History of education Essay Example for Free

History of education Essay Muthukumaran Committee Report Tamil Nadu is regarded to be one of India’s star performers in the sector of elementary education. The results of the 2001 Census show that Tamil Nadu has attained third position behind Kerala and Maharashtra both in terms of overall and female literacy. It recorded close to 100 per cent gross enrolment ratio (GER) at primary and upper primary levels based on 2007 estimates. A major legislative effort for the universalisation of education in line with the constitutional mandate has been the introduction of the Tamil Nadu Compulsory Education Act, 1994. Under this Act it is the duty of the government to provide the necessary infrastructure (schools and teachers) for ensuring universalisation of elementary education. Parents are also liable to be fined if they do not send their wards to school, though this rule is not very strictly enforced as most of the children not going to school come from poor backgrounds. Tamil Nadu’s high enrolment statistics are also the result of the number of welfare schemes that the State government has introduced in the elementary education sector. The large number of missionary and private schools are also playing a role in the spread of education. The government provides textbooks, uniforms and noon meals to the pupils making it a State where the per child spending is much higher than in educationally backward States such as Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and others and is higher than the all-India average. The State is making an endeavor to provide primary schools within a one km radius of human habitations with a population of 300 and above to increase their accessibility. It is also a State that has actually spent most of the funds allocated to it by the Centre under the SSA scheme, in contrast to States like UP, Bihar and Assam that have huge unspent amounts. Tamil Nadu students stood first in the country in mathematics, language and reading comprehension skills according to the national mid-term achievement survey of Class III children commissioned by the NCERT in collaboration with the MHRD and the SCERT and SSA wings of the States recently. But it has come to light that local bodies like corporations and municipalities are not fully utilizing money collected as education tax as a percentage of property tax under the Tamil Nadu Elementary Education Act and this is affecting the quality and quantity of formal education provision at the grassroots level. While the general literacy rate in Tamil Nadu as per 2001 data is 73. 5%, wide disparities exist across districts, gender, and area of residence as well as social grouping. The literacy rate of the SC and ST populations are consistently lower in all the districts. The retention rate within and after the primary school level is also not very impressive and there is a high percentage of repeaters. This is particularly so in the case of the STs and SCs. It is to overcome this discrepancy between education offered in different kinds of schools, between rural and urban schools and to overcome other numerous ills that have crept into the education system—such as arbitrary collection of fees, induction of daily waged, inadequately qualified para teachers, rote learning, examination stress, problems related to the medium of instruction and so on—that the State government constituted the Muthukumaran Committee, which submitted its report in 2007. This committee had the mandate to work out a framework of a uniform pattern of education in Tamil Nadu and to make recommendations for improving its quality. The report of the Committee recommends only one autonomous board, The Tamil Nadu State Secondary School Education Board, instead of the existing four State level boards—Matriculation, Anglo-Indian, Oriental and State Board. Schools coming under this integrated Board would follow a common syllabus ensuring an equitable school education in the State not conferring any undue advantages with regard to admission into higher educational institutions for students completing their school education from one particular Board. Equitable standard education is to be provided by a Common School or Neighbourhood School system, which with uniform syllabi would help to ‘decommercialise’ educational institutions and put an end to many a private management that does not feel sufficiently accountable to society in this crucial sector. The spiraling cost of education starting at the nursery level is cementing caste-class and rural-urban divisions. A common school system using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction would make equal education accessible to all without discrimination. A common school system also means a common examination pattern. The report of the Committee advocates a reasonable teacher-student ratio of not more than 1:30 and doing away with faulty textbooks and a system of rote learning. It emphasizes the promotion of analytical and rational skills that would equip the students to learn by themselves; a testing and evaluation pattern that involves the application of concepts learnt rather than mere reproduction of facts. The school syllabus should not overload students with information but instead kindle their interest in the subject and teach them