Test: Professional Knowledge (Educational Policies 2) - Software Development MCQ

Right to Education Act:

Every child between the ages of 6 to 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education. This is stated as per the 86th Constitution Amendment Act via Article 21A. The Right to Education Act seeks to give effect to this amendment.

Key Points

Section 24: Duties of teachers and redressal of grievances: It states as follows.

1. A teacher appointed under sub-section (1) of Section 23 shall perform the following duties, namely, -

• maintain regularity and punctuality in attending school;
• conduct and complete the curriculum by the provisions of sub-section (2) of Section 29;
• the complete entire curriculum within the specified time;
• assess the learning ability of each child and accordingly supplement additional instructions, if any, as required;
• hold regular meetings with parents and guardians and apprise them about the regularity in attendance, ability to learn, progress is made in learning, and any other relevant information about the child; and
• perform such other duties as may be prescribed.

2. A teacher committing default in performance of duties specified in sub-section (I), shall be liable to disciplinary action under the service rules applicable to him or her:

• Provided that before taking such disciplinary action, a reasonable opportunity of being heard shall be afforded to such a teacher.

 3. The grievances, if any, of the teacher shall be redressed in such manner as may be prescribed.

Thus, it is concluded that Section 24 of RTE deals with the duties of teachers.

Hint

• Section 11: Appropriate Government to provide for pre-school education.
• Section 7: Sharing of financial and other responsibilities.
• Section 35:- The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

The correct answer is option 1.

Important Points
National Education Policy 2020

• The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 29 July 2020, outlines the vision of India's new education system.
• The new policy replaces the previous National Policy on Education, 1986.
• The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) drafting committee chairperson K Kasturirangan will head the national steering committee for the development of the new curriculum for the school, early childhood, teacher, and adult education. Hence option 2 is incorrect.
• The policy is a comprehensive framework for elementary education to higher education as well as vocational training in both rural and urban India.
• It has an aim to achieve the level of 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) from preschool to secondary level in school education by 2030. Hence option 4 is incorrect.

Key Points 
Languages:

• The policy raises the importance of mother tongue and regional languages; the medium of instruction until class 5 and preferably beyond should be in these languages.
• Sanskrit and foreign languages will also be given emphasis. 
• The policy also states that no language will be imposed on the students.

Therefore, according to the NEP, teachers will be able to teach lessons in their mother tongue or regional language up to Grade 5.

The National Mission on Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) was launched in the year 2001, with the motto "Education for All."

Key-Points

• SSA is an Indian Government program aimed at the universalization of primary education "in a time-bound manner".
• It came into being after the 86th Amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to children between the ages of 6 to 14  a fundamental right (Article- 21A).
• The program was pioneered by former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
• It aims to educate all children between the ages 6 to 14 by 2010.
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a program for Universal Elementary Education.
• This program is also an attempt to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children through the provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode. It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country.
• The National Mission of SSA includes three bodies and they are, the Governing Council, the Executive Committee, and the Project Approval Board.

​Thus, the National Mission of SSA includes the governing council.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, commonly known as SSA, is a flagship program of the Indian government, launched in 2001. It runs in partnership with the state governments and the union territories.

The main objective of SSA is the universalization of elementary education in India as its primary goal is to provide elementary education to all children belonging to the age group from 6-14 years. 

Key PointsOther objectives of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan:

• Provide relevant and meaningful education to children in primary school by 2007.
• Provide free and compulsory education to children of 6-14 years age group by 2010.
• Bridge the social and gender gaps at the primary stage by 2007 and at the elementary level by 2010.
• Inculcate value-based learning among children and focus on the satisfactory quality of elementary education.

Hence, it could be concluded that the main objective of SSA is universalizing elementary education.

Continuing education refers to a continuation of basic literacy for withholding and stabilization of literacy skills acquired by the students either through the total literacy campaigns or non-formal education programs. Continuing education guides the learners from guided learning to a self-learning program.

Key Points

The main purposes of Adult Education and Continuing education are-

• Strengthening the literacy skills
• Bringing the students and adults from dependence learning to self-learning.
• Improve different aspects of personal, occupational, and social life by applying knowledge that they have learned from education.
• Provide more learning opportunities and encourage more reading habits.
• Creating a learning society that helps in society and nation development.

Hence, it is clear from the above points that the establishment of continuing education centers, programs of distance learning, and workers’ education through employers are the programmes included in Adult Education and Continuing education.

Additional Information

Literacy is a very important quality of a population. According to the Census of 2011, a person aged 7 years. and above who can read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.
Key Points

National Literacy Mission- The National Literacy Mission (NLM) established in May 1988, to achieve 75 percent literacy by 2005, seeks to achieve this goal by imparting functional literacy to the illiterate in the age group of 15-35 years.

• The basic objective of NLM is to make literacy a fundamental attribute for everyone in the country, especially women.
•  The operations of the Mission were extended in 1999, with emphasis on lifelong learning and decentralization, with devolution of authority to the state and the district level institutions.
• There is a special focus on the promotion of literacy among women, scheduled castes/tribes, and other backward classes.
• Functional literacy level encompasses imbibing values of national integration, conservation of the environment, women’s equality, etc

Thus from the above-mentioned points, it is clear that National Literacy Mission made literacy a community endeavor. 
Additional Information

•  Rajiv Gandhi Vidyagyan Mission-  A scholarship program focused on girl children from marginalized and minority communities in classes VI–X to make it conducive for them to stay in school and develop learning abilities.
• Sarva Siksha Abhiyan- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the Government of India's flagship program for the achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time-bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right. It was launched in 2001.
• National Adult Education Programme- The National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) was launched on 2nd October 1978 to eradicate illiteracy among adults of the age group 15-35 years. The objective of the scheme was to provide education facilities to 10 crores, illiterate people, in the age group of 15 to 35 years from 1978-83.

