Education in India
EDUCATION IN INDIA
India has an ancient tradition of education.The world’s first university was established in
Tashkila in 700 B.C. Indian mathematicians introduced the zero, the decimal system and the
method of multiplication.
PRIMARY EDUCATION
India has made huge progress in terms of increasing primary education attendance rate andexpanding literacy to approximately two thirds of the population..The National Council ofEducational Research and Training (NCERT) is the apex body for school education in India.
SECONDARY EDUCATION
The National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986, has provided for environment awarenes,science
and technology education, and introduction of traditional elements such as Yoga into the Indian secondary school system.Another feature of India’s secondary school system is its emphasis on profession based vocational training to help students attain skills for finding a vocation of his/her choosing.
Tertiary education
India’s higher education system is the third largest in the world, after China and the United States..Some institutions of India, such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), have been globally acclaimed for their standard of education.
Women’s Education
Women have much lower literacy rate.The number of literate women among the female population of India was between 2-6% from the British Raj onwards to the formation of the Republic of India in 1947.the Indian government has tried to provide incentives for girls’ school attendance through programs for midday meals, free books, and uniforms.Private education Because of poor quality of public education, 27% of Indian children are privately educated.Private schools cover the entire curriculum and offer extra-curricular activities such as science fairs, general knowledge, sports, music and dramaMost teachers in private schools are female, graduates and reasonably experienced..
ONLINE DEGREES
Online degrees courses in business, education, information technology, real estate and even healthcare allow you to advance your career without disrupting your life. You can study at home, on your own time, at your own pace. A perfect choice for the working professional, online courses are practical, focused, and relevant to your career.Electroniclearningis a type of Technology supported education/learning (TSL) where the medium of instruction is through computer technology, particularly involving digital technologies..E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used.
Goals of e-learning
E-Learning lessons are generally designed to guide students through information or to help
students perform in specific tasks. Information based e-Learning content communicatesinformation to the student
Communication technologies used in e-learning Communication technologies are generally categorized as asynchronous or synchronousAsynchronous activities use technologies such as blogs, wikis, and discussion boards.Synchronous activities involve the exchange of ideas and information with one or more
participants during the same period of time.
Benefits of eLearning versus traditional classroom settings
eLearning allows people to avoid travel, thus reducing the overall carbon output.eLearningis
a more environmentally friendly solution. 2.Quality education, made affordable…3.Convenience and flexibility to learners:
ONLINE EDUCATION IN INDIA
online learning programs are gaining popularity day by day.In other words, online learning programs are premium education programs that are aimed to enhance the knowledge of students as well as individuals by using modern technologies and guidelines of skilled teachers.
Added Benefits of Online Learning Program In India
Online learning programs are different from traditional education systems and there is no need of a classroom and face-to-face interaction with teachers.
1 No need to actually live on campus or near the university
2. Great flexibility in the type of course you choose to study
3. A wide range of online programs to choose from.
Types of Degrees Available
1.Associate Degree
2.Bachelor’s Degree
3.Master’s Degree
4.Doctorate Degree
5.Degree Resources
ONLINE UNIVERSITY
we provide information on various career courses, important educational institutes like IITs, IIMs, JNU, DU and other MBA colleges.we have details on online education and different distance-learning courses andspreading numerous opportunities available to the Indian students already pursuing education in India…here some top 10 online university
1.Nalanda Open University (Patna Bihar)
2.All India Institute of Medical Sciences (Delhi Delhi)
3.Indira Gandhi National Open University (Delhi Delhi)
4.Guru Jambheshwar University (Hisar Haryana)
5.Maharshi Dayanand University (Rohtak Haryana )
6.Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (Jammu Tawi Jammu & Kashmir)
7.Manipal Academy Of Higher Education (Manipal Karnataka)
8.University Of Mumbai (Mumbai Maharashtra )
9.Birla Institute Of Technology & Scinece (Pilani Rajasthan )
10.University Of Lucknow (Lucknow Uttar Pradesh).
Caffeinated Content
Educational/school Psychology in the Pursuit of Human Well-being
Educational/School Psychology in the Pursuit of Human Well-Being
Introduction
Now we are living in the technological modern world. With the help of science and technology we have developed in all fields. India is a developing country. We have lot of human resources after China. But the literacy rate is very low when compared to other developed and developing countries in the world. India is a rich country, but Indians are poor. With the help of science and technology and by utilizing all sources in the proper way it is possible to India to become a developed country in the world. In the modern world people living with high tension. The student in schools and colleges are also living with high tension because of heavy competitions. It is necessary to introduce psychology as a general subject in all the classes both at school and college levels. Yoga and meditation is also necessary for each and every one in the world.
Definition of Education
Ø Education is the learning of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them?