how to search for more information and conceptualize it. Traditional knowledge should be incorporated and made part of school education. Evaluation should be comprehensive and not just of academic achievements, and that too only marks based. Evaluation should include an assessment of student abilities and performance in academics, the arts, sports and games, values, reading habits, character, conduct and other extra-curricular activities. Schools should not only lay emphasis on academic subjects but also on moral education. Here the Committee suggests that it may be better to have a progress book with entries made from time to time and also periodically sent to the parents so that they may be made aware of their child’s progress. Regular consultation with parents about their wards’ progress and achievements and educational goals is a must. A sheet of paper containing marks obtained in public exams is not enough to understand a student’s development and potential. If the marks obtained in only one exam are going to decide the person’s admission into an institute of higher learning then all stress is on preparing for this exam neglecting other exams and activities. The chance or temptation to indulge in malpractices is also high. Marks obtained in a one-time exam also are no accurate reflection of the student’s actual knowledge and achievement level and potential. Treating exams and marks as more important than life itself has meant the death of many a student. Finally, children belonging to linguistic minorities should be allowed to gain instruction in their respective mother tongue, while all students in standards 5 or 8 ought to have a specific level of knowledge in Tamil and English so that these languages can be used for communication. No student should be dropped and he/she should be allowed to grow in the chosen field of interest and in accordance with their individual capability. A simple pass or fail should certainly not be a deciding factor in a person’s life. While the government has accepted the notion of one board for school education other major recommendations of the Muthukumaran Committee on education reforms are being sidelined by the State government. In fact, some government run schools are changing the medium of instruction to English and not all schools teach Tamil, though this is compulsory as per current State education law. Moreover, schools with an eye on the results in board exams and aiming at future lucrative career possibilities for their students are introducing modern European languages like French (German is waiting to be introduced on a larger scale on the school level) that are supposedly high scoring subjects in comparison to Tamil, which is seen to be difficult even by those whose mother tongue it is. There is almost everywhere an exodus from government run schools to aided or private schools because of the perceived better quality and the lure of an English medium education, which is regarded by parents to be necessary in today’s world. It is to remain viable and not lose out in this competition for students that government run schools are increasingly offering English medium instruction also, although the English medium sections are permitted only on a self-financing basis. The non-acceptance of important recommendations by the Muthukumaran committee is thus in line with the general pro-globalisation trend in the Tamil Nadu economy as a whole. Current education system Why is India still a developing country and what is stopping it from being a developed country? India’s education system as a stumbling block towards its objectives of achieving inclusive growth. India is going to experience a paradox of nearly 90 million people joining the workforce but most of them will lack requiste skills and the mindset for productiveemployment according to a report in DNA. India has about 550 million people under the age of 25 years out of which only 11% are enrolled in tertiary institutions compared to the world average of 23%. . I will be focussing on how the education system’s failure is leading to another social issue of income inequality and hence, suggest certain policies to improve India’s education system and reduce inequality. Problems and drawbacks The really critical aspect of Indian public education system is its low quality. The actual quantity of schooling that children experience and the quality of teaching they receive are extremely insufficient ingovernment schools. A common feature in all government schools is the poor quality of education, with weak infrastructure and inadequate pedagogic attention. What the government is not realising right now is that education which is a source of human capital can create wide income inequalities. It will be surprising to see how income inequalities are created within the same group of educated peopleSo if the government does not improve education system particularly in rural areas the rich will become richer and the poor will get poorer. Hence, it is imperative for the government to correct the blemishes in India’s education system which will also be a step towards reducing income inequality. Another reason for poor quality of education is the poor quality of teachers in government schools . Government schools are unable to attract good quality teachers due to inadequate teaching