Alternative
Education at Different Stages and Recommendations of Various Committies
Topic: Alternative Education at
Elementary & Secondary Education
What is
alternative education?
Alternative Education is designed to meet the needs
of highly at-risk students who are not succeeding in the traditional setting.
In alternative programs, students are provided with a variety of options that
can lead to graduation and are supported by services for themselves and their
immediate families that are essential to success. While each program is unique,
they share characteristics identified in the research as common to successful
alternative schools.
Aims of
alternative education at elementary and secondary stage.
·
To Provide Education to Economically Deprived Classes of the Society
·
To Enable the Pupils to Learn While they Earn
·
To Meet the Needs of Late-Bloomers
·
To Meet the Inadequacies of Formal Education
·
To Provide Education to Economically Deprived Classes of the Society
Some
general recommendations for alternative education at elementary and secondary education.
·
Maximum teacher/student ratio of 1:15
·
Small student base o Clearly stated mission
and discipline code
·
Caring faculty with continual staff
development
·
School staff
having high expectations for student achievement
·
Learning program
specific to the student’s expectations and learning style
·
Flexible school schedule with community
involvement and support
·
Total commitment
to have each student be a success
After the independence several committees and
commissions were constituted to analyse the problems and suggest the way
forward
Recommendations
of various committees on alternative education
This includes children with
disabilities, who may need assistance or more time to complete their assigned
tasks. It would be even better if, while planning for such activities, the
teacher discusses them with all the children in the class, and ensures that
each child is given an opportunity to contribute. When planning, therefore,
teachers must pay special attention to ensuring the participation of all. This
would become a marker of their effectiveness as teachers.
An alternative education program is
often defined by the program’s characteristics, such as programs that focus on
behaviour, interest, or functional level. Behavioural programming might be
designed for students who need a structured setting to focus on more
appropriate school behaviours to facilitate their learning and the learning of
others. Programs designed around student interest might include an
environmental program or vocational academies. Functional-level programs might
include high school completion, academic, or skill remediation.
What types of
students are served in alternative education programs?
Alternative education programs could serve many
types of students. However, virtually all Wisconsin alternative education
programs focus on students who meet the statutory definition of being at-risk.
The students’ characteristics range from truancy, delinquency, behavioural
problems, alcoholic, family problems, and academic failure to expellable
offenses. A typical list of selection criteria includes:
› Poor attendance
› Failing grades (D/F)
› Family crisis
› Referred to but did not qualify for special
education services
› Social/emotional/medical issues
› Free/reduced lunch
› Below-average performance on assessments
› Discipline problems
› Drug and alcohol issues
› Criminal behaviour
› Poor peer relationships
› Rated “high” on teacher-generated at-risk profile
› Retained or considered for retention Significant deficiencies in credits
› In the context of Universalization
of Elementary Education (UEE), the need for tackling the problem of drop-outs
and non-school going children is being increasingly recognised. In view of the
difficulties in expanding facilities of formal education and the failure of the
formal education to attract to its fold and keep it in a large number of
children in the age group 6-14, the alternative strategy is expected to be
provided by the non-formal approach in education.
The
86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002 makes education a Fundamental Right for
children in the age group of 6-14 years stating that “the State shall provide
free and compulsory education to all children of the age of six to fourteen
years in such manner as the State may, by law, determine”.
In 2001, there were
58.021 million out-of-school children. This number reduced to 13.42 million in
2005. The problems regarding education of these out-of-school children vary
across the nation due to different causes, factors and diverse obstacles to
overcome. Non-formal Education can thus help to overcome their problems. There
is a heavy wastage or dropouts in different classes of due to inadequacy or
irrelevance of curriculum or unsuitability of time and place of formal
schooling. NFE has therefore been regarded as an alternative mode of providing
elementary education for making it universal
› According
to a 2014 study by The National Centre for
Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), students in alternative
programs are often there because of academic or emotional challenges. These may
include poor attendance, suspension, expulsion, family stress, emotional
difficulties, learning disabilities, poor grades, disruptive classroom behaviour
or pregnancy.
› alternative schools serve
students who succeeded in traditional schools but are looking for a more
creative learning environment.
› An
alternative high school is simply a school that doesn’t provide a completely
traditional learning experience.
