Secondary Education Commission (1952-53) Secondary Schools : At the Secondary School level, there were two divisions, the Junior and the Senior. The junior stage of secondary schools was known in some cases as middle schools or lower secondary schools and in some as the Senior Basic Schools. It covered a period varying in different areas, between 3 and 4 yeas. In the majority of States, the pattern was one of three years. High Schools corresponded to the senior school stage of secondary schools. In the large majority of cases this stage extended over a period of three years. Ina few States the High School period was limited to two years, the Middle School being of four years’ duration. Higher Secondary Schools The Higher Secondary School was the latest type of institution, where the education imparted was in some cases of 3 years, and in some cases 4 years, depending upon the period of study required for the high schools in the State, The higher secondary schools had been formed by the addition of one year, which was taken from the Intermediate stage of the University. Higher Education At the University level, the degree course was generally of four years, comprising two years of Intermediate and two years of the degree course. In Delhi State, however, where the Higher Secondary Schools had been established, the degree stage was of three years’ duration, the Intermediate having been abolished. It was of interest fo note that in some other States also, like Mysore and Travancore, the experiment of a three-year degree course has been tried, but owing largely to lack of cooperation and coordination from their universities, the experiment could not be continued. Intermediate Colleges Consequent upon the recommendations of the Sadler Commission, an impetus was given to the starting of Intermediate colleges more particularly in certain States in the North. These colleges had a two-year course and came under the purview of the Board of Secondary an Intermediate Education and not under the control of the Universities. In other States, however, the four-year degree course was divided into two separate units, one for the Intermediate standard and the other for the degree standard. While the great majority of colleges had a four-year course, the recent increase in the number of students seeking admission to university courses of study after their school final stage had led to the starting of Intermediate colleges of two years’ duration in many States. 3.2 BACKGROUND TO THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION (1 952-53) Recommendations of the Central Advisory Board of Education The Central Advisory Board of Education at its 14th meeting held in January, 1948, considered the question of ‘secondary education in the country. In viewj by the All India Education Minister of Education in January 1948, "eae dations, the Government of India appointed a cy, Ue hip of Dr. Tara ee the then Educational a 1 India. This Committee made some j, ue pene aspects of secondary education, The Rear! tee was further considered by the Central Advisory Boar, “ Commit 1sth meeting held at Allahabad in 1949 when it was a ae Goverment of India be requested to appoint a Commission for that Education to which the questions raised by some of the Conclusions Semen Report be referred and that it should, in addition to these item Sei wider question of the aim, objective and Purpose of Secondary education and the relation of Secondary Education to Basic and Universi Education. The Board again at its meeting held in January, 1951, reiterated its conviction that the reorganisation of secondary education in the country was of such vital importance that the Government of India should appoint 3 Commission at an early date. University Education Commission of 1948 In the meantime in pursuance of the recommendations of the Central Advisory Board of Education and also of the Inter-University Board, the Government of India appointed a University Education Commission in 1948 under the Chairmanship of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. The Commission which had to report primarily on University Education in India had necessarily to review the position of Secondary Education as well and it made certain notable suggestions. The Commission recommended that the standard of admission to University courses should correspond to that of the present Intermediate examination, i.e. after 12 years of the study at School and Intermediate College. The Commission thought it unfortunate that neither the public or the Government had realised the importance of Intermediate palicers in the Indian educational system, and remarked that “our Secondary lucation remains the weakest link in our educational machinery and needs urgent reforms. Framing of the Constitution and Aspirations of the Society The Constitution of India had come into force on January 26, 1950. ly, educational needs had to be studied in this context. peercntce of Secondary Education is the Secondary school that suppli i Bas y schoo supplies teachers to the primary schools ans students to the universities, An inefficient system of secondary ee | | to affect versely the quality of education at all stages.Secondary Education Commission (1952-53) 21 Ttwas felt that one of the major defects of the prevailing system of secondary education was its unilinear and predominantly academic character. The need for the reorganisation of secondary education with diversified courses had become more urgent as a result of acceptance by the Government of Basic Education as the pattern of education at the elementary stage. There had been ‘no comprehensive examination of the problems pertaining to secondary education, while the problems of elementary and university education had been surveyed and steps taken to improve. 