Answer of Course 1.1.2(Contemporary India and Education) of B.Ed Exam 2018 of WBUTTEPA

CONTEMPORARY INDIA AND EDUCATION

COURSE: 1.1.2 (2^ND HALF)

ANSWER HINTS:

Dr. GOUTAM PATRA

2. organizational Structure of Education as recommended by Mudaliar and Kothari Commission Regarding the organizational pattern of secondary education, the Secondary Education Commission recommended that secondary education should be a complete stage by itself. This stage of education is most important for the students in their preparation for life. To raise the standard of school education the Commission proposed the following organizational pattern: The duration of secondary education should be 7 years. It should cover the age of group of11-17. Under the new organizational structure secondary education should commence after 4 or 5 years of primary or junior basic education. The middle or senior basic or lower secondary stage should cover a period of 3 years. The higher secondary stage should cover 3 years. The commission also suggested abolition of the present intermediate classes. The 12th class should be attached to the university and the 11th class should be added to the high school. Thus it pleaded for one year pre-university and 3 year degree courses. The commission recommended that technical schools should be started in large number and central technical institutes should be established in large cities. Multi-purpose schools should be established, which would provide terminal courses in technology, commerce, agriculture, fine arts and home sciences. The object of theses institutions was to direct students into different walks of life at the end of the secondary course and this will reduce the pressure upon university entrance.  The  Kothari Commission recommended a new structural pattern of education. The new educational structure should be as follows:
	One to three years of pre-school education.
	A primary stage of 7 to 8 years divided into a lower primary stage of 4 or 5 years and a higher primary stage of 3 or 2 years.
	A lower secondary stage of 3 or 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of vocational education.
	A higher secondary stage of 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of vocational education, 50% of the total would be under vocational education,
	A higher education stage of 3 years or more for the first degree course followed by courses of varying durations for the second or research degrees.

• The structural pattern thus recommended by the commission is commonly known as 10+2+3. 
  
  Let us know the structural pattern of education.

·        Pre-school education from 1 to 3 years should also be given.

·        General education should last for a period of 10 years -
4 years of lower primary,
3 years of higher primary
3 years of lower secondary education.

·        Higher secondary education should be fixed for 2 years.

·        Degree course should be of 3 years.

• The age of admission to class I should not be less than 6+. The first public external examination should come at the end of the first 10 years of schooling. Secondary schools should be of two types : higher schools providing a 10 years’ course and higher secondary schools providing a course of 11 or 12 years. A new higher secondary course consisting of classes XI and XII should be introduced. The pre-university courses should be transferred from Universities and added to the secondary schools. The Commission has been suggested the reorganisation of the university stage. At this stage, the three year degree has been favoured by the Commission.

3. Main Features of NPE-1986

In relation to Elementary Education, followings are the major objectives of National Policy of Education 1986 are mainly:

• Universal access and enrolment
• Universal retention of children up to 14 years of age and 
• A sustainable improvement in the quality education to enable all children to achieve essential levels of learning.

Regarding Secondary Education, National Policy of Education stressed on the improvement of the quality of secondary education. Effort to be made to provide computer literacy in as many secondary level institutions to make the students equipped with necessary computer skills.

Regarding higher education, National Policy of Education and Programme of Action of 1986 and 1992 emphasized that higher education should provide to the people with an opportunity to reflect on the critical social, economic, cultural, moral and spiritual issues.

Thus, the basic objectives of the National Policy of Education of 1986 and Programme of Action of 1992 emphasized that education must play a positive and interventionist role in correcting social and regional imbalance, empowering women, and in securing rightful place for the disadvantaged and the minorities. Government should take a strong determination and commitment to provide education for all, the priority areas being free and compulsory education, covering children with special needs, eradication of illiteracy, education for women’s equality and special focus on the education of S.C. s (Scheduled caste) and S.T. s(Scheduled tribes) and Minorities.

The educational policy as highlighted in the N.P.E. also emphasized on enhancing and promoting the vocationalisation of education, adult education, education for the mentally and physically challenged persons, non-formal education, open universities and distance learning, rural university, early childhood care and education. Delinking degrees from job was also one of the basic objectives of National Policy of Education of 1986.

4. Short note on Autonomous College

The National Policy on Education (1986-92) formulated the following objectives for autonomous colleges. An autonomous college will have the freedom to: o determine and prescribe its own courses of study and syllabi, and restructure and redesign the courses to suit local needs; and o prescribe rules for admission in consonance with the reservation policy of the state government; o Evolve methods of assessment of students? performance, the conduct of examinations and notification of results; o Use modern tools of educational technology to achieve higher standards and greater creativity; and o Promote healthy practices such as community service, extension activities, projects for the benefit of the society at large, neighborhood programmes, etc.

