Q] Wood’s dispatch is called the Magna Charta of Indian Education.

Justify this statement with its major recommendations

Ans] Wood’s Dispatch on Education, 1854:

The ‘Wood’s Education Dispatch’ an important educational document was released on 19 July 1854 after Sir Charles Wood,
then president of the East Indian company’s Board of Control and is described as the ‘Magna Carta’ of English education in
India.

The Dispatch contained the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India and systematized the educational
hierarchy from the primary, high school, college and university. The medium of instruction was optional both Vernacular and
English. The first was encouraged at the school level, the latter at the university. A system of grants in aid was laid down so as
to encourage private initiative and enterprise in the field. It was hoped that eventually state education would become
supported, where, necessary, by state grant in aid. The secular character of the plan by the fact was highlighted that financial
aid was to be given irrespective of the religious learning of the institutions or the persons concerned. In fact, it was laid down
that education imparted should be secular in government institutions. Instruction in the Bible was to be given to such as
volunteered for it and that too after school hours. Stress was laid on vocational education, women education and also
teacher training. Scholarships should be provided to meritorious students of all schools, be they private or government. They
were so planned as to connect lower schools with the higher and the latter with colleges. To ensure the implementation of its
programme, examining and supervisory bodies were to be set up for purpose of inspection. Each presidency town has a
University, based on the pattern of the University of London, to conduct examinations and confer degrees. All teaching was
to be done in colleges. The new education policy underlined the need for involvement by community at large and stressed
that no sudden result could be expected, least of all by dependence on the government alone. The dispatch was to form the
basis for all future legislation regarding the spread of education in India. Almost all the proposals in wood’s dispatch were
implemented. The department of public instruction was organized in 1855 and it replaced the earlier committee of public
instruction and council of education.

Q] Explain the main recommendations of Hartog Committee

Ans] The Hartog Committee, 1929:

Education was transferred to the provinces and the central government discontinued its grant for the purpose of education
by the act 1919. The provincial government could do nothing much concerning education, because of private initiative yet the
members of schools and colleges continued multiplying. It led to detoriation of educational standards.

Therefore a committee was appointed in 1929 headed by Sir Philip Hartog by the Indian statutory commission to report on
the progress of education achieved by them. The main findings of this committee were as follows:
a) Primary education needed more attention though it was not necessary to make it compulsory.
Only deserving students should be allowed to go in for high school and intermediate education
and the average students after VIII class should be diverted to vocational courses.

Q] What is the role of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in promoting Education to all. Explain the programmes of SSA

Ans] Main Features of SSA

1. Programme with a clear time frame for universal elementary education.
2. A response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.
3. An opportunity for promoting social justice through basic education.
4. An expression of political will for universal elementary education across the country.
5. A partnership between the central, state and the local governments.
6. An opportunity for states to develop their own vision of elementary education.
7. An effort at effective involving the Panchayat Raj Institutions, School Management Committees, Village and Urban Slum
Level Education Committees, Parents Teachers’ Associations, Mother-Teacher Associations, Tribal Autonomous Councils and
other grass root level structures in the management of elementary schools.

Aims of SSA
1. To provide useful and elementary education for all children in the 6-14 age group.
2. To bridge social, regional and gender gaps with the active participation of community in the management of schools.
3. To allow children to learn about and master their natural environment in order to develop their potential both spiritually
and materially.
4. To inculcate value-based learning, this allows children an opportunity to work for each other’s well-being rather than to
permit mere selfish pursuits.
5. To realize the importance of Early Childhood Care and Education and looks at the 6-14 age as range.

Objectives of SSA
1. All Children in School, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, ‘Back-to-School’ Camp by 2003.
2. All children to complete five years of primary schooling by 2007.
3. All children to complete elementary schooling by 2010.
4. Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life.
5. Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010.
6. Universal retention by 2010.

Q] What are the objectives of Rashtriya Madhayamik Shiksha Abiyan (RMSA). Explain its programmes

Ans} The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is a flagship scheme of Government of India, launched in 2009 to
enhance access to secondary education and improve its quality.