3.3 APPOINTMENT OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION (1952-53) In view of above considerations, the Government of India set up the Secondary Education Commission by Resolution dated 23rd September, 1952. The Commission was inaugurated on October 6, 1952. It submitted its report in June 1953. Members of the Commission The Commission consisted of 9 members including the Chairman, Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, Vice-Chancellor, Madras University and A.N. Basu, Principal, Central Institute of Education, Delhi, was its Member- Secretary. "wo foreign educators, namely, Principal John Christie, Jesus College, Oxford (U.K.) and Dr. Kenneth Rast Williams, Associate Director, Southern Regional Educational Board, Atlanta (USA) were also members of the Commission. Sixteen eminent educationists were co-opted members. 3.4 TERMS OF REFERENCE Under the terms of reference, the Commission was asked: “(a) to enquire into and report on the present position of Secondary Education in India in all its aspects; and (b) suggest measures for its reorganisation and improvement with Particular reference to: (i) the aims, organisation and content of Secondary education; (ii) its relationship to Primary, Basic and Higher education; (iii) the inter-relation of Secondary Schools of different types; (iv) other allied problems. so that a sound and reasonable uniform system of Secondary Education suited to our needs and resources may be provided for the whole country”. 3.5 FUNCTIONING OF THE COMMISSION The Commission interviewed a large number of educationists, members of universities, representatives of teachers’ organisations, representatives of managements, high officials of the Department of Education, Ministers of the States and Centre and leading representatives of the public. i The Commission issued a Questionnaire covering a wide field of enquiry. It consisted of 8 sections, which had a number of questions: 1. Aims of education.‘Secondary Education: History, Problems and Management XXIIL, Ma of Sear of all sinely ee be registered and t of a limited number of persons with the ee na ex-officio att wees, ing Be should directly or indirecth ‘a Nomen ip neral ainsi of the school. y i? jpment: cas Toon ee Pes draible in cities must be conserved to be ‘ utilised as playground by groups of schools. Normally, in designing buildings for schools, care should be - taken to see that an area of not less than 10 sq. ft. is provided per student in 3. The optimum number of! the classroom. ’ boys to be admitted to any class should the maximum should not in any case exceed 40; the co aaa in the whole schoo! should be 500 while the maximum should not exceed 750. «s of Working and Vacation: . ! pe ean ciil fe total number of working days in a school should rf o hundred, the working hours per week should not be less than tw“ " be at least thirty-five periods of about forty-five minutes each; the schools should work regularly for six days in the week. One of the days being a half day when the teachers and students might meet informally and work together on various extra-curricular and social projects. Normally, during the year there should be a summer vacation of two months and two breaks of ten to fifteen days at suitable periods during the year. XXVI. Finance: 1. Acess called the Industrial Education Cess be levied, the amount collected to be utilised for the furtherance of technical and vocational education at the secondary stage. 2. The Centre should assume certain amount of direct responsibility for the contemplated reorganisation of secondary education and give financial aid for the purpose. XXVII The Education of Character: “We should like to emphasise, as strongly as we can, the basic principle that ‘character is forged on the anvil of action’ —of every kind of action, academic, social, manual or moral—and the way in which the student performs his manifold duties in school or at home leaves an indelible impression on him. This would require the setting before him of high standards of work and conduet—both personal and impersonal—and creating the desire to approximate to those standards. It would also call for the rejection of any work—and depreciation of any form of behaviour—that falls below the standard that may be expected from the particular student concerned. Ifall school work and activities are made psychologically interesting and exacting—in the sense of challenging the full powers of the adolescents—and if they are trained to take them up in the v27 Ue: OF THE REPORT AND ITS IMPACT . A ‘Discussion Paper’ of the Education Commissi ‘the impact of the recommendations of the SeSHHay sion (1952-53) during the period 1953-1964, had been very S F lons was ced, “In fact, it may be said that the major defects SESS nission still persist in a majority of schools today. The education 1 these institutions continues to be more or less isolated from life, am is still, generally speaking, narrow and one-sided and not develop the full personality of adolescents, The methods of teaching large dreary and unimaginative and do not aim at inculcating desirable ai attitudes and habits of work among the students”, ‘tis observed that in 1963-66, out of nearly 22,600 Secondary Schools, re were only about 2000 multipurpose schools. F First. The Commission’s suggestions regarding the levy of ‘Industrial ucational Cess’ was rightly conceived. cond: The Commission rightly laid stress upon the need of providing ‘higher secondary education according to 3 