The parent university will confer the status of autonomy upon a college that is permanently affiliated, with the concurrence of the state government and the University Grants Commission. Once the autonomy is granted, the University shall accept the students of autonomous college for award of such degrees as are recommended by the autonomous college. The Act and Statutes of the universities ought to be amended to provide for the grant of autonomy to affiliated colleges. Before granting autonomy, the university will ensure that the management structure of the applicant college is adequately participatory and provides ample opportunities for academicians to make a creative contribution.

5. Views of Swami Vivekananda on Women Education

 Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a great philosopher, thinker and reformer of India, defines education as the manifestation of perfection already in men .To Vivekananda, education was not only collection of information, but something more meaningful; he felt education should be man-making, life giving and character-building. He states it emphatically that if society is to be reformed, education has to reach every one high and low, because individuals are the constituents of society. He was also emphatic that women must be educated, for he believed that it is the women who mould the next generation, and hence, the destiny of the country. In Vivekananda educational scheme for India, the upliftment of women and the masses received the highest priority. Swami Vivekananda felt, the thermometer to progress of a nation is its treatment of its women and it is impossible to get back India‘s lost pride and honor unless Indians try to better the condition of women. He considered men and women as two wings of a bird, and it is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. So, according to him, there is no chance for welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. Education of women is essential for both all round development of the nation and also for the improvement of women‘s condition in India. But the magnitude of illiteracy among women is very high in India. 35 per cent of women are still illiterate as per 2011 census. It reflects that India is not utilizing the potential workers in a proper way. There is either unutilisation or under utilization of women‘s capacities and skills. Even though the education system expanded very rapidly, the gap between male and female literacy still persist.

6.  Directive Principles of state policy  (Part IV- Article36-51) in Indian Constitution

It provides the social and economic base of a genuine democracy. The classification of these  principles are as follows-

1. Socio-economic Principles
2. Liberal Principles
3. Gandhian Principles

4.      International principles

 Socio-economic Principles

1. Article 38 of the Constitution of India shall endeavor to formulate such social system which will secure social, economic and political justice to all in all the spheres of life.

2. Article 39(a) the state shall try to formulate its policy in such a manner so as to secure adequate means of livelihood for all its citizens.

3. Article 39(b) the ownership of material resources would be controlled in such a manner so as to sub serve the common good.

4. Article 39(c) the economy of the state will be administered in such a manner so thatwealth may not yet be concentrated in a few hands and the means of production may not be used against the public interest

. Article 41 of the Indian Constitution, the State will work within the limits of its economic viability and progress, provide to the citizens the right to work, the right to education and general assistance in the event of unemployment, old age, disease and other disabilities.

6. Article 42 of the Indian Constitution, the state will make provisions for the creation of just and humane conditions of work. It will also ensure maternity relief.

7. Article 43 of the Indian Constitution, the state will ensure adequate wages, good life and rest to the laborers. The state will also endeavor to make available to the laborers various sociocultural facilities.

Liberal Principles

1.      Article 44 of the Indian Constitution, the State shall endeavor to formulate and implement a Uniform civil-code for all the people living throughout the territory of India.

2.      Article 45 of the Indian Constitution, the State shall endeavor to provide early childhood care and education for all the children until they complete the age of six years.

3.      Article 47 of the Indian Constitution, the State shall strive to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living. Thus, it will endeavor to improve upon the health of the people.

4.      Article 48 of the Indian Constitution, the State shall strive to organize agriculture and husbandry on modern and scientific lines. It will also try to maintain and improve upon the breed of the animal.

5.       Article 50 of the Indian Constitution the state will try to separate the judiciary from the executive in the case of public service.

Gandhian Principles

1.      Article 40, State will strive to organize Panchayats in villages and will endow them with such powers which enable them to act as units of self government.

2.      Article 43, the state shall strive to develop the cottage industry in the rural areas both, on individual or cooperative basis.

3.      Article 47,the state will strive to ban the consumption of wine, other intoxicating drinks and all such commodities which are considered injurious to health.

