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Plenary Session : Address by Shri Kaw

(Chairperson : Prof. C. J. Daswani, Initiator : Prof. N. K . Ambasht Address : Shri. M. K. Kaw)

Introducing Shri. M. K. Kaw, Secretary, Education, Union of India to the delegates, Prof. N. K. Ambasht said that Shri M. K. Kaw has always been a guiding force in the programmes of the National Open School. A literate figure, Shri. M. K. Kaw, has to his credit the much acclaimed 'Science of spirituality'. Thus, a also philosopher and a poet, Shri. M. K. Kaw radiates the rare blend of academic excellence and administrative skill.

Prof. N. K. Ambasht, Chairman, National Open School, used the opportunity to throw light on the concept of Open Basic Education as visulaised by him and his colleagues. He said that Open Basic Education is nothing but basic education disseminated to the distant learners through the distant mode. And the term 'Basic Education' suggests different connotations. It may be fundamentals of one's education or basics for one's advanced learning. It may also suggest basic 'traits' of one's personality or basic features that mould these traits. He added that if a teacher is absent in the formative years of a child, the natural process of imitation would be lost. The challenge of distance education is to overcome this hurdle in the process of instruction.

Regarding the unlimited capacity of technology/media in reaching the unreached, Prof. Ambasht cautioned the group that a major part of our population is deprived of these facilities. Prof. N. K. Ambasht concluded his talk seeking a solution from the practitioners, to overcome the stumbling blocks in the goal of reaching the unreached.

Chairing the session, Prof. C. J. Daswani looked forward to the presentation from Sh. M. K. Kaw, since it would speak clearly on the government's educational policy. Inviting Sh. M. K. Kaw to present the paper, he conveyed that delegates may seek clarifications in the open discussion.

Sharing his thoughts with the group, Shri. M. K. Kaw said that the Distance Education is an emerging area and can contribute towards making the formal flexible. He stated that the Constitution of India assigns top most priority to education of children upto the age of 14 years. When we talk, about basic education we refer to the schooling needs of children upto 14 years and the literacy needs of the adult population. I am of the firm belief that the school system has a role in bringing children from all walks of life together. It serves a very useful social purpose by promoting intermingling among communities on a very large scale. This, however, does not mean that distance education has no relevance in basic education; far from it.

In an age of constant explosion of knowledge, keeping up to date is the need of the times. If a teacher or a student were to cut himself or herself from the channels of communication and computers available today, it would severely restrict their access to knowledge and skills. For the adult population, distance education becomes a means of developing and cultivating interests. Nobody learns to read and write only for the sake of reading. They do so because they would like to use their literacy and numeracy to improve their knowledge and skills. Distance education is also an effective instrument for upgradation of skills and cultivation of interests and hobbies for adults.

It is on account of this change in technology and the constant knowledge explosion that modern education systems have to be multi-pronged. Classroom is only one of the venues of learning. The radio, the television, the computer and study materials from distance education sources are all changing the concept of education. The National Open School will have to situate its interventions in this particular context of a need for multi-pronged approach to education. Flexibility and Diversity are the strength of the Open School System and these need to influence the formal stream. I personally feel that the distance mode is an effective mode for non-formalising formal school education. In this context, the National Open School can provide leadership for such initiatives.

Studies on educational psychology have debated the extent to which the home environment and the school environment contribute towards the development of a child. It is also a well known fact that every child has his or her own ability to understand what is discussed in a classroom sitution. Every child requires a culture of ''Swadhyay'' (Self Learning) in order to gain fully from the system. It is in the field of ''Swadhyay'' that the National Open School and distance education can facilitate the process of learning. Such efforts would require preparation of materials in various forms - printing, audio, video to meet the diverse learning needs of children.

The need for flexible schools and examination systems has been felt in recent years. On account of pressures of various kinds, children have often had to discontinue education at the upper primary level. The same is the case with regard to girls in rural areas especially if the upper primary school is located very far away from the village where she resides. In all such situations, the distance mode can provide opportunities of learning and self-development.

