KOTHARI COMMISSION COMPREHENSIVE NOTES

                 KOTHARI COMMISSION 

Introduction

Kothari commission was set-up in 1964 under the chairmanship of Dr. D.S Kothari. This was the sixth commission in the history of education commission and was most comprehensive in nature. It reviewed almost all aspects of the education system without limiting itself to any one particular aspect, unlike the commissions that came before and after it.

Another unique feature of the Kothari commission was its international composition.  Apart from 11 Indian members, it had members from 5 other countries such as USA, U.K, USSR, France and Japan.

NEED for appointment of commission:

1)    Need for a comprehensive policy of education in spite no. of education committees after independence, satisfactory progress would not be achieved.

2)    Need for detailed study even though a good deal of expansion of education facilities took place; it was at the expanse of quality.

3)    Need to emphasize role of people in national development. To make people aware that they have a share in the national development along with the government.

4)    Need for overview of educational development. To create more integration between various parts and consider it as a whole not as fragments.

5)    Need for positive approach to the status of teacher. The teacher community had been neglected suffering many hardships requiring a positive approach to the problem.

GOALS / OBJECTIVES stated by the commission:

1)    Education for increasing productivity:

a)    Make science a basic component of education and culture.

b)    Introducing S.U.P.W. as an integral part of general education.

c)    Vocational education to meet the needs of the industry of agriculture.

d)    Improving scientific and technological research and education at university level.

2)    Education for an accelerating process of modernization:

a)    Adopting new methods of teaching

b)    Proper development of instruct attitudes and values and building essential skills like independent study.

c)    Educating people of all straits of society.

d)    Emphasizing teaching of vocational subjects and science.

e)     Establishing universities of excellence in the country.

3)    Educating for promoting social and national integration:

a)    Introducing common school system of public education.

b)    Developing all modern Indian language.

c)    Taking steps to enrich Hindi as quickly as possible.

d)    Encouraging and enabling students to participate in community living.

4)    Education for inculcation of national values:

a)    Introducing moral, social and spiritual values.

b)    Presenting before students high ideas of social justice and social service.

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WORK EXPERIENCE AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

Work experience, which may be defined as participation in productive work in school, in the home, in a workshop, on a farm, in a factory or in any other productive situation, should be made an integral part of all general education. It should be varied to suit the age and maturity of students and oriented to technology, industrialization and the application of science to the production process, including agriculture.

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: Another programme which can bring education into closer relationship with productivity is vocational education. It should be emphasized particularly at the secondary stage. At lower secondary stage (age group 11-16) vocational education should ultimately be provided to about 20 percent of the enrolment; at the higher secondary stage (age group 17-18) such enrolment should be increased to 50 percent. In higher education, about one-third of the total enrolment may be in vocational courses. It is to increase the emphasis on agricultural and technological education at the university level.

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TEACHER TRAINING AND STATUS

It was for the very first time that teacher training was recognised as being an important component of the overall education system in India. There were institutes which existed even before these recommendations but there was no comprehensive programme on teacher education before this commission. The Kothari Commission recognised the importance and significance of teacher education. Based on the Education Commission’s recommendation, the non-statutory National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) was formed in 1973.

The main objective of the NCTE is to achieve planned and coordinated development of the teacher education system throughout the country, the regulation and proper maintenance of Norms and Standards in the teacher education system and for matters connected therewith. The mandate given to the NCTE is very broad and covers the whole gamut of teacher education programmes including research and training of persons for equipping them to teach at pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary stages in schools, and non-formal education, part-time education, adult education and distance (correspondence) education courses.

TEACHER STATUS

Kothari Commission recognised the importance of improving the social and economic standing of the teachers in the country and aimed at upgrading the pay scales of teachers substantially particularly at the school level. It also gave a detailed designation – revised pay scales for teachers at all levels.

PAY SCALE EQUALISATION

Kothari Commission had, recommended that the scales of pay of school teachers working under different managements such as government, local bodies or private management should be the same. Almost all the States in the country had agreed to implement the recommendations of the Kothari Commission.

ADULT LITERACY

The aim was to improve the levels of literacy across all age groups may it be the school going or the adults. Hence the concept of Part Time and Own Time Education was also introduced to bring in maximum number of individuals under the umbrella of education. As per the Part Time education scheme, 10% enrolment at Higher Primary and lower secondary, 25% enrolment at higher  secondary and 1/3 rd enrolment at University levels were to be in Part time or Own time education or of self study pattern. It, thus, lent flexibility and aimed at encouraging the adult literacy which was also proposed to be taken up in a big way in the form of Mass Campaigns across the country so as to increase the educated lot from 60% in the 4^th Plan to 80% in the 5^th Plan.