– John Ruskin
Ø Education is a weapon, whose effect depends on who holds it is his hands and at whom it is aimed.
– Joseph Stalin
The word education is derived from the Latin educare, meaning “to raise”, “to bring up”, “to train”, “to rear”. Education means the gradual process of acquiring knowledge. Education is a preparation for life. Education is also defined as the profession of teaching (especially at a school or college or university).
Importance of Education
India is a union comprised of twenty eight states and seven Territories. The Constitution provides directives regarding the development of education throughout the country. The areas in which the respective central and state governments have domain have been identified in the Constitution as the central list, state list and concurrent list. Until the late 1970s, school education had been on the state list, which meant that states had the final say in the management of their respective school systems. However, in 1976, education was transferred to the concurrent list through a constitutional amendment, the objective being to promote meaningful educational partnerships between the central and state governments. Today, the central government establishes broad education policies for school curricula development and management practices. These serve as guidelines for the states.
Generally, at the start of a very young age, children learn to develop and use their mental, moral and physical powers, which they acquire through various types of education. Education is commonly referred to as the process of learning and obtaining knowledge at school, in a form of formal education. However, the process of education does not only start when a child first attends school. Education begins at home. One does not only acquire knowledge from a teacher; one can learn and receive knowledge from a parent, family member and even an acquaintance. In almost all societies, attending school and receiving an education is extremely vital and necessary if one wants to achieve success.
Educational Psychology
Educational psychology is the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. Although the terms “educational psychology” and “school psychology” are often used interchangeably, researchers and theorists are likely to be identified as educational psychologists, whereas practitioners in schools or school-related settings are identified as school psychologists. Educational psychology is concerned with the processes of educational attainment among the general population and sub-populations such as gifted children and those subject to specific disabilities
Educational psychology can in part be understood through its relationship with other disciplines. It is informed primarily by psychology, bearing a relationship to that discipline analogous to the relationship between medicine and biology. Educational psychology in turn informs a wide range of specialities within educational studies, including instructional design, educational technology, curriculum development, organizational learning, special education and classroom management. Educational psychology both draws from and contributes to cognitive science and the learning sciences. In universities, departments of educational psychology are usually housed within faculties of education, possibly accounting for the lack of representation of educational psychology content in introductory psychology textbooks.
Uses of Educational Psychology
For finding Individual differences and Disabilities
Each person has an individual profile of characteristics, abilities and challenges that result from learning and development. These manifest as individual differences in intelligence, creativity, cognitive style, motivation, and the capacity to process information, communicate, and relate to others. The most prevalent disabilities found among school age children are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disability, dyslexia, and speech disorder. Less common disabilities include mental retardation, hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and blindness.
Although theories of intelligence have been discussed by philosophers since Plato, intelligence testing is an invention of educational psychology, and is coincident with the development of that discipline. Continuing debates about the nature of intelligence revolve on whether intelligence can be characterized by a single, scalar factor (Spearman’s general intelligence), multiple factors (as in Sternberg’s triarchic theory of intelligence and Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences), or whether it can be measured at all. In practice, standardized instruments such as the Stanford-Binet IQ test and the WISC are widely used in economically developed countries to identify children in need of individualized educational treatment. Children classified as gifted are often provided with accelerated or enriched programs. Children with identified deficits may be provided with enhanced education in specific skills such as phonological awareness.
For Social, Moral and Cognitive Developemnt
To understand the characteristics of learners in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, educational psychology develops and applies theories of human development. Often cast as stages through which people pass as they mature, developmental theories describe changes in mental abilities (cognition), social roles, moral reasoning, and beliefs about the nature of knowledge.
For example, educational psychologists have researched the instructional applicability of Jean Piaget’s theory of development, according to which children mature through four stages of cognitive capability. Piaget hypothesized that children are not capable of abstract logical thought until they are older than about 11 years, and therefore younger children need to be taught using concrete objects and examples. Researchers have found that transitions, such as from concrete to abstract logical thought, do not occur at the same time in all domains. A child may be able to think abstractly about mathematics, but remain limited to concrete thought when reasoning about human relationships. Perhaps Piaget’s most enduring contribution is his insight that people actively construct their understanding through a self-regulatory process.
Piaget proposed a developmental theory of moral reasoning in which children progress from a naive understanding of morality based on behavior and outcomes to a more advanced understanding based on intentions. Piaget’s views of moral development were elaborated by Kohlberg into a stage theory of moral development. There is evidence that the moral reasoning described in stage theories is not sufficient to account for moral behavior. For example, other factors such as modeling (as described by the social cognitive theory of morality) are required to explain bullying.
