two Latin words Educere (to or mould) | and Educatum (act fisedinghtis Canes aims to develop latent faculties of the child through teaching. A child does not know these posshbliies. Itis the educator or the teacher who can know these and take appropriate methods to develop those powers. Education has been described as a process of waking up to life. True education is the harmonious development of the physical, mental, moral, spiritual and social faculties of the individual for dedicated service. DEFINITIONS : The views of various thinkers and educationists of the East and the West would clarify the meaning of the term ‘education’. Mahatma Gandhi : By education | mean anall-round drawing out of the best in man—body, mind and spirit. Rabindranath Tagore : Education enables the mind to find out the ultimate truth, which gives us the wealth of inner light and love and gives significance to life. Radhakrishnan : Education is initiation into the life of spirit and training of human souls in the, pursuit of truth and the practice of virtue. Zakir Husain : Education is the process of the individual mind, getting to its full possible development. ‘Swami Vivekananda : Education is the manifestation of divine perfection already existing inman Aristotle : Education is the creation of sound mind in a sound body. It develops mars mind so that he may be able to enjoy the Saemeletct of supreme truth, goodness and is already enfolded in the germ. Nunn : Education is the complete development of the individuality of the child so that he can make an original contribution to human life according to the best of his capacity. Dewey : Education is the process of living through a continuous reconstruction of experiences. It is the development of all those capacities in the individual which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill his possibilities. Indira Gandhi : Education is a liberating force and in our age it is also a democratizing force, cutting across the barriers of caste and class, smoothing out inequalities imposed by birth and other circumstances. Since the times of Plato to the modem times of John Dewey and Gandhi, various educationists have defined education in various ways. ‘According to Idealists, the aim of life is spiritual development. Hence, Idealists regard education as a spiritual process, which aims at bringing together the soul and the creator leading to self- realization. Pragmatists think about education as a process of social progress. None of the Views is complete by itself. In a real sense, education is a sort of synthesis of all the above viewpoints. Education includes the individuals, the society, the environment, the social fabric and the prevailing traditions. Hence, the definition of education ought to be a very comprehensive and all inclusive one.BEA Entrance Guide ef Teaching Aptitude NATURE OF EDUCATION : Geakein is a continuous. and life-long P cess starting from infancy and =~ Continuing till death. eH (2) Education is purposive realization of life goals through training and guidance. (3) Education is a systematic and dynamic process. It uses systematic methods to develop the child according to changing situations and times (4) Education is continuous reconstruction of our experiences in a socially desirable way. (5) _ Education is development of the individual. as well as the society. According to John Dewey, education is.a three dimensional process..consisting of three poles - the teacher, the child and the society, (6) Education is a bipolar growth process according to Adams, in which one personality acts on another to modify the development of other person. (2) Education is balanced and_ holistic development of all faculties of the child. Therefore, the role of education is important for the development of the individual, the society and the welfare of humanity. PHILOSOPHIES IN EDUCATION : Philosophy means ‘love of wisdom’. It is a search for a comprehensive view and explanation of nature of things and human experience. Philosophy attempts to discover general truth that lies behind particular facts and reality. Philosophy, life and education are intimately connected with one another. Behind every form of education, there is a philosophy. Philosophy is the contemplative side, while education is the dynamic side. The aim of education, curriculum, methods of teaching, teacher functions and evaluation procedure are all determined by the philosophy of education. Four types of philosophies guiding education discussed below are: /dealism, Naturalism, Pragmatism and Realism. Idealism : Idealism holds that mind is central to the understanding of the word. Hence, the ultimate aim of education is the development of mind and spiritualism. Spiritual values are supreme and the ultimate reality, Idealism regards man as a spiritual being whose chief aim is to develop his spiritual nature through education. The ideals and values int than the world of mat (ered oe education is self-realig attainment of spintuality through the developyy of self For idealists, the curriculum sho developed according to universalistic ideals a8 values with emphasis on art, aesthetic, spijiyy. and religious studies. The method of teaching Pe subservient to teacher, who can create his oye methods. Teacher is very important, who hag ay the wisdom to take care of children. Schools thy only place for regular and effective teachi the development of self through self-discipling, Naturalism : Naturalism