Public and Private school curriculum

Nation building in modern India has faced the challenge of incorporating quality based value oriented education. In a welfare nation like India, the schools are entrusted with the duty to provide that kind of education.Reconstruction of curriculum to reflect indigenous tradition, social change and empowerment was advocated by Indian critical theorists from the late 19th century to the present. This study mainly concentrates on the comparison of curriculum between Public and Private Schools of Kolkata, to find out the scenario concerning educational planning and its exercise, with special reference to the aspect of curriculum. Planning vs. Practice: Understanding the domain of school curriculum at Secondary Level in Kolkata ,[object Object]

KolkataComparative Analysis of School Curriculum 1990090top Part-I 1.1 Introduction The relationship between education and national development continues to be a question of critical concern in many countries. Education should function as an agency of cultural transmission as well as change; it should also reflect the dynamic process of nation building that is continually being modified by new conditions. India is a union comprised of twenty-nine states and seven territories. The Constitution provides directives regarding the development of education throughout the country. 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. In 1986, extensive deliberations by various national committees on the country’s education system and policy culminated with the decision for a national curricular framework containing a common core along with flexible components. The common core includes the history of India’s freedom movement; constitutional obligations and other content essential to nurture national identity. These core elements are intended to cut across subject areas and were designed to promote a number of values (such as India’s cultural heritage, egalitarianism, democracy, and secularism, equality of the sexes, protection of the environment, removal of social barriers, observance of the small-family norm and inculcation of the scientific approach). Also, in order to reinforce the view that the whole world is one family, the curriculum would have the objective to promote international co-operation and peaceful co-existence. With regard to re-orientation of educational content and processes, the NPE** emphasized the need for bridging the schism between the formal education system and the country’s rich and varied cultural traditions. To this end, the preoccupation with modern technologies must not be allowed to sever new generations’ ties to India’s history and culture. In view of the growing concern over the erosion of essential values and increasing cynicism in society, readjustments in the curriculum are to be carried out so that education becomes a forceful tool for the cultivation of social and moral values. The policy further emphasized the integral role that manual work, sports and physical education should play in the learning process and the need to strengthen science and mathematics education. However, looking into the matter from an investigator’s view, a wide range of gap can be found between the policies and the practices. The problem starts with the lack of supervision and evaluation programme. Generally, the process of curriculum development in India lies between the two extremes of centralization and decentralization. From time to time, the national government formulates the National Policy on Education which includes broad guidelines regarding content and process of education at different stages. These guidelines are further elaborated by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). ______________________________________________________________________________ *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. **National Policy on Education However, the states consider whether to adopt or adapt the NCERT syllabi and instructional materials. Thus, the NCERT curriculum framework is always a suggestion rather than prescriptive and it is not enforceable by law in the states. Then, there are the various types of schools such as the PUBIC and the PRIVATE, who give more impetus to the problem, previously mentioned. These schools can be found in a state, entrusted with the duty of preparing the future generation in such a way, so that they can place themselves perfectly within the broader context of the society. All public schools follow the same basic set of local and federal education guidelines. These laws generally cover the topics of educational program content, school curriculums, budgets, and funding. On the other hand, Private schools are still subject to government guidelines as well, but with a much greater degree of flexibility. In terms of curriculum, public school systems offer a program of education designed with the needs of the general public in mind. Basic subjects such as math, English, science, social studies, and physical education are taught. The state sets the standards for these and examines student competency via standardized testing at intervals throughout the year. Again, this is another area where private schools have more room to be flexible in. On the other hand Private schools generate their own curriculum and may offer more specialized courses, perhaps even taking students on extended field trips that cover one or more of the topics being focused on. Many private schools also use a form of standardized testing to determine student competency also. That is why I actually felt interested to study the aspect of school curriculum. Based on the results of a pilot survey I decided to carry on my project on a larger scale. Thus, I have narrowed down the focus point of my study to a Comparative Analysis of School Curriculum between the Public and the Private Schools of Kolkata (at Secondary Level). Nature & Scope of the Study: While thinking sociologically, we have to bear in mind that the goal of secondary education is not just to award degrees but rather to develop the younger generation in such a manner that they not only have a satisfying personal life but can also attain higher education. Therefore, secondary education has to provide for the all-round development of the students- intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual development, as well as development of the mind, body, heart, personality and knowledge; and promote skills and develop outlooks so as to produce a young generation that is intellectually alert, physically strong, morally uplifted, socially committed, and economically self-reliant. The only way to achieve this is based on the quality and value-based education which should be the focal point of every curriculum irrespective of their public or private orientation. Area of Interest/ Objectives of the Study: This study mainly deals with the issue of comparative analysis of curriculum between public and private schools to find out- ,[object Object]