The Ministry for Human Resource Development (MHRD) has brought out a “Framework of Implementation of Rashtriya
Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan”. The framework provides a detailed road map for the implementation of access and equity
related components of Universalisation of Secondary Education (USE) and also deliberates upon quality components
providing norms largely for infrastructure requirements.
It is a shared scheme of the Centre and State Governments to achieve Universalization of Secondary Education (USE). Free
and Compulsory Elementary Education has become a Constitutional Right of Children in India. It is absolutely essential to
push this vision forward to move towards Universalization of Secondary Education, which has already been achieved in a
large number of developed and several developing countries.

The vision of RMSA is to make secondary education of good quality accessible and affordable to all school age children in the
age group of 14-18 years. This vision statement points out towards three “As”, i.e. Availability, Accessibility and Affordability
of Secondary Education.

RMSA get support from a wide range of stakeholders including multilateral organisations, NGOs, advisors and consultants,
research agencies and institutions. The scheme involves multidimensional research, technical consulting, implementation,
and funding support.
A society was set up in States for operating the RMSA programme. The society primarily focuses on upgradation of middle
schools to high schools to provide universal access and quality secondary education by providing infrastructure facilities,
appointment of teachers.
Apart from this, two other major programmes namely, providing of model schools and girls hostels in educationally backward
blocks is also being operated by this society.

Objectives of RMSA
1. The scheme envisages achieving a gross enrolment ratio of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 for classes IX-X within 5 years of
its implementation.
2. To improve the quality of education imparted at secondary level by making all secondary schools conform to prescribed
norms.
3. To increase the enrolment rate to 90% at secondary and 75% at higher secondary stage.
4. To remove gender, socio-economic and disability barriers.
5. To provide universal access to secondary level education by 2017, i.e. by the end of the 12th Five Year Plan.
6. To enhance and universalize retention by 2020.
7. To provide a secondary school within a reachable distance of any habitation, which should be 5 km for secondary schools
and 7-10 km for higher secondary schools.
8. To provide access to secondary education with special reference to economically weaker sections of the society,
educationally backward, girls, differently abled and other marginalized categories like SC, ST, OBC and Minorities.
9. To upgrade Middle Schools into High Schools.
10. To strengthen existing secondary schools with necessary infrastructure facilities.

Q] Mention the defects of Secondary Education as identified by the Modalaiyar Education Commission. Explain briefly the
aims of education, methods of teaching, curriculum and status of teachers as recommended by the Education Commission

Ans} Defects of the Secondary Education as identified by the Modalaiyar Education Commission

1. Bookish in content
2. Examination oriented
3. No qualitative development
4. Unilateral & no diversification
5. No scope of close contact between teacher and student
6. Lack of good teachers
7. No proper facility for play & recreation

Aims of Secondary Education

 Development of democratic citizenship.
 Initiation into art of living.
 Development of personality.
 Improvement of vocational efficiency.
 Education for leadership.
 Development of true patriotism.
Teaching Methods
 Teaching method should be adopted according to the need of moral, social and mental development of students.
 Teaching method should be activity based. It should not stress on verbalism and memorization.
 Various types of expression works should be included in each subject.
 Teaching method should be adopted in such a way that it takes care of individual difference.
 There should be more stress on experimental and demonstration method.
Curriculum
 Commission supported flexible curriculum which can be related with interest, need and life of students
 It should be such that it can train the students for work and leisure both.
 Productive work should be given importance.
 It should include practical knowledge along with theoretical knowledge.
Improvement in Teacher Status
 The procedure of selection and appointment of teachers should be uniform throughout the country.
 The probation period of trained teachers should be one year.
 Secondary school teachers should be trained graduate and higher secondary school teachers should be trained post-
graduate.
 Teachers who are equally qualified should be paid equally throughout the country.
 There should be Triple Benefit Scheme for teachers which include pension, provident fund and life insurance.
 There should be arbitration board to solve the grievances of teachers.
 The retirement age of teachers should be 60 years.
 The teacher’s ward should study free in the school.
 Teachers should be provided residential and medical facilities, study leave, traveling allowances, etc.
 Private tuition should be banned.
 To improve their social status, teachers should be honoured time to time.

