Page 190 - DEDU501_DEVELOPMENT_OF_EDUCATION_SYSTEM_ENGLISH

Development of Education System

Notes The Sergeant Report of 1944 recommended :
(a) Six year duration for the high school course, and
(b) Three year degree course at the university stage. Thus it suggested the abolition of the
intermediate course by attaching the first year of this course to the intermediate course by
attaching the first year of this course to the school stage and absorbing its second year in the
degree course.
The University (Radha Krishnan) Commission, (1947-49), which had to report primarily on university
education in India, also reviewed the position of secondary education and made certain notable
suggestions. It remarked that secondary education is the real weak spot in out entire educational
machinery The Commission suggested that :
1. The standard of admission to the university courses should correspond to that of the present
intermediate examination, i.e., after the completion of 12 years of study at a school and an
intermediate college;
2. In each province, a large number of well-equipped and well-staffed intermediate colleges
should be established; and
3. A large number of occupational institutions should be opened to divert students to different
vocations after 10 to 12 years of schooling.
During the period, there has been a considerable expansion in secondary education. In 1946-47,
there were 5,298 high schools with an enrolment of 2,194,030 pupils. The corresponding figures
for 1916-17 were 1,750 and 5,72,261.
Several causes contributed to this rapid expansion :
1. There was a general demand for secondary education mostly due to the awakening among
the masses;
2. A number of secondary schools had been established in rural and semi-urban areas with a view
to bringing secondary education with in an easy reach of the children of those localities; and
3. Secondary education made some progress amongst women and less advanced communities. 1
Fifth Period : During this period, a number of official reports on education were published. In
1952, the Mudaliar Commission which was exclusively concerned with secondary education
recommended three stage in Indian educational system, viz.
1. Primary stage of 4 to 5 years’ duration;
2. Middle (secondary) stage of 4 years’ duration; and
3. Higher secondary stage of 4 years’ duration.
In other words, it suggest the abolition of the Intermediate stage by transferring the first year of
the course to the higher secondary and the second to the degree course, thus institution a three
year degree course. It stressed that higher secondary schools, by and large, should be multipurpose
institutions offering seven alternative streams, viz., Humanities, Science, Technical, Commerce,
Agriculture, Home Science and Fine Arts. It recommended that Agriculture, Home Science and
Fine Arts. It recommended that Class VIII should serve as the Delta class, after which the students
should be drafted to different streams. During the decade (1956-66) a large number of higher
secondary schools were establised. Many of them were multipurpose. It was, however, realised
that the scheme was no working well, and the multipurpose schemes remained illusory. The chief
reason was that the pupils of class VIII found it too difficult to make a choice of subjects. Moreover,
a number of multipurpose schools were started with out looking to the actual needs of the locality
where they were set up.
The Commission recommended a pattern of education consisting of three successive stages, viz.,
primary stage of 7 to 8 years; lower secondary stage of 2 to 3 years of general education or 1 to 3
years of vocational education a higher secondary stage of 2 years of general education or 1 to 3
years of vocational education. The higher secondary courses were to have provision for specialized
studies in different subjects. This new pattern of 10 + 2 + 3, was examined by several official
bodies. It was realised that certain modifications were needed.

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