HS5120: SCHOOL EDUCATION IN MODERN INDIA

Research Paper on SECONDARY EDUCATION SYSTEM IN INDACHALLENGES & PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVEMENT

Submitted by Sibananda Sahoo NA10B048

INTRODUCTION
Education forms the very essence of all our actions. By the means of education only ones potential can be used to maximum extent. It is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future and is critical to reducing poverty and inequality. So every country gives a lot of importance to its education. The Education System in India can be broadly divided into Primary, Secondary & Higher/Tertiary System of education. Primary education covers the education of 6-14 years children, Secondary education from 14-18 years children & higher education from thereon. In this paper we will discuss about the secondary education system of India. The Secondary education serves as a bridge between elementary and higher education and prepares young persons between the age group of 14-18 for entry into higher education. A child's future can depend a lot on the type of education she/he receives at the secondary level. Apart from grounding the roots of education of a child, secondary education can be instrumental in shaping and directing the child to a bright future. The dramatic growth in
Indian elementary education enrolment and improvements in retention and transition rates over the past ten years, particularly among more disadvantaged groups, are increasing pressure on the secondary level to absorb new entrants. India has witnessed above 96% enrolment in Elementary education for last four years with reducing gender gap. With the ongoing center & states investments in RTE & Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, this trend is expected to improve further for coming
years. At the same time, Indias impressive, sustained economic growth has increased household and labour market demand for secondary and higher education. Thus, secondary education assumes a lot of importance. Providing secondary education to all, both boys and girls, with a focus on

quality education assumes greater meaning today, when we consider the emerging challenges & socio-economic aspirations in our society. To meet this demand Government of India has launched many programmes like RMSA (Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan) in 2009 & ICT( Information & Technology Scheme) in 2004. This paper will analyse the status of Secondary Education System in India, challenges it faces & look at its main programme RMSA . Analyse the RMSA using TLA. This paper will mainly focus on the drawbacks of our Secondary Education System (viz. RMSA) & the suggestions to improve the system so that equality & universal access can be achieved. And will conclude by analysing proposals to improve secondary education system with various Education Theories..

Secondary Education System in India-Overview

The success of SSA & RTE in ensuring large scale enrolment in elementary school has thrown upon a challenge of expanding secondary education. Rapid changes in technology & demand for skills also make it necessary that young people should have more than just eight years of elementary education to acquire skills to compete in labour market. Secondary Education is a crucial stage in the educational hierarchy as it prepares the students for higher education and also for the world of work. Classes IX and X constitute the secondary stage, whereas classes XI and XII are designated as the higher secondary stage. The normal age group of the children in secondary classes is 14-16 whereas it is 16-18 for higher secondary classes. The rigour of the secondary and higher secondary stage, enables Indian students to compete successfully for education and for jobs globally. Therefore, it is absolutely essential to strengthen this stage by providing greater access and also by improving quality in a significant way.

Challenges in Secondary Education

1) Access- India has made tremendous strides and can now boast almost universal enrolment at elementary levels with a Net Enrolment Ratio of 99.8% at primary level (Grades 1 to 5) and 61.8% at upper primary level (Grades 6 to 8) (DISE 2010-11). Enrolment in secondary education is much lower, and the Gross Enrolment Ratio in 2007-08 was 58.2% for Grades 9 and 10 and 33.4% for Grades 11 and 12 (Planning Commission 2012. The number of children in secondary education is expected to continue to rise due to both supply and demand factors. The proportion of children completing primary & upper primary education is rising & thus the transition rate to lower secondary. Also the size of young population is also expected for next two decades. On demand side, there is an increase in returns for students who have completed secondary education than those who have studied till VIII. Thus there lies a great challenge to provide secondary education to all i.e universalization of secondary education. 2) Equity There exists gaps in enrolment rates for several sub-populations. For example, in lower secondary education, a slight majority (51 per cent) of children aged 1415 attend school in urban areas; while of the same-aged children in rural areas, less than 40 per cent attend school. There is a significant gender gap in

