 THE COURSE PATTERN : THE GENERAL
 EDUCATION COURSE

3.1The Pattern

It is recommended that the pattern of the course and the distribution of time for teaching the General Education Spectrum should be :-

        
                   Course                                        Time 
                 distribution
        
         1. Language(s)                                  15 per cent
        
         2. Socially Useful Productive Work              15 per cent
        
         3 .  Electives                                  70 per cent

It is recognised that this general scheme must be applied with a certain amount of flexibility, allowing individual States and territories and even individual schools to adapt the courses and the distribution of time to local conditions and pedagogic perceptions.

3.2 Language(s)

In the general pattern put forward, the implication of the distribution of time for languagelearning is that only one language can be learnt. That language will be the one of students' choice depending on the offerings available at the school and for the vast majority of the higher secondary schools run or supported by the States or territories it is likely to be the regional language. The need for learning a second, preferably an international, language can be met by resorting to the study of an elective and the operation of the credit system to be referred to later.

3.3 Socially Useful Productive Work

The same time-distribution, viz., 15 per cent of the working week, is applied to learning through Socially Useful Productive Work. The objectives, sample plan of work and the mode of operations of the part of the curriculum (SUPW) to be executed by the teachers and the students are briefly set forth in the following paragraphs.

3.3.1 Socially useful productive work (SUPW) which is of a practical nature and undertaken under appropriate supervision and planning, will help achieve, inter alia, the following objectives :-

(a) Inculcation of positive attitudes to work in the students ;

(b) Identifying themselves with the community by rendering Social and Community Service ;

(d) Making the community conscious of scientific advancements and help it develop a scientific outlook ;

(e) Learning to apply one's classroom and vocationalised knowledge to solve day-to-day problems of the community ;

(f) Participation in nation building activities ; and

(g) Realization of the goals of the State and national development.

3.3.2 To develop the proper attitude towards rural development and community service, the pupils at the higher secondary educational level must be provided motivation and training opportunities. They should be given orientation training for 4-5 days in social

service understand its meaning, method and outcomes, and the means of developing rapport with the local community. The concerned people, in the fields in which the pupils are interested, can be brought to the school campus to address and motivate the pupils. the Heads of the higher secondary schools can be trained in different areas and they can train their teachers in their own schools in motivating the pupils, planning the programmes, carrying out and devaluating them. The teachers should be 'all purpose' guides for the effective participation of pupils in the programme.

3.3.3 The Project areas for SUPW can, be selected according to the convenience of each school, its location, rural or urban, its background and experiences. More particularly the selection of the area will depend on :-

(a) Nearness of the area to the school;

(b) Co-operation of the selected community ; and

While selecting the area, the teachers should understand the extent of co-operation of the community and its interest in the welfare programmes. The project area should be one where resources for the activities can, be easily mobilized, because the school and pupils cannot spend on transport or expensive programmes. Simple projects can be taken tip by the pupils with the available resources and which are within the capacity of the pupils involved. The participation of the local people in all stages of the programme, is a must for the success of the programme.

3.3.4 In planning a programme, the following decisions are important : What is to be done, who will do it, for what it is, when and how it will be done. If the planning is to be successful, all the following components must be considered :-

A. Baseline survey and locating needs and resources.

B. Giving priorities to the needs.

C. Outlining the programme.

D. Conducting the programme

E. Conducting the programme.

A simple survey should be conducted by the pupils in their selected project areas, to help them to understand the needs of the people, the resources available, in the area, and decide what could be done by them. With the help of all the teachers in the school, and based on the needs of the people,, programmes can be outlined for the specified period of work (two years) in the community. Annual work plans can be prepared by the teachers as a guide post for both teachers and students. A sample plan on a savings campaign could be :

3.3.5 Utilisation of available infrastructure for the planning, execution and evalution of the programmes is important in order also to minimise the expenditure and effort. The teachers should know the infrastructure available, and be aware as to how to make use of them for the success of the programme. The infrastructure available for the welfare of the community are :

1. District Collectorate

2. Panchayat Union

3. Village Panchayat

4. Elementary School

5. Primary Health Centre

6. Municipality

7. Small Savings Organisation

8. Field Publicity Office

9. Sarvodaya Sangh

10. Local Organisation. such as Parent Teachers Association and Service Clubs-such as, Rotary, Lion's and Jaycees and others.

