National Policy on Education-1986 (POA)- Modifications in Details
Part-III: National System of Education
Para-3: The national system of education envisages a common educational structure. The 10+2+3 structure has been accepted in all parts of the country. Regarding the further break-up of the first 10 years, efforts will be made to move towards an elementary system comprising 5 years of primary, 3 years of upper primary, followed by 2 years of high school.
Efforts will also be made to have the +2 stage accepted as a part of school education throughout the country. Now the XIth & XIIth classes which earlier were in the college would now be shifted to the schools.
Para-12: The institutions which will be strengthened to play an important role in giving shape to the National System of Education are the UGC, AICTE, ICAR etc. Integrated planning will be instituted among all these bodies so as to establish functional linkages and reinforce programmes of research and post graduate education. These together with the NCERT, NIEPA, the NCTE and the NCAE (National Council of Adult Education) will be involved in implementing the education policy.
Part-IV: Education for Equality
Para-4: The central focus in SCs’ educational development is their equalization with the non-SC population at all stages and levels of education, in all areas and in all the four dimensions – rural male and rural female, urban male and urban female.
Para-5: The utilization of Jawahar Rozgar Yojna resources so as to make substantial educational facilities available to the SC’s.
Para-6: According to Revised Policy, Priority will be accorded to opening primary school in tribal areas. The construction of school buildings will be undertaken in these areas on a priority basis under the normal funds for education, as well as under the Jawahar Rojgar Yojna, Tribal Welfare Schemes etc.
Para-11: The whole nation has pledged itself, through the NLM, to the eradication of illiteracy, particularly in the 15-35 age group through various means with special emphasis on total literacy campaigns. The central and state govt. political parties and their mass organizations, the mass media and educational institutions, teachers, students, youth, voluntary agencies, social activist groups, and employers, must reinforce their commitment to mass literacy campaigns, which include literacy and functional knowledge and skills and awareness among learners about the socio-economic reality and the possibility to change it.
Para-12: Since involvement of the participants of the literacy campaigns in the development programmes is of crucial importance, the NLM will be geared to the national goals such as alleviation of poverty, national integration, environmental conservation, universalization of primary education basic health care etc.
Para-13: Comprehensive programmes of post-literacy and continuing education will be provided for neo-literates and youth who have received primary education with a view to enabling them to retain and upgrade their literacy skills, and to harness it for the improvement of their living and working conditions. These programmes would include –
- a) Establishment of continuing centers for adults.
- b) Wider promotion of books, libraries and reading rooms.
- c) Use of Radio, T.V. and films.
- d) Programmes of distance learning
Para-14: A critical development issue today is the continuous up-gradation of skills so as to produce manpower resources of the kind and the number required by the society. Special emphasis will, therefore, be laid on organization of employment / self-employment oriented and need and interest based vocational and skill training programmes.
Part-V: Reorganization of education at different stages
Elementary Education: The new thrust in elementary education will emphasize three aspects (i) universal access and enrolment (ii) universal retention of children up-to 14 years of age; and (iii) substantial improvement in the equality of education to enable all children to achieve essential levels of learning.
School facilities: Provision will be made of essential facilities in primary schools. The scope of operation black board will be enlarged to provide three reasonably large rooms that are usable in all weather, black boards, maps, charts, toys and other lg-aids and school library. At least three teachers should work in every school, the number increasing as early as possible to one teacher per class. At least 50% of teachers recruited in future should be women. The Operation Blackboard would be extended to upper primary and construction of school buildings will be a priority charge on Jawahar Rozgar Yojna Funds.
NON-FORMAL EDUCATION
Para-8: The non-formal education programme, meant for school dropouts, for children from habitations without schools, working children and girls who cannot attend whole-day schools, will be strengthened and enlarged.
Para-9: Modern technological aids will be used to improve the learning environment of NFE centres. Talented and dedicated young men and women from the local community will be chosen to serve as instructors and particular attention paid to their training. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the quality of non-formal education is comparable with the formal education. Steps will be taken to facilitate lateral entry into the formal system of children passing out of the non-formal system.
Para-11: The Government will take overall responsibility for this vital sector. Voluntary agencies and Panchayati Raj Institutions will take much of the responsibility of running NFE programmes. The provision of funds to these agencies will be adequate and timely.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION- A RESOLVE:
Para-12: The new education policy will give the highest priority to solving the problem of children dropping out of school and will adopt an array of meticulously formulated strategies based on micro planning and applied at the grass roots level all over the country, to ensure children’s retention at school. This effort will be fully coordinated with the network of non-formal education.
Para-13: Secondary education to expose students to the differentiated roles of science, the Humanities and social Sciences. This is also an appropriate stage to provide children with a sense of history and national perspective and give them opportunities to understand their constitutional duties and rights as citizens as citizens. Access to secondary education will be widened with emphasis on enrolment of girls SCs and STs particularly in Science, Commerce and Vocational streams. Effort would be made to provide computer literacy in as many secondary level institutions as possible so that the children are equipped with necessary computer skills to be effective in the emerging technological world.