4.      Article 48 reveals that State will ban slaughtering of cows, calves and other milk cattle.

 International principles

1.      Article 51(a)- The State will strive to promote international peace and security.

2.      Article 51(b)- The State will strive to maintain just and honorable relations among various states in the world.

3.      Article 51(c)- The State will endeavor to promote respect for International treaties, agreements, and law.

4.      Article 51(f )- The State will strive to settle international disputes by arbitration.

7.Education under Concurrent List and the Center –State relation regarding implementation:

The Concurrent List or List-III (Seventh Schedule) is a list of 52 items (though the last item is numbered 47) given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India.  Education is included in the concurrent list. So both the centre and the state have the responsibility to make the provision for the development of education and the fund necessary to spread the education will have to be allocated both by the centre and the state. But the relation between the centre and the state is  usually decreased when two different parties achieve majority in the parliament and state legislatures. So there is every possibility of negligence to the interest of education

The legislative section is divided into three lists: Union List, State List and Concurrent List. Unlike the federal governments of the United States, Switzerland or Australia, residual powers remain with the Union Government, as with the Canadian federal government.Uniformity is desirable but not essential on items in the concurrent list. If any provision of a law made by the Legislature of a State

This repugnant to any provision of a law made by Parliament which Parliament is competent to enact, or to any provision of an existing law with respect to one of the matters enumerated in the Concurrent List, then, the law made by Parliament, whether passed before or after the law made by the Legislature of such State, or, as the case may be, the existing law, shall prevail and the law made by the Legislature of the State shall, to the extent of the repugnancy, be void. There is an exception to this in cases “where a law made by the Legislature of a State with respect to one of the matters enumerated in the Concurrent List contains any provision repugnant to the provisions of an earlier law made by Parliament or an existing law with respect to that matter, then, the law so made by the Legislature of such State shall, if it has been reserved for the consideration of the President and has received his assent, prevail in that State. Provided that nothing in this clause shall prevent Parliament from enacting at any time any law with respect to the same matter including a law adding to, amending, varying or repealing the law so made by the Legislature of the State.

8. After independence, Indian national leaders have taken special care for formulating some special provisions of education to enhance the socio-economic status of backward sections and envisage all round development of the most deprived social sections known as aboriginal or Scheduled Tribes. In spite of all the loud rhetoric on the empowerment of STs, the conditions of this community have not improved to the extent desirable since independence. The disparity in education in particular is widening over the years. Effective machinery should be created to review all hitherto existing educational policies to plug loopholes, strict enforcement of the provision for education and to reduce the inequality in education.

“The key challenge is to ensure that the broad vision of Education for All as an inclusive concept is reflected in national government and funding agency policies. Education for All … must take account of the need of the poor and the most disadvantaged, including working children, remote rural dwellers and nomads, and ethnic and linguistic minorities, children, young people and adults affected by conflict, HIV/AIDS, hunger and poor health; and those with special learning needs…” (Dakar Framework for Action – Education for All, Meeting our Collective Commitment. [Online]. Available: http://www2.unesco.org/wef/en-conf/dakframeng.shtm)

Socio-Economic Factors

Poverty, unemployment ignorance of children etc. are some of the common factors which deny many children accessing to available educational facilities. Even there are schools; children do not go for study due to one or all the reason enumerated above. Besides, there are villages which do not have schools at all.

Wastage and stagnation

Wastage and stagnation are the main causes of marginalization of education. Wastage is an indicator which shows non-completion of a level of education by a section of students who were admitted to that level.

Stagnation, on the other hand, is the retention of a child in lower classes for a period of more than one year. Stagnation to a greater degree, leads to wastage. Due to the stagnation, the parents withdraw the pupils or the pupils themselves discontinue studies. It is because of illiteracy and ignorance of the parents that a child does not get guidance at home so gets stagnant which eventually leads to wastage.

Weakness in Education system

 There are also inbuilt weaknesses in the educational system which does not make education attractive to the children. It is observed that the lack of proper articulation between education and life and the poor facility at school do not attract and hold students. With poor infrastructure, insufficient teachers accelerate drop-outs.

Curriculum

The curriculum has been unable to meet the needs of a wide range of different learners. In addition to problems in access, factors such as poor quality of the teaching, irrelevant curriculum may lead to marginalization and exclusion.

Language and Communication

Teaching and learning takes place through a language which is not the first language of many learners. It often leads to significant linguistic difficulties which contribute to learning breakdown.

                 Solutions:

1. Maintaining Quality

2. Cultural, religious and linguistic diversity of learners acknowledged and.

 3. Content, knowledge and skills relevant to learners‟ context

4. Joyful Learning in the School

5. Assessment and Evaluation

6. A flexible structure to facilitate responding to the diversity and providing diverse opportunities for practice and performance in terms of content, methods

7. Capacity Building Programs for Teachers

8.  Proper Planning, organizing and implementing