MINIMUM LEVELS OF LEARNING AT PRIMARY STAGE REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE SET UP BY THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GOVERNMENT OF INDIA)

 INTRODUCTION

1.Background

1.1 In line with the commitment of the country to provide elementary education to all children, educational facilities have got tremendously expanded during the post-independence period. This is particularly true of facilities at the primary education stage. The number of primary schools in the country has increased from 2.2 lakhs in 1950-51 to nearly 6.32 lakhs. In addition, there are at present nearly 3 lakh non-formal education centres providing primary level education to out-of-school children in the age-group 9 to 14. This expansion has definitely helped in making primary level education more easily accessible to a larger section of the population. In fact, according to the All-India Educational Survey conducted by the NCERT in 1986, nearly 95 per cent of the population are served by a primary school within a walking distance of 1 km. However, the large-scale expansion has resulted in the creation of educational facilities with widely varying quality in terms of institutional infrastructure, teaching-learning processes as well as the quality of students passing out of these institutions. The quality variations become more pronounced in certain states, between schools of rural and urban areas, between schools managed by government and non-government bodies, and so on. Recognizing the urgent need for rectifying this anomalous situation with respect to quality, the National Policy on Education 1986 calls for paying immediate attention to (i) improving the unattractive school environment, the unsatisfactory condition of buildings and inadequacy of instructional material; and (ii) laying down minimum levels of learning that all children completing different stages of education should achieve. Keeping this policy directive in view, the Report of the Working Group on Early Childhood and Elementary Education Set up for Formulation of Eighth Five Year Plan states: The targets need to be spelt out not only in terms of participation, but also in terms of quality and outcomes. During the Eighth Plan, it should be our aim to bring about a substantial improvement in quality of education through improved infrastructure, improved teacher education, and substantial improvement in quality and quantity of learning materials. In terms of outcomes it shall have to be ensured that minimum levels of learning are laid down with reference to the conclusion of primary and upper primary stages and an appropriate 1

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evaluation system created to ensure achievement at least of the prescribed levels of learning. 1.2 In fact, significant efforts towards specification of Minimum Levels of Learning (MLLs) had already been made at the NCERT during 1978 in connection with the UNICEF-assisted projects on 'Primary Education Curriculum Renewal' and 'Developmental Activities in Community Education and Participation'. As part of these projects, a 'Minimum Learning Continuum' was drawn indicating the learning outcomes expected to be achieved by all children completing Classes II, III, IV and V. The Primary Education Curriculum Renewal Project was evaluated in 1984 using a set of achievement tests developed for all the primary classes based on the competencies specified in the Minimum Learning Continuum. Utilizing the empirical evidences collected through this evaluation study and following the National Policy on Education 1986, the NCERT prepared another document entitled, 'Minimum Levels of Learning at the Primary Stage'.

1.3 In the context of these exercises and the specifications made by the Eighth Plan Working Group, the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development organized a seminar in December 1989 on the theme, 'Basic Learning Needs and Levels of Attainment'. Various issues related to basic learning needs of the children at the primary stage, the need for specifying minimum levels of learning and creation of appropriate mechanisms for assessment of learner attainment were discussed during the seminar. On the issue of laying down minimum levels of learning the seminar recommended for initiating concrete efforts at the national level.

2. Committee on MLL: Composition and Terms of Reference

Against this background, the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India set up the present committee vide order No. 74/3/89-Desk(TE) dated 5 January 1990.

2.1 Terms of Reference

The terms of reference of the committee were as under: 1. Draw up minimum levels of learning for Classes III and V.

2. Recommend a procedure for comprehensive learner evaluation and assessment.

3. Look into the non-cognitive areas of learning and suggest concrete ways in which teaching in these areas can be improved. The committee was further informed that the terms of reference related to both formal and non-formal systems of education.