What factors are responsible to make one group of schools (among the public and the private) more efficient than the other;

Difference between the public and the private schools in terms of construction of the curriculum;

Difference between the public and the private schools in terms school infrastructure;

Difference between the public and the private schools in terms of teaching-learning process;

Whether the level of efficiency depends on the organized structure of the institutionRationale of the study: Whereas a child gets his or her primary ideas of education and learning at home, school is the best institution to provide an atmosphere where he/ she can develop and strengthen his/ her unique capabilities to contribute to social awakening of the human race- as believed. While going through the details of modern schooling system in India I noticed that there are several aspects which should be taken into consideration at time of framing school curriculum. I admit that when a group of public school is performing much better in terms of building productive capacities of the students, at the same time there is lack of proper planning and evaluation in part of the public schools. There is a widening gap between the planning and practice. Even there was no as such data or survey report available regarding the performance of the schools to evaluate whether the policies are being properly implemented or not. These lead me to carry out a small term descriptive research work in this field to contribute to further planning and its execution. Literature Review: To start with, I needed a proper line up that would help me to enrich my knowledge in this respect. And this is the juncture when I had to make a literature review on education with special reference to the school curriculum. In this section, mainly the expert’s theories, guidelines and comments are examined. Apart from that governmental plans and policies have taken into consideration. Chapterization: Right after the literature review section, I have further divided my study into two chapters i.e. the methodology and data analysis portion and the conclusions with exclusive findings. A Note on the Methodology: The research will utilize mainly qualitative techniques, including the use of semi structured questionnaire, observation and content analysis. Respondents will be chosen from students and teachers of both public schools (WBBSE) and private schools (CBSE) from different localities in Kolkata. Primary data collected thus will be supplemented by data collected from other sources such as government publications, books, and journals. Primary findings indicate that these are the private schools that are performing much better than the public schools to build the productive capacities of the students. And it is the lack of supervision and evaluation procedure and the absence of organized structure that makes the public schools losers. left28575 1.2 Review of Literature on Education and School Curriculum: Every successful concept and project in life requires a proper framework and planning. This relates to all processes, including education. Whenever we embark on any new plan or procedure, we need to make sure that we have all the plans drawn up. What is on offer, what are the resources that we have, what are the steps, which we need to take and what are the goals that we need to achieve are some elements that need to be looked upon. A similar set of constraints when applied to education in schools and colleges gives birth to curriculum. A curriculum is more than putting together a set of academically required subjects. It must consider all aspects of the student life, the learning needs of students, the time available for the sessions and the teachers’ idea, capability and workload. Now that we know the constitution of a curriculum, let us go through some ideas explored by the scholars in this respect. ,[object Object],Idealism believes that the goal of human life is exaltation of man’s personality. Education has to achieve this aim. The school curriculum, accordingly, needs consists of those subjects which are conducive to this goal. Any subject that creates an ideal or spiritual self is most welcome to an idealist. ,[object Object],Dialectic method requires the presence of another person as it is a conversation between two individuals. Conversation develops critical attitude. Being an idealist he believed in universal and eternal values. He was also interested in ethical aspect of human life. ,[object Object]