To get the assistance and co-operation of those who make up this infrastructure, they should be apprised and involved at all the stages of the programme development-from the planning, through execution, to evaluation.

3.3.6 The programme selected must be suitable to the age level and competencies of the pupils and the needs of the community. Both general types of productive service programmes and specific productive projects related to the subject matter of each student

can be undertaken. The following general programmes can be undertaken by all the pupils irrespective of their subjects (electives) of study:-

(a) Fact finding

(b) Tree Planting

(d) Leepening ponds, construction of contour-bunds, community halls, road laying.

(e) Small Savings Drive

(f) Health and Nutrition Education

(g) Celebration of national days and festivals

(h) Organising film shows

(i) Organising libraries'/book banks and mobile laboratories.

(j) Hospital work

(k) Conducting programmes in balwari (games and music)

(l) Coaching children

(m) Adult literacy

(n) Camps in the adopted area

Students who are pursuing language studies should take up Adult Education under Socially Useful Productive Work.

3.3.7 The socially useful productive work should, as far as possible, be allied to the electives chosen by the students, allowing also for any other kind of work depending upon the facilities available in the neighbourhood. The students who are studying Home Science may, for instance, work with the community for improvement of the nutritional status of the population, utilising the local products for developing cheap and wholesome diets. The students of Chemstry may undertake useful work of soil fertilisers and water, removal of pollution, utilisation of wastes, etc. Those of Physics may similarly work on rural electrification, improvement of small and cottage industries etc. Biology students may serve in primary health centres and promote other health measures or help farmers, horticulturists etc. for improving productivity. Political Science students may work with Panchayat Administration, local bodies etc. for purpose of improving various services to the community.

The above are illustrations of the kind of Socially Useful Productive Work which the students, pursuing academic studies, may undertake. Obviously, there are many more areas which can be tackled in one's own environment. A list of some subject-matter related activities is set forth :-

(1) Indian Languages

(i) Writing short stories and skits

(ii) Developing leadership qualities through elocution, debates

(iii) Developing artistic tendency-painting, drawing and other fine arts

(iv) Promoting national integration,

(v) Encouraging them to read newspapers-knowledge about current affairs

(vi) Adult literacy and adult education

(vii) Coaching school children

(2) History

(i) Dramatisation Programmes

(ii) Screening of historical films

(iii) Publication of Historical Leaflets and Booklets

(iv) Organisation of Exhibitions of Historical value

(v) Debates and Oratorical competitions as regards the political set up of the country

(vi) Discussions and utilisation, of local resources

(vii) Encouraging the pupils to adopt such hobbies of educational value

(3) Geography

(i) Radio broadcasts on weather conditions

(ii) Making the villagers understand the radio broadcasts

(iii) Working models of volcanoes and earthquakes

(iv) Survey work of the lands and roads

(v) Attending the Panchayat Union Meetings and discussions.

(4) Mathematics

(i) Encouraging the pupils to learn mathematics by pointing out its use in the world at present

(ii) Helping the adults and unemployed to run a co- operative store selling goods at controlled price

(iii) Teaching them to make toys with simple models like triangles, spheres etc.

(iv) Helping them to discriminate between British units and metric system

(v) Helping them to be aware of the units and measurements so that they cannot be cheated in shops. This can be done by actually showing the weights, scales and meter-scale

(5) Physics

(i) Giving the basic knowledge about how to prevent electric shock accidents

(ii) Giving the knowledge about how lightening and thunder occurs and what are the use of lightening and thunder and the thunder arrester

(iii) Teaching how we receive the sound from the radio which is relayed from the Radio Station

(iv) Preparing hot water with the help of solar heat or energy

(v) Giving the knowledge about how to produce artificial rain

(vi) Teaching how to get electricity from the water and steam

(vii) Giving the basic knowledge, about how to operate the machines like washing machine, grinding machine, electric cookers etc.

(viii) Giving the knowledge about how the sound is produced from various sound instruments.