enrolment. The difference between boys and girls in terms of enrolment is 15 per cent in lower secondary (42.5 per cent for girls as against 57.5 per cent for boys) and almost 20 per cent in higher secondary (40.3 per cent as against 59.7 per cent) (Sankar 2011). 3) Quality There is no national assessment of performance in secondary education. There are about 30 state examination boards that prepare examinations for students at the end of lower secondary and higher secondary education, with schools in some states also participating in examinations set by a national board. However, the pass rates across states are not comparable as they vary considerably. The wide variations in examinations. indicate a lack of technical reliability in the examinations, and no comparisons across states can be considered absolute. Therefore, there is no national picture of the quality of secondary education, as measured by the skills and knowledge acquired by students at the end of this stage of education. Assessments done by international study (PISA) also shows that quality of education is dismal. PISA is an international study which aims to evaluate education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students . India is among the lowest scorers in the PISA assessments tests. The PISA tests were taken by two Indian states Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh. Of the 74 countries tested in the PISA 2009 cycle including the "+" nations, the two Indian states came up 72nd and 73rd out of 74 in both reading and mathematics, and 73rd and 74th in science.
Thus, to address these challenges in secondary education, Government of India has launched a programme called Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) in 2009. It is an extension

of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) at the secondary level. It plans to bring in universal access to
secondary education by 2017 & address the issues of equality & quality.

Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

This scheme was launched in March, 2009 with the objective to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its quality. The implementation of the scheme started from 200910. It is envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.26% in 2005-06 at secondary stage within 5 years of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation. The other objectives include improving quality of education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017, i.e., by the end of 12th Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020. Broad physical targets include providing facilities for an estimated additional enrolment of more than 3.2 million students by 201112 through the strengthening of about 44,000 existing secondary schools, opening around 11,000 new secondary schools and the appointment of additional teachers to improve the PupilTeacher Ratio (PTR), and the construction of morethan 80,000 additional classrooms. It also aims to provide a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation, which should be 5 kilometer for secondary schools and 7 -10 kilometers for higher secondary schools. Under World Bank Project, RMSA aims to increase Gross graduation rate (those who enrolled in grade IX in year t appearing for the Board exams in grade X in year t+1) to increase from 74% in 2010 to 88% by June 30, 2016. Some other important aspects are put in points form. Important physical facilities provided under the scheme are: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) Additional class rooms, Laboratories, Libraries, Art and crafts room, Toilet blocks, Drinking water provisions and Residential Hostels for Teachers in remote areas.

Important quality interventions provided under the scheme are: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) appointment of additional teachers to reduce PTR to 30:1, focus on Science, Math and English education, In-service training of teachers, science laboratories, ICT enabled education, curriculum reforms; and teaching learning reforms

Important equity interventions provided in the scheme are: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) special focus in micro planning preference to Ashram schools for upgradation preference to areas with concentration of SC/ST/Minority for opening of schools special enrolment drive for the weaker section more female teachers in schools; and separate toilet blocks for girls providing financial assistance to backward & minority section students through scholarships. Implementation mechanism of the Scheme The scheme is being implemented by the State government societies established for implementation of the scheme. The central share is released to the implementing agency directly. The applicable State share is also released to the implementing agency by the respective State Governments.

Finance of the Scheme RMSA runs by the financial assistance of both central & state government in the tune of 75% to 25% ratio. But in north-eastern states central government bears 90% of the cost while state government for the rest 10%.

TLA of RMSA
As we discussed in previous section ,government has taken several steps through RMSA to increase the access, equity & quality of secondary education in India. Although many changes & improvements have happened , a lot remains to be desired. TLA for Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is as follows: 1) Teaching : RMSA aims to reduce the workload on teachers by reducing the class size. It specifies a target of pupils to teacher ratio of 30:1 . By reducing the class size , a teacher can give more importance individually to students which is essential for improving the learning process. It also provides for in-service teacher training. Training is not throughout the year in regular intervals thus it does little to better the quality of teachers. Enough investment is not done in improving the quality of teachers thus quality of education is not much improved. 2) Learning : RMSAs main focus is to increase the enrolment in secondary schools thus decreasing the drop out rates . RMSA aims for universalization of secondary education by ensuring transition rates from upper primary to secondary schools increases & drop-out rates decreases. It also want to ensure equity among various sections & also reduce the gender gap by encouraging special girls enrolment. RMSA also takes steps to build separate toilets for girls for ensuring that they dont face problem in schools during their adolescence. RMSA also aims at providing ICT enabled education for better & advanced learning. But cost of ICT is very high so it has limited reach to students. A special attention is given to Maths, Science & English education which are important in modern day world. But quality of education remains a constraint. It also provides financial help to weaker section children through scholarships. 3) Assessment : RMSA does not give much importance to assessment as it mainly focused on increasing enrolment. Reliable, large scale learning assessments at secondary level are almost absent . There are many boards for secondary education & an assessment criteria is considered as the students being able to pass the board exams at secondary & higher secondary level. But it lacks an uniform large scale assessment of the students. Thus a lot of changes are taking place outside the system to increase enrolment but not enough inside the system(on teachers improvement) to improve the quality of education.