Developmental theories are sometimes presented not as shifts between qualitatively different stages, but as gradual increments on separate dimensions. Development of epistemological beliefs (beliefs about knowledge) have been described in terms of gradual changes in people’s belief in: certainty and permanence of knowledge, fixedness of ability, and credibility of authorities such as teachers and experts. People develop more sophisticated beliefs about knowledge as they gain in education and maturity.
Psychology and Teacher
Teacher is a national builder. He has a power to change the world through education. According to our Indians teacher is a third god. Teacher plays a prominet role in the development of society. Educational Psychology is a main subject in teacher education at D.Ed., B.Ed., and M.Ed. levels. It is necessary for each and every teacher to know about psychology. Becausse it is necessary to know the behaviour of the students in the class. Teacher has different roles like father, advisor, councellor, administrator and well wisher. The future of any country is in the hands of teachers. So it is necessary to give importance for teacher education. So our government introduced psychology subject in teacher education curriculum.
After undergoing the course, the student teacher
1) Explains psychology and its relationship with Education.
2) Classifies different branches of psychology and explains their significance.
3) Explains the importance of heredity and environment and its influences in educational process.
4) Explains the different aspects of the development of the child.
5) Explains the growth and human beings and their behaviour.
6) Describes the individual aspects of the development of the child.
7) Explains the primary needs of the children.
8) Explains the secondary needs of the children.
9) Explains the theories of learning and the factors influencing learning.
10) Explains the concept of socialization.
11) Explains the different types of learning.
12) Understands the concept of motivation and the steps to be taken to motivate the children.
13) Explains attention and its uses.
14) Develops skill of observation, listening, responding and understanding.
15) Describes memory, remembering and forgetting and identifies conditions of good memory.
16) Describes the effects of different methods used for learning process.
17) Explains thinking process and its uses-perception, conception, apperception for different ages.
18) Explains the role of creativity and its development.
19) Explains the meaning of intelligence and understands the changing concept of intelligence.
20) Enhances personality development of pupils.
21) Describes the mental hygiene and mental health.
22) Understands exceptional children and their significance.
23) Practices guidance and counseling for school pupils.
Conclusion
Educational psychology is an application of the principles of psychology for effective learning and modification of behaviour on desirable dimensions. Knowledge of educational psychology makes a teacher effective in motivating the pupils in their learning. In short it is an inseparable part of strategy in education. Education gives knowledge, wealth and health. Education is a solution for all types of problems in the society. Through education only it is possible overall development of a person in the society. Through education it is easy to know about behavour of the students and persons in the society with the help of psychology. So it is necessary to study psychology all persons in the society in the modern world. Educational Psychology helps the overall development of the student.
References
1. Educational psychology a cognitive view by Asubel, D.P.
2..Element of educational psychology by Bhatia, H.R.
3. Psychology applied to teaching by Bichler, R.F.
4. Educational psychology by Cole, E.C. and Bruce, W.F.
5. http:/ www.google.com
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Sex Education Among Children in India
SEX EDUCATION AMONG CHILDREN
The reason we boast sometimes on Indian culture, is because it has rich values, values that are of high morale and unique to the world. Values are something on which our life thrives. We find organizations thriving on values, families stand united on its values, and the very humanity stands on human values. Without values, an individual would have no identity. We deliver value when we execute pride in holding our national symbols. We deliver value when we show respect to our elders. We owe value when we look at each female with the respect as high as that for a mother. And it is these values, that brings in us courage to hold against the odds. It is these values that help us to go ahead in life along with our family, with our friends, with our colleagues, with the society and with the nation all together. No doubt, values are as important as our life itself.
One of these great Indian values is about educating our children to hold against the most devastating ****** feelings towards opposite gender, the so called ‘Sex’. *** is a powerful temptation and it requires very strong values to hold upon it. However, it is now days challenged by educated section of society, particularly the followers of western culture, in the name of exposing the mystery to the curious and immature child.
The conclusion made by these literates is that it is a prevention methodology, which would make the next generation safe from the perils of ***. Universally, prevention is better than cure, goes as a law, but the question remains – Is *** education a prevention, cure or an experiment the result of which is either not known or is deliberately being forced in the society? What if you have educated a child in *** and he fails to hold his temptations thereafter? What would you call that situation – the prevention failed or the medicine failed? Let us try to understand prevention in a better way. If I am not mistaken, prevention is a boundary, a boundary that tells you what lies on the other side. At a broad level, there are three types of boundaries:
• First, we are completely aware what lie on the other side of the boundary. For example, nearly every one knows the after effect of smoking.
• Second, we are partially or unaware of the negative factors and accept the boundaries as a part of cultural values, with the awareness of the positive factors within the boundary. For example, if we do exercise, we say it is a preventive measure from bad health. The details of bad health may not be known in completeness to the doer, but there is a straight conception that fits to his mind – exercise is good for health.