(6) Chemistry

(i) Preparation of soap and washing soda

(ii) Explaining the uses of Dettol and Phenyl for cleanliness

(iii) Preparation of tincture and simple ointments for wounds

(iv) Preparation of Dyes

(v) Explaining the preparation of Bleeching powder

(vi) Explaining the equipping technique and use of gobar plant in the houses making use of animal waste

(vii) Explaining the uses and preparation of ammonium nitrate

(viii) Explaining the fixation, of Nitrogen

(ix) Explaining the uses of insecticides.

(x) Demonstrating the method of purifying water

(7) Biology

(i) Helping the farmers to get rid of the insect pest

(ii) Learning methods of vegetative propagation

(iii) Introducing modem techniques of incubation in poultry

(iv) Practising the way of getting uniform fraiting and blossoming through simple techniques using chemicals (Hormones)

(v) Leathering of economically important animals

(vi) Making them aware of economic Zoology

(vii) Provide them the knowledge of crop rotation

(viii) Helping them to know about the various sources of Nitrogen manure in the form of Nitrogen yielding plants (Legumes) and easily available cultures to increase the yield

(ix) Making them aware of contamination

(8) Home Science

(i) Raising kitchen garden (ii) Helping the rural people to have poultry units and bee-keeping (iii) Organising rural balwari (iv) Low-cost nutritious foods-demonstration (v) Improving arts and crafts (vi) Make use of compost pits (vii) Pest control measures (viii) Nutrition education through various games

3.3.8 Fifteen per cent of the working time is to be spent for socially useful productive work. it amounts to about 150 hours a year. The 150 hours can be distributed throughout the year according to the convenience of schools. Sometimes, if it is impossible to give them every week, a stretch of several hours could be given during the year, for a camp. But continuity should be assured in the work. Many adjustments have to be made in the school time table to give the students and teachers free time to go to the workspot. The timings, must also fit in with the timings of the people in the programme area. After the two years' programme, even when a particular batch of students completes its courses and leaves, the school should plan for follow-up of the programmes in the areas, by subsequent batches of students.

3.3.9 The programme calls for co-ordination at various levels.

A. State

At the state level, the Director of School Education in collaboration with the SCERT or SIE can be in charge of coordinating the socially useful productive

work scheme in the various schools. The SCERT or SIE may be requested to be in charge of conducting orientation for the Heads of Institutions of the various schools, area-wise and also in monitoring and evaluating the total programme. A state level coordinator can appoint to serve as liaison officer.

B. District

At the district level, the District Education Officers with some additional assistance will be coordinating the programme. They will support the Heads of the institutions in carrying out the programmes successfully. The teachersin-charge of the socially useful productive work programme should be given orientation training area-wise, for which the District Education Officers would be responsible.

C. Schools

At the school level, the Heads of the Institutions should nominate a senior lecturer to be in charge and co-ordinate the entire programme for the school and guide the teacher-in-charge. All the teachers in the school would be guiding the students of their own class in all the aspects of the programmeplanning, execution and evaluation. The Heads of the Institutions should scrutinize the records and registers maintained by the students, teachers and teacher-in-charge (coordinator) of the programme. The work coordinator at the school level should be counted in the work-load of the teacher.

3.3.10 Evaluation is an important aspect of planning and execution of the SUPW programmes in the schools. From the beginning of the programme, each step needs evaluation. For the evaluation of each student socially useful productive work internally, the following criteria and marks are suggested as an illustrative guide :-

        
                       Criteria                           Weightage %
        
        1.   Personal qualities such as interest,  
             initiative, commitment and dependabil- 
             ity  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .          20
        
        2.   Attendance and punctuality .  .    .    .          10
        
        3.   Human relations-Ability to create rapport
             and to identify and work with the 
             community and team. .    .    .    .    .          10
        
        4.   Skills and competences ; ability in 
             communication ; organisational abilities           20
        
        5.   Achievements (results outcome)     .    .          10
        
        6.   Report on work done .    .    .    .    .          30
        
                                                               100

THE COURSE PATTERN : THE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE

3.1The Pattern

3.2 Language(s)

3.3 Socially Useful Productive Work