INCREASE IN OUTLAY FOR EDUCATION

These recommendations required an increase on outlay from 2.9% of total budgetary allocation in 1965 to 6% in 1985-86.

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COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM

Kothari Commission recommended the Common School System which would include all government schools, all local authority schools and all aided private schools. The objective of the educational policy should be to evolve a Common school system of public education over the next 20 years which would cover all parts of the country providing equality of access to all children so that an average parent would not feel the need to send his child to an unrecognised school.

The prime objective of the Common School System was equalisation of educational opportunities by bridging the yawning gap between the few expensive private schools and the multitude of government and local body schools.

It proposed steps to be taken such as:

1.    Remove existing discrimination  between teachers working in different environment

2.    All schools should provide with minimum conditions necessary for good education.

3.    Tuition fees should be abolished in a phased manner-at the primary level by the 4^th Plan       and lower secondary by the end of the 5^th Plan.

          It was essentially talking about the concept of a Neighbourhood School –a school which any child irrespective of his caste, economic status or any other bias could enrol to in the locality or neighbourhood. The aim was to achieve this within a time span of 20 years – in a selective phased development mode. These schools were expected to provide a good level of education to all children in the society and maintain adequate standards.

During the first 10 years, due to shortage of resources, at least first 10% of the schools would be upgraded and the rest in the subsequent years. It was to be applied at the primary stage first and at least one school at the secondary level.

It also proposed scholarships for students in such schools run by the government and the local authorities.

PROBLEMS

The Common School System was endorsed by the NPE 1986 and 1992. However, the recommendations never got translated into action. In 1990, the apex Central Advisory Board on Education (CABE), which appraises the extent to which the NPE is implemented by the Central and State governments and other agencies appointed a committee to review NEP 1986. The CABE outlined the following reasons for CSS not making a headway as-

·       Economic and Social disparities – 

     The well to do communities send their children to schools with better facilities, teachers         and infrastructure. Ordinary schools are not sought after hence this results in low 
      investments in them too.

·       Minorities groups are given protection by the Constitution to establish and administer     
      their own educational institutions which is not in consonance with the concept of CSS.

·       In Government run schools, the quality of education has not been very satisfactory.

·       Lack of any political will.

·       Public schools and private schools which charge capitation fees and those offering 
      expensive coaching facilities have proliferated.

·       Proliferation of exclusive sainik schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas run by the Government 
      itself.

The general consensus among intellectuals monitoring the nation’s socio economic development efforts is that the consistent failure to evolve an egalitarian CSS endorsed in the NPE 1986 and 1992 was due to lack of any political will.

Some perceive that it is a threat to the opportunities of their own children. In their view, the role of schooling system is to act as a filtering process which picks the best and the brightest and helps to realise their potential. “If too many children get on board the prospects of those who currently enjoy the privilege of good schooling facilities will be threatened.”- PROBE

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LANGUAGE POLICY

Recommendations

Ø    At lower primary stage only one language should be studied compulsorily. i.e. mother tongue or the regional language

Ø    Some children belong to linguistic minority may also opt for instruction in regional language because of its greater advantage but they cannot be forced on them, and they have the right under the constitution to have facilities provided for  their primary education through the mother tongue

Ø    Higher primary stage only two language should be studied on a compulsory basis

(1) mother tongue or regional language

(2) official or associated language of union (English or Hindi)

Ø Secondary classes will have to study three languages (3 language formula)on the compulsory  basis,

For Hindi area Hindi area

1)    Hindi (Mother tongue)

2)    English

3)    Modern Indian language
For Non Hindi area

1)    Mother tongue

2)    English

3)    Hindi

Ø Senior secondary classes will have to opt for only one language and for degree courses no compulsion on study of any language

Three language formula was proposed by union ministry of education of government of India in constitution with the states, this formula was proposed due to the non acceptance of Hindi by some southern states of India, Before Kothari commission the proposal was to promote Hindi as the national language and chosen for formal education purpose as it was spoken by majority of the people, but some of the states were in oppose of that and so this three language formula was proposed in commission report . That is why Hindi wasn’t promoted as a national language rather it became a language as a subject and due to westernization nowadays universally speaking language becomes English which is also promoted in our school education system as well.