A’s, i.e. Age, Ability and Aptitude. Third: The Commission underlined the need for providing educational and _ yocational guidance to students. Fourth: The Commission’s suggestion for laying emphasis on agricultural education was very valuable. Fifth: The Commission fully realised the need for using dynamic and progressive methods of education. Sixth: The Commission’s concept of curriculum including subjects, experiments and co-curricular activities was quite modern, ___ Seventh: The Commission made significant recommendations regarding _ the necessity of raising the economic and social status of teachers. ___ Eighth: Recommendations of the Commission on improving the system of examination were very valuable. Now objective types of tests have become __ an integral part of evaluation. Cumulative records cards are increasingly being used. tax exemption were suggested for the promotion of ies. Tenth: Recommendations on the thorough medical check-up was quite timely. jings and Drawbacks of the Report cussing the shortcomings of the recommendations, a few words regarding the composition of the Secondary Education e Commission was male-dominated. There was only one No representation to agriculture/commerce and trade efect was the omission of any educator associatedCommission (1952-53) 29 fi Guidelines for Conversion of Schools: The selection of for conversion into higher secondary schools was to be governed carefully defined conditions. The Commission’s Report stated those schools would develop into efficient higher secondary itutions which satisfied definite criteria prescribed regarding odation, equipment, qualification of the staff, salaries and grades and finances, and that such conditions had to be fulfilled scrupulously ‘establishment of higher secondary schools in several areas unfortunately ‘became a matter of prestige for the people concerned. Social and political S were sometimes used for getting the necessary conversion and recognition for their institutions. This resulted in the upgrading of a number of schools which did not satisfy the minimum criteria regarding accommodation, equipment, qualifications of staff, etc. 3.8 IMPACT OF THE REPORT OF THE SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION In view of a large number of shortcomings of the Report as cited above, it could not make any worthwhile impact on Secondary Education. The greatest demerit of the Report was that it did not work out the financial implications of the proposals. No “Programme of Action’ was formulated for implementation. Implementation remained haphazard and ad hoc. The Commission, however made its impact on two issues. It formulated the aims of secondary education in the light of the Constitution of India. It also led to increased interest in providing guidance services in schools. 3.9 SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CURRICULUM AT THE HIGHER SECONDARY STAGE Major Defects of the Curriculum The SEC pointed out the following defects in the existing curriculum: - The curriculum is narrowly conceived. It is bookish and theoretical. It is over-crowded. It does not provided rich and significant contents. Itmakes inadequate provision for practical and other kinds of activities. It does not educate the whole of the personality. Tt is dominated too much by examinations. It does not include technical and vocational subjects which are necessary for training the students to take part in industrial and economic development of the country. SAA y AYN - Principles of Curriculum Construction ‘Commission recommended that the following considerations should be mind while constructing the curriculum: Principle of Students Abilities: The curriculum at the Higher30 ‘Secondary Education: History, Problems and Management Secondary Stage should be, as far as possible, framed on the basis of iit interests of the students. i fe i ai Pee we Se oheafeaion Varied courses with a fairly wide latitude a for choice should be provided for. There should be diversification of courses. (iii) Principle of not be narrowly bias. i : j iv) Princi subjects: The curriculum should provide for certain My Bee eon, to all, and certain optional subjects. In the words of the Secondary Education Commission, “It must be clearly understood that according to the best modern educational thought, curriculum in this context does not mean only the academic subjects traditionally taught in the school but it includes ‘the totality of experiences that a pupil receives through the manifold activities that go on in the school, in the classroom, library, laboratory, workshops, playgrounds and in the numerous informal contacts between teachers and pupils. In this sense, the whole life of the school becomes the curriculum which can toughen the life of the students at all points and help in the evolution of a balanced personality”. Vocational bias: The educational programme should vocational but should have a definite vocational Curriculum Suggested by the Secondary Education Commission The curriculum should consist of the following: I. Languages 1. Mother tongue or Regional language or a Composite course of the mother tongue and a Classical language. 