believes in the importance of thy natural and the material world. There are no idea) or supreme values. Laws of physical nature govern the laws of human life. Reality does not exist within the individual; it exists outside him in the natural world, There is nothing beyond nature, behind nature and other than nature. Mind ig subordinate to matter. Education should be according to the child. Education should promote the natural development of the child in a natural way. The aim of education is ‘self-expression’ and ‘self-preservation’. The aim is to help the child develop autonomously to face the struggle for existence and make appropriate adjustments fo the modem world. The curriculum should be developed so that the child leas from nature in scientific ways Nature is the supreme teacher. Teaching should allow freedom to the child to learn by doing and through self-experience and play. Child's role is central and the teacher's role is subsidiary. School should be a natural and spontaneous field which is conducive for the development of the growing child Pragmatism : Pragmatism is a typical American way of thinking which believes in practical and utilitarian Philosophy. It upholds that the power of man is Supreme; it does not believe in spiritual values and ideals, which change according to changing times. Values are always in the making. Values and ideals are always connected to the immediate situations faced in life. True philosophy lies in the Solution to practical problems of life. The aim ¢ education is to enable the child to solve his daily problems and lead a better and happier life bY creating new values. It should aim at the all-roun development of the individual.== Teaching Aptitude The curriculum should be pragmatic and vtiitarian and glve knowledge and skills to the individual as necessary for his present and future jife. THe teaching should stress upon learning by going, set-activity and seltexperienco, project. pased learning and relating curriculum to real-life experiences. Teacher's role is that of a friend, philosopher and guide. Schools a laboratory for experiments to be done by children; itis a society in miniature. “ Realism : Realism came to the forefront as the world experienced scientific discoveries and inventions. itis opposed to subjective idealism. Realism asserts that there is a true reality outside the mind which the mind perceives and attends to. ‘Therefore, education should be related to the actual realities of life. The aim of education is to impart skills and knowledge to understand the realities of the world and nature. The aim is not to produce a scholar but to produce a man of world affairs. Realism believes in the importance of the material world and in social and individual development. Education should prepare the child for real life by teaching him scientific principles governing physical reality. Curriculum should consist of subjects related to daily activities and man's interaction with the environment which the child would master by following experimental method, research and self-experience. The realist teacher imparts scientific knowledge to pupils in an effective way without imposing his views so that pupils do their own discoveries. School in realistic philosophy is a socially well planned institution and acts as a mirror of the society. AIMS OF EDUCATION : ‘Aims of education are not fixed, eternal or universal. These are changeable and relative. The aims depend on the philosophies of life. Idealism as a philosophy advocates high ideals of life, which are mainly spiritual in nature. Idealism pleads “knowledge for knowledge’s sake.” According to Idealism, the aims of education are Spiritual and idealistic. Itis “Education for complete living." Pragmatism deals with life as itis and not as it should be. Pragmatism does not believe in absolute and eternal values. It believes that education should be imparted with reference to human needs. B.Ed, Entrance Guide The socio-political ideologies also determine the aims of education. A democratic government, a fascist government, a communist government = each one formulates its own ends and means of education. Hence, in a democracy, education aims at the highest development of the innate potentialities of the individual. In fascism. the individual exists for the state and education aims at glorification and welfare of the state. Social and economic issues also serve as determinants of educational aims and objectives. In determining its educational objectives, every country has to take into consideration its economic conditions. We find variability is the nature of educational aims. The Secondary Education Commission (1952) states, “As the political, social and economic conditions change and new problems arise, it becomes necessary to re- examine carefully and re-state clearly the objectives which education at definite stage should keep in view.” Importance of Aims of Education = The aims determine the courses of action for the teacher, the taught and the system. When we plan our actions according to aims, we act purposefully with a clear goal in mind. This helps us to avoid wastage of time and energy. © The aims set a framework of how school programmes should be organized and managed, how the curriculum is to be framed and how the outcomes of the education process would be assessed. HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF AIMS OF EDUCATION : In Ancient India, the ideal of life was