Q] Explain the concepts of wastage and stagnation

Ans}Meaning of Wastage:

While clarifying the meaning of the word in education Hartog Committee remarked the following:

“By wastage we mean premature withdrawal of children from schools at any stage before completion of the primary
courses”.

This statement does not mean there is no wastage in the Secondary Course and Higher Course. Any student, who receives
education at any stage, is expected to complete his education with the prescribed period. If one withdraws from the course
before completion, then that individual or individuals are deemed to be wastage to the course.

In Primary Education, the main objective is the attainment of stable literary through five year schooling. If a child entering
school leaves it or is withdrawn from school before completing class V, it leads to wastage in education. So wastage is
premature withdrawal of children from schools. A rough and ready method to measure wastage is to compare diminution in
enrolment from class to class in series of years.

Such students do not complete the study of their curriculum and consequently the time, money and energy expended on
such students prove to be sheer wastage. Hence the most popular use of the word “Wastage” in education means the
wastage of time, effort and money.

Meaning of Stagnation:

The students at every stage of education are expected to pass the examination after finishing the whole course. But it has
been found that in general practice many students are not able to pass the examinations in one class or in more than one
class within the prescribed period.

Thus, they fail and remain in the same class. These failed students repeat the same class and course whereas their other
colleagues pass that class and study in the next upper class. This process has been called the process of stagnation. Thus by
stagnation it is meant the stay of students in a particular class for more than one year.

So the word ‘Stagnation’ in education means the detention of a student in a class for more than one year on account of his
unsatisfactory progress. The Hartog Committee reports, “By stagnation we mean the retention in a lower class of a child for a
period of more than one year. Of course stagnation always means wastage”.

Really it was the Hartog Committee (1929), which for the first time pointed out that the “massive wastage and stagnation are
taking place in primary education. Primary Education is ineffective unless it at least produces literacy”.

No child who has not completed primary course of at least 4 years will become permanently literate. The investigation
conducted by Gokhale Institute showed that literacy could be obtained before it could lapse. That is because, pupils acquire
stable literacy only after they complete at least class IV.

As in the case of primary education, the wastage and stagnation were also eating the vitals of the secondary education. The
tremendous loss that is caused because of the problems of the wastage and stagnation will be clear by looking at the results
of High School Final every year.

University education everywhere in the country is also not free from the ghost of wastage and stagnation. Probably, the
problems of wastage and stagnation exist in a greater degree at this stage of education. It has been remarked that great
‘wastage’ of public money is taking place every year in the University Education.

What is more regrettable is the fact that there is some indifference towards the serious loss of public money. Also no less
indifference is shown for the wastage of time, money and energy of the students, their parents or guardians and their
ambitions and aspirations in life.

