RECOMMENDATIONS
 

General

5.1 In order to achieve universal basic literacy, simultaneous structural and pedagogical changes are essential with a view to infusing flexibility and relevance in to the system. Besides, the process of democratic decentralisation must be expedited for securing people's participation which is crucial for tackling the gigantic task of universalisation of elementary education and liquidation of adult illiteracy.

5.2 Elementary education and literacy are essentially a societal responsibility fully supported by the Government. Therefore, all sections of the Indian society must come together to contribute to the maximum extent possible to this programme which is foundational for the country's socioeconomic reconstruction and greater development.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION: STRUCTURAL ASPECTS

5.3 The scheme of operation Blackboard should be modified so that the process of purchase of materials is decentralised at least to the Block Level in order to make it need-based and to facilitate timely supply of materials to the schools concerned. Powers be given to the headmasters to write off damaged articles or to get them repaired, after placing the matter before the VEC and obtaining its concurrence. Provision of a small contigency to schools for repairs and maintenance of equipment may also be considered.

5.4 The arrangements for text-book production and distribution must meet the triple criteria of quality, low

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price, and timely distribution.

5.5 The practice of providing free text-books and keeping then in the school itself, be adopted in order (a) to ensure that every pupil gets the needed text-book and (b) also to ensure careful use of text-books so that each copy remains usable for about two to three years, resulting in the Saving of papers costs and curtailment of production cost. Suitable storage facilities for text books should be provided classwise in every school and text-book-based homework should not be given at the primary stage.

5.6 The child-to-child approach which seems to work well in health sector for motivating young children for learning about health, be adopted for primary education so that older children may mobilize enrolment, retention and achievement at the primacy stage, especially in classes I to III, for stablizing young children in the school- system.

5.7 The secondary schools and large primary schools. in the urban areas may be encouraged to adopt at least one rural/tribal primary school and send to it reading materials, toys, teaching- learning aids and cash assistance.

5.8 In order to break the academic isolation of the majority of teachers in rural primary schools and for their self-development, mechanisms like Teacher Seminars and informal "Teacher Development Centres" be encouraged in an Education complex Area for facilitating periodical interaction among the teachers and development of creative teachers.

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5.9 A variety of printed educational materials for teachers, VEC members and pupils be made widely available in rural and tribal areas. In this connection, the cooperation of the National Book Trust, Children's Book Trust, State Resource Centres, Organisations of Writers for Children and educational publishers may be sought.

5.10 In order to meet the increasing enrolment likely to be generated as a result of the Total Literacy Campaigns, innovative and cost effective measures be evolved in collaboration with the local community to accommodate the children. The requirements of additional teachers and textbooks, etc., be met by suitably grouping the children and staggering school hours for holding the sessions of various classes. For instance, all children in Class I may come to school for three hours when all teachers could be available to teach them in small groups of 20-25. The other classes could be adjusted later in the day.

5.11 Wherever TLCs have resulted into a rush for fresh enrolments, the question of providing additional teachers may be solved on a short-term basis by adjusting schools-timings so as to cover all children newly enrolled in Standard I and giving them formal curricular learning for not more than 3 hours per day. This shortening of school time will also help them adjust to schooling and prevent early drop-out.

5.12 In remote, hilly and tribal areas, the qualifications of primary teachers should not be looked at merely from the academic angle but the rapport of the teacher with the local community should constitute an important

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element in selection, even by relaxing formal qualifications.

5.13 Such measures as appointing non-professional teacher from among community health guides and other educated persons available in the community, as part-time teachers may be tried out wherever necessary.

5.14 Academically qualified local youth, retired persons, educated farmers and artisans could be oriented in pedagogy for utilization of their services as nonprofessional teachers in order to accelerate the spread of primary education.

5.15 Voluntary agencies, Public Trusts, factories, cooperatives, registered industrial establishments, etc. should be encouraged to set up voluntary primary schools to serve group of children belonging to hilly, desert, marshy, flood-affected, snowbound and forest areas as well as such groups as nomadic tribes, seasonal migrants, urban poor and so on, with freedom to adjust the curriculum, number of school days, and instructional hours. For such schools, teachers may be appointed on contract basis. The scheme formulated by the Education Department in consultation with the Planning Commission should be vigorously operationalised.

5.16 Enrolment of school children in alternative years may be tried out as an experiment in remote, sparsely populated areas or in those areas of a State, where there are not enough children to be enrolled annually.

5.17 Decentralised micro-planning and socio-political action for its implementation should be the major means to

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bring about equality of educational opportunity at the primary stage, at a rapid pace.