• Third, we are completely unaware of positive or negative factors on either side of the boundary. For example, doing some rituals as a religious practice.
If *** education is a prevention boundary, it should find a place in one of the above category. First, why do we need this education? A simple answer is that we do it sometimes. Second, how do we do *** (even with our spouse): in privacy or publicly? Do we discuss it out openly with friends and expose our spouse to them? If answers to these questions is ‘No’ and convincingly ‘No’, then the first boundary lies with the adults itself – how can they talk *** with their children or students, when we cannot practice it before them? We have to understand a very important aspect here. If we dare to talk such things with children, we are breaking away the boundary of respect and regard straight away (they or we not able to talk *** with each other signifying that there is some regard that produces this shyness or hesitation). We are undoubtedly introducing a concept that would teach our children to go beyond this boundary and easily practice sex, the barriers being broken and broken by teachers and parents first. During childhood, *** is a curiosity and hence is not known to them completely. All they know is that it is considered wrong by elders and is practiced between parents. Curiosity can take shape of temptation and temptations would lead to doing the wrong, if children are not taught of values that can help them prevent the temptation. Talking to them about *** would kill their curiosity and give birth to educated temptation. Thus, *** education so seeming to be an experimented cure, would necessarily lead to side effect of practicing *** as an educated practitioner. *** education would in fact as a catalyst in producing sexual practices, and can in no way be a preventive measure. This education has no relation with feelings like temptations. Temptations can be only held by practice of cultural values, may be as a fear to breach the respectful barrier. Preventive measures are healthier and positive aspects, and can be talked and propagated positively towards everyone. Holding to values and teaching our children to remain in boundaries is actually a preventive measure and would protect majority of them from committing the hazard.
The proposed solution is still experimentation – the world is yet to see a generation that would be protected from practicing *** early during childhood and teenage after getting educated on ***. The proposed solution of *** education is thus very much risky and it can totally devastate the society if it fails to deliver the purpose, provoking children to enter premature sexual relations.
The intuition and notion of *** education as a solution started to create the awareness towards the deadly disease ‘AIDS’. It is a disease born out of *** and can spread out of various reasons which includes unsafe sex, blood transfusion, etc. The first unseen and politicized mistake is acceptance by the society that people need to be aware of this disease and should adapt to safe *** practices. At this point it seemed unquestionably correct, as adults were to be educated for usage of condoms. Unfortunately, this was the stepping stone towards growing errors. The ground error is that it is accepted that adults cannot hold from doing extra-marital and pre-marital affairs. And the true solution negated is – people not educated on values and importance of holding on values. It is here values plays its importance and Indian value in this term is very much known to the society – no extra-marital affairs and no pre-marital affairs – complete honesty with the partner and thus complete dedication towards their home leading to a life that is happy and supported by your relations and respected by outsiders – No possibility of AIDS in existence.
But more ground fact is that above values cannot be achieved unless it is inculcated in people when they are still ripe, when they are as young as children. Childhood is a state where you shape up your character. It takes huge effort for adults to change their nature, but not for a child. Values inculcated in children can help them grow to a brighter and healthier personality. This seems to me so simple to execute, simple because it can very easily get passed on to following generation as family values. In fact, it is still a part of Indian culture, which by the weapon of *** education, being totally devastated under the umbrella of the word ‘EDUCATION’. What is wrong in asking our children to respect elders and consider every woman as respectable as our own mother and sister? It is all about building this strong and positive perception in our little gems. In fact, would we dare to call our little angels as angels and gems, the moment we realize that he has adopted to means like *** which is not suitable to his age, which his mind would not absorb to the fullest of the concept, where there would be every chance for him to slip towards experiencing it because now the education is exposing the vulnerable ****** and ecstatic feelings which is yet in abnormal form of curiosity in the child – would we still dare to call our children as angels and gems. Will he not start challenging his patience by thinking the same about his relations? Will he then enjoy respect and regards towards any of the opposite gender? And I wonder why it is not thought that once *** goes into the education stream of children, children would by natural manner start talking about it among them. A child boy will talk to a child girl about their *** knowledge – a boundary that protects every child (at least most of them), from sexual pitfalls at early age would be totally destroyed. Is this what our modern parent expects from their children? As long as children do not talk about sex, they would fear to break the boundary and majority of the generation can be saved. But once, this is broken, majority of the generation would be devastated.