spiritualistic. Thus the aim of education was self- realization or the realization of Brahma or the Absolute. In ancient Sparta, education was not individualistic but socialistic. Each man was born not for himself, but for the state. The aim of education was to train the youths in military barracks away from home, to develop a hardy mind in a hardy body, to produce courageous soldiers. Education was primarily physical. In Athens, the individual occupied the pivotal position. Education aimed at harmonious development of personality — physical, intellectual, moral and aesthetic. It secured harmony between the individual and the state to develop a beautiful mind in a beautiful body.B.Ed. Entrance Guide Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, tha Gree idealists, discarded individualistic a! ms education. Socrates emphasized the acquisition i ‘al knowledge or truth, Plato of universal and eter jor fed harmonious development of all © pone the individual for social solidarity. Peistotle championed the ideal of harmony between the individual and the society and intellect and character, and theory and practice ‘The ancient Romans were not interested in purely theoretical knowledge. Their outlook was ir enalistic and the aim was the attainment of material success. The Roman education was meant to produce worthy citizens for the state, able to enjoy the rights and perform the duties of acitizen. During the middle ages, education was wholly a priestly affair. Education was absolutely formal in character and religious in outlook. With the passage of time this liberal humanistic ‘education degenerated into an artificial and formal system. Against this artificial education, the Realistic movernent started under the leadership of Bacon ‘and Comenius. According to them, ignorance was at the root of all evils. So they pleaded spread of universal and integrated knowledge. The child's individuality, his powers and interests were given supreme importance. ‘Anew theory of education, known as theory of mental or formal discipline came into vogue. John Locke represented this new doctrine. ‘According to him, the aim of education should be to produce a sound mind in a sound body. The aim of education would be to discipline all the faculties such as memory, imagination, perception, thinking etc. A true individualistic ideal of education came into existence in the 18th century. J. J. Rousseau revolted against the existing artificial and demoralized system of education. He not only championed the cause of the common people but also the cause of the child in the field of education. Thus naturalism appeared in education. The child was regarded as the important and the central factor in the field of education. The aim of education should, therefore, be spontaneous natural self-development of the child's nature in close contact with nature. Kant was greatly influenced by the individualistic concept of education and defined education as the process mes man throy,, ~ | by which man becol ugh? | Phuntary efforts. hy | zi introduced the childog | | staloz. eer in education. According to Md education was the process of i ne 8POntane tinfolding of atent powers of the individual ty perfection. Herbart shouldere this task ang” da systematic psychology oy develope’ methods of teaching. Froebel, the Germet idealist, regarded ‘education as the spontan, eon development ofa joyful, creative self activity, It is clear that the aims and functiong ‘education have been variously defined in differ, ages by different educators. Hence, we conclude by saying that aims of education oat fixed and static but these are subject, constant change and dynamic. DIFFERENT AIMS OF EDUCATION : The Individual Aim : The individual aim of education emphasizes that education should develop individuality in the ‘sense that education should develop individuals according to their interests, capacities ang ‘specialties. It keeps the individual at the foretron Only a well trained person can understand his rights in the society and his obligations to the society. Maximum facilities should be provided to the individual to realize his physical mental, moral and spiritual potentialities. In ancient India, Greece and some other ancient countries, the individual aim of education was given due emphasis. In modern times, educators like Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Nunn and Froebel have given due emphasis to the individual aim of education. Ross says that social institutions exist only to make the individual life better, fuller, richer, happier and more secure without which a productive society is not possible. ‘Nunn observes that any good that happens in the society happens only through individuals and therefore education must properly develop individual's inborn potentialities through maximum freedom. Views in favor of the Individual aim : (1) Biologists believe that every individual is different from others. Every child is a ne™ and unique product and a new experiment with life. Thompson says, “Education is for the individual". Individual should be the centre of all educational efforts am activities.fa meet Teaching Aptitude et Teens id. Ketranice Guide Naturalists believe that the central aim of education is the autonomous development of the individual. Rousseau said, "E: is good as it comes from the hands of the Author of Nature, but everything degenerates in the hands of man.” God creates everything good, man makes it evil. So