Q] Needs of Right to Education Act 2009

Ans} The Article 45 of the Constitution of India states, “The State shall endeavour to provide, within a period of ten
years from the commencement of the Constitution, for free and compulsory education for all children until they
complete the age of fourteen years.” Consequently education is included in the Directive Principles of State Policy
and not in the section on fundamental rights. However, education remained a neglected area of state policy with
universalization of elementary education continuing to be a distant goal. Efforts from educationists, academics and
civil society groups that focused on a rights based approach finally yielded results in 2002, when the 86th
Constitutional Amendment was passed by Parliament and Article 21A, which makes right to education a fundamental
right, was included in the Constitution. In doing so, it put the Right to Education on par with the Right to Life stated in
Article 21.
Article 21 A states: "the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years
as the state may, by law determine".
Following from this a Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) was drafted and passed in Parliament on
August 27, 2009, notified on February 16, 2010 to come into effect from April 1, 2010.
This Act may be called the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE) 2009. The RTE Act also aims
at reaching to the unreached and disadvantaged groups with providing specific provision of Free and Compulsory
Education for every child who is above six years of age and has not yet been admitted to any school or though
admitted, could not complete his or her education, then, he or she shall be admitted in a class appropriate to his or
her age. To accomplish this task there is a provision in RTE Act for Special Training for such children in order to be at
par with others.
 MAIN FEATURES OF THE RTE:
 Free Elementary Education for ALL children in age group 6-14 years in a neighbourhood school.
 Completion of Elementary Education even after fourteen years of age.
 Makes Elementary Education Compulsory for the State to provide
 No child is denied admission due to lack of age certificate.
 Mandates education of children along their peer age group (“age-appropriate”); provides for “special
training” to facilitate age appropriate education
 Right of child to seek transfer to any other schools at any time during session.
 Sets quality norms for all schools
 Formulation of school development plan 2
 Ensuring teacher pupil ratio as per norms
 Sets qualification and working norms for Teachers in all schools
 Filling up vacancies of teachers
 Prohibition of deployment of teachers for non educational purposes.
 Prohibition of private tuition by teachers.
 Mandates curriculum in all schools to be in consonance with Constitutional Values
 Mandates a system of evaluation that is free of the oppression of annual exams
 Enhances role of PRIs in implementation as well as grievance redressal.
 Formulating standards and norms for school management committees.
 Mandates participation of civil society in the management of schools; makes teachers accountable to parents
and the community
 Democratizes education delivery in the country by mandating 25% reservation for children from weaker
sections in private schools.
 Prohibition of corporal punishment, trauma and mental harassment.
 Protects children from labour, marriage, exploitation, discrimination, abuse, violence and neglect.
 Separates agency for implementation of Act (Education Department) from agency charged with monitoring
the implementation of the Act (NCPCR).
  Constitution of National/State Advisory Council.
 Monitoring of child’s right to education, among other features of the RTE Act.

Q] Explain the history and importance of Women’s education

Ans] Women’s education in India plays a very important role in the overall development of the country. It not only helps in
the development of half of the human resources, but in improving the quality of life at home and outside. Educated women
not only tend to promote education of their girl children, but also can provide better guidance to all their children. Moreover
educated women can also help in the reduction of infant mortality rate and growth of the population.

Although in the Vedic period women had access to education in India, they had gradually lost this right. However, in the
British period there was revival of interest in women’s education in India. During this period, various socio religious
movements led by eminent persons like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar emphasized on women’s
education in India.
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Periyar and Baba Saheb Ambedkar were leaders of the lower castes in India who took various
initiatives to make education available to the women of India. However women’s education got a fillip after the country got
independence in 1947 and the government has taken various measures to provide education to all Indian women.

As a result women’s literacy rate has grown over the three decades and the growth of female literacy has in fact been higher
than that of male literacy rate. While in 1971 only 22% of Indian women were literate, by the end of 2001 54.16% female
were literate. The growth of female literacy rate is 14.87% as compared to 11.72 % of that of male literacy rate.

(i) Educating the women will empower them to seek gender equality in the society.

(ii) Women will be able to earn that would raise their economic condition and their status in the society.

(iii) They will be aware about the advantages of small and planned family and this will be a big step towards achieving
stabilized population goals.

(iv) It has been reported that the single most important factor affecting high total fertility rates (TFR) is the low status of
women in many societies. Women education will help increase the age of marriage of women and they would tend to have
fewer, healthier children who would live longer

(v) Women on being educated would be able to rear their children in a better way, leading to their good health and provide
them with better facilities.

(vi) Women are also the victim of capitalism and development. Due to some development activity like dam building or
mining, they get rehabilitated. The men folk get some compensation and migrate to towns in search of some job while
women are left behind to look after the family with little resources. They are compelled to take up some marginalized work,
which is highly unorganized and often socially humiliating. Women education can greatly help restore their settlement and
dignity.

(vii) Education of women would mean narrowing down of social disparities and inequities. This would automatically lead to
sustainable development.