Free and compulsory education to be extended up to class X

Free and compulsory education to be extended up to class X

Aarti Dhar

CABE approves drafting of law to check malpractices in schools

New Delhi: The provision of free and compulsory education will soon be extended up to Class X. A proposal to this effect was approved at a meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) — the highest decision-making body on education in the country — held here on Tuesday.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, provides for free and mandatory education only up to primary level – from Class I to VIII.

The CABE, represented by the States and civil society members, also approved the drafting of new legislation to check malpractices in school education. While the Union Human Resource Development Ministry has already introduced a Bill in Parliament to prohibit unfair practices in the higher education sector, it was agreed at the meeting to initiate a similar legislative proposal for the school education sector also.

Briefing reporters at the end of the meeting, Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said two separate committees from within the CABE members would be set up to draft preliminary legislations which would then be sent across to the States before being approved. Both the committees, comprising State Ministers, academics and stakeholders, will submit their reports within three months.

“It was felt that every child in the country must have the right to at least 10 years of formal schooling. We have begun the process and will work out ways to provide for funds for the purpose,” Mr. Sibal said.

The CABE committee on extension of RTE will look into finance, infrastructure and legal requirement. The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, promising free education at the secondary level, is already in place and could become the vehicle for extending RTE till the secondary level. Bringing Class IX and X under the provision of the RTE will either require amending the existing Act or enacting a new law.

National framework

There was also unanimous endorsement of the need for a National Vocational Education Qualifications Framework (NVEQF) providing for a nationally recognised framework with vertical and horizontal mobility between general and vocational education. The group of State Education Ministers already constituted, will develop a road map for implementing and incorporating the requirements and concerns of all the States, Mr. Sibal added. The State governments will identify regional and local skills and develop curriculum content to feed into the NVEQF. The courses chosen should be locality specific to be implemented through planes devised by the States, which would be woven into a national grid within the parameters of NVEQF.

Another committee was also set up on university reforms. It will look into the recommendations of the March Vice Chancellors' conference that had called for major reforms in the university systems including financial independence and more autonomy like doing away with the convention of President being the Visitor of all Central Universities. It had also recommended allowing more colleges and institutions to grant degrees by doing away with the affiliation system, as far as possible.

Concern expressed

The meeting also discussed the need for integration of sports and physical education with academic curriculum as also introduction of “10 Great Thinkers of Modern India” in the syllabi of schools. The CABE expressed its concern for preservation of the linguistic diversity and resolved that measures be taken to protect and preserve endangered languages in the 12th Five Year plan.

Turn it upside down-Revolution not Reform

We should think of revamping the subjects which we teach to the children now in schools.It doesn't have much relevance to the day to day life.Basic skills are ignored and alien ideas are pushed  into the minds.The ultimate purpose of exams are not achieved,evaluation should be stressed instead of exams.A boy of Class IX should know how to fill the Draft form in a Bank and be able to calculate the volume of wooden planks.Our system doesn't build confidence in our children, instead creates passive listeners who never ask questions.This is a generalized idea of our educational system.Applicability of knowledge is always ignored.We cannot think beyond the values created by our own system .

 Our generation is the product of the same old values which still believes in sending the children to school for a better earning.The so called educated people are often we find cheated by the socially deviated people.We never taught the children to discriminate between genuine and fakes,never ever taught them to free themselves from greed,fear,anger etc.and left this to Religions.Quest or Curiosity is not awakened in them.Narrowness or living in tight compartments in life is more convenient for many who never think out of the box and allow the coming generation to do so.Justifying their actions and acting with a preconceived notion with their conditioned mind is a Crime and not a Sin.

  What is right yesterday no more hold any ground today,except certain time tested moral values.Even moral codes may vary from society to society.All this I learned when I taught and thought in the school,but  I learn when I teach my children at home and observe their actions."Child is the father of Man".We should groom the children to adopt and practice healthy attitudes so that they become a balanced individuals.

Why we failed to Pass ? Dozen reason or solutions

1.Schooling is not only for a living.(Paisa paisa karti ho !!!)Schooling for stomach! Education

and Literacy are different things .All literates are not educated...