individual should be given maximum freedom for its own development. Psychologists believe that education is an individual process because of individual differences. No two individuals are alike. So education should be according to the interests of the individual, Limitations : (1) _ Individual aim is not desirable because man is a social animal. An individual isolated from society is unimaginable. Individuality cannot develop from a vacuum; it develops in a social atmosphere. Individual aim makes individuals selfish. Maximum freedom to individuals may go against the society. Society's interest should be protected. Unless society develops, individual cannot develop. It ignores the influence of socio-cultural environment and stresses only on the development of inborn potentialities Too much importance on the inherent potentialities of the child seems to be quite impracticable in educational theory and practice. The Social Aim : ‘The supporters of the social aim believe that society or state is supreme or real. The individual is only a means. Education should aim for the welfare and progress of the society. Education is for the society and of the society. The state will make the individual as it desires. It prepares the individual to play different roles in society. Individuality has no value, and personality is meaningless apart from society. If society will Sevelop, individual will develop automatically. Here Society plays an important role Views in favor of the Social aim : (1) Each individual is born with some animal instincts. Society makes him human. So education should emphasize social welfare. Man is a social being and lives in a society If society will develop, individual will 2) 3) (2) (3) (4) (2) automatically develop. Herice individual should sacrifice his interests for the welfare of the society. (3) An isolated individual is only 4 figment of imagination. Man cannot have peace and justice without society. Limitations : (1) Itreduces individual to a mere non-entity. It makes individual only a tool of the government. It treats individuals as a social good devoid of any individuality. (2) Society ignores the legitimate needs, desires and interests of the individual. (3). It ignores individual differences and treats each as an element of society. (4) This view infuses a feeling of narrow nationalism as individuals are subservient to the state. Synthesis between individual and social aims of education : Both the aims are opposed to each other. Both the views are one-sided and ignore the complementary functions of the individual and the society. While the individual aim advocates unrestricted freedom to be given to the individual, the social aim emphasizes that the society should have full control over the individual. Ifthe individual aim is stressed too far, it would produce egoists and selfish individuals; if the social aim is pushed too far, it will produce suppressed personalities. Both the individual and the society cannot exist without each other. There is no antithesis between the two aims. In fact both are complementary to each other. The individual ia the product of the society while society finds its advancement in the development of ts individual member. Thus as Ross says, the true aim of education is the development of the individual as a member of the society. Let education burn the individual flame, feeding it with the oil of society, The Vocational Aim : The vocational aim is also known as “the utilitarian aim of the bread and butter aim.” Education should enabie individuals to earn their livelinood ~ food, shelter and clathing. In modern times, the chief aim of education should be to provide vocational education to every child so that he becomes economically self-sufficient, The vocational aim is a narrow aim of education, and therefore is not a complete aim by itself.B.Ed. Entrance Guide Importance : (1) Vocational education is important because it can solve economic problems of the individual and the country and help both for ‘economic progress and prosperity. (2) _ Itis helpful for checking imbalances in the world of work. (3). Ithelps in acquiring good habits and positive attitudes towards work. Limitations : (1) Itis a narrow aim of education as it neglects the holistic development of individual. It makes the individual's outlook narrow. (2). Itonly prepares individuals to work in a mechanized and dull environment. The Knowledge Aim : Socrates, Aristotle, Bacon and Dante state that education should aim at the acquisition of knowledge. They argue that knowledge is indispensable for all ight action and itis the source of all power. The function of the school is the communication of knowledge. Knowledge will help the individual to develop individuality, achieve success in any field and experience happiness inlife. Importance : (1) Knowledge is the source of power for right thinking, feeling, and action. (2) It is the base on which all other faculties are developed. (3) Knowledge forms the basis of moral character. Limitations : (1) _ Knowledge is a means to an end. It is not an end in itself. Thus knowledge alone cannot ensure complete development of the individual. (2) Acquisition of knowledge is most often confused with information gathering. The Character Formation Aim : The purpose of education should be the character building of the students. Vivekananda, Gandhi, Herbert, Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, all emphasized character building