I sometimes ponder, why is human so weak to not realize the problems of practices like *** education? Why didn’t they look at societies which has already experimented this as a solution? We can very well go into the western education system where *** is a compulsory education and try to quantify and derive statistics on whether it has actually helped children from doing ***. The facts would be un-amazingly opposite to what is being proposed. They are exposed to *** as an adoptable practice, they are aware of how to protect from sexual disease, for instance by using condoms, and they simply enter into actually doing it. Why don’t we realize a simple thing, children would experiment everything if they are given the freedom? As responsible adults, we are to guide children about wrong and right and not expose them to the wrongs and the means to do the wrongs without getting harmed.
It would be surprising to understand that foundations of such human weaknesses are laid down by modern western thinkers, who adopt the theory and practice of allowing children to do what they wish. These thinkers believe that children require information about everything that they see and hear and if not provided they will get it from wrong sources, and hence, as responsible parents and elders we should share with them all problems like sex, deaths, hazards, etc. Truly speaking, there is a very thin boundary between good and bad, between right and wrong, so thin that once you cross, there is nearly no regret, no comeback. People often start smoking or drinking, with an attitude to taste – how it feels – and the boundary is broken. Next time, it is not the first time and they do it with the intention that it would be the last time and the action repeats. Why can’t we straightaway put into the minds of our children to keep away from these things by letting them realize that it is bad – very bad? Some parents agree to this as the impact of smoking is quite visible to them. How can it happen that all other behaviors of life don’t have similar negative impacts? It is seriously required to define the boundary of right and wrong in all that we do. For instance, philosophers and psychiatrists are now provoking people to talk *** with children. They believe that they will learn it from wrong sources and stealthily, which would create negative behavior in them. How silly? Why can’t children be allowed to consider it wrong as long as they are children? Why aren’t they allowed to learn about such things as they grow in boundaries and learn to practice it only in right manner at right time? Why are these great thinkers so eager to take away the opportunity of self – development from these children, which nature has provided them? Nature doesn’t allow children to do *** and hence it is wrong for them as long as they are children. What is wrong in telling them that it is wrong and bad when actually it is wrong at their stage? They automatically will learn its importance and usage when they grow and such children will respect *** and practice it religiously as a part of married life.
Accepting that children would learn *** from wrong sources, is actually an acceptance to the happenings in the society around – cultural degradation in social environment remains unchallenged and in fact attains maturity by allowing the upcoming generation to get educated on it and practice it untimely. Children would grow physically weak, and to much greater extent mentally weak if they endeavor to unfold their temptations through sexual education. The next generation is being challenged for their superiority of behavior and the induced *** education would surely overthrow the master culture of respect and regard.
We need to help our children to enhance their resistive power, their tolerance power, their patience, their understanding to respect and regard the values taught by parents and teachers. We cannot simply accept that our children would learn from wrong source about habits that are tempting, if we do not allow them to learn from us. We cannot make our children so weak that they go for anything that fulfills their mental desires and curiosity. We need to develop in them right from their childhood a habit to hold on temptations, so that they get matured enough to handle toughest situations in life. Indian culture have always taught children to grow up by practicing patience, yoga, respect towards elders, and all positive aspects that can create a great individual. Isn’t it necessary for our society to have stable families with respectable practices?
If Indian values and practices that taught children of such high attitude are considered as Stone Age by modern tutors, this would be unfortunate for the country. It is so simple to understand that people of Stone Age were used to living in nudity, and if we have grown rich in knowledge and understood the importance of clothes in societies, we have to respect clothes. Clothes are the first indication of boundaries against *** and children are to be protected from media which breaks this boundary. Let us promise to help our upcoming generation to become strong mentally, brace enough to fight these petty temptations and grow powerful in their thinking so that they are capable of doing great tasks.
SEX IN HINDUISM
Swami Vivekanand said, “In west, every woman other than mother is a wife. Among Hindus, every woman other than wife is a mother.” I do not know other religion, than Hinduism, which teaches values of so high regard. Such high values exist because *** was never neglected in Indian philosophy – it was rather researched to be a powerful source of energy in any individual. It was understood that any energy has to be utilized in the boundary of natural law and hence, *** was to be practiced by recognized partners, only for specific purpose and within age boundaries. It was recognized that mastering *** required immense control on the self and practicing it only with partners required even greater control on self. Going beyond this to practice it only for the purpose of reproduction, to meet the purpose of nature, was even tougher. Thus, this natural power of every creature was considered as a natural power and as usual, every natural power in Hindu philosophy holds a Deity in its name. Thus, ‘Kamadeva’ (Deity of lust) came into being. *** became a concept of worship and anything worship-able was never misused.
Sex as a study went deep to unfold all its secrets for Ayurvedic practitioners. But for the common people, it remained a respectable action. This is one major reason, why we do not find any major disease related to *** known in Indian societies. People often quote examples of ‘Khajuraho’ as a symbol of Hindu *** – which is very wrong – why was such sensual images created in caves? Were such caves a general practice of production? How many books of Hindus describe *** as openly as ‘Khajuraho’? The answers to these questions, clarifies, that there must have been some purpose behind ‘Khajuraho’ which is lost in the past.