Scheme of Education (Curriculum) of Aristotle: The Aristotelian scheme of education is composed of elements drawn chiefly from Athenian education and is similar in many respects to that of Plato. The child until six years of age should be trained by the parent. Beyond this period it should be controlled by the government but at the same time the parent is also responsible for moral education. He strongly pleaded for maintaining the ‘’ Gymnastics’’ for the development of sound physique and moral qualities. Gymnastic training should also aim to develop good habits and control of the passions and appetites. It should not aim at mere creating of hardy soldiers. Plato advocated strict censorship of the traditional subjects like literature and music for young children. But Aristotle had a different view in this respect. In his ‘‘Poetics’’ has shown the effects of literature, music and fine arts on the characters of individuals. These were accepted as the appropriate means for moral and intellectual education. According to Aristotle, the curriculum must be varied, diversified and broad based. Physical science, social science, logic and state-craft all should be included in the curriculum. ,[object Object],In the second stage, there will be no verbal lessons for him. He is to learn by his experiences. No book should be used. Education at this stage includes mainly training of these because these are the gateways of intellect. But no intellectual training should be provided at this stage. In the next stage, the child is ready to receive the knowledge of the preadolescent period. Accordingly, he will be taught physical science, language, mathematics, manual work, trade, social relations, music and drawing. Curiosity or interest is the soul guide in this period of education. The curriculum, therefore, at this stage should be built around curiosity and useful activities. And finally, with the beginning of adolescent period begins the moral and religious education. Moral qualities such as benevolence, kindness, service and sympathy should be developed now. Besides moral education the curriculum at this stage should include history, religious instruction, aesthetics, physical culture, sex instruction etc. Because of the appearance of sex impulse the adolescent at this stage has to learn the control of passions. ,[object Object],To Dewey, it is the child’s own activities around which the school subjects should be organized, not around subjects like science, literature, history, geography etc. subject compartments, according to Dewey, are not necessary for children. He considered the child as unity developing through its own activity but in a social setting. Mind, he said, is essentially social. It was made what it is by society and depends for its development on social agencies. It finds its nutrients in social supplies. It is, therefore, essential that social experiences should form the main factors of curriculum. According to Dewey, the curriculum should consist of ‘‘educative experiences and problems.’’ It should be noted that Dewey uses the word “educative experiences” in a special sense. According to Dewey, only those experiences are educative which pay due regard to the natural inclinations of the field in the context of the social, political, physical and economic conditions of the community. According to him, an educative experience is creative and leads to further experience. Besides, in general principals of curriculum construction, Dewey has advised as to how to organize the curriculum. Ha has proposed an integrated curriculum and follow the principal of correlation in the organization of the subjects. His scheme of curriculum also included esthetic, religious and moral education. For full development, Dewey considered art as “perfected expression of basic human activity.” ,[object Object],The curriculum at this stage should include humanities, mathematics, ancient literature, anatomy, physiology, hygiene and civics. Russell had laid stress on the study of mathematics and history. He suggested that children should be educated in modern schools where Montessori Method is followed. Apart from that Russell has strongly advocated sex education for children along with other subjects to prevent abnormal behavior and mental derangement. As regards religious education, Russell nourished a strong view of religious neutrality as religion is a personal affair. He also strongly favored co-curricular activities in schools as these greatly help the total development of the individual, particularly on developing self-control. Sound mind is only possible in sound health. Thus, besides play, Russell has emphasized dance, music, agriculture and horticulture as extra-curricular activities. These are the conceptions shared by some eminent foreign scholars of the education world. But we should also go through some of the ideas that are the products of indigenous effort of the Indian educationists. This would definitely help us to get some hold of the Indian scenario of education and schooling with special reference to the issue of curriculum. ,[object Object]

Rabindra Nath Tagore:5 We all know that Tagore was the one who had spent the shortest period of his life in formal education. ‘School’ was the idea that he never likes because of the absence of informality between teacher and student. Thus, when he was nearly forty, he started ‘Santiniketan’ keeping in mind the informal set up that were missing in schools those days. And when he framed the curriculum there, ‘interaction’ was the key aspect of it. According to Rabindra Nath, a proper curriculum should be able to develop the following aspects of human personality;

Swami Vivekananda: 6 Vivekananda criticized the existed system of education. He was revolutionary in the field of education and touched every aspect of it. Vivekananda advocated “man-making” education.Accordingly Vivekananda gives a very practical concept of education in these lines: “We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.” Swamiji laid emphasis on the development of integrated personality. This is possible only through total or many-sided development of personality such as intellect, physical, social, moral, emotional and aesthetic. He wanted to combine the intellect of a Sankara and the heart of a Buddha. He stressed on the need of the development of both inner and outer self of an individual. Swamiji emphasized on the personality of the teacher in education. The education is only possible through intimate personal contact between the teacher and the thought. For this purpose he wanted to revive the old Gurukula system of education. A teacher is to suggest not teaching. He laid emphasis on self-teaching or self-learning. He was a staunch supporter of freedom in education because he believed it is the first requisite of development. Hence, no teacher should exert any kind of pressure on his pupil. Education must be based on the needs of the child. ,[object Object]

Boys and girls should be taught together.