5.18 State-wise strategy should be developed to introduce some form of compulsory schooling for the elementary age-group.

5.19 In the case of disadvantaged groups of children, it may be useful to cover part of the opportunity cost incurred by parents in sending the child to school, through such measures as provision of sets of clothes (uniforms), midday meals, weekly supply of grains,. attendance scholarships, etc. such programmes may have to be designed, monitored and evaluated carefully with a view to achieving their purpose.

5.20 Text-books and such minimum learning material as slates and exercise-books should be supplied free of cost to all children from Class I to IV/V.

5.21 While establishing new primary and upper primary schools, top priority should be given to the unserved habitations, and areas having concentration of minority groups, SCs/STs and backward classes.

5.22 The existing colonial model of school administration and supervisory structures and processes should be thoroughly examined with a view to making it relevant to the peoples condition and needs of participatory development of education.

5.23 Recruitment of women teachers for primary schools should be the general policy and the number of women teachers should range from 60% to 80% by 2000 A.D.

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5.24 To enhance the enrolment as well as retention of children, especially girls, in primary schools, the provision of support services in the form of child-care facilities and preschool Programme should be adequately made through various patterns, by all the States.

5.25 While the Committee fully supports the launching of a National Mission for Universalisation of Elementary Education, it recommends that close links of this Mission be ensured with the existing National Literacy Mission since elementary and adult education are mutually supportive programmes.

Adult Education: Structural Aspects

5.26 There should be closer linkages between national, state and district level structures concerned with adult education. The role of the Directorate of Adult Education should be re-defined so that it. works as the Secretariat of NLM with the primary function of monitoring TLC's. All functions related to literacy materials, training, etc. which require research and development and a high level of academic expertise should be transferred to the National Institute of Adult Education.

5.27 NIAE should work closely with the Central and State Governments, State Resource Centres, University Departments of Adult Education and provide a strong and sustained technical support to all Adult Education activities including NLM.

5.28 In view of the Eighth Plan proposals of strengthening the State Resource Centres and the emphasis of

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the Plan on decentralisation, the present functions of the Directorate of Adult Education related to training and material production should be transferred to State Resource Centres. The NIAE should devise a system of collaboration with the SRCs and help establish an inter- active relationship among them.

5.29 NIAE should strive to develop conceptual and action research in all aspects of adult education on a priority basis so as to help the AE movement.

5.30 Being the only institute of its kind in the SAARC region, NIAE should evolve an appropriate Professional Development Programme for the senior level policy planners and administrators in the region in respect of AE and also promote regional and international co- operation.

5.31 A purposeful networking of various government and non- government institutions working for development and/or adult education at the grass-roots level needs to be effected through the micro- planning techniques. To start with, pilot projects for collaborative micro-planning may be launched by way of action-research in selected areas and with the participation of the local people. Voluntary agencies should be encouraged and assisted to launch micro-planning projects for AE and related activities.

5.32 Existing administrative and financial procedures should be so modified that they help strengthen NGOs and facilitate government and NGO collaboration and fruitful inter-action for promoting literacy and further education on a continuing basis.

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5.33 While government should continue the policy of providing grants to the NGOs which seek them, an attempt should also be made to identify reputed NGOs and invite them to participate in AE programmes by offering them the necessary financial support.

5.34 All the State Government and UT administrations should formulate detailed district by district Action Plans for their respective States/UTs to eradicate illiteracy as fast as possible and in any case by the 2000.

5.35 Members of Parliament and State Legislatures should be involved in the preparation and implementation of time-bound plans for eradication of illiteracy and universalization of primary education in so far as their respective constitutencies are concerned.

5.36 In all States/UTs, 3 State Executive Committee of NLM should be constituted with powers to process the proposals of Total Literacy Campaigns and the relationship of the States and central Governments be clearly defined in this respect.

5.37 Once LC has been initiated, the State Government should not transfer, as far as possible,the district collector or other top officials involved with the campaign, till its successful completion.

5.38 The State Government should make available the personnel at various levels to work for the successful implementation of TLC's.

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5.39 In educationally backward districts where voluntary instructors are in short supply and learners are many, the approach in such districts should be to identify blocks having favourable circumstances for literacy so that the literacy campaign in them can achieve success within a reasonable period. The demonstration effect of such blocks would serve as an example to other backward blocks and also provide them with the preparatory time necessary for gearing up for campaigns.

