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Unit 15: Policy Perspectives on Teacher Education—Indian Education Commission

15.4.2 Reorganisation of the University stage:
The following has been recommended in this respect: Notes
(i) Duration of the first degree should not be less than three years and the duration of the
second degree to be 2 to 3 years;
(ii) Some universities should start graduate schools with 3 years Master Degree courses in
certain subjects; and
(iii) Three year special courses for the first degree which begin at the end of the first year of the
present 3 year degree courses should be started in selected subjects and in selected institutions.
15.4.3 Utilisation of Facilities
The following methods have been suggested to make full utilisation of available facilities:
(i) Instruction days in the year to be increased to about 39 weeks for schools and 35 weeks for
colleges and pre-primary schools; and
(ii) Standard calendar in the worked out by the Ministry of Education and the University Grants
Commission in consultation with State Governments and Universities respectively. Other
holidays to be cut down to 10 in a year.
15.4.4 Teacher Status
The Commission has emphasised that the most urgent need was to upgrade the remuneration of
teacher substantially, particularly at the school stages, and recommended that the Government of
India should lay dawn for the school stage, minimum scales of pay for teachers and assist the
States and Union Territories-to adopt equivalent or higher scales to suit their conditions. Scales
of pay of schools teachers belonging to the same category but working under different
managements such as Government, Local bodies or private managements should be the same.
15.4.5 Towards Equalisation of educational Opportunity
Observing that every attempt should be made to equalise educational opportunities or at least to
reduce some of the most glaring inequalities which now exist, the Commission has stressed the
need for the following programmes:
(i) The development of a common school system of public education in which no fees would
be charged, where access to good schools will be open to all children on the basis of merit,
and where the standard maintained would be high enough to make the average parent feel
no need to send his child to an independent institution;
(ii) The development of adequate programmes of student-service at all stages which will include
free supply of books and writing materials at the primary stage, the provision of book
banks and textbooks, libraries in all institutions of secondary and higher education, the
provision of transport, day study centres or hostels, and the institution of guidance facilities
and health services;
(iii) The development of a large programme of scholarships at all stages and in all sectors
combined with a programme of placement and maintenance of quality institutions, to ensure
that the brighter children at least will have access to good education and that their further
education will not be handicapped on economic grounds.
(iv) Special encouragement to the education of girls and the backward classes;
(v) The reduction of imbalances in educational development between the different parts of the
country -districts and States; and
(vi) The development of a comparatively small but effective programme for the education of
the handicapped children.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 143