New Policies & Approaches continues....

The new education policy gave a proper thrust to elementary

education by emphasizing two aspects, viz. (i) universal enrolment and

universal retention of children up to 14 years of age, and (ii) substantial

improvement in the quality of education. As per the new approach, children

would be the centre of learning activities and an activity-based learning

process would be introduced at the elementary stage. Operation Blackboard,

a concept involving provision of blackboards, toys, maps, charts and other

learning material, was an important feature of the policy.

Similarly, there was an insistence on building all-weather rooms and appointment of at

least two teachers, one of whom shall be a woman, for each primary school.

It may look a bit strange that after almost four decades of planned

development and 18 years after the implementation of the national

education policy the country should be thinking about providing

blackboards and appointing at least two teachers in primary schools. These

are the most fundamental requirements of a schooling system without

which no school can function. But the stark reality was that there were

hundreds of thousands of schools in the country which had no teachers or blackboards. So, the national policy of 1986 had to take care of this problem.



The national policy envisaged a national system of education that would

ensure access to quality education for all. The main pillar of this system

was a common educational structure based on the 10+2+3 pattern. The

core of the national system was a national curricular framework with a

common core. The common core would include ‘the history of freedom

movement, constitutional obligations and other contents essential to

nurture national identity’. The policy document says:

“These elements will cut across subject areas and will be designed

to promote values such as India’s common cultural heritage,

egalitarianism, democracy and secularism, equality of the sexes,

protection of the environment, removal of social barriers, observance

of the small family norm and inculcation of the scientific temper.

All educational programmes will be carried on in strict conformity

with secular values."

To be continued....