                      

              

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DEVELOPMENT OF SCHOOL CURRICULUM, SPECIAL CHILDREN TEACHING METHODS AND EVALUATION:

In recent years, the explosion of knowledge and the reformulation of many concepts have highlighted the inadequacy of the existing school programmes and brought about a mounting pressure for a radical reform in school curriculum. A unified approach should be taken into consideration for building up the entire school curriculum, a new definition of the concepts of general education and a new approach to the place of specialization.

ESSENTIALS OF CURRICULUM IPROVEMENT:

·       School curricula should be developed through research in university education departments and training colleges.

·       It should be upgraded in regular basis.

·       The preparation of text books and teaching aids for new learning materials

·       The orientation of teachers should take place for the curriculum change through in-service education.

·       School should be given the freedom to devise and experiment with new curriculum suited to their needs

·       Ordinary and advanced curriculum has to be prepared for each subject

·       The formation of subject teachers’ association for the growth of the teachers and providing the stimulus for growth.

DIFFERENTIATION OF SCHOOL CURRICULA FOR BOYS AND GIRLS:

The recommendation of the Hansa Mehta committee that there should be no differentiation of curricula on the basis of the sex was endorsed. Home science should be made an optional subject and should not be made compulsory for the girls. Larger provisions should be provided for music and fine arts; and the study of science and mathematics should be encouraged among girls.

The need for the continual development of the curricula is intimately related to the equally with the continual development of the teaching methods and evaluation. The main factors responsible for dull and uninspiring school teaching are because of the rigidity of the educational system and the failure of the administration to diffuse new educational system in schools. These weaknesses should be overcome.

A good educational system should be dynamic, flexible and discriminating enough to help institutions and teachers to proceed along different levels of development – the good schools should be allowed to go ahead and be free and creative on experimental lines while the weaker schools should be supported along the growth process.

TEXTBOOKS, TEACHERS’ GUIDES AND MATERIALS:

·       Provision for the quality textbooks and other teacher-learning material.

·       A comprehensive programme of textbook production should be taken up and this will help in facilitating the definition and practical indication of expected standards. These will also helping national integration.

SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE TALENTED:

·       The search for and the development of the talented must be a continuous process, pursued at all stages , but the secondary stage is most crucial

·       In addition to following and advanced curricula, a variety of extra curricula proggrammes should be organized for the talented.

·       Teachers should be oriented to use special techniques to provide atmosphere for free expression and creative development.

THE BACKWARD CHILD:

“With the rapid expansion of the educational facilities, the numbers of backward children are also increasing.” Backwardness has been defined along two overlapping lines:

·       Mental handicap or low intelligence , arising from the hereditary and congenital factors or diseases

·       Under-achievement and inability to perform due to emotional conflict, lack of motivation, cultural deprivation and economic handicaps.

The mentally handicapped is classified into four groups major

·       The idiots

·       The imbeciles

·       The educable mentally handicapped morons

·       The dull or slow learners.

For the first three groups, special provisions have to be provided for their education. Remedial classes have to taken for these students so that they can be helped along and their growth takes place in the entire subject concerned. This should be taken up within the school system and duty should be assigned to one or two special teacher-educators.

Guidance and education counseling services has to play important role in the improvement of these students, especially with the identification and the diagnosis of the defects and an effective planning programme for their future.

EVALUATION:

It should be a continuous process, forming an integral part of the total educational system and should be related to the educational objectives. It exercises a great influence on the pupil’s studying habits and the teacher’s methodologies.

·       At the lower primary level, it would be desirable that the students develop at their own pace

·       At the higher primary level, written test should be taken along with oral tests as part of the internal assessment. They should simple teacher-made diagnostic tests

·       At the end of the primary stage an examination should be held in the national level so as to place the development of the child.

·       At the secondary level the students have to take up regular tests as well as internal assessment as part of their cumulative growth.

CRITICAL OVERVIEW:

Kothari commission is the fore-runner for the modern education reforms that would take place in the next 40 years and is still continuing. Thus, the recommendation that we see are seeing the light of the day at the present moment. This, in its own, speaks volumes about the recommendation their implementation. 

The development of the curriculum takes place in the guidelines stated by the commission. The national curriculum framework undergoes change every five years and the objective of this change is to check on the progress that we have made in the field of education and provide the schools and teachers with new and revised goals.

The creation of the special schools for the talented is happening with the Rajikiya Pratibha Vikas Vidyalayas. However, the plight of the “backward children” in the same school has not improvement. In-service teacher refresher courses do take place but most teachers do not make use of innovative teaching methods for the motivation of the children.

The evaluation method suggested here was followed and now we have the continuous and comprehensive evaluation of the child. This evaluation system would help the child to have a wholesome development of the child.

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