Their time should be mostly spend on manual work under the supervision of the teacher. Manual work should be considered as the part of education.

The child must know why and wherefore of every purpose.

General knowledge should be imparted to the child as soon as it is able to understand things.

The hand of the child be trained to draw geometrical figures before he learn to write, that its good hand writing should be taught from the beginning.

The child should learn to read before he is able to write.

Children should not be compelled to learn anything.

The process of teaching should be connected in a play-way, for play is essential part of education.

All education should be imparted through the mother-tongue of the child.

The second phase of education begins when a child is eleven years old and lasts up to sixteen.

The child should learn some vocation as preparation for future life.

He should acquire a general knowledge of world History, Geography, Botany, Astronomy, Arithmetic, Geometry and Algebra.

A boy or girl of sixteen years should know sewing and cooking.

In the third stage which begins at sixteen and ends at twenty-five, a young man or woman should receive education according to his or her desires and circumstances.On 23rd October, 1937, a conference was organized at Wardha to finalize the basic system of education. This conference resolved that the children should receive free education for seven years. Mother tongue should be medium of education. Every student must be taught some basic craft. ,[object Object],1. Human nature: The curriculum should aim at developing whatever is already given in seed form in the child. Education can only lead to the perfection of the instruments, which are already present in the students. Nothing can be taught or imposed from outside. 2. Individual differences: The curriculum should be planned according to individual difference. The mind has to be consulted in its own growth. The aim of the teacher is to help the growing soul in drawing out his best and to make it perfect for a noble use. 3. From near to the far: Another principle governing the planning of curriculum is to proceed from near to the far, from that which is to that which shall be. 4. Modern and up-to-date: Sri Aurobindo was a modern thinker with a love for modernity and up-to-date knowledge. Therefore, he prescribed that the education must be up-to-date in form and substance and modern in life and spirit. 5. Universal knowledge: The curriculum should include whatever is universally true: That is the basis of all scientific knowledge and philosophy. 6. Successive teaching: Sri Aurobindo disagrees with some educationists who wish to introduce every subject simultaneously to the child. He prescribes that the subjects should be taught successively. 7. Co-curricular activities: The school should provide not only academic but also co-curricular activities. 8. Five-fold curriculum: Integral education is psychic and the spiritual education. Therefore, the curriculum must be fivefold according to these five types of education. 9. Multisidedness: Integral education is multisided. It aims at all-round growth. Therefore its curriculum involves music, poetry, art, painting and sculpture, besides the academic subjects. These are necessary for the aesthetic development of the child. 10. Provision for the genius: The curriculum must provide for the genius. According to Sri Aurobindo, “What we call genius is part of the development of the human range of being and its achievements especially things of the mind and their will can carry us half way to the divine. 11. Moral and religious education: Curriculum for moral education should aim at refining the emotions and forming the proper habits and associations. Thus the aim of the curriculum according to Sri Aurobindo is the actualization of the potentialities of the students. The curriculum should not be fixed but flexible and evolutionary. A variety of choice and opportunities must be prescribed for maintaining the freedom of growth. The integral curriculum should find a due palace for every subject and every discipline. Thus, for our own comprehension we mat define curriculum as a set of courses, including their content, offered at a school or university. The curriculum often contains a detailed list of subjects and the elements of teaching them. John Franklin Bobbitt’s “The Curriculum” published in 1918 mentions curriculum as an idea that has its roots in the Latin word ‘race-course’. He also explained “The Curriculum” as the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow up into adults and get going for success in the society. ,[object Object],For any empirical study theoretical grounding is necessary. In this study my empirical findings and suggestions would be guided by the following theoretical perspectives: ,[object Object]