5.40 The problem of weaker sections of the society especially women, SC/STs, backward classes and minorities should be given special attention by the State not only by creating structures and facilitating mechanisms but also by organising special consultations with voluntary agencies involved in adult education work.

5.41 Special encouragement, advice and financial facilities should be provided to neo-literates, especially women, in setting up income-generation programmes.

5.42 The Central Government should explore the possibilities of getting assistance from International Organisations for the supply of necessary, quantity of printing paper for literacy and post-literacy material, textbooks supplementary reading books and particularly, sets of text-books for primary school pupils in formal and non-formal channels or coping with the demand generated by TLC's.

5.43 A certain quota of white printing paper from paper mills should be reserved for adult literacy

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publications and text-books, supplementary reading, and copybooks.

5.44 In order to expand the provision of post literacy and. continuing education programmes, the possibility of utilising open learning techniques as recommended by the Core Group on Open Education set up by Planning Commission, should be explored.

5.45 The Jana Shikshan Nilayams should be developed as people's education and information centres with a view to spreading information about various educational opportunities and developmental programmes far and wide, and for guidance to learners at the post-literacy stage.

Elementary Education : Pedagogical Aspects

5.46 While keeping the national "Core" curriculum intact, differential curricula appropriate to the local environment aid development of children and conducive to the achievement of the expected levels of learning, should be evolved in a decentralized manner with the help of experts from national and state levels, and with participation of teachers' and parents' representatives. About three hours of formal studies per working day should be adequate for children in classes I and II. The curricular transaction should be enjoyed by the pupils and teachers and conducted in a participative class climate. Relaxation exercises like simple "yogasanas" should preced formal learning for timulating cognitive processes. songs, games, dramatics, craftwork, nature-study, investigation of social

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history, specimen collections from nature, should invariably form,part of the learning activities in primary schools.

5.47 Elementary curriculum should be so modified and diversified that while it may be linked up with secondary education on the one hand, it may become relevant and oriented to work situations, on the other, especially for the 14+ age group in non-formal channels.

5.48 Text-books should be adapted to local requirements to the extent necessary and their production should be decentralised, with adequate safeguards for ensuring the quality of content and production and keeping the cost low.

5.49 Non-formal education should be conducted for the 9-14 age- group in the fashion of Learning Clubs for regeneration of the children's natural inclination to learn. It should be a refreshing and enjoyable system of learning for tired working children so as to restore to them the joy of childhood. The duration of the programme could be about 1200 to 1500 hours of instruction in a two year span for primary education and at least 1500 hours for elementary education. Special text-books should be produced for the groups likely to enter the NFE channel.

5.50 A Cell for Non-formal Education should be set up in all SRC's to cope with the NFE needs of TLC districts and areas covered by NGOs in AE/UEE. Their work should be coordinated with that of SCERT's for maintenance of minimum levels of learning.

5.51 A system of formal and non-formal learner evaluation should be evolved under the MLL (Minimum Levels of

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Learning) principle. It should be a stress-free and open testing system related to 'mastery learning'. The community and especially the VEC should participate in such evaluation. UPE/UEE curricula and evaluation should be completely demystified and the fear of failure should be removed through 'matery learning' at the pupil's pace.

5.52 The teachers should be trained in the techniques of using and formulating the pedagogical inputs and tests essential to enable the pupils to attain the Minimum Levels of Learning in the formal and non-formal channels. Besides gearing the teaching-learning process within the class to MLL, the process should go beyond the teacher and the Village Education Committee should be fully oriented for this purpose.

5.53 There should be no confidentiality about tests and examinations at the primary and elementary stages as this process is meant to encourage self-instruction, self-evaluation and self- improvement by each pupil according to the principle of "Mastery Learning". For a group of villages, cluster-level testing arrangements may be tried out with the help of the local community and the schools in the Education Complex, so that the pupils and communities may come together periodically not simply for the academic of pupils, and teachers' work but for sports, games and cultural activities. All testing and evaluation should share the nature of stress-free , self-expressive games.

5.54 Individual learner evaluation should be

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supplemented by systematic assessment of the educational productivity of the entire system on a sample basis with the help of the proposed National Evaluation Organisation.

Adult Education: Andragogical Aspects

5.55 For attracting illiterate adults towards literacy a variety of area-spefic and need-based motivational activities should be designed innovatively. Among these, awareness' of the socio-economic problems of women and other disadvantaged, population control concerns need to figure prominently. Arousal of interest in such programmes can best be done through jathas i.e. 'Cultural Caravans' using a variety of folk-media and other communication devices which appeal to adults.