Hinduism has never taught utilizing any natural power in negative fashion – unlike modern science. And *** is one such power that exists in Hinduism within natural human boundaries.
It is often seen that one bad belief by virtue of its natural capacity draws another bad belief. If *** education among children is an attempt to molest the future of nation, the Long Leaders by virtue of their devastating attitude build one after another similar attitude – producing Reservation into system that can eradicate the unity of the nation and prove the critics that Casteism is a part of not only Hinduism, but also of Hindu nation – in which case, the concept of Secularism would be lost and immediately the Hindus would get attached to it.
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Curricular Changes in Teacher Education
Now we are living in the technological world. Vast changes are occurring in day to day life of human being. The effect of Television, Telephone, Radio, Computer, Internet and Mobile is very much in our daily life. Even today also teacher is a role model for the students in the society. Teaching profession is a respectable job in the society. But there are enormous changes were occurred in the system of education.
Western culture is increased. Because of globalization we see everything in the form of commercial. But it is not good. Teacher is a nation builder. The development of any country depends upon its educational system. Any type of development is possible through education.
The concept of curriculum can be perceived as a connective link between teacher and student, organized in such a way to achieve goals previously set by the teacher, the learning organization or by the curriculum specialists.
Curriculum is a means to the education. While education is learning, curriculum signifies situations for learning. While education deals with ‘how’ and ‘when’, Curriculum deals with ‘what’ education is a product, curriculum is the plan.
Teacher Education
Teacher education is an integral component of the educational system. It is intimately connected with society and is conditioned by the ethos, culture and character of a nation. The constitutional goals, the directive principles of the state policy, the socio-economic problems and the growth of knowledge, the emerging expectations and the changes operating in education, etc. call for an appropriate response from a futuristic education system and provide the perspective within which teacher education programmes need to be viewed.
When India attained freedom, the then existing educational system was accepted as such because it was thought that an abrupt departure from the same would be disturbing and destabilizing. Thus a predisposition to retain the system acquired preponderance and all that was envisaged by way of changes was its rearrangement. Consequently, education including teacher education largely remained isolated from the needs and aspirations of the people. During the last five decades certain efforts have been made to indigenize the system. The gaps, however, are still wide and visible. The imperatives for building the bridges may be as follows:
- To build a national system of teacher education based on India’s cultural ethos, its unity and diversity synchronizing with change and continuity.
- To facilitate the realization of the constitutional goals and emergence of the new social order.
- To prepare professionally competent teachers to perform their roles effectively as per needs of the society.
- To upgrade the standard of teacher education, enhance the professional and social status of teachers and develop amongst them a sense of commitment.
Scenario of Teacher Education
The need for improved levels of educational participation for overall progress is well recognised. The key role of educational institutions in realising it is reflected in a variety of initiatives taken to transform the nature and function of education — both formal as well as non-formal. Universal accessibility to quality education is considered essential for development. This has necessitated improvement in the system of teacher education so as to prepare quality teachers.
Various Commissions and Committees, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Commission (1948), Secondary Education Commission (1953), Kothari Commission (1964-66) etc., are appointed by the Central and the State Governments in recent decades have invariably emphasised the need for quality teacher education suited to the needs of the educational system. The Secondary Education Commission (1953) observed that a major factor responsible for the educational reconstruction at the secondary stage is teachers’ professional training. The Education Commission (1964-66) stressed that ‘in a world based on science and technology it is education that determines the level of prosperity, welfare and security of the people’ and that ‘a sound programme of professional education of teachers is essential for the qualitative improvement of education.’
India has a large system of education. There are nearly 5.98 lakh Primary Schools, 1.76 lakh Elementary Schools and 98 thousand High / Higher Secondary Schools in the country, about 1300 teacher education institutions for elementary teachers and nearly 700 colleges of education / university departments preparing teachers for secondary and higher secondary schools. Out of about 4.52 million teachers in the country nearly 3 million are teaching at the primary/ elementary level. A sizeable number of them are untrained or under-trained. In certain regions, like the North-East, there are even under- qualified teachers. As far as in-service education is concerned the situation is not very encouraging. It is estimated that on an average 40% of the teachers are provided in-service teacher education once over a period of five years. Regarding non-formal education, though a number of models are in vogue in various states in the country, much more needs to be done to prepare teachers and other functionaries for the system.
