THE MANDATE
The Need for Review 1.1 There is general agreement that there is an urgent need for the transformation of education so as to make it socially relevant and purposeful. In this context, the National Council of Educational Research and Training had published a document on 'Higher Secondary Education and its Vocationalization' as a result of wide ranging consultations culminating in a National Conference in September, 1976. The document contained many important and forward looking features such as flexibility in the choice of vocations, determining vocations with reference to a district or a group of districts, need for districtwise survey of economic activities and potentialities and consequent opportunities of work, micro-planning at the district level and assessment of manpower needs, special attention to be given to raising the facilities and quality of life in the rural areas, provision for guidance and counselling for careers and courses to the students, etc. Its proposals also raised questions on such matters as the nature and scope of vocationalisation, the rigid streaming of courses, the semester and credit system, admission requirements to vocational courses. lack of adequate vertical mobility to the students who pursued vocational courses, extent of time allocation for core and elective subjects and teacher training.
1.2 In addition to the need to face these issues, the NCERT document also needed to be reviewed in the light of the Report of the Ishwarbhai Patel Committee on 10-year school curriculum. That Committee's recommendations on the introduction of Socially Useful Productive Work as an essential component in Classes I through X, the lessening of the curriculum load for the students, limiting the number of subjects for the public examination at the end of Class X, increasing the time allocation for Socially Useful Productive Work to about 20 per cent of the total time, provision of alternative courses in each of Mathematics and Sciences, and the provision for at least one elective subject for Secondary Classes-the consequence of these recommendations had to be reflected in the curriculum for Classes XI & XII.
1.3 Moreover, the national goals and priorities that have been formulated for the country's development for the coming Sixth Plan had to be taken into account in this exercise relating to the higher secondary stage of education.
Terms of Reference and Membership 1.4 Accordingly, in October 1977 the Union Education Minister, Dr. P. C. Chunder, in his capacity as President of the NCERT, appointed a National Review Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. Malcolm S. Adiseshaiah, Vice-Chancellor, University of Madras, to review the curriculum of the +2 stage of school education with special reference to vocationalization of education. (vide Ministry of Education's communication No. F. 17-18/ 77-School-3, dated 10th October, 1977.)
1.5 The terms of reference of the National Review Committee for the Plus two Curriculum were as follows :-
(i) To review the NCERT's document "Higher Secondary Education and its Vocationalization" and to suggest modifications therein, if any.
(ii) To study the syllabi and courses of the CBSE and a few State Boards with special reference to a few selected vocations and to recommend appropriate syllabi.
(iii) To recommend a plan of action for introduction of vocationalization at the secondary/higher secondary stage.
1.6 It was further desired that the Committee in formulating its, recommendations may also keep in mind the need for providing vertical mobility to students completing the +2 stage with vocational courses and recommend ways and means for promoting such mobility.
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1.7 The Committee was asked to submit its Report within three months.
1.8 The National Review Committee Consisted of the following members
(1) Dr. Malcolm S. Adiseshaiah Chairman
Vice-Chancellor
Madras University
Madras.
(2) Dr. R.P. Singhal Member-Convener
Chairman
Central Board of Secondary Education
17-B, Indraprastha Estate
New Delhi-110002.
(3) Dr. Ishwarbhai J. Patel Member
Vice-Chancellor
Gujarat University
Ahmedabad.
(4) Prof. A. N. Bose Member
Dean (Co-ordination)
National Council of Educational
Research and Training
Sri Aurobindo Margh
New Delhi-110016.
(5) Dr. Shiv Mangal Singh 'Suman' Member
Vice-Chancellor
Vikram University
Ujjain (M.P).
(6) Dr. Amrik Singh Member
Vice-Chancellor
Punjabi University
Patiala.
(7) Shri P.R. Nayak, Member
Commissioner and Secretary to the Govt.
of Karnataka
Deptt. of Youth Service & Education
Bangalore.
(8) Shri M.V. Rajagopal Member
Vice-Chancellor
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological
University
Andhra Pradesh,
Hyderabad.
(9) Shri V. R. Reddy Member
Director
Commonwealth Asia-Pacific Youth
Development Centre
Chandigarh.
(10) Shri D. M. Sukthankar Member
Secretary to the Govt. of Maharashtra
Education & Youth
Services Department
Bombay.
(11) Prof. U. N. Singh Member
Pro-Vice-Chancellor
University of Delhi
Delhi-110007.
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(12) Shri B. K. Singh Member
Education Secretary
Delhi Administration
Delhi-110007.
(13) Shri Y. Saran Member
Principal
Technical Teacher Training Institute
Bhopal-2 (M.P.)
(14) Shri A.E.T. Barrow, M.P. Member
Secretary
Council for Indian School Certificate
Examinations
Pragati House, 47-48, Nehru Place
New Delhi.
(15) Prof. C.V. Govinda Rao Member
National Council of Educational Research
and Training
Sri Aurobindo Marg
New Delhi.
(16) Smt. Santha Member
PGT
Asan Memorial Hr. Sec. School
Madras.
(17) Shri A.T. Balraj Member
Principal
Bishop Cotton Boys School
Bangalore-560 001
(18) Dr. O.P. Gautam Member
Deputy Director General (Edn.)
Indian Council of Agricultural
Research
Krishi Bhawan Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road,
New Delhi-110 001.
(19) Shri Manubhai Pancholi Member
Lok Bharati
Sanosara
Distt. Bhavnagar (Gujarat).
(20) Dr. (Smt.) Rajammal P. Devadas Member
Principal
Avinashilingam Home Science College
for Women
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
(21) Dr. V.G.Bhide Member
Deputy Director
National Physical Laboratory
New Delhi.
(22) Smt. K.S. Bhatia Member
Deputy Director
Central Health Education Bureau
Kotla Lane
New Delhi
(23) Shri K. Vaidyaraman Member
Deputy Director of Training
Office of the Director General of
Employment and Training
Shram Shakti Bhavan, Rafi Marg
New Delhi-110 001.
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(24) Shri L. . Member
Headmast
Lawrence o
Lovedale (nilgiris).
(25) Shri M.P. Chhaya Member
Principal
Bharati Vidya Bhavan
Kasturba Gandhi Marg
New Delhi.
(26) Shri S.K. Lahiri Member
Principal
Technical Higher Sec. School
Kashmere Gate
Delhi- 110 006.
(27) Shri D.K. Gupta Member
PGT in Agriculture
Govt. Boys Higher Sec. School
Bawana
Delhi.
Work Schedule 1.9 The Committee met four times on 3rd November, 1977, 13th January, 14th February, and 28th February, 1978. In the first meeting it reviewed its mandate and in the light of this first discussion, established four Working Groups as under :-
Group No. I To review the NCERT's document on "Higher Secondary Education and its Vocationalisation".
Group No. II To study Vocational Courses for Agriculture and other related areas with particular reference to syllabuses of the CBSE, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal.
Group No. III -To study Vocational Courses in Non- Agricultural areas.
Group No. IV -To Suggest plan of action for of the Vocational Courses.
1.10 The membership of the above Groups is given in Annexure I to this Report The Committee had considered all suggestions made to it and associated in its deliberations teachers, particularly those specialised in Vocational Courses.
1.11 In the second meeting of the Review Committee, the Reports of the four Working Groups were considered at length and approved with such modifications as necessary in order to form the basis for the draft report. In the meeting of the Committee held on 14th February, 1978, the Committee considered the draft reported and after suitable revision, it adopted on 28th February, 1978 the report for submission to the Union Education Minister.