in education. Good character is a system of personality traits which are in harmony with individual's inner nature and are in accordance with the values approved by the society. Moral qualities like justice, honesty, tolerance, self-control, forgiveness, truthfulness etc. make a person efficient and productive Teaching Aptitude | Educational institutions, society and elders g promote character formation in childran, hou Importance : (1) Man with skills and competencies but devoiy of character cannot help himself ang the society progress. (2) If character is built, everything else Woulg naturally follow. Limitations : (1) Only character building cannot be the a, of education. The Secondary Educa Commission (1951-52) has remarkey. “character education has to be Visuazey not in a social vacuum but with refere, to contemporary socio-economic and Political ‘situation.” Therefore; we cay Conclude that only character building canng, be the aim of education. : (2) If social skills and ‘qualities are no developed, even a man of character may not be successful in life. The Spiritual Aim The idealist thinkers: believe ‘that the ‘supreme aim of education should be the spiritua) development of an individual. Mahatma Gandhj has attached great importance to spiritual Values in education. When the spiritual potentialities are developed to the maximum, the individual will be in harmony with himself and the society. Spiritual education would develop the mind andthe soul and the individual will contribute immensely to the society and welfare of mankind. Absence of spiritual education would cause political tension, economic stress, fears, conflict, exploitation, selfishness, greed and hatred in the world and destroy the moral fabric of the society Importance : (1) Promotion of spiritual values in individuals will promote a harmonious and cohesive social order and humanity. Spiritual development in individual will ead to spiritual upliftment of the society. (2) Radhakrishan said that education should make the individual feel that he has ‘something within him deeper than intellect, called a spiritual being, Limitations : (1) Mere knowledge of spiritual values is not enough. Itis important to translate them into Practice.aus) === Teaching Aptitude smassine a) To much emphasis on spiritual vatues might generate individuatistic tendencies in mon for attaining their setf-actualzation and not contribute to the society, qe Cultural Aim : One of the chief aims of education is conservation, transmission and enrichment of culture. Culture is the total system of knowledge, peliefs, attitudes, laws, morals, customs and any other capabilities acquired by men as members of 2 society. The cultural aim is much broader than the knowledge aim. Through education, societies would transmit their social essence to the next generation. Importance : (1) The cultural aim of education produces men of culture. Culture makes the human animal aman and prepares him for group life. (2) Group solidarity rests on culture. Cultural education produces a good social order and tells an individual how he can contribute to his culture. Limitations : (1) Cultural education does not prepare individuals to think in a creative way, if itis not approved by the culture. (2) Education on culture leads to the neglect of vocational aspects of education. (3) Ifdiverse cultures promote diverse values, there will be less harmony in humanity. The Leisure Utilization Aim : A major aim of education is to teach us to utilize leisure to pursue our life choices and goals. “Free and unoccupied time” of an individual is generally known as leisure. During leisure we can pursue an activity of our choice for own sake and not for living, which is dull and boring. Leisure Provides us time to observe and enjoy, to rest and Tejuvenate in life. We can release our pent-up emotions and be free of mental tension so that we can be creative and productive, It will make le interesting and colorful. We can develop our emotional and artistic faculties. Importance : (1) Worthy use of leisure time in the curriculum will provide us preparatory time for creative work, (2) {twill help students develop diverse hobbies and participate in many co-curricular activities for expressing themselves and being in touch with their inner potential, 9 pecans Bid. Entrance Guide Limitations : (1) This is truly not the aim of education; itis a process associated with education, (2) Individuals left to themselves on a leisure schedule may turn to be idle and non- productive. The Citizenship Training Aim : A citizen has to perform many civic duties and responsibilities, The aim of education is to produce world citizens. Children should be trained so that they can successfully discharge their civic duties and responsibilities. The Secondary Education Commission of India (1951-1952) has emphasized citizenship training in schools. Such training should develop certain qualities in students such as clear thinking, clearness in speech and writing, art of community living, co-operation, tolerance and sense of patriotism and sense of world citizenship. The Complete Living Aim : ‘Some educationists have emphasized the need for an all-comprehensive aim of education. The aim of education is to learn to live rather than only exist. This viewpoint has led to the development of two aims ~ “the complete living aim’ and the “harmonious development aim.” Education should teach individuals to have a complete and