The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) as a non-statutory body (1973-1993) took several steps as regards quality improvement in teacher education. Its major contribution was to prepare Teacher Education Curriculum Framework in 1978. Consequently, teacher education curricula witnessed changes in teacher preparation programmes in various universities and boards in the country. A similar effort was made in 1988.
During the last decade, new thrusts have been posed due to rapid changes in the educational, political, social and economic contexts at the national and international levels. Curriculum reconstruction has also become imperative in the light of some perceptible gaps in teacher education. Teacher education by and large, is conventional in its nature and purpose. The integration of theory and practice and consequent curricular response to the requirements of the school system still remains inadequate. Teachers are prepared in competencies and skills which do not necessarily equip them for becoming professionally effective. Their familiarity with latest educational developments remains insufficient. Organised and stipulatory learning experiences whenever available, rarely contribute to enhancing teachers’ capacities for self-directed life long learning. The system still prepares teachers who do not necessarily become professionally competent and committed at the completion of initial teacher preparation programmes. A large number of teacher training institutions do not practice what they preach. Several of the skills acquired and methodologies learnt are seldom.
Definitions of curriculum, from Oliva (1997).
Curriculum is:
That which is taught in schools
A set of subjects.
Content
A program of studies.
A set of materials
A sequence of courses.
A set of performance objectives
A course of study
Is everything that goes on within the school, including extra-class activities, guidance, and interpersonal relationships.
Everything that is planned by school personnel.
A series of experiences undergone by learners in a school.
That which an individual learner experiences as a result of schooling.
Flexibility of the Curriculum
In India there are large number of communities living in the hilly area, the plateau area, the dessert area, plain area and costal area all having their own peculiar individuality, environment customs and needs. There fore, the same curriculum can’t be forced upon all, irrespective of their needs and environment. It must differ from locality to locality and from society to society.
“The destiny of India now being shaped in her class rooms”. In the world based on science and technology it is education that determines the level of prosperity, security and welfare of the people (Education Commission 1964-66).
Different types of Curricula
There are eleven types of curricula
1. Overt, explicit, or written curriculum
2. Societal curriculum
3. The hidden or covert curriculum
4. The null curriculum
5. Phantom curriculum
6. Concomitant curriculum
7. Rhetorical curriculum
8. Curriculum-in-use
9. Received curriculum
10. The internal curriculum
11. The electronic curriculum
Teacher Education Curriculum at Different Stages – NCTE
Teacher Education at the Pre-Primary Stage
Objectives
· Enabling student teachers to inculcate among children a desire to know their immediate natural environment, to love and respect it;
· Preparing student teachers to use local resources and local contexts.
Curriculum Content and Transaction
Teacher education curriculum at this stage need to develop awareness about literacy programmes, community dynamics, national and local customs, fairs and festivals and community mode of social living. It may also develop awareness of forces affecting environment including pollution, appreciation of places of historical and cultural significance and special educational features and developmental tasks contained in policies and programmes.
Teacher Education at the Primary Stage
Objectives
· Developing among student teachers skills for teaching integrated environmental studies, integrated social sciences and integrated science and technology;
· Enabling student teachers to inculcate among children a desire to know their immediate natural environment, to love and respect it;
Implications for Pre-service Teacher Education
Curriculum Content and Transaction
It is necessary that student teachers be sensitised to the need for reducing curriculum load, organise appropriate learning experiences which are joyful in nature and related to immediate environment of the learner and help them develop and imbibe desirable values.
Teacher education programmes at this stage shall have to provide subject based orientation. Teaching and learning of mathematics would be woven around the environment of the learners so that environmental concerns are properly integrated. The activities would focus on local culture and environment using the local specific contexts and resources. Student teachers shall have to be provided with experiences to help children develop socio-emotional and cultural aspects. A realistic awareness and perspective of the phenomena occurring in the environment will have to be linked with social or scientific events. This may be accomplished by emphasizing observation, classification, comparison and drawing of inferences, conducted within and outside the classroom.
Teacher Education at the Secondary Stage& Higher Secondary Stage
Objectives
· Developing among student teachers awareness and sensitivity towards environment concern and promoting skills for meeting environmental challenges;
Implications for Pre-service Teacher Education
Academic Stream
In addition, concerns like ecological imbalances, environmental degradation also have to be studied in their socio-cultural-economic context.
Addressing Special Educational Needs of Learners
Education of the Gifted and Talented: Major Thrusts
Objectives
· Enabling student teachers to develop among the gifted and talented students social responsibility and commitment to the society and the environment;
In-Service Education of Teachers
Objectives
· Enabling teachers to be sensitive to gender and environment-related issues.
