COMMUNITY
SCHOOLS
Community
school, by definition, is a school which deliberately tries to make the
curriculum centre around the activities of the community which it serves. The
relationship may be expressed in varying degrees-(i) the community's activities
and occupations may constitute the chief, subject matter for study in the
school, (ii) pupils may work in cooperation with adults in the community on
problems of mutual concern, (iii) the school may be organized into a community
exemplifying the best trends in the outside community, (iv) the work of the
school may be extended into the outside community such that it becomes the initiator
and planner of projects for 'community development.
In
the U.S., community schools were started in the context of what has come to be
known as "Free School Movement". In a way the, free schools signify a
form of 'alternative' approach to schooling.
Free
School Movement
Free
schools, usually private, were started in the U.S. in 1960's chiefly with local
initiatives. They were started invariably in store fronts, abandoned churches,
homes etc. Greater freedom of learning was brought through humane principles in
these schools. Often organized by students from middle class families, these
schools are faced with financial problems
Radical
School Reform
American
Public School education has been under criticism for long, on the ground that
is a disaster area, particularly for the poor. Critics suggested 'open
classroom'. The suggestion was not found to succeed either. A few parents,
teachers and students started their own schools where a "free"
atmosphere of learning and growing unlike in public schools, could be created.
It came to be known as free school movement; and the number of such schools
when started around 1967 was about 20 which increased to over 500 by 1972. The
schools are quite varied in the style of functioning and spirit, but by and
large signify a critique of almost all the methods, forms, content and results
of the public school system, particularly the regimentation and the element of
compulsion: They are astonishingly small, ranging frosts only 6 to 10 students
to around 250 (although community schools are usually much larger in student
strength). Usually, the staff-student ratio is one-to-five, with many teachers
serving either on voluntary basis or on low salary.
Being
non-public in character, they get their revenue only, through gifts and donations.
Often, therefore, many are short-lived glazing for about a couple of years.
These problems notwithstanding the free schools, represent as exemplars of what
good schools could be like particularly in helping children escape from the
brain washing, of the public school system.
A
close Scrutiny of the situation, however, world reveal that only a minority of
people arc discontented, and the majority of Americans basically approve of the
public school system, its methods, values and purpose. Its characteristics like
authoritarian structure, discipline and punishment system, motivation through
testing and grading are seen as not totally unwarranted. The schools seek to
make the children into loyal, patriotic, obedient, literate and employable
young men and women.
The
discontented are those from a minority group whose children fail to fore better
in the economic race. It is believed that the answer could not be 'free
schools', but the schools that work for their children, the way they seem to
have worked for the middle class white children Community control, if found
necessary, could be secured.
There
is a growing, professional and public opinion that the public schools should
seek to adopt at least a few of the 'free school' reforms. Hence, it could be
expected that along with free schools such a development may take place inside
the public school system. Financial difficulties, it is seen, will force the
enthusiasm for free schools to diminish.
Whatever
its future, the free schools movement symbolizes the growing desire for
extensive educational reforms in American public School system.
PACE-SETTING
SCHOOLS
The
institutionalized approaches to formal education him come in, of late, for
close and objective scrutiny and re-examination vis-a-vis the needs of the
society and of the individual. The inadequacy, irrelevance and relative failure
of the school system have led educational thinkers understandably to advocate a
wide range of reforms and innovations. The suggestions and alternatives vary in
terms of orientation, organizational details, curricular approaches; and so on.
The
planners and organizers of schooling have thus necessarily begun to realize the
relative urgency to try more promising experiments, and to introduce innovative
models. Several such pace-setting schools attempted in different parts of the
world, hold out promise of a better dispensation to the learners. We shall
discuss below a few of these pace-setting ventures.
NAVODHAYA
SCHOOLS (INDIA)
Navodhaya
schools signify a promising innovation being attempted in India in the context
of the National Policy on Education, 1986. The experiment is designed for a
section of the bright children could consist of high achievers, particularly in
areas hither to left uncovered, and the gifted. Navodhaya vidhyalays seek to
cater to the needs of the category of high achievers, particularly in rural
parts of the country.
The
plain is to start one such school in each district during the VII Five year
Plan. These schools will make available good quality education to deserving
pupils irrespective of the parents' capacity to pay and their socio-economic
back-ground. In these schools, there will be reservation for scheduled caste
and scheduled tribe children as per their actual population in the district
subject to minimum of the nationally prescribed figure of 15 and 7.5 percents
for these two groups respectively.
Efforts
will be tirade to cover girls to the extent of one third strength in each
school. Free education, free boarding and free lodging will be provided in
these schools will be affiliated the Central Board of Secondary Schools. The
Schools will have freedom to adopt innovative methods and approaches. The
teachers recruited from across the nation, will use interactive teaching
methods, project activities etc.
Each
school will have 39 acres of land, an inexpensive swimming poll beside other infrastructural
facilities and teaching aids of modern version. The teachers whose training
needs are specially taken care of, will be accountable, and will have
non-monetary incentives too. Not more than 40 students will be there is
class—classes VI to XII, each class having two sections.