comprehensive living as a human being. The Harmonious Development Aim : The purpose of education is that all the powers and capacities inherited by a child should be developed harmoniously and simultaneously. Or else the development would be lop-sided. Gandhiji is a strong advocate of the harmonious development. According to Horney “there is no one final aim, subordinating all lesser aims to itself.....There is something in all these aims but not everything in any one of them.” AIMS OF EDUCATION IN INDIA : In Ancient India : The first aim was the acquisition of knowledge pertaining to the whole truth of life and death. This was evident in the Vedic period Character training and moral education to discharge sacial and civic duties was very important aim of education. Education for ‘occupation was another important aim.ing Aptitude “= B.Ed. Entrance Guide Geto meer Fy In Medieval Indi: Medieval civilization centered round religion. The Muslim rulers took a keen interest in education. The mosque was a center of instruction and of literary activity. The eternal teachings and values of the Quran promoted moral and spiritual knowledge and aimed at personality development of the individual. In British India : The British system was designed to prepare Indians only for taking certain subordinate positions in Government offices. It was not intended to develop among the people capacities to take leadership and initiative in different walks of life. Lord Bentinck (1835) said, "We want a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour but English in tastes, in opinion, in morals and intellect.” In Independent India : After independence, the Indian leaders realized the inherent defects in the British system of education. They thought to universalize education and link it with national development in all directions. Hence, the Government set up different committees and commissions for educational reforms. These committees and commissions have formulated educational aims and objectives from time to time. EDUCATION COMMISSIONS AND POLICIES IN INDEPENDENT INDIA : University Education Commission (1948-49) : Just after independence, an education commission was set up to enquire into the various problems of education, particularly higher education, and to recommend proposals for its improvements. It is commonly known as Radhakrishnan Commission or Dr. Commission, 1948-49. This Commission has given many important recommendations regarding higher education. It has also formulated the aims of education of India. Secondary Education Commission (1952-53) : The Secondary Education Commission (1952-53) set up under the chairmanship of Dr. Lakshmanswami Mudaliar made important recommendations for the reconstruction and development of secondary education in the country. The Commission formulated the following aims of Secondary Education. (1) Developing democratic citiz, ane | Curricular and co-curricular acti | secondary schools should dex th | scientific attitude, “clear hin | harmonious social living, respect 4%, | individual dignity, tue patriotism, ange | citizenship to realize democratic deg (2) Vocational efficiency : The commis. recommended fostering dignity of met fabour and promotion of work and tegy skill for the advancement of industy technology. a c | Development of personality or chars. | 8 Peueation should cater fo the ron | personality development of students +° appreciate and contribute to their cu, heritage. Hence, subjects like life, at, music, dancing and the developmen, creative hobbies should find a piace in curriculum. (4) Education for leadership : The speci function of the secondary education ig 4, train persons who will be able to assum the responsibility of leadership in socig political, industrial and cultural fields, * The Education Commission (1964-66) : The Education Commission under the chairmanship of Dr. D. S. Kothari submitted i report entitled “Education and National Development’ in 1966. The commission felt that education should be related to the life, needs and aspirations of the people so that it may serve as a powerful tool of social, economic and cultural transformation. The commission suggested the following aims of education: (1) Increase in Productivity : Education must be related to productivity to increase national income. In order to achieve this, the commission recommended that science should be made an integral part of school education and work experience and vocational subjects should be introducedin school curriculum to meet the increasing needs of technical personnel in industy, agriculture and trade. (2) Promoting Social and National Integration : To make education a powertl instrument of national development, common school system of public education should be adopted. Social and national service should be made a_part of schoo!