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IGNOU ES-334 Free Solved Assignment 2012

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ES-334: EDUCATION AND SOCIETY Assignment - 01 Answer the following questions: i) Mention the Aims of Education in present scenario. (250 words) Solution: Life is very complex and complicated. But an aim in life can make the complex life simple and purposeful. Aims give us direction to work and without aim, destination, or objective life becomes incomplete and haphazard. Individual has different interests, attitudes and needs. Every individual wants to achieve certain goals in life. But a clear-cut aim makes the road of life easy. Educational aims are varied. They have their different role in different fields. Some specific aims are listed below: (i) Knowledge Aim: The aim of education is the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes. It helps to adjust properly in ones own environment. Knowledge helps the man to overcome the nature and satisfy human wants. It links the teacher and taught with social situation. It helps with certain skills to live in a society as human being and civilized one. Philosophers and educationists of the world believe in knowledge. It is the valuable asset of life, which helps the individual to overcome misery and problems of life. (ii) Vocational Aim: Knowledge aim of education is narrow by nature. The theoretical knowledge will never meet our basic needs of life. We need bread and butter to fill up our belly. We can get it if education is vocationalised. Gandhiji realized it in 1937 when he introduced Basic Education. Vocational aim develops the social efficiency of the individual. It reduces mental tension after completion of education. Those who are lower, intelligence in vocational education or training are a blessing for them. Realizing this aspect. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) introduces work-experience in the curriculum. (iii) Character Building Aim: The Indian concept of education believes in self-realization. Self-realization is possible through moral education. So the individual should cultivate moral virtues or values which constitute character. Swami Vivekananda said, 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 ones own feet. (iv) Complete-Living Aim: The individual has various aspects to be developed. Every aspect of the personality is reflected in various activities to be performed. Education should help the individual to fulfill the various needs and necessities of life like self-preservation, fulfilling necessities of life, rearing and bearing of children, performing civic responsibilities and utilizing his leisure time properly. Firstly, the individual must know the art of self-preservation. Secondly, education should enable to him to earn his living. Thirdly, he should know how to take care of his own children. Lastly, he must have the idea how to utilize the leisure hours properly in a profiting manner. (v) Harmonious:

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Development of the personality aim- Gandhiji said, By education, I mean an all-round drawing out of the best in the child and man-body, mind and spirit. The meaning itself indicates to develop all-round aspects of individual-physical, intellectual, social and spiritual. All these aspects of the individual should be harmoniously developed. True education is development of 3Hs instead of 3Rs. The development of Head, Heart and hand of an individual makes him happy. (vi) Democratic Aim of Education: One of the important aims and objective of education suggested by Secondary Education Commission (1952-54) is to develop the democratic citizenship. India is a democratic country. Even citizen must have to realize the duties and responsibilities carefully. So the aim of education is to train carefully the future citizens. Training should be provided to develop the following qualities of the individual. (i) Capacity for clear thinking (ii) Receptivity of new idea (iii) Clarity in speech and writing (iv) True patriotism Further the democratic aim of education develop vocational efficiency, personality and leadership quality. Indian Education Commission (1964-66) under the chairmanship of Dr. D.S. Kothari suggested the following as the aims of education in a democratic set-up. (i) Increasing productivity (ii) Developing social and national integrity (iii) Making education modernized and (iv) Cultivating of social, moral and spiritual values. ============================================================= ii) What is Pragmatism and what should be the role of teacher according to it. (250 words) Solution: Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. Pragmatism originated in the United States during the latter quarter of the nineteenth century. Although it has significantly influenced non-philosophersnotably in the fields of law, education, politics, sociology, psychology, and literary criticismthis article deals with it only as a movement within philosophy. The term pragmatism was first used in print to designate a philosophical outlook about a century ago when William James (1842-1910) pressed the word into service during an 1898 address entitled Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results, delivered at the University of California (Berkeley). James scrupulously swore, however, that the term had been coined almost three decades earlier by his compatriot and friend C. S. Peirce (1839-1914). (Peirce, eager to distinguish his doctrines from the views promulgated by James, later relabeled his own position pragmaticisma name, he said, ugly enough to be safe from kidnappers.) The third major figure in the classical pragmatist pantheon is John Dewey (1859-1952), whose wide-ranging writings had considerable impact on American intellectual life for a half-century. After Dewey, however, pragmatism lost much of its momentum.