2.After getting a job we forget to read or right.(Chalta hai !)Alliteracy.

3.Secure job,family,kids-happy .(All is well..)No risk taking.

4.Kids of 21st Century ,Teachers are from 20th Century.(Sau Saal pehle.....)Generation gap.

5.Punishments-Carporal,Exams (Fear factor)Schools should be inviting.

6.Matriculation-Class X phobia(Dus ka Dum).Grade or no grade..parental pressure in urban will continue.

7.No life skill/survival skill education(Zindagi ye kaisi hai paheli..haai ..)Paper Tigers cannot withstand the wind!

8.Peer pressure( Mitwa....).Negative,misinformation,habit formation etc.starts here.

9.Insecure childhood(Dil hoom hoom kare gabraaye..)Don't worry about your kid,be concerned.

10.Sense of humour(lacking) among teachers(Bum bum bole..)

11.Lack of motivation -teacher/kids(Saabasi dega kyaaa?)

12.Encourage divergent thinking.(Socho jara socho...)

You can add more......

Moral of the story: "Don't miss the Tiger for the Woods"!!!.

Chicago school reformer

Some public school buildings in Chicago in the United States are extremely run-down, and as a result, many wealthy parents prefer to send their children to private schools. But a group of moms in one of the more privileged neighbourhoods of the city decided to completely spruce up their nearby school.  

Peeling paint, leaking pipes, and collapsed ceilings. This is the dire state of some public school buildings in the US city of Chicago. And part of why many wealthier parents there shun public schools, preferring expensive private schools instead.

Jacqueline Edelberg was one of those more privileged Chicago parents - and she went from a skeptic on the sidelines to full-fledged activist.

Affluent moms
It all started in the park. That's where the moms in Chicago's affluent Lakeview neighborhood took their kids, and fretted about school options. Nettlehorst, the neighborhood public school, was clearly NOT an option.

"We knew it was horrible. Because everybody knew it was horrible. Either they'd tell you it was being made into condos, or they'd say, oh yes, that's terrible. There's gangs, violence, no no no no no, it's not a suitable choice."

But looking outside of her neighbourhood didn't suit Jacqueline either.

"I want a neighbourhood school. I don't want my kids to have to sit on a bus for an hour every day, I want them to have play-dates and snack with little neighbourhood kids, just normal."

Desperate
Desperate to stay in their neighborhood, Jacqueline and her best friend Nicole Wagner decided to check out Nettlehorst anyway. And they found a faded but charming grade-school with decent test scores that beat the city average.

But Lakeview parents had already written the school off. The principal, Susan Kurland, asked what it would take to change that. So Jacqueline and Nicole created a huge to-do list:

Bring in the best arts providers in the city, painting every classroom, painting every bathroom, fundraising and grant writing...

Principal Kurland looked at their list and said,"well girls, we're going to have a very busy year."

So Jacqueline went to the park, and started recruiting. She devoted months of work to the school, and Nettlehorst became a near obsession, making its way into most of the hours in her days, and even her nights. But her efforts eventually paid off.

"Lakeview Rhapsody" on one of the  doorways to the school

Task force
After assembling a task force of neighborhood parents along with donations from local businesses, the Nettlehorst school was dramatically transformed. Visually, it went from being a rather rundown and ordinary red-brick building to a place that was full of color.

The entryway is decorated with maps and globes. Donated paint and volunteer painters have changed the basement level into a virtual underwater world. Community artists and museum quality displays have transformed other hallways, stairwells, and learning spaces in the school.

Academic improvements
These aesthetic transformations were accompanied by academic improvements. Test scores have risen and an arts and music program has been introduced and expanded. Other grants have introduced classical music in the cafeteria, a menu of healthy food, and a host of special programs and services.

Parents and community leaders continue to work together to raise funds and support the Nettlehorst school. Jacqueline can now marvel at how much has changed since her first conversations about the school with other parents in the neighborhood park.

"This wasn't an easy, given ride for us. And there were many naysayers along the way, and many, many things that went wrong. But at the end of the day, I think we have a lot to be proud of. And I think we have changed the fabric of this neighborhood for years and years and 
years to come."(Radio Netherlands)