The Marxian Perspective: Like the functionalist perspective, the Marxian view of education is also guided by two basic questions i.e. “How is the education system shaped by the economic infrastructure?” and “How does the education system produce the kind of workforce required by capitalism?” Louis Althusser argues that the reproduction of labor power involves two processes. First, the reproduction of skills necessary for an efficient labor force. Second, the reproduction of ruling class ideology and the socializing of workers in terms of it. In his “Deschooling Society” in 1971, Ivan Illich’s main attack is on the failure of schools to match his educational ideas. He sees the ‘Hidden Curriculum’ operating in the stated way: 10 The pupil has little or no control over what he learns and how he learns it. He is simply instructed by an authoritarian teaching regime and, to be successful, most conform to its rules. Real learning, however, is not the result of instruction, but of direct and free involvement by the individual in every part of the learning process. The above discussion clearly gives an idea of a practical, quality oriented approach of curriculum construction where issues like teacher-student relationship and free interaction should be given utter priority. ,[object Object],India is a free nation with a rich variegated history, an extraordinarily complex cultural diversity and a commitment to democratic values and well-being for all. Ever since 1986 when the National Policy on Education was approved by Parliament, efforts to redesign the curriculum have been focused on the creation of a national system of education. In spite of the recommendations of the NPE, 1986 to identify competencies and values to be nurtured at different stages, school education came to be driven more and more by high-stake examinations based on information-loaded textbooks. Despite the review of the Curriculum Framework in 2000, the vexed issues of curriculum load and the tyranny of examinations remained unresolved. ,[object Object],The following social, cultural, political, economic and educational parameters have guided the development of the national curriculum framework: ,[object Object]

Education regarding India’s cultural heritage needs to be imparted to students in order to develop national identity and a spirit of togetherness;

It is essential to impart knowledge of the citizens’ duties and rights, and ideals of the Constitution of India to children;

In view of the erosion of values, it is imperative through the curriculum to inculcate moral and social values amongst students;

Besides national identity and unity, it is also imperative to develop international understanding through the curriculum;

Protection of the environment and conservation of natural resources should be major objectives of school curriculum;

In view of the increasing population of the country, it is imperative to include suitable content relating to population education in the syllabi of different subjects;

The curriculum should aim at preparing a child for life, which means that relevant knowledge should be imparted and appropriate skills, competencies and values developed;

Education plays a significant role in national development by increasing human resources. Therefore, the primary objective of the curriculum ought to be total development of the child’s personality;

All the processes of education should be child-centered, with the teacher playing the role of a facilitator during the process of learning;

The curriculum should aim at developing students’ creative potential;

The curriculum should develop a scientific approach amongst students;

Work should not be considered as distinct from education. Instead , work should be adopted as a medium for imparting education;

The process of evaluation should be continuous and comprehensive;

Media and educational technology ought to be employed to make the transactions of curriculum effective.An important development since the National Policy on Education was formulated in 1986 has been the acceptance across the country of a common structure of education and the introduction by most states of the 10+2+3 system. There are eight years of elementary education (five years of primary school and three years of upper primary/ middle schooling) and four years of secondary education (two years of general secondary and two years of higher secondary). The education system seeks to give due recognition and importance to the social organization, traditions, customs and value systems of the various communities, particularly Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This is supported among other ways by the development of materials and curricula in their languages. The main characteristics of the national curriculum, developed in accordance with the above-mentioned principles, is described in the following sections. ,[object Object]

Continuous and Comprehensive evaluation

Scheme of Studies: Language/ Mathematics/ Science/ Social Science/ Arts/ Health and Physical Education/ Moral and Values/ Work Experience.

State-level curriculum implementation:The available feedback from the states indicates that, for the most part, they have revised their curricula along the lines recommended by the 1986 NPE and 1988 NCF. However, several have made adjustments that respond to specific local needs or socio-political pressures. Following are some highlights that reflect the dynamics of curriculum implementation at the state level. ,[object Object]

Concerns/ Factors/ Demands Influencing curriculum:The revise curriculum is based on the following concerns: ,[object Object]

Curriculum aims at removing gender bias.

Curriculum aims at strengthening national identity and preserving cultural heritage.

Curriculum responds to the challenges of information and communication technology.

Curriculum links experiences with life skills.

Curriculum creates the needs of disadvantaged groups.

Public and Private school curriculum

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