17 Secondary Education—A Review and Recent Developments Meaning of Secondary Education. It is the second stage in the system of public education usually beginning with class 5 or 6 and ending in class 10 of a high school or 11 or 12 of a higher secondary school during which education is differentiated in varying degree according to the needs, interests, and aptitudes of the pupils. Secondary Education (1854-1902). With the creation of the Department of Public Instructions in 1855-56, as a result of the Despatch of 1854, an era of rapid multiplication of secondary schools set in. The Despatch of 1854 had laid great stress on the system of grant-in-aid which encouraged the Indians to open secondary schools. The taste for English education increased rapidly. Indian Education Commission, 1882, recommended that secondary education should, as far as possible, be provided on the grant-in-aid basis and govern- ment should withdraw as early as possible from the direct manage- ment of secondary schools. The number of students was more than doubled in the twenty years between 1882 and 1902. Secondary Education (1902-1921). This period witnessed an unprecedented expansion in secondary education which was achieved primarily through private Indian enterprise. Social and political awakening in the country also contributed to this expansion. The number of secondary schools rose to 7,530 with 11,06,803 pupils in 1921-22 as against 5,124 schools with 5,90,129 pupils in” 1905. Attempts made at introducing vocational courses often became un- popular. The study of English became very popular. English was used as the medium at the high school stage. Secondary Education (1921-1937). The number of recognised ‘schools increased from 7,530 with 11,06,803 students in 1921-22 to 13,056 with 22,87,872 in students 1936-37. Modern Indian Janguages began to be adopted as medium of instruction269 ona large scale, Greater attention came to be paid to the salaries and conditions of services of teachers in primary schools. The problem of providing vocational education at the secondary stage became very: important and complicated. Secondary Education (1937-1947). Expansion of secondary education fell short of the one seen in earlier periods. Mother-tongue became the medium of instruction at the secondary stage. The progress for the provision of vocational courses was slow. The number of training colleges for secondary teachers was considerably increased. _ Secondary Education (after 1947). Secondary education in India is being considered to be the weakest stage in Indian education, The Secondary Education Commission appointed in 1952 under the chairmanship of Dr. A. L. Mudaliar submitted its report in 1953. An All India Council of Secondary Education was established in 1955 for evolving a programme of improvement. The National Council of ‘Educational Research and Training was established as an autono- mous body in September 1961 to develop programmes of high level research and training, and extension and improvement in school education. A crash programme for the improvement of science education was initiated in 1964-65. State evaluation units have been established in all the States except Madras and Nagaland for carrying out reforms in the examination and evaluation system. Bureaux of educational and vocational guidance have been established in almost all States. In order to improve the quality of text-books almost all the State governments have nationalised the production of text-books. As against 5-2 per cent of the population in the age-group 14-17 in 1950-51, the estimated figure was 17°8% in in 1965-66. Multipurpose School The idea of multipurpose school was envisaged by the Secondary Education Commission (1952-53) appointed under the Chairmanship of Dr. Lakshmanswami Mudaliar in the context of educational reforms at the secondary stage. The Commission condemned the single track system of education and recommended that secondary schools should provide various diversified courses in accordance with the interests and aptitudes of the students. The scheme aims at removing all invidious distinction between the students preparing for technical and general courses of studies, breaking down the sense of inferiority that is associated with technology and manual labour, and making it possible to attain an educational system on truly democratic bases. The scheme of multipurpose schools was introduced in India in 1954. However, due to various reasons the scheme could not be implemented. Education Commission (1964-66) The Education Commission (1964-66) advocates the restriction of unplanned and uncontrolled expansion of secondary schools and270 thinks that it will have to be provided in accordance with manpower estimates. In planning enrolments in secondary education two factors need to be kept in mind. Firstly, at the present rates of expansion the standards have deteriorated and educated unemploy- ment has increased. Secondly, better standards of living and the desire for more education will further increase the pressure of expan- sion in future. At the lower secondary level use of testing and guidance should be made to cnable a student to make his choice whether he would leave the school to take up a job or join a voca- tional course or continue general education. Beyond the lower secondary stage a system of selective admission should become essential. The Commission found it essential to vocationalise secondary education and to work towards a target wherein about 20 per cent of the enrolments at the lower secondary stage and about 50 per cent of those at the higher secondary stage would be in vocational education. Equalisation of opportunities in secondary education through the development of a large programme of scholarships and the discovery and development of talent were greatly emphasized. The pupils ‘other than those who are diverted to vocational seducation will have a common curriculum of general education up to class X as there would be no ‘streaming’ of