2.2 Members of the Committee

The committee consisted of the following members:

1. Dr R.H. Dave, Director (Retd.), Unesco Institute for Education, Walterstrasse 120,2000 Hamburg 61, Germany

INTRODUCTION 3

2. Shri S.C. Behar, Principal Secretary and Chairman, Professional Education Board, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal

3. Dr C.J. Daswani, Head, Department of Non-Formal Education and Education of SC/ST, NCERT, New Delhi

4. Dr R. Govinda, Head, School and Non-Formal Education Unit, NIEPA, New Delhi

5. Dr John Kurrien, Director, Centre for Learning Resources, B-210, Gera Park, 15, Boat Club Road, Pune

6. Professor J.S. Rajput, Joint Educational Adviser (EE), Ministry of HRD, Department of Education, New Delhi

7. Smt Kiran Dhingra, Director (EE), Ministry of HRD, Department of Education, New Delhi

8. Dr J.N. Joshi, Professor, Department of Education, Punjab University, Chandigarh

9. Shri N.J. Bhatt, Gujarat State Council of Educational Research and Training, Ahmedabad

10. Smt Marwah, Teacher, N.D.M.C. School, New Delhi

11. Dr Pritam Singh, Professor and Head, Navodaya Vidyalaya Cell, NCERT, New Delhi, Member Convener In addition, the following persons were associated with the work of the committee and participated in its deliberations:

1. Shri Prabhakar Singh (Retd. Field Adviser, NCERT), 574 Mumfordganj, Allahabad

2. Professor H.S. Srivastava, Head, DMES&DP, NCERT, New Delhi

3. Dr H.K. Dewan, Ekalavya, Bhopal

3. Procedures Followed by the Committee

3.1 The committee met five times for durations of one to five days between January and August 1990. It invited some more specialists to attend its first meeting and held a wide range of discussions. The committee decided to follow the following broad parameters for work within the framework provided by the terms of reference:

1. The committee will take an integrated view of primary level education being provided in the country through formal as well as non-formal streams. Accordingly, the minimum levels of learning to be specified by the committee will be applicable to primary level education, both in the formal and the non-formal streams.

2. The committee recognized that the curriculum prescribed for primary level education consists of a number of subject areas. It was decided that the committee will draw minimum levels of learning only in respect of three subjects, namely, language (mother tongue), mathematics and environmental studies.

3. Even though the terms of reference required the specification of Minimum Levels with respect to Classes III and V only, the committee decided to carry out the exercise with respect to all the five classes at the primary stage. This was considered necessary in

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order to ensure proper progression of competencies within each class as well as across the five classes.

4. The committee recognized that consideration of non-cognitive aspects of learning is a wide area and demands a separate exercise. Therefore, it was decided that the present exercise may not deal with the psychomotor domain and even in the effective domain the committee would only indicate the direction in which educational programmes be reoriented for imbibing a few basic characteristics relevant to personal and social growth of the individual as well as national development.

3.2 Following these basic clarifications regarding the terms of reference and the work of the committee, specific tasks were taken up by the members and others associated with the work of the committee. The draft material developed through this process was presented and discussed in the subsequent meetings of the committee. The revised versions were provisionally adopted at the fourth meeting of the committee held in June 1990. It was also decided to hold a wide range of consultations with practising teachers from the formal as well as the non-formal streams before finalizing the MLLs, the scheme of evaluation and suggestions for strengthening instructional programmes in the non-cognitive areas of learning.

3.3 Accordingly, consultative meetings of teachers were held in seven States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu with the help of the concerned State Councils of Educational Research and Training and some voluntary agencies involved in non-formal education programmes in these States. Each meeting was of five-day duration and had 30 to 35 participants. In all, 227 primary school teachers and NFE instructors were consulted through this process. The suggestions given by the participants of the meetings were collated and placed before the committee in its fifth and final meeting in August 1990. In the light of the reaction of the teachers/instructors, the earlier drafts were revised and rewritten. The committee also drew up a plan of action for implementing the recommendations of the committee.