set of foundation courses designed to create an awareness of areas such as Indian History and Culture, History of the Freedom Struggle in India and other part of the world, Social and Economic Life in India including concepts and processes of development, scientific methods including the role of science and technology in development, alternative value systems and societies based thereon, Cultures of Asia and Africa (selected countries) and Gandhian thought.
ii) A set of core courses to give an opportunity to students to acquire broad familiarity with some chosen disciplines, including study of one or more of them in depth.
iii) Some applied studies/projects/field activity to form an integral activity of the course and to be carried out in the final year.
iv) Involvement in a programme of national or social service for the first two years.
3.15 Nine universities and 208 colleges have introduced restructured courses under the scheme upto March 1991. The Commission has also desired that the work of restructuring of courses may be undertaken on the pattern of Curriculum Development Centres.
3.16 Some of the important programmes launched to improve teaching- learning process include:
- College Humanities and Social Science Improvement Programme (COHSSIP)
- College Science Improvement Programme (COSIP)
- University Leadership Programmes
- Special Assistance Programmes (SAP)
- Curriculum Development Centres
Mass Communication and Educational Technology (a) Country-wide Classroom Programmes
3.17 The University Grants Commission has been allocated two hours transmission time daily for six days a week for telecasting 'Country- wide Class-room' programmes relating to higher education. The programmes are essentially enrichment programmes meant to take education to remote, rural and backward areas of the country.
(b) Race to Save the Planet
3.18 The University Grants Commission, which was involved in collaboration with a premier public broadcasting Corporation, WGBH, Boston in producing a ten-part television series entitled 'Race to Save the Planet' is telecasting the series on Doordarshan network from 14th October, 1990 on Sundays. The programmes of the series have been shot all over the world including the Antarctica. The series analyses and presents the most important dilemma of our times, viz., how to reconcile the urge of growth and development with the need to preserve and improve the environment and enhance the quality of human living. The series also comes at a time when awareness of these problems is on the increase, both within the
Content and Curriculum 41
country and abroad. It also lends perspective to the story of the human happening on the planet and provides some wisdom to choose the specificities of our development agenda.
Educational Research 3.19 A large number of institutions across the country are involved in promotion and conduct of educational research in India. During the last 40 years, more than 4,000 research studies in the area of education have been completed. The bulk of these studies have been carried out at university departments and a majority of them are doc- toral research studies. These doctoral studies are conducted by research scholars who receive fellowships for this purpose from University Grants Commission, the Indian Council for Social Science Research and such other national bodies in order to ensure the competence and aptitude of the scholars for doing research, the University Grants Commission has been conducting a specially designed eligibility test at the national level for receiving Research Fellowships.
3.20 A major limitation of doctoral research work is that these studies have a relatively narrower conception and applicability as they are carried out by individual scholars working under constraints of time as well as resources. In order to overcome these constraints there has been a greater thrust during the recent years, to carry out research projects at institutional level with a long-term perspective and commitment. Towards this end, the national funding agencies have been specifying priority areas for promoting research so that the findings of die research can be effectively utilised for planning and policy making.
3.21 The University Grants Commission promotes educational research by providing funds for the purpose to universities and colleges. The Commission has been operating various schemes such as Centres of Advanced Studies, Departments of Special Assistance and Departmental Research Support. Under these schemes selected university departments which have capabilities in terms of qualified manpower are encouraged to pursue research vigorously and for this purpose necessary support is extended by way of providing equipment, consumable items, contingent expenditure, etc. The Commission also continues to support university/college teachers for undertaking research through such schemes as Minor Research Project, Major Research Project, Career Award and Research Scientist Schemes. In order to cater to the information needs of the researchers, the Commission has established National Information Centres in Science, Humanities and Social Sciences including Education. In fact programmes of strengthening them have received very high priority.
3.22 National Council of Educational Research and Training, promotes research on different aspects of school education through in house research projects as well as through funding of research studies taken up by outside individuals and institutions. The research activities of the Council are monitored by a specially constituted committee called "Educational Research and Innovations Committee" (ERIC). The ERIC helps to identify priority areas in research and sanctions funds for research projects undertaken by the departments of the NCERT. Currently, the ERIC is encouraging national level researches in three priority areas, namely, universalisation of elementary education, vocationalisation of education and curriculum development.
3.23 The National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration also has been carrying out research studies in the field of educa- tional planning and administration. Till recently, the research activities of the Institute were limited to in-house projects carried out by its faculty members. However, during 1987-88, the Institute initiated a research grant scheme for promoting research on various aspects of educational planning and administration by outside in- dividuals and institutions.