On Common School System For Bihar

The terms of reference pertain to: (i) Assessment of what exists (ii) Equal and high quality (education for all) (iii) Right to free and compulsory education (iv) Plan of action for setting up a common school system (v) Gandhiji’s ideas on basic education and ‘pace setting schools’ (vi) Necessary changes in teacher education system (a) For the above setting up necessary sub-committees (b) Cooperation of all government departments.

It is to be born in mind that education is a very massive system and changes in it will take place only slowly and even for that very high forces are to be applied. The total number of children in the preschool age group of 3-6 will be about 5 million; in the elementary education age group of 6 to 14 will be about 13-14 million – in all 18 million children.

The number of teachers in this section is about 3 lakhs.

(Correct all numbers looking into proper sources) We can define the following objectives:
 Universal access: a primary school within 1 KM of every child and an elementary school within 2 KM of every child.
 Universal retention: Cumulative drop out up to 8th class not to be more than 5%
 Universally high quality: This is a complex issue and retention depends quite a lot on it.

Access can be made universal through setting apart enough financial resources. But to make high quality universal we have to, first, define high quality. Further we have to have teachers who can deliver this high quality education.

Quality and Content of Education

The average parent’s notion about high quality is based on the standard of English teaching and success in competitive examinations. Both are today objective necessities. There are other concepts about the ‘quality’ related to knowledge content, skill content and value content. The knowledge content determines the relevance of education. Values of the society impinges on the values of teachers which in turn act on children as, mostly disincentives. Skills are important in real life. Irrelevant knowledge, insufficient skills and discriminatory values repel children of the poorer half from the school. The change in value system has to be initiated by the teachers together with students. Changes in society will take place later. NCF gives a good outline for all the three elements – knowledge, skill and value – of education. But it does not give any clue to action required to achieve it. We can suggest the following.  The patriotic pride of Bihar has to be awakened  Today Bihar is considered as the ‘darkest area’ of India – very low literacy, poor education and health care, poor economic status, high level of caste prejudices and religious intolerance, poor quality of services of every kind…. In short it is an area from which you want to get out.  But long ago Bihar used to attract scholars from all over the world. Nalanda and Vikramshila were centers of excellence. Bihar was the cradle of freedom movement, the home of revolutionaries.  Even today all these capabilities are there lying dormant, covered by the ash of corruption, caste and pessimism. These ashes are to be blown away, the ember has to be brought into flames.

The commission should place before the people of Bihar a grand objective to recapture the ancient glory of Bihar, to build modern Nalandas and Vikramshilas in existing villages and towns. Towards this several parallel actions can be contemplated.

(1) Set up curriculum committees to develop curricula from -2 to +2. The committee will take into account the NCF and also. Gandhiji’s ideas on basic education. The best persons available, from all over India, have to be invited to join these curriculum committees. Do not limit to Bihar. One can plan a special cell in the SCFRT for modernization of the curriculum. The initial five years can be used for experimentation and corrections.

(2) Invite the best teachers in the state to work as field testers, to carryout experimental curriculum transaction. May be about 200 teachers will be necessary to help the curriculum committee at the academic level and about 2000 at the field, pedagogic level.

(3) Today proficiency in English language has become an essential element in improving quality, absolutely and relatively. Let us plan a high level of English language proficiency for the future generation of Bihar. English is today, on par with mathematics, and not with any other language. It is a universal language. Let us decide and plan, that every child – about 2 million each year – that completes 8 years of education, by 2020 would have a high proficiency in English language. It will be able to read, listen, comprehend, speak and write. Towards this, the state may set up a large number of English language teaching centers. The first step would be to develop about 1000 ToTs, ‘Teachers of Teachers’, about 20-30 attached with each DIET. In each primary/elementary school two to four teachers and all teachers of single - two teacher schools may be given good training in all aspects of English language. Each and every school shall provide an environment favourable for children to pick up English. Provision for projecting cartoon films is an ideal tool.

(4) All the three to four lakh of teachers to be given first round of in-service training for at least six weeks followed by three week training every five years. Spoken English should be an essential element in these in-service training programmes.

(5) Pre-service training to be reorganized so as to meet the requirements of NCF and the new curriculum.

(6) The citizens should, evidently, take up the responsibility to ensure that schools are run regularly and properly and desired levels of skills and understanding are acquired by the children.

(7) To ensure accessibility and quality certain major changes in the structures and systems are required. One of them is the effective implementation of the neighbourhood school system, especially in towns. Similarly schools should come under the democratic control of the parents and the people – effective school management committees and panchayat education committees will be necessary.

Nothing will start moving unless a major force is employed. The society is to be prepared for it. Once a clarity is obtained through discussion, of what all are to be achieved and within which time frame, and also an action strategy to achieve it is formed, the same are to be shared with the public in an exciting manner. They have to accept the objectives and act to achieve them. A major environment building campaign is to be organized both to excite and educate the public. The probable slogans/concepts for this could be.

 Recapture the glory of Bihar.

 Har Gaon Mien Nalanda - A Nalanda in every village

 The Sun Rises in Bihar.

Towards, this a wide ‘Local History’ movement can be used. The story of Nalanda’ – a book to written imaginatively- should find space in school text books and popular periodicals.

Kala Jathas, Local History Campaigns, Bihar Friendly Education, Mass Lecture Campaign, Exhibition – several modes can be thought of for environment creation.