› Alternative
schools were first created to help “troubled” students who had behavioral
problems that traditional public schools were ill-equipped to handle. However, today students
attend alternative schools for a variety of reasons which are discussed in more
detail below. In general, alternative high schools exist
to give students who do not do well in a traditional academic environment an
opportunity to succeed in high school and earn a high school diploma.
Features of an alternative
school at elementary and secondary Education
› Smaller Class Sizes: Smaller classes allow teachers to give students more individual
attention and make it easier to tailor lessons to specific student needs.
› More Flexible Schedules and Graduation
Requirements: Some alternative high
schools offer classes at night, which can be helpful for students with jobs or
children. Others have flexible graduation requirements and give students more
choice in the classes they must take (as opposed to one math class, one science
class, one English class, etc. each semester). This can give students the
opportunity to study a subject of particular interest to them.
› Wider Variety of Teaching Methods: Alternative high schools often use numerous teaching methods that
emphasize creativity and interaction. This can help students who struggle with
sitting in a classroom and taking notes all day.
› Non-Traditional Evaluation Methods: Some alternative schools don’t give out grades, instead they
provide written evaluations. Others offer academic credit for work experiences
or internships.
› Address Social, Mental, and Emotional Needs of
the Student: In addition to addressing academic needs, alternative schools often
have additional resources, such as counseling and support groups, available for
students.
Recommendations for Alternative Education in Kothari
Commission, 1964-66
› The
Education Commission of 1964-66 set up by the Government of India, and
popularly known as Kothari Commission recommended Alternative education on a
large scale for out of school children and adults. The Commission put stress
more on literacy, continuing education, correspondence courses etc. All these
linked with adult education programmes.
› The
Kothari Commission has recommended the setting up of libraries all over the country and the use of school
libraries for the public benefit. Libraries play a crucial role in imparting
knowledge and awareness.
Recommendations for Alternative Education in NPE1968
› Emphasizes On the extension of the programs of
literacy and adult education.
› open schooling
› national system of education
› Early childhood care and education
› value education- education does not alienate the
students from the family, community and life.
› universalization of Elementary education.
› Promotion of secondary education. open Learning
should be given.
› provides need based financing
Recommendations for Alternative Education in NPE1986
› The
national policies of 1968 and 1979 give
› much
emphasis on elementary education and adult education.
› National
Policy in 1986 gives greater emphasis on NFE and Alternative education.
› A large and systematic
programme of Alternative Education will be launched for school
drop-outs, for children from habitations without schools, working children and
girls of whole day schools. Effective
steps will be taken to provide a framework for the curriculum, but based on the
needs of the learners and related to the local environment.
› provides need based financing
Recommendations for Alternative Education in SSA
2000
› Enrollment of all children in schools or alternative
arrangements by 2003
› Alternative
schools serve students who succeeded in traditional schools but are looking for
a more creative learning environment
› Smaller Class Sizes
› Address
Social, Mental, and Emotional Needs of the Student
› Non-Traditional
Evaluation Methods
› Wider
Variety of Teaching Methods
› More
Flexible Schedules and Graduation Requirements
Recommendations for Alternative Education in NPE
2001
› Equal access to education for women and girls.
› Special measures will be taken to eliminate
discrimination.
› Universalize education.
› Eradicate illiteracy.
› Create a gender sensitive educational system.
› Increase enrollment and retention rates of
girls.
› Improve the quality of education.
› Development
of occupation/ vocation/ technical skills by women.
› Reducing the gender gap in secondary and higher
education.
Recommendations for Alternative Education in NPE
2016(Draft)
› The NPE 2016(draft) seeks to address both the unfinished agenda and targets of
the earlier NPEs and the contemporary educational challenges.
› The draft of
national education policy 2016 was released recently by the MHRD and
suggestions were invited on the same from the public domain.
› The focus of the policy is to address gender
discrimination, the creation of educational tribunals, and a common curriculum
for science, mathematics and English.
› Revision of no detention policy, promotion of
Sanskrit, and bringing back class 10 board examinations are some of the key
changes that the policy talks about.
› Pre school education
› Curriculum renewal and examination reforms
› School education
› Protection of rights of the child & adolescent
education
› Literacy and life long learning
› Skills in education and employability
› Use of ICT in
education
REFERENCES
http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1746/Alternative-Schooling.html
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