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There has been a recent resurgence of interest in pragmatism, with several high-profile philosophers exploring and selectively appropriating themes and ideas embedded in the rich tradition of Peirce, James, and Dewey. While the best-known and most controversial of these so-called neo-pragmatists is Richard Rorty, the following contemporary philosophers are often considered to be pragmatists: Hilary Putnam, Nicholas Rescher, Jrgen Habermas, Susan Haack, Robert Brandom, and Cornel West. In a well-known passage of his work entitled "Pragmatism", Professor James sums up the achievements of the Pragmatists and outlines the future of the school. "The centre of gravity of philosophy must alter its place. The earth of things, long thrown into shadow by the glories of the upper ether, must resume its rights. . . . It will be an alteration in the 'seat of authority' that reminds one almost of the Protestant Reformation. And as, to papal minds, Protestantism has often seemed a mere mess of anarchy and confusion, such, no doubt, will Pragmatism often seem to ultra-Rationalist minds in philosophy. It would seem so much trash, philosophically. But life wags on, all the same, and compasses its ends, in Protestant countries. I venture to think that philosophic Protestantism will compass a not dissimilar prosperity" (Pragmatism, p. 123). It is, of course, too soon to judge the accuracy of this prophecy. Meantime, to minds papal, though not ultra-Rationalistic, the parallel here drawn seems quite just, historically and philosophically. Pragmatism is Individualistic. Despite the disclaimers of some of its exponents, it sets up the Protagorean principle, "Man is the measure of all things". For if Pragmatism means anything, it means that human consequences, "consequences to you and me", are the test of the meaning and truth of our concepts, judgments, and reasonings. Pragmatism is Nominalistic. It denies the validity of content of universal concepts, and scornfully rejects the mere possibility of universal, all-including or even many-including, reality. It is, by implication, Sensistic. For in describing the functional value of concepts it restricts that function to immediate or remote sense-experience. ============================================================= iii) What are the factos affecting wastage and stagnation? How you as a teacher can overcome these factors. explain with illustrations. (1000 words) Solution: Wastage we mean premature withdrawal of children from schools at any stage before completion of the primary courses".This statement does not mean there is no wastage in the Secondary Course and Higher Course. Any student, who receives education at any stage, is expected to complete his education with the prescribed period. If one withdraws from the course before completion, then that individual or individuals are deemed to be wastage to the course. Meaning of Stagnation: The students at every stage of education are expected to pass the examination after finishing the whole course. But it has been found that in general practice many students are not able to pass the examinations in one class or in more than one class within the prescribed period. Thus, they fail and remain in the same class. These failed students repeat the same class and course whereas their other colleagues pass that class and study in the next upper class. This process has been called the process of stagnation. As in the case of primary education, the wastage and stagnation were also eating the vitals of the secondary education. The tremendous loss that is caused because of the problems of the wastage and stagnation will be clear by looking at the results of High School Final every year. University education everywhere in the country is also not free from the ghost of wastage and stagnation. Probably, the problems of wastage and stagnation exist in a greater degree at this stage of education. It has been remarked that great 'wastage' of public money is taking place every year in the University Education. What is more regrettable is the fact that there is some