Need of Curriculum Changes in Teacher Education
India has thousand years of tradition and culture. Educational institutions were called as Ashramam and teacher was called as Guru. A tremendous change was occurred in our daily life. Due to globalization now the educational system is affected totally. Now the educational institutions give importance for technical education. Teacher is a national builder. He has a capacity to change the society. By knowing the importance of technology, communication skills, National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) introduced a separate subject on technology known as ‘Educational Technology’ at both B.Ed and M.Ed levels. Computer Education, Communicative English, Personality Development are also introduced at B.Ed. level. Now we are facing so many problems like terrorism, poverty and high-population. We want such type of curriculum which improves peace, non-violence, positive attitude and values in the society. By inculcating these things in teacher education curriculum, we will get positive change in the society. Our National Education Policy (1986) and other Education Committees and Commissions were also given importance for quality teacher education. But it is our duty that to follow such type of curriculum. By conducting national seminars, workshops and conferences it is important to collect eminent scholars attitude towards importance of curricular change in the present scenario. There are many recommendations about curriculum change, but they are not in practice.
Guidelines/Suggestions
Ø The present curriculum format of teacher education at different levels, pre-primary, elementary and secondary education is generally based, apart from others on Foundation Courses, which includes philosophical, sociological and psychological perspectives of education. The intention is that the teacher must have a conceptual understanding of the field of education, its significant concerns which are relevant for political, social and cultural development of the nation so that the teacher is just not responsible only for performing “knick knacks” of the task of teaching but is also imbued with the perspectives of creating individuals who can apply their minds to the diverse situations that obtain in the field of education. It is the Foundation Courses which provide a lot of scope for being recast to lay focus on discussion on the issues listed in the preceding chapters. Apart from others, it can re-look at the existing curriculum and divide it into appropriate cluster of topics which include the core elements of the NPE and the Constitutional concerns related to non-discrimination. Other areas of equal relevance for development of the ideas are the internship in teaching and working with the community.
Ø The type of exercises for developing the values related to non-discrimination as given in the chapters on sex/gender, caste/tribe, disability, etc. could become the central themes of co-curricular and extra-curricular activities of the teacher education institutions. It is not the intention to repeat the listing of those activities here in this chapter; a reference can be made to these activities in the appropriate chapters in which they have been listed.
Ø It could also be helpful to plan orientation programme on teacher education on this theme. The seminars could familiarize the teacher educators with strategies for operationalizing the teaching-learning dimensions relevant to the theme. An effective way to institutionalize the concept is to incorporate it in the elementary and secondary pre-service teacher education curriculum. This could be supplemented by a suitable co-curricular programme which should aim at offsetting some of the shortcomings in the curricular approach especially in terms of attitude and value development.
Ø What is needed is a vigorous advocacy with state educational agencies, teacher education institutions and university departments of education for conscious inclusion of such components in the curricula.
Ø In order to overcome the disadvantage of fragmented treatment of the theme, it is suggested that an independent comprehensive unit comprising familiarization with the Constitution of India and its concerns as impinge on education should be incorporated in the elementary and secondary teacher education courses.
Ø In India, evaluation system influences the educational process especially the quality of classroom teaching significantly, and as such a separate unit of educational imperatives of Constitution will ensure due importance and weightage to the theme in the classroom teaching.
Ø A great deal depends on the ingenuity and dedication of teachers and teacher educators in achieving anything substantial through education. If the concerns are handled with sincerity and purpose, they could definitely bring about the desired transformation in the educational system through teacher education.
Conclusion
Today we are in a technological world where things are happening fast. Parents and teachers would like to be getting results fast. India has kept pace in science and technology with forward nations but we have shown slower pace in our value system even when we have a strong heritage of human values.
An overview of the context and concerns as discussed earlier, teacher’s profile and general and specific objectives would define the boundaries of a curriculum framework. The perceived characteristics of the envisaged curriculum framework would include the following:
- Reflects the Indian heritage, acts as an instrument in the realization of national goals and fulfills aspirations of people.
- Responds to the latest developments in the field of education.
- Establishes integration of theory and practice of education.
- Provides multiple educational experiences to teachers.
- Enables teachers to experiment with new ideas.
- Ensures inseparability of pre-service and in-service education of teachers.
- Sets achievable goals for various stages of teacher education.
According to Swami Vivekananda Teacher gives knowledge and bright future to his students. He always trying to help students and encourages good habits not only in the students but also in the society. Teacher is a backbone for country’s development. The influence of teacher is more in the student life. Any type of social development depends upon its educational system. So it is very important to give prime priority for Teacher Education Curriculum. It is very important to give place to science and technology in Teacher Education Curriculum. Then surely India will become powerful and rich country in the world.
References
1. Saxena N.R., Mishra B.K., Mohanthy R.K. ‘Teacher Education’, Surya Publications, Near Govt. Inter College, Meerut, First Edition, 1998.
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