=~ ayoation t0 bridge the gap between the ycated and the uneducated, in an masses. Suitable Drovisions shone for teaching mother tongue, Hindi a gther Modern Indian languages in schoo Education and Modernization ?Educati . i a = tion is to keep pace with this advancement of knowledge. To keep pace with modernization, greater emphasis must be jaced on vocational subjects, science education and research, @ Developing social, moral and spiritual values: The Central and State governments should introduce education in moral, social and spiritual values in all institutions. For the purpose, some periods should be provided in the time table. The University departments should develop special literature for use by students and teachers. national Policy of Education, 1968 : The Government of India after considering the Report of the Education Commission tried to formulate a national policy of education. With this report, a Parliamentary Committee on education was set up in 1967. This Committee approved the recommendations of the Education Commission and formulated a national policy of education in 1968. The major recommendations ofthe NPE, 1968 are as follows: (1) Free and Compulsory Education : Efforts should be made for the early fulfillment of the Directive Principle under Article 45 of the constitution seeking to provide free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 and reduce wastage and stagnation. (2) Status, Emoluments and Education of Teachers : Teachers should be accorded an honored place in the society and their emoluments and service conditions should be satisfactory. Teacher education, particularly in-service education, should receive due emphasis. (3) Development of Languages : At the secondary stage, the state Governments should implement the three-language formula which includes the study of a modem Indian language, preferably one of @) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) excess Teachin, pt a? i Aptitnde tats ne verses Pd. Entrance Guide the southarh languages, along with regional languages, Hindi and English. Hindi needs to bo promoted as a link language. Facilities for teaching Sanskrit at tha achool and university stages should be offernd an a more fiberat scale. Equalization of Educational Opportunities : Good educational facilities should be provided in rural and other backward areas to correct regional imbalances in educational facilities. Emphasis should be given to provide educational facilities to girls, children from backward classes, tribal childran and physically and mentally handicapped children by integrating them into regular schools. Identification of Talent : Talent in diverse fields should be identified as early as possible, and every stimulus and opportunity be given for its full development. Work-experience and National Service : The school and the community should be brought closer through suitable programmes of mutual service and support. Work experience and community service should become an integral part of education. Education for Agriculture and Industry : Special emphasis should be given to education for agriculture and industry. There should be at least one agricultural university in every state. Technical education and research should be related closely to industry. Production of Books : High quality textbooks should be produced for schools and universities. Special attention should be given to books for children and to university level books in regional languages. Examinations : A major goal of examination reforms should be to improve the reliability and validity of examinations, make evaluation a continuous process to help students improve their level of achievement rather than at ‘certifying’ the quality of their performance at a given time. Secondary Education : Facilities for secondary education should be extended to areas and classes which have beenB.Kd, Entrance Guide denied these in the past. There Is need to Increase facilities for technical and vocational education at this stage. University Education: : New universities should be started and Centers of advanced study should be strengthened and a small Number of ‘Clusters of centers’ aiming at the highest possible standard in research and training should be established. Part-time Education and Correspondence Courses : Part-time education and correspondence courses should be developed at the university stage for secondary school students, for teachers and for agricultural, industrial and other workers, The Educational Structure : A broad uniform educational structure can be ensured by adopting the 10+2+3 pattem and the higher secondary stage of two years being located in schools, colleges or both according to local conditions. National Education Policy, 1986 : After seventeen years of experiment an attempt was made to evaluate the national education policy, 1968. In 1985 the Government of India published and circulated a White Paper entitled “Challenge of Education: Policy Perspective.” On the basis of these opinions and the evaluation of different Government agencies, the Government of India declared its new education policy under the title “National Policy ‘on Education, 1986”, which was followed by Programme of Action (POA) in 1992. Both provided a significant formulation regarding the content and process of education. The policy envisaged a National System of ‘education to bring about uniformity in education, making adult education programmes a mass movement, providing universal access, retention and quality in elementary education, special emphasis on education of girls, establishment of pacesetting schools like Navodaya Vidyalayas in each district, vocationalisation of secondary education, synthesis of knowledge and inter- disciplinary research in higher education, starting more Open Universities in the States, strengthening of the Alll India Council of Technical Education, encouraging sports, physical education, Yoga and adoption of an effective evaluation method, etc. (11) (12) (13) Teaching Apu. mse . a Tho baste formulations can hy? Itow! 0 allbs of seculariom, go democracy to ba