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indifference towards the serious loss of public money. Also no less indifference is shown for the wastage of time, money and energy of the students, their parents or guardians and their ambitions and aspirations in life. Factors Affecting Wastage and Stagnation: The causes of wastage and stagnation are of 3 categories: economic, educational and social. Economic Factors: Studies conducted on the subject show that 65% of wastage is due to poverty. According to Kothari Commission Report, "A child is sent to school between 6-9 years of age because at this age he is a nuisance at home than a help. At the age of 9 or 10, the child becomes an economic asset, because he can work at home or earn something outside. This is especially true of girls who have to assist the over-worked mother at home. The child is withdrawn from the school and thus he becomes a wastage case". Parents mostly involve their children in domestic work and this leaves no time to child for study. Financial handicap is responsible for wastage and stagnation. Out of poverty some parents utilize the service of their children to supplement earning. In many cases poor parents find it almost impossible to lose the assistance of children. Poverty of Indian people is miserable that they find themselves unable to meet other expenses connected with the education even against the provision of free education of their children during harvest time; children cannot afford to go to school as they are required in the farm. Again, out of poverty children lack minimum diet and are unable to stay for long in schools. Social Factors: Class and caste distinctions prevail in India, the former in urban areas and the latter in rural areas. Especially in the case of girls custom of early marriages or betrothals stands a bar. There is an opposition to send grow-up girls to schools especially to the mixed schools without women teachers.Muslim parents exhibit more of orthodox views about their girls. Even in the case of boys some parents due to caste restrictions do not want their children to mix with power caste boys and girls. Coeducation of boys and girls in some places is looked with suspicion. And as there is no separate provision of education for girls, deprivation of girls from schools leads to much wastage. Educational Factors: Only educational causes are responsible for another 30% of wastage. Government of India admits this in the following words: "The educational institutions being ill-equipped, poorly housed and with dull and depressing environment unfortunately could not exercise effective counter-acting influence". Uncontrolled fresh admissions without consideration of age or time have no permanency. That is, admissions are made of under-aged and over-aged children. Again admissions are done throughout the year. So there is more of wastage and stagnation. That is because under-aged children lost interest in classes, whereas over-aged children remained away from school out of shame. Lack of adequate accommodation, too much of overcrowding schools with high pupil-teacher ratio become the main causes of wastage and stagnation. Again, increased number of single-teacher schools, inefficient teaching, lack of teacher-pupil contact, frequent transfer of teachers and plural class-teaching disturbed the quality of instruction which ultimately cause much wastage and stagnation. In short, dull and unattractive schools, incomplete schools, inefficient and poor quality of teachers, defective examinations, uninteresting curricula, lack of proper parental attitude, absence of school health services and school mid-day meals are responsible for much of wastage and stagnation in schools.

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Miscellaneous Factors: Sometimes children in schools suffer from diseases of serious kinds and they are withdrawn for a long period causing wastage. Death of one of the parents or both causes much hardship to children. Orphan children drop-out from school without completing education, and so the wastage. Following are the points to overcome these factors as a Teacher : Statistics indicate huge wastage at the Primary stage. Of every 100 pupils that enter class I only 40 reach class V and only 20 reach class VIII. So steps are required to be taken for fighting against such alarming wastage those 80 students out of every hundred leave school before they complete age of 14. 1. Stagnation and wastage can be reduced by concentrating on quantitative improvement by (a) Universal provisional and (b) Universal retention. Again attempts should be made for qualitative improvement of pupils. 2. Qualified teachers should be appointed to create better quality in the instructional programme to attract children. 3. Fresh admissions should be made at the beginning of the school session within two months from the date of commencement of school year. And it should not be done throughout the year. 4. As far as possible provision should be made for starting of Pre-Primary Schools to admit children below 6 years of age. So that it will be a sort of pre-registration and preparation of the pupils to get admitted in schools. It will avoid the enrolment of under-aged over-aged children. 5. The curriculum may be made modest, simple and interesting so that it can be implemented most efficiently. 6. Improvement, of the Professional competence of teachers may be made by providing training facilities, both pre-service and in-service. Necessary guide books for teachers and work books for students and other literature should also be provided. 7. Adequate and attractive school buildings should be provided. Necessary equipment and teaching aids should be supplied for making education more interesting and effective. 8. Teacher-pupil ratio may be maintained at such a level as to ensure adequate individual attention to be paid to each individual in every class particularly in class-I. As far as possible only trained and competent teachers should remain in charge of class I. 9. As master of policy it has been adopted that children from class-I may be liberally promoted to class-II and the like without any detention at any stage. 10. Provision of part-time schooling may be made for the benefit of children who cannot attend the school during regular hours on account of domestic and economic disabilities. 11. Effective supervision and inspection may be provided in schools.

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12. Best possible use may be made of the existing resources, both human and material. The schools may be graded according to efficiency and standards. This will provide ground for qualitative improvement of schools, which ultimately will go to reduce wastage and stagnation. 13. Special provision should be made for educating the mentally retarded children by opening special institutions in each State or district level. To reduce wastage and stagnation in a bigger way, pupils may be given nutritious diet by introduction of mid-day meals under the School Health Service Programme. Existing mid-day meals system should be carefully regulated. ==================================================================== ==================================================================== ==============================================================