Curricular
and co-curricular programmes
Four
streams are offered-humanities, science, commerce, and vocational courses.
Instruction is in the mother tongue or regional language up to class VII, VIII,
when intensive teaching of Hindi/ English, both as language subjects and
co-media are introduced. Thereafter, Hindi or English will be the common media.
Thus, they will follow the three language formula-region language, Hindi and
English.
Migration
of about 20 percent of pupils from one school to another in a different
linguistic region it envisaged, particularly between the Hindi and non Hindi
speaking regions. In the Hindi region, 'third', language taught will be the
language of the 20 percent in-coming students from the other region. There are
time-bound courses in languages.
Admission
is based on tests. All the V class passed students from the district are
eligible to take the test, designed by the NCERT. The medium of the test in
mother tongue of regional language; and the tests are chiefly non-verbal, and
class-neutral.
The
Novadhaya schools are administered by an autonomous society formed in the Union
Human Resources Development Ministry. The schools are expected to develop close
rapport with the neighboring school; and share facilities with them. In the
Seventh Plan, there is provision of a sure of RS 500 crores for the programme.
Although
the scheme is a centrally sponsored project, in effect it is joint venture
because it is the States which are required to provide free ‘land’ for these
schools. The project is just taking off, and is being watched with interest and
hope across the country.
SAINIK
SCHOOLS
Sainik
schools are schools of a special kind we may classify them in a way under
public schools, run on the lines of thee, is European countries. Public schools
were started in our country during the British rule, for the wards of the princely
families, or the aristocrats. The schools provided programmes beginning from
the nursery put the secondary, leading to the Senior Cambridge Certificate.
Later, these came to be accessible to the rich public.
In
fact, military schools meant for imparting training le military personnel are a
kind of public schools. All the King George Schools which came to be designated
as sainik school, and Lawrence Schools at Sanawar and Lovedale come under this
category. A large number of Sainik Schools have been opened more recently in
various States, in order to provide education of a specialised nature, to the
age-group 11-19, both on academic and military lines which would further lead
to courses at the military colleges.
Thus,
these Sainik Schools prepare trainees for Military Colleges where they receive
further education in order to serve the three wings of our Defense Forces
namely, the army, the navy and the air force. The Sainik Schools are organized
on the lines of the European Public Schools, with the special feature therein being
training for defense of the country. The need to recruit more raid more
students in these schools has been felt on account of the nearly constant situation
of tension on our borders, and also the need for a greater defense
consciousness and defense preparedness
MOBILE
SCHOOLS AND FLOATING UNIVERSITY
Efforts
to improve the spread and reach of educational opportunities, as part of making
the enterprise more democratic, have led to some very innovative approaches on
the organizational front. Mobile schools and Floating University are instances
of such attempts, broadly termed as 'schools without wall and 'Experience
Curriculum' etc.
Mobile
Schools
It
was Frederick J.Mc, Donald., a learning theorist, who proposed the concept of
'mobile education’ in which the student is taken out of the classroom for
‘observation of and participation’ in community activities.
`Life-long
education' concept, it should be noted, does not full-time schooling approach.
Part time schooling and part time work at low-skill, paid or unpaid community
service tasks, are indeed useful.
In
the 'mobile school' concept parents too can take on 'teaching responsibility'
(De-schooling idea). Schools in this model are meant more for promoting social
and athletic activities and for some difficult subject areas. Besides home,
'community' is also viewed as another area for providing education. 'Mentors'
drawn from adult population (planners, builders, carpenters/accountants, doctors,
engineers, businessmen etc) could provide, monitor and sustain earning
activities of students, in the community setting.
Floating
University
The
need to provide the learners, particularly in higher education which richer and
more 'true-to-idea' experiences has resulted in the novel experiment, 'Floating
University'.
The
encouraging example of the world's only major shipboard University, `S.S.
Universe' is worth noting. Students from different colleges and universities in
the U. S. are on board, in the Floating University, visiting and calling at
different parts across the world.
When
the S.S. Universe 'visited' in 1978, Madras, there were on board a group of 461
such students; and they were on an educational voyage to 13 ports its 10
different countries in the world, in the course of their 100-day long 'semester
at sea'. About 70 faculty members with their families were also on board the
S.S., Universe an 18,000 ton ocean liner. And from Madras, it sailed to
Colombo. The Travel Corporation of India (TCI) arranged the tours for the
different groups when in Madras.
The
U. S. Institute for Shipboard Education and the Colorado University
co-sponsored the venture. The 'Floating University" its teachers and
students all jointly 'plan' their visits to places, a historical and cultural
importance. Regular classes are held for six days a week while at sea. As many
as 50 undergraduate course ranging from cultural studies to history and
journalism are offered in the Floating University. Theirs is, in fact, an
international studies programme.
It
would be certainly an experiment worth trying on larger scale too, by other
countries as well; and although a costly venture, it is a promising alternative
to the ‘stationary, universities that our conventional institutions of higher
learning are. In any case, they should be a useful adjunct to our existing
universities.