imbibed by the cy Mts the country " Education must reduce tho tyra, disparitlos and MeAsUtes shouig yy %s to promote diversification and disp employment: opportunities, It re ni for setting up Navodaya Vidyalayas Emphasis was laid on adult oy especially within the age group of 15, 35 years, : The POA, 1992 aimed to ensure un, enrolment, retention of children anda education until successful Completa, | education up to 14 years. Emphasis,” Iaid on early childhood care and edueyy® NPE and POA gave due importance improvement of education in educai backward areas and for women angi) physically and mentally challenged stressing the need for equal opportuni, toall. Both emphasized the importance y technology and formulated policy regain the utilizations of computer education ney country. Both stressed the importance of non-fom distance education and open universities achieve the goal of universal education Both laid considerable stress on the next of value education and inculcation of props perspective about the country's cultua traditions. Both the Policy and Programme lat importance on higher education até research work. Vocational education was given important by the POA to increase individus competency and national productivity. POA emphasized that teacher trainint facilities should be provided to eligit® candidates in the teaching profession. * ‘Suggested that the service conditions a salaries of teachers should be improved National Curriculum Framework (NCF),2005° _ The NCF document prepared by NCERT Provides a framework for syllabi, textbooks a teaching practices within schoo! educat”si) A Teaching Aphiuae geet in India. The five Bui8ing principles a connecting ‘rowiedge tote outside school ». Ensuring that learning is shit Bene etnods \g is shifted away from i) Enriching the curriculum to ij eyerall development of childres ner he remain textbook centric iy) Making examinations more flexi M integrated into classroom ite fexble and (0) Nurturing an over-riding identity informed by caring concems within the democratic polity of the country : gome important recommendations of NCF are asfollows : « Strengthening national system of education in conformity with values enshrined in the Indian Constitution such as social justice, equality and secularism Ensuring quality education for all making it inclusive to address issues of gender, SC and ST groups and differently-abled children Holistic approach to student learning and development allowing learners’ active engagement in construction of knowledge Adequate space for voicing children's thinking, curiosity and questions in curricular practices Implementing three-language formula emphasizing instruction in children's mother tongue (including tribal languages) Aiming at mathematization (thinking logically, formulate and handle abstractions) rather than knowledge of mathematics (formulas and procedures) in math teaching Teaching science to nurture children's curiosity and creativity in relation to the environment and teaching social science to empower children to think independently and reflect critically on social issues School curricula should focus on work education, vocational education, art education, peace education, health and physical education and environmental education for developing values and muttiple-skill formation Availability of minimum infrastructure and material facilities in schools and linking community life to schoo! life . . == B.Ed. Entrance Guide Use of textbooks along with supplementary books, workbooks and teacher handbooks and multimedia and ICT resources for enhancing learning resources ‘© Decentralized planning of school calendar and daily schedule and development of syllabi and teaching-learning resources Reducing stress and enhancing success in examination by making them shorter with flexible time limit © Strengthening teacher education programmes to prepare teachers as humane facilitators in learners’ construction ‘of knowledge in teaching-learning situations Evolving a common school of comparable quality in different regions of the country «Meaningful, participatory and bottom-up academic planning and quality monitoring to provide academic support to teachers RECENT DEVELOPMENTS : ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: H Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a Govemment of India flagship _ programme aimed at universalization of elementary education (UEE) ina time bound manner as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education for children of ages 6-14 a fundamental right. SSA has been operational since 2000-2001. However, its roots go back to 1993-1994, when the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was launched, with the aim of achieving the objective of universal primary education. With the Right to Education Act coming into force on 1st April, 2010, SSA has acquired the necessary legal force for its implementation. The foundational principles of SSA are access, equity and quality. SSA makes an attempt to make quantitative and qualitative changes in schools in the form improving infrastructure and school facilities, quality of curriculum, reading and writing materials, quality of classroom transactions, enhanced community awareness regarding education of children. The goals of the SSA Mission are: ©. Allchildren in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, to School’ camp by 2003; * All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007: .