facilities and low salaries. The government currently spends only 3% of its GDP on education which is inadequate and insufficient. To improve the quality of education , the government needs to spend more money from its coffers on education. Most economists feel that the only panacea to the ills of the public schooling system is the voucher scheme. Under the voucher system, parents are allowed to choose a school for their children and they get full or partial reimbursement for the expenses from the government. But however, the voucher system will further aggravate the problem of poor quality of education in government schools. Such a system will shift resources from government schools to private schools. This will worsen the situation of government schools which are already under-funded. Moreover, if the same amount given as vouchers can be used to build infrastructure in schools then the government can realize economies of scale. For example- The centre for civil society is providing vouchers worth Rs 4000 per annum to 308 girls. This means that the total amount of money given as vouchers is Rs 1232000. If the same amount can be used to construct a school and employ high quality teachers who are paid well then a larger section of the society will enjoy the benefit of education. A school can definitely accommodate a minimum of 1000 students. I hope government takes certain appropriate policy measures to improve the education system otherwise inequalities are going to be widespread and India’s basic capabilities will remain stunted. Let us strengthen the case for a stronger education system. Conclusion Certain policy measures need to be taken by the government. The basic thrust of government education spending today must surely be to ensure that all children have access to government schools and to raise the quality of education in those schools. One of the ways in which the problem of poor quality of education can be tackled is through common schooling. This essentially means sharing of resources between private and public schools. Shift system is one of the ways through which common schooling can be achieved. The private school can use the resources during the first half of the day and the government school can use it during the second half. It is important to remember that the quality of education is directly linked to the resources available and it is important for the government to improve resource allocation to bring about qualitative changes in the field of education. Common schooling is one of the ways in which government can use limited resources in an efficient way and thus improve resource allocation.

The Positive Short-term and Long-term Affects of Smaller Class Sizes on

The Positive Short-term and Long-term Affects of Smaller Class Sizes on Students The size of a class has had or will have a larger affect on a person’s life than most people know and affect more aspects than are visible to the human eye. A large percent of the human population will go through or has gone through, a type of schooling. The size of classes in school affects more than just a student. The faculty has to deal with size too, for example if a classroom can’t fit enough students in one class, another teacher may have to give up their room during their break time to lend the room to another teacher. There is a demand for teachers in the work force and with a more difficult working environment; it could turn people off from that profession. In my high school, we had teachers who were referred to as â€Å"floaters† because they didn’t have a classroom of their own and had to keep all their belongings on a cart and push it into a designated room for their next class as a result of overpopulation. Too large of a class also a ffects the teacher because with more students, the chances of students misbehaving are increased. A large classroom is not horrible, but is not as effective or as useful as a smaller class size. There are many short-term and long-term positive affects of small class sizes. The positive affects of small class sizes on students can differ. A huge factor is that a small class size means more attention from the teacher or professor. It also allows for more interaction with other students. Participation is usually a key factor in a class and connects with the grading so smaller classes allow a higher level of communication in the class. Small class size has influenced me personally in many diff... ...nds and made the combined money available to states for a variety of education programs.† The NEA opposed this fund. According to this statement the funds are slowly depleting. Although class size is an important topic, it seems to our government there are more important issues. The short-term and long-term benefits of a smaller class size are many as you have read. The benefits attributed to class size are improving the students learning abilities, improving on teacher/student relationship, and student to student relationships, communication in and out of the classroom, the positive effect on discipline, and increases test scores. Smaller class sizes are one of the most important things in schooling and are not taken fully advantage of, but should be used more often than it is. There are obviously more affects from class size that remain unseen to the human eye.