2. One other language to be chosen from among the following: (a)Hindi (for those whose mother-tongue is not Hindi). (b)Elementary English (for those who have not studied it in the middle stage). (c)Advanced English (for those who have studied English in the earlier stage). (4)A modern Indian language (other than Hindi). (e)A modem foreign language (other than English). (DA Classical language. Il. Compulsory Subjects (@__ Social Studies—general course (for the first two years only). (ii) General Science including Mathematics—generai course (for the first two years only). II. Craft One Craft to be chosen from the following list (which may be added to according to local needs): (@) Spinning and Weaving; (b) Wood-work; (c) Metal work; (d) Gardening; (©) Tailoring; (f) Typography; (g) Workshop Practice; (h) Sewing, Needlework and Embroidery; (i) Modelling. pola |Commission (1952-53) : 1 one of the following groups: a pe galclessica Tanguage or a third language from pa a) istory; (c) Geography; (d) Elements of Economi i of Psychology and Logic; (f) Mathematics; (2) Music; ‘Science. (Sciences): (a) Physics; (b) Chemistry; (c) Bi jeography Oo laments of Physiology ond cyeine ee Q ey). 3. (Technical): (a) Applied Mathematics and i ere G (b) Applied Science; (c) Elements of Mechanical CApnee nents of Electrical Engineering. vane p 4. (Commercial): (a) Commercial Practice; (b) Bo i 3 Ok-ke F Geography or Elements of Economics and Civics; (d) Shorthand iting. 5 (Agriculture): (a) General Agriculture; (b) Animal Hi if ‘(€) Horticulture and Gardening; (d) Agricultural ae and pape Group 6. (Fine Art): (a) History of Art; (b) Drawing and Designing; (©) Painting; (d) Modelling; (e) Music; (f) Dancing. Group 7. (Home Science): (a) Home Economies; (b) Nutrition and Cookery; (©) Mother Craft and Child Care; (d) Household Management and Home ‘Nursing. Besides the above a student may take at his option one additional subject from any of the above groups irrespective of whether or not he has chosen his other options from that particular group. Observations Asalready stated only a few States/Union Territories accepted the curriculum. The proposal remained on paper only. Post-graduate teachers were required to teach secondary classes for which no adequate training facilities were available. 3.10 SECONDARY EDUCATION COMMISSION ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF SECONDARY SCHOOLS INCLUDING MULTIPURPOSE SCHOOLS Multipurpose or Multilateral Schools diversified courses which will be itipurpose school seeks ims, interests and il suitable opportunity ‘and develop his natural aptitude and inclinations in the special course of ies chosen by him. The main advantages claimed for it are: , It removes all invidious distinctions between students preparing for different courses of studies, breaking down the sense of inferiority e ional subjects and makes it possible to32 Secondary Education: History, Problems and. Management 2. Itprovides a greater variety of educational medi itates r r ia and thereby facili E rors een guidance in the choice of studies, th - Ithelps to solve the problem of the wrongly classified pupil, b transfer within the same school is easier to transfer fom ee Stee arrange than transfer from ile we advocate the starting ofa certain number of multi-purpose le e C 7 hook: itis not our intention to suggest that all should be of the ea There will - ae ey ean schools also where intensive training will be provided icular ’s of vocational courses according to th i of the community and the locality. nue Agricultural Education in Secondary Schools Realising the importance of agriculture in India, the Commission recommended that all States should provide greater opportunities for agricultural education in rural schools so that more students may take to it and adopt it as a vocation. As the training in agriculture has to be largely provided in the field, the student should have an opportunity to work under realistic conditions for a considerable part of his study so that he may acquire the right approach to agriculture. With agriculture two other allied subjects should be closely integrated— Horticulture and Animal Husbandry. If the study of Agriculture is to lead to any positive results, the student must be trained not merely in the mechanics of agricultural operations but also in those subsidiary occupations that a farmer should know in order to utilise his leisure profitably in the off-season. So far not much attention has been given to horticulture in the scheme of secondary education. It goes without saying that, in all schools offering agriculture as a special subject, adequate plots of land should be available for cultivation and students should be trained to carry out all the operations necessary for the purpose. Moreover, the teaching should be so planned as to bring out its scientific aspect properly so that pupils may gain adequate knowledge of the allied sciences of Botany, Climatology, the nature of the soils and seed, and the different pests that affect agricultural plants. Public Schools: It is, however, essential that certain definite principles should be borne in mind in the working of the public schools. 1. The public school should not be a special or exclusive institution. It must have its roots in the soil of the country and must generally conform to the normal pattern of national education. 2. Public Schools should place due stress not only on the spirit of sportsmanship but also on all other important aspects of citizenship, the dignity of labour and a social sense. They should also take care to see that their general educational life is in conformity with Indian culture, traditions and outlook. _ So far as the financing of these schools is concerned, we are of the opinion that public schools should depend less and less on grants made by the Centre or the State concerned and should become self-supporting as soon as possible. We believe that, in principle, in so far as they are expensive schools, largely meant for the richer classes, they have no claim to receive State aid and the Government grants that are at present given to them should be steadily reduced.