Parat-15: Pace setting residential schools, Navodaya Vidayalayas intended to serve this purpose have been established in most parts of the country on a given pattern but with full scope for innovation and experimentation.
VOCATIONALIZATION
Para-16: The introduction of systematic, well planned and rigorously implemented programmes of vocational education is crucial in the proposed educational reorganization. These elements are meant to develop a healthy attitude amongst students towards work and life, to enhance individual employability, to reduce the miss-match between the demand and supply of skilled manpower, and to provide an alternative for those intending to pursue higher education without particular interest for purpose.
Para-17: Vocational education will also be a distinct stream, intended to prepare students for identified occupations. Spanning several areas of activity. These courses will ordinarily be provided after the secondary stage, but keeping the scheme flexible, they may also be made available after class. Efforts will be made to provide children at the higher secondary level with generic vocational courses which cut across several occupational fields and which are not occupational specific.
Para-23: coverage- It is proposed that vocational courses cover 10% of higher secondary students by 1995 and 25% by 2000. Steps will be taken to see that a substantial majority of the products of vocational courses are employed or become self employed. Review of the courses offered would be regularly undertaken. Govt. will also review its recruitment policy to encourage diversification at the secondary level.
Para-33: Research in Indology, the humanities and social sciences will receive adequate support. An autonomous commission will be established to foster and improve teaching, study and research in Sanskrit and other classical language.
Para-35: The open learning system has been initiated in order to augment opportunities of higher education, as an instrument of democratizing education and to make it a lifelong process. The flexibility and innovativeness of the open learning system are particularly suited to the diverse requirements of the citizens of our country, including those who had joined the vocational stream.
Para-36: The IGNOU (Indra Gandhi National Open University), established in 1985 in fulfillment of these objectives will be strengthened. It would also provide support to establishment of open universities in the states.
Para-37: The National Open School will be strengthened and open learning facilities extended in a phased manner at the secondary level in all parts of the country.
Para-41: Concomitant with delinking, appropriate machinery, such as National Education Organization will be established to conduct tests on a voluntary basis to determine the suitability of candidates for specific jobs, to pave the way for the emergence of norms of comparable competencies across the nation, and to bring about an overall improvement in testing and measurement.
Part-VI: Technical and Management Education
Para-12: Some polytechnics in the rural areas have started training weaker group in those areas for productive occupations through a system of community polytechnics. The Community Polytechnics System will be appropriately strengthened to increase its quality and coverage.
Para-19: The (ATCT) All India Council for Technical Education, which has been given statutory status, will be responsible for planning, formulation and the maintenance of norms and standards, accreditation, finding of priority areas, monitoring and evaluation maintaining the certification and awards and ensuring the coordinated and integrated development of technical and Management education. The council would be strengthened and would function in a centralized manner with greater involvement of state governments and technical institutions of good quality.
Part-VIII: Reorienting the content and process of education
POPULATION EDUCATION
Para-16: Population Education must be viewed as an important part of the nation’s strategy to contain the growth of population. Starting at the Primary and Secondary levels with inculcation of consciousness about the looming crisis due to expansion of population, educational programmes should actively motivate and inform youth and adults about family planning and responsible parenthood.
SPORTS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Para-20: Sports and Physical Education are an integral part of the learning process, and will be included in the evaluation of programme. A nationwide infrastructure for physical education, sports and games will be built into the education edifice. Efforts will be made to establish sports institutions and hostels where specialized attention will be given to sports activities and sports related studies, along with normal education.
YOGA
Para-21: As a system which promotes an integrated development of body and mind, Yoga will receive special attention. Efforts will be made to introduce Yoga in all schools. To this end, it will be introduced in teacher-training courses.
Para-25: The above goals are relevant both for external examinations and evaluation within educational institutions. Evaluation at the institutional level will be streamlined and the predominance of external examinations reduced. A National Examination Reform Framework would be prepared to serve as a set of guidelines to the examining bodies which would have the freedom to innovate and adapt the framework to suit the specific situations.
Part-VII-Management of Education.
Redress of Grievances: Education tribunals fashioned after Administrative Tribunals would be established at the national and state levels to redress the grievances of teachers.
Part-XI: Resource and Review
Para-4: In view of these imperatives, education will be treated as a crucial area of investment for national development and survival. The national policy on education, 1968 had laid down that the investment on education be gradually increased to reach a level of 6% of the national income as early as possible.
Since the actual level of investment has remained for short of that target, it is important that greater determination is shown now to find the funds for the programmes laid down in this policy. While the actual requirements will be computed from time to time on the basis of monitoring and review, the outlay on education will be the basis of monitoring and review, the outlay on education will be stepped up to ensure that during the eight five year plan and onwards it will uniformly exceed 6% of the national income.
CONCLUSION
Provisions made in the National Policy on Education are really useful and significant that improves the education system.
By looking at the above mentioned modifications we can see that only a few changes have been made in the revised policy keeping in mind the changes in scenario, otherwise most of the features of the policy continue to be the same.