The correct answer is - Both 1 and  2

Key-Points

• National Literacy Mission  was started by the government of India on  May 1988
• The target group of NLM is people between the age of 15 and 35. 
• Objective- Eradicate illiteracy in the country by imparting functional literacy to non-literates
• The target was to make eight crore illiterate people literate by 1995.
• National Literate Mission works under the guidance of National Literacy Mission Authority, an independent wing of Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

There are three plans in this campaign

• TLP-Total literacy programmes .
• PLP-Post literacy Programme.
• CEP- continuous education programmes .

Research is a systematic inquiry based on the scientific method and concerned with understanding, prediction and control of phenomena. Educational research applies the scientific method for the systematic study of educational situations. It seeks to help us solve educational problems (not merely identification of problem) and searching for the new facts and principles underlying the process of education. Studies in educational research are categorised under two broad heads:

Key Points

Quantitative Studies

• Experimental Research: It is concerned with the investigation of cause-effect relationships in educational events. Variable(s) related to cause must precede those related to the effects. Since in terms of time, the cause variables occur first, they are also known as 'antecedents' while effect variables are called 'consequents'. 

• Quasi-experimental Studies: The literal meaning of 'quasi' is "seemingly, but not really". Thus research studies that do not use a truly experimental design are called quasi-experimental studies.  This type of research investigates the same issues that experimental research does, the difference is only in terms of the manner in which an experiment is designed and conducted. 

• Correlational Research: Correlation means 'going togetherness'; in other words, a correlation between two variables tells us about the relationship between them. For example, if we know how achievement in mathematics (x) is related with achievement in science (y), then on the basis of marks, in 'x' we can predict marks in 'y' and vice versa

Qualitative or Non-Quantitative Studies: Qualitative studies are also called 'descriptive' studies by some researchers. 

• Descriptive Research: Below are part of descriptive research:
  • It investigates 'what exists'. If it is conducted on large samples through surveys, it is called a 'survey study'.
  • It may also be based on a detailed and comprehensive study of just one unit of population, i.e. just one case, thus resulting in a 'case study'.
  • Descriptive research may examine how various aspects of human development (e.g. intelligence, attitudes, social development, moral development) or skills (cognitive skills, social interaction skills etc;) develop in groups of persons of the same characteristics. Such studies are called 'developmental studies'.
  • Similarly analysis of documents related to a particular aspect/area of education (e.g. religious and moral instruction, value education etc;) is collectively known as 'documentary analysis studies'. 
• Ethnographic Research: It is just the opposite of experimental research. In the latter, research is conducted through carefully controlled experiments but in ethnographic research, the emphasis is on naturalistic (i.e. totally without control) field studies. 
• Historical studies: They are concerned with the study of 'what was'; they try to determine, evaluate and understand past events primarily for the purpose of gaining a clearer understanding of the present and a better prediction of the future. 
• Philosophical Research: It studies in education can be taken up under historical research. ' These studies usually deal with philosophical aspects of education (e.g. related to knowledge and acquiring knowledge), metaphysical (i.e. related to reality aspects) or axiological (i.e. concerned with values) aspects of the education process. Philosophical research is basically interpretive in its approach and it involves a careful definition of the terms and processes. 

Hence, we conclude that searching for the new facts and principles underlying the process of education is the aim of educational research.

Literacy is a very important quality of a population. According to the Census of 2011, a person aged 7 years. and above who can read and write with understanding in any language, is treated as literate.

Key Points

National Adult Education Programme: In India, the overall position of literacy is disturbing, as the total number of illiterates has continued to increase, particularly among women and tribal people. The National Adult Education Programme was launched on October 2, 1978, to eradicate illiteracy, it aims to extend educational facilities to 100 million illiterates between the ages of 15-35 within a time frame of five years.

• To increase the literacy rate of the country to the persons belonging to the economically and socially deprived sections of the society.
• To make the adults self-dependent & not become a parasite to the society.
• To make education related to the work and life situations of the adult.
• Imparting of literacy skills to persons belonging to the economically and socially deprived sections of the society.
• Raising their functional capabilities in their occupation and skills of management to their own advantage as a group.
• Training of various adult education functionaries has been given a place of special importance in NAEP. 

Hence, we can conclude that National Adult Education Programme having the objective of Imparting literacy skills to the economically and socially deprived sections.

Additional Information

• Rajiv Gandhi Vidyagyan Mission-  A scholarship program focused on girl children from marginalized and minority communities in classes VI–X to make it conducive for them to stay in school and develop learning abilities.
• Shiksha Karmi Project, a unique initiative that was launched in Rajasthan, aim to reach out to children in remote rural areas where the formal primary schools are either non-existent or dysfunctional.
• National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.  

NCF(National Curriculum Framework) 2005 is one of the four NCF published in India by NCERT. It seeks to provide a framework for the betterment of educational purposes and experiences.

NCF 2005 recommended major shifts in the education system in order to make learning joyful.

Major shifts recommended by NCF 2005:

• Teacher centric to learner-centric.
• Exam and appraisal at times to CCE.
• Passive to active reception in learning.
• Linear exposure to divergent exposure.
• Disciplinary focus to multidisciplinary focus.
• Teacher guidance and monitoring to the facilitator.
• The knowledge is given to knowledge constructed and evolved.

• Learning in the classroom to learning in the wider social context.

NOTE:

NCF 2005 emphasizes involving children actively in the learning process in order to make them able to create and evolve their own version of knowledge.

There were major shifts in learning and teaching approaches when NCF was formed. The old curriculum emphasized passive reception of learning but NCF 2005 emphasized active participation in learning.