CURRICULUM CHANGE AS SOCIO- POLITICAL PROCESS IN INDIA

CURRICULUM CHANGE AS SOCIO- POLITICAL PROCESS  IN INDIA

     Curriculum is a runway for attaining goals of education. It is considered as a blueprint of an educational programme. The basis for any major curriculum change is significantly to improve the existing curriculum. The  Process of Curriculum change helps in the assessment of future needs of the existing curriculum along with a determination of what needs to be changed and the selection of possible solutions to problems and the means by which the necessary changes can be achieved.

Politics is a social aspect , because society needs a government to serve it better, but in democracy in particular. The government is as the people are and the people are as per the education they receive, therefore education and politics and so the social good are inter related.

1.  Vedic Period : During the Vedic period , education was propagated by Rishis, Munis, and Sanyasis. The schools were then known as Gurukulas and Ashramas where pupils and teachers lived together forming a big family. The state had nothing to do with the curriculam methods and duration of education except helping these centres of learning materially and financially.

2. Brahminic Period :  During Brahminic period also the pattern of education continued as before. Gurukula and Ashramas flourished and provided all kinds of education to the children. The state did not interfere with the working of these centres but helped them in all other ways.

3. Buddhistic Period : During Buddhistic period individually organised and managed educational centres of the Vedic and Brahminic periods developed into big public institutions like the modern universities Nalanda, Vallabhi, Vikramashila, Nadia were world renowned centres of higher education which attracted students from all over the world. The management of these institutions were replaced by the old pattern of individual management ,  though the state had its role in the organisation, maintenance and working of all the centres of higher learning. The virus of political corruption did not enter the portals of these world reputed centres of learning. Thus they enjoyed complete internal and external autonomy.

4. Muslim Period : During Muslim Period the rulers controlled the centres of learning and used education to propagate the state religion which was Islam.  Thus centred the virus of political influence and corruption in the sacred precincts of educational centres.

5. British Period : During the early British rule , East India company remained quite indifferent towards the education of Indians. But in 1913 , under the insistence of some Indian and British scholars, East India Company agreed to shoulder some responsibilities of education of Indians. About twenty two years the controversy between Western and Oriental education continued to range giving rise to a number of problems.

Finally lord Macaulay with the purpose of consolidating the British Empire in India decided in favour of English education and exhorted that ‘A single shelf of good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Indian Languages and literature of India.

Gradually the Government assumed full control, over the aim, curriculum, methods and medium of education to be given to Indians.  In 1854 A.D., on the recommendations of Wood’s Despatch , the company Government in India established Department of Education and four Universities on the pattern of London Universities. The Hunter Commission of 1882 recommended the opening of Govt. schools an provided a scheme of govt. financial aid to encourage public initiative for opening more and more privately managed schools.

   The result of this effort was that the govt. began to open more and more schools, colleges and Universities for Academic , Vocational and Professional  education of the people. In 1919 , the central govt. transferred its responsibility towards education to popularly elected ministries in all provinces of India. Since then education is a responsibility of the state govt., the role of centre being advisory and financial help.

6. Modern Period : After  Independence, education was assigned to both the state and central control in some aspects and areas. Central govt. controls a few universities and institutes of higher learning, but the rest of the educational institutions in the country are under the full control of their respective states , privately managed educational institutions are awarded recognition by the state governments which also provide to them grant-in-aid and other financial supports for their maintenance and growth. In short , the state govt. controls all the educational activities and processes including the curriculum of the institutions.