The National Open School cannot work in isolation. In any case India is too large a country to be covered by a national institution alone. It is imperative that we promote the setting up of State Open Schools by the State Governments, so that we galvanize the rural hinterland. The NOS and the SOSs should have some demarcation of their respective roles, so that they act in tandem and not at cross-proposes.

In terms of area, the NOS must concentrate its efforts on the 148 black hole districts where female literacy rates for SCs and STs are very low. It should also pay special attention to the 331 educational blocks where there is a concentration of Muslims.

In urban areas, there will have to be a focus on the children belonging to underprivileged sections of society, especially those living in slums. Special strategies for taking distance learning to them will have to be devised. I am confident that the deliberations of this workshop will contribute towards excellence in distance education or the promotion of basic education. It is always better to be focussed on where we wish to go and I think the focus on reaching the unreached is a laudable one. I wish the National Open School the very best in such an endeavour.

Reacting to the talk, Ms. Indira Varadarajan, said that her organisation works in eight parts of the country. In the field visits, what she could see was the lack of a motivating philosophy which could prepare the young neotiterates to overcome the fear of failure. Adolescent girls and women badly needed such a preparatory material before taking up a certificate course through the distance mode.

Citing the examples of housewives in Pratham, West Bengal, who could conduct pre- primary classes for children, Sh. M. K. Kaw clarified that absence of instructional material could be substituted with community participation. Visits made in some of these centres revealed that the children attending these classes had acquired the required skills. And the primary class teacher of these children even testified that they did perform well in the regular class room. Another model that could be followed is that of Fr. Alphonso, an exponent of Community College movement in southern India. Before offering vocational courses, a course on life-coping skills is offered to his students.

Prof. M. Mukhopadyaya, former Chairman, National Open School and Senior Fellow, NIEPA suggested that National Open School should develop capitulation of the organisation could do is 'organising' at the grassroots level. Teachers/Instructors who will always show in the tendency to instruct the conventional mode should be 're-trained'.

Explaining the role of Non-governmental organisations, Prof. N.K. Ambasht, Chairman, National Open School, said that the NOS tries to reach the unreached through NGOs. The National Open School will act as the coordinating agency providing examplary material.

Mrs. Rai, said that young neo-literates who are above the age of eighteen years cannot be motivated to attend a primary class. At the same time, the neo-literates below twelve years and working children cannot be taught without the assistance of a teacher at primary level. And we also need teachers to instruct at least in the initial stage and that makes training of teachers a major concern when we think about Basic Education.

Shri M.K. Kaw explained that decisions are taken in the policy making level to provide greater flexibility in the sphere of non-formal education. Decision making authority may soon be given to the State and setting up of State Education Societies is in the horizon. The setting up of Village Education Plan and District Education are also being thought of .

Responding to Mr. Mahlawat, on the role of NGOs in the proposed programmes Mr. Kaw said that greater participation of NGOs will be required in these programmes.

Dr. Ms. Renuka Narang, Director, Department of Adult Education, University of Mumbai sought guidance to certify the adult learners attached to her department.

Mr. Kaw informed that a university in the Sate of Tamil Nadu, had already started working in this direction.

Prof. O. S. Dewal, Senior Consultant, NCERT and founder Director, National Open School suggested focussed approach in reaching the unreached; using the distance education mode in Basic education.

Shri. Chanden Sen, Loksevcayatan, Northens Bihar stated that certain communities who are always on the move (especially tribes) find no place in the target group of the literacy campaigns Mr. Kaw said that attaching a teacher along with these highly mobile communities has been successful, to some extent in Himachal Pradesh.

Ms. Nishat Farooq, said that many-a-time the target group never realised the need for being literate.

The lack of motivation amongst the instructors is also another factor.

To tackle the issue of lack of interest in the learners, Mr. Kaw suggested the use of libraries. To make them feel the need to be literate, small story books should be distributed amongst the target group.

The knowledge that the stories convey, may create the demand in them to be literate. The session came to an end with the vote of thanks to the chair.

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