Elementary School:
The period of elementary school (from Class I to
Class VIII) is now also recognised as the period of
compulsory schooling vide the constitutional
amendment making education a fundamental right. The
beginning of this period marks the formal introduction
of the child to reading, writing and arithmetic,
culminating in the introduction of the formal disciplines
such as the sciences and the social sciences towards the
end of elementary school. This period of eight years
is one of tremendous cognitive development, shaping
reason, intellect and social skills, as well as the skills and
attitudes necessary for entering the work place.
As the effort to achieve UEE is stepped up, the
elementary school classes now cater to many children
of school-going age coming from diverse backgrounds.
Plurality and flexibility without compromising on
standards need to become the hallmark of education
for this period. Education during this period must be
of an integrated character, enabling children to acquire
facility in language and expression and to grow in selfconfidence
as learners, both within and outside school.
The first concern of the school is on the
development of the child's language competence: issues
related to articulation and literacy, and the ability to use
language to create, to think and to communicate with
others. Special stress is needed to ensure that there are
maximum opportunities for those who wish to study
in their mother tongue, including tribal languages and
linguistic pockets, even if the number of students is
small. The ability of the system to promote and nurture
these options, along with working out mechanisms to
ensure that future options remain open, should become
a marker of its ability to provide for quality education.
To achieve this, there must be a creative and concerted
effort to maintain the multilingual genius of Indians
and implement the three-language formula. While
English may be taught during this period, it must not
be at the expense of learning Indian languages.
The development of mathematical thinking,
beginning with learning numeracy and moving towards
the enjoyment of and facility with more abstract ideas,
needs to be supported with concrete experiences and
work with manipulations. It is in the early years, up to
Class IV, that efforts at diagnosing learning difficulties
and addressing remedial work in language and
mathematics must be directed.
Such concrete experiences are also essential in the
introduction to the integrated study of the environment
through which children's intuitive knowledge of the
world is integrated into school knowledge. Over the
years, this study should move towards a more
disciplinary approach, but with integrative themes within which there are located opportunities to develop concepts and learn the vocabulary and methods of the
discipline.
The study of arts and crafts is essential for
developing not only the aesthetic sensibility but also
for learning how to manipulate materials and
developing attitudes and skills essential for work. The
curriculum must expose children to practical life skills
and work experiences of varied kinds. Physical
development through sports activities is also a must. A
variety of activities at this stage of schooling should be
made available, including participating in cultural
programmes, organising events, travelling to places
outside the school, providing experiences to develop
socially and emotionally into creative and confident
individuals sensitive to others, and capable of taking
initiative and responsibility. Teachers with a background
in guidance and counselling can design and lead
activities to meet the developmental needs of children,
thus laying the foundation for the necessary attitudes
and perceptions towards the self and the world of
work. They can also provide the needed support and
guidance to children belonging to various strata of
society for their sustenance through the elementary
school years. The approach to the whole curriculum
should be process oriented rather than outcome
oriented. All these arenas of development should be
made available to all children. Care must be taken to
ensure that the curriculum does not reinforce
stereotypes about preferences, choices and capabilities
of different groups. In this context, the gradual
inclusion of vocationally oriented skills as a part of
exposure to work would be an important aspect of
an inclusive curriculum.