specialisation in the general course. This proposal is quite different from the scheme of multipurpose schools which was greatly stressed by the Secondary Education Commission and vigorously implemented in many States. The multipurpose schools required a diversification of courses after class VIII and yet most of such schools failed to provide a variety of courses to suit the different interests and aptitudes of students. The recent world trends in secondary education are in the direction of lengthening the period of general cducation and postponing diversification and specialisation to the upper stage of secondary education. National Policy (1968) The Resolution on National Policy on Education outlined the following principles in the field of secondary education : (a) Educational opportunity at the secondary (and higher) level is a major instrument of social change and transforma- tion. Facilities for secondary education should accordingly be extended expeditiously to areas and classes which have been denied these in the past ; (b) There is need to increase facilities for technical and voca- tional education at this stage. Provision of facilities for secondary and vocational education should conform broadly to requirements of the developing economy and real employment opportunities. Such linkage is necessary to make technical and vocational education at the secondary stage effectively terminal. Facilities for technical and vocational education should be suitably diversified to cover a large number of fields such as agriculture, industry,271 trade and commerce, medicine, and i 5 a public health, home Management, arts and crafts, secretarial training, etc.” Secondary Education in the Fourth Five-Year Plan In the Fourth Five-Year Plan, the tar; 7: t 9 ‘gets of secondary educa- tion in respect of age-group 14-17 i ils 1 TX—XD are set ot Wee ip (corresponding pupils in classes (Enrolment in Million) ve vOeey 1973-74 (Target) 9% 9 % 9) % Enrolment age-group | Enrolment age-group Boys 495 285 7:00 34:3 Girls 1°63 98 2°69 13-7 Total 658 19°3 9°69 24:2 Thus, it is expected to enrol 3°11 million additional pupils in classes IX—XI. The location of new schools will be determined according to the requirements of each area. The main efforts will be to enrich the content and improve the quality of secondary education. A few States have taken preliminary steps to adopt the new pattern of secondary education as recommended by the Education Commis- sion. Regarding vocationalization of secondary education, the Plan envisages, the following measures : “A mojor task in the field of post-elementary education is to provide a large variety of vocational courses for children who do not intend to continue their general education’ beyond the elementary stage. These courses have to be of varying durations, depending upon the trades and vocations proposed to be learnt. The industrial train- ing institutes will meet a part of this demand. To prepare students to take up employment after the secondary stage, a number of voca- tional courses are being provided after class X in industrial training institutes, polytechnics, schools for nursing, and agricultural schools”. Recent Developments Educational Television. A programme for large-scale introduc- tion of educational television in India has been prepared for imple- menting during the Fourth Plan. It envisages the integration of television lessons with the normal class-room lessons. It would make full use of films, radio broadcasts and the expanded television cover- age of the country both by terrestrial and satellite _television broad- cast. To implement the programme, an Educational Technology Unit is proposed to be set up in the NCERT. This unit will also272 produce high quality teaching films. Jn this context, a request for forcign assistance has been made to UNDP. The assistance is esti- mated at $ 778,700. School Text-Books. Almost all the State Governments have nationalised the production of school text-books. At the national level NCERT is playing an effective role in bringing out model text- books, teachers’ manuals and work books. A National Board of School Text-Books was sct up in 1968 to co-ordinate and guide the activitics of national and State-level organisations;institutions in the production of text-books. The Board, so far, has mect twice, firstly in April 1969, and for the second time in May 1970. Text-Books Printing Presses. The Federal Republic of Germany has offered 3 off-set printing presses for school text-books as gifts to India. These presses will be located in Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh and Mysore. National Prize Competition for Children’s Literature. In 1954- 55, Government of India initiated a scheme for the award of prizes every year to authors of children’s books/manuscripts of outstanding merit in all the modern languages of India. The 15th prize competi- tion was organised during 1969-70. The author of each prize-winning book is awarded a prize of Rs. 1000, and the Government of India also purchases about 1,000 to 1,400 copies of the prize winning book. Desh Geetanjali. It is a Central scheme formulated to streng- then the sense of National identity among school children. It will be implemented in two phases. ‘The first phase will include (a) training teachers and selected students in the correct singing of the National Anthen ; (4) use of A.I.R. broadcasts for training school children in singing the National Anthem : and (c) the supply of record players and records of National Anthem to 500 schools. The second phase will consist of (a) collection and publication of existing songs that promote national integration ; (b) popularisation of popular tunes and songs such as ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ and publishing songs in State languages; and (c) conducting competition in the correct singing of the National Anthem and award of prizes at State and National ie oe implementation of the first phase was taken up during 70-71.