International business project: A case of Mexico Essay

Mexico is the most populated Spanish speaking nation in the world and comes third in population in the Western hemisphere. Mexico holds more than 100 million inhabitants. In the early years of its history the government had embraced the protectionists policies of trade in order to motivate industrial growth and therefore ensure growth in the domestic economy. Unfortunately under these policies the country underwent a decline in living standards and inflation. The debt crisis in the year of 1982 that saw the country fail to meet its debt obligations primarily aggravated the challenges in the economy especially half way into the mid 1980’s (Pasco 72-73). The Mexican government therefore in the late years of 1980 adopted measures that were aimed at restructuring the country’s economy. The country’s efforts consequently shifted to trade liberalization and privatization of industries that were previously state owned. Privatization of infrastructures such as rail roads, natural gas distribution, telecommunications, electricity and the airports among others took place extensively. The country proceeded to make economic policy reforms in the early 1990’s consequently attracting large amounts of foreign investment cash. However in 1993 the flow of capital from foreign countries started to decline majorly as a result of political uncertainty and an exchange rate that was overvalued. The declined levels of international levels subsequently led to peso devaluation. By the last months of 1994 the country was experiencing a currency crisis forcing the government to take on the floating exchange rate system. The result was a deep recession of the economy six months later. The aftermath of the recession saw the government restructure the system again to create conditions that would hasten the recovery of the economy. An emergency package was received form the World Bank and a plan that increased value added tax, fostered budget cuts and even tighter monetary policies was implemented. Subsequent years saw the country increase its exports and softened the impact of the recession. The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2006 was 4. 8 percent but decreased to 3. 3 percent in the year 2007 and further down by approximately 1% in the year 2008. Mexico has not been left out and the country is significantly feeling the effects of the worldwide economic downturn. Economists forecast the contraction of its GDP this year by 2. 6 percent the sharpest ever contraction since the 95 crisis. The country is currently experiencing job losses, cut production capacities in plants and poverty levels have also short up with more than 5 million people living in impoverished conditions (Field 32-41). # Mexico’s trade position with Canada The trade relations between Canada and Mexico have strengthened because of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The trade flows between the two countries has shown an impressive gradual increase in the not less than nine years existence of the agreement. The results have now made Mexico, to become Canada’s major trading partner within the Latin America region. The country also ranks fourth as Canada’s trading partner in the globe after United States (US), China and Japan. For Canada, Mexico has become a very important destination and is positioned as Canada’s third biggest market for its exports. On the same note Canada in 2002 appeared on Mexico’s lists as the number five largest foreign supplier. The countries have continued over the years to strengthen their trade ties and now Canada is the first supplier of Mexican agricultural, mineral and metal products. On the other hand high production standards of Mexico have made it Canada’s top supplier in vehicles, agricultural goods and electronic equipment. Consumers in the two countries have taken advantage of the relations to access a wide range of affordable goods. On the other hand Mexico also has good trade relations with other countries such as the United States. America is basically the leading creditor and trade partner for most counties in the Latin region. The two countries are closely linked such that Mexico as a country is the most exposed to the U. S economy and any changes in it would largely affect the Mexicans. More so 80% of the Mexican exports find there way to America. Additionally the Mexican economy is greatly supported by the remittance from its working citizens who are in the United States, (Field 32-41). The remittances actually account for not less than 3 percent of its GDP and they form the second largest source of income to the nation after oil exports. The country has also taken advantage of its skilled labor force to attract high technology investors from the United States. The sectors in which America has invested in Mexico include the telecommunications, transport and agricultural industries to mention just a few. # Membership in trade blocks. Trade blocks play a very critical role especially when it comes to international trade negotiations. Mexico for example is a member of the G20 trade block which constitutes of other members such as Argentina, India, Brazil, Pakistan, China, South Africa. , Philippines, Bolivia, Thailand, Venezuela, Chile, Zimbabwe, Paraguay, among others. The G20 is developing countries grouping that resulted from the world trade talks in Cancun in the year 2003. The group is led by major exporters and countries that are rapidly growing such as India, China, Brazil, and South Africa making it strong and with the capacity to compete with the US and EU in trade negotiations. G20 has been noted for its emphatic rejection of the proposal by the EU to include competition and investment as critical elements in trade talks. The group has also been emphasizing that before they make any agreements on reduced tariffs for manufactured goods or services the rich nations must first put concessions on agriculture. Additionally Mexico together with the United States and Canada form the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The Agreement addresses the issues of labor, environment, trade and investment