Drawbacks of Secondary Education System in India

Inspite of many schemes undertaken by government for improving secondary education, there are still many drawbacks of the system. They are discussed in following points: There is a wide gap between the demand for secondary education & the facilities/infrastructure to meet that demand. Secondary education is not accessible to all as the number of government schools are very few to cater the requirement. Also there is increased number of private schools coming up who charge a lot of money compared to Government schools. The growth in the number of secondary schools over the last two decades has occurred primarily among private unaided schools, which now represent almost one out of three of Indias secondary schools. Jointly, private aided and unaided schools make up 60 percent of all secondary schools. Household spend 2.5 times more in private schools than in public schools. Although enrolment has increased , there has been only slight change in quality of education. Enough fund is not provided for teachers training & also the structure of training is not defined properly. Thus without improvement of teachers quality, quality of education which they provide will also not improve. In-Service teacher professional development secondary level is ad hoc, poorly resourced, and disconnected from classroom realities. Teacher effectiveness is also weakened by a lack of teacher accountability. Unfortunately, teachers pre-service education at the secondary level (university degree plus teacher education) suffers from poor standards, weak accreditation and monitoring, outdated pedagogical approaches, inadequate supplies of basic teaching and learning materials (including ICTs), and few incentives for improvement A comparison of Indian and international curricula in language arts, mathematics and sciences highlights the issue of over-emphasis on rote learning of facts as opposed to development of students higher-order thinking skills. The very limited availability of ICTs at the secondary level, in particular, limits teachers ability to upgrade their subject-matter knowledge and students ability to access essential learning materials, in addition to constraining the development of ICT-related skills and behaviours youth need to succeed in the global knowledge economy.

The quality of learning materials in secondary education, particularly of textbooks, is low. State-level textbooks predominantly address students examination needs, with even less emphasis on conceptual understanding than in the Central Board textbooks. In an effort to ensure affordability, states have compromised on the physical quality and attractiveness of the books.

There is no proper assessment system in place for secondary education. We now only have some board exams which test the students in outdated model. Present day exams essentially test the cramming up ability of students rather than testing their understanding.

Emphasis is not given on holistic development of students which is very essential to produce people with character. India lacks an effective quality assurance mechanism at the secondary level, for government, aided, and unaided schools. Unlike in elementary education, there are no national assessments of student learning at the secondary level, essential for the identification of key determinants of achievement and the design of interventions to improve it, and to compare educational performance of states and sub-groups across time.

There is very little focus on application of knowledge and development of relevant practical skills. There are few incentives and opportunities for 'indirect' e.g. creative, collaborative and hands-on learning. The prevalent 'direct teaching' method also known as the "factory approach" discourages student curiosity, questioning, innovation and feedback. This produces mechanical knowledge aimed at passing exams.

Proposals to improve the Secondary Education of India

Increase in the funding for education to meet the requirements. Presently Government is spending only 3 to 4 percent of GDP in education in which only 0.92% is for secondary education. With rising demand for secondary education, funding should also increase in education. An ideal percentage of GDP which should be put to education is 6%. Innovative public-private partnership models (including reform of the current grant-in aid system) which take advantage of existing underutilized capacity in the private sector and induce a supply response to expand that capacity. Strengthening secondary education teacher training colleges, including institutional accreditation assessments and improvement plans; competitive funds for investments in facilities, equipment, faculty upgrading, etc.; and increased intake of trainees for underserved subjects. This could be complemented by expansion of alternative paths to teacher certification which allow those with strong educational backgrounds in needed subject areas to enter the profession. Peer-based, mentor-led, practical, subject-specific professional development of teachers, which networks teachers across schools for mutual exchange and observation (this is currently being practiced in CBSE schools under the name of Sahodya). This would include remedial education strategies to get all new students to grade 9 levels. Setting of clear standards for teacher performance. Financial incentives and technical assistance for state Boards to align both curriculum and examinations to the National Curriculum Framework. Reforms in textbook development and procurement, including teacher participation in their revision and a focus on enhanced quality and focus on higher order thinking skills and investments in ICTs to enable more student centred learning which draws a wide range of resources available on internet. Education system should shift towards project based learning. Students go beyond the textbook to study complex topics based on real-world issues, such as the water quality in their communities or the history of their town, analyzing information from multiple sources, including the Internet and interviews with experts. Project-based classwork is more demanding than traditional book-based instruction, where students may just memorize facts from a single source. Instead, students utilize original documents and

data, mastering principles covered in traditional courses but learning them in more meaningful ways. Examination reform, to increase the focus on problem-solving and informationreasoning skills and decrease the emphasis on rote memorization of facts presented in textbooks. Until examinations change, it is unlikely that what is taught and how it is taught will change. Assessment must change from single time exams to more regular assessments. Students should be evaluated continuously throughout the year rather than evaluating him in a 2 hours exam once in six months. Participation in international assessments of student achievement at the secondary level, and use of the results of those assessments to determine needed remedial investments. Remedial classes should be provided to weaker students after class hours to ensure that they dont lag behind. But this has to be done with care without making the student feel bad that he is weak in studies. This can be done by providing help to more students which may include good students too. Good students can be given this remedial classes to master / achieve excellence . Preparation for a teaching career should follow the model of apprenticeships, in which novices learn from experienced masters. Student teachers should spend less time in lecture halls learning educational theory and more time in classrooms, working directly with students and master teachers. Teaching skills should be continually sharpened, with time to take courses, attend conferences, and share lessons and tips with other teachers, online and in person. Moral education & character building classes should be provided for holistic development of students. As this is the stage(adolescence) where students can make or destroy themselves , it is imperative to provide moral education to students. Parents should be involved in the process of education. There should be constant teacher parents meetings to make parents aware of the condition of their children. Even illiterate parents can also play a great role in proper education of their children. Increase in the salary of teachers to attract good young students to become teachers. It is very essential to make teachers job a respectful one in the society & also making them economically stable.

Analysis of Proposals with various Education Theories

Analysing the proposals to improve secondary education with education theories will give us a clear understanding that to achieve a proper education system a proper combination of all these three theories are required. Structural Functionalism : According to this theory, the society should lean towards social equilibrium and social order, which leads to better socialization. In educational context, the educational institutions should tutor the students in order to fill in the roles, prescribed by the society. This is, to an extent, the present form of most of the education systems i.e. the schools follow a course structure which is predefined. This is more outcome oriented approach. Our proposal to participate in International assessments is a part of Structural functionalism as here we want to see the outcome of our education system compared to others in world. In a sense , it gives us an idea of where we are standing so that we can better our system. In a way we are looking for reward & conformity from others. Also proposal to have moral education & character building classes also comes under structural functionalism as by giving moral education & character building classes we want to generate persons with character who will work for society . Critical Pedagogy : Critical pedagogy includes relationships between teaching and learning. Its proponents claim that it is a continuous process of unlearning, learning, and relearning, reflection, evaluation, and the impact that these actions have on the students. It is contrast to the structural functionalist theory of defining a structure and placing the individuals in these specified roles. Our proposal of making education project based learning/ Activity based learning in a way is a critical pedagogy as it changes the present traditional way of teacher teaching & student listening. It shifts the balance to students where students learn from peers, activities & self learning where teacher is mostly a guide. Proposal to make assessment throughout the year based on continuous evaluation through every week requires a dramatic change in the way teachers teach & assess students. Also teachers have to beyond traditional way of teaching & start using ICT for better teaching. This will demand from teachers the willingness to learn & relearn new ways to use ICTs effectively.

Social Constructivism : Social constructivism emphasizes the importance of culture and context in understanding what occurs in society and constructing knowledge based on this understanding. Social constructivism as defined by the social psychologists is the approach in which the individuals from a social setting exchange or built knowledge mutually creating a small culture of shared beliefs and ideals. The philosophy of social constructivism when extended to the educational institutions encourages them in diversification of the conventional methods of teaching, because the process of knowledge building not only involves knowledge distributions but also take into consideration the acquiring and learning aspects of the process. This enhanced form of transmission and procuring knowledge leads to production rather than reproduction of knowledge, which benefits the society. Proposals for remedial classes for weaker students, Peer-based, mentorled, practical, subject-specific professional development of teachers are ways to evolve the education system from its present existing form. Use of ICTs & strengthening teacher training system will lead to better use of knowledge & help in diversifying the conventional methods of teaching.

Thus, from this analysis of proposals to improve secondary education system with various education theories shows that to make a better education system some components from each education theories should be taken.

References
1. Secondary Education in India: Development Policies, Programmes and ChallengesK. Biswal 2. UNIVERSALISATION OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN INDIA by CABE 3. Secondary Education by Toby Linden 4. World Bank Report on Secondary Education in India, 2009 5. Status of Education in India - A National Report by NUEPA 6. IMPROVING ACCESS AND QUALITY IN THE INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM by OECD 7. http://mhrd.gov.in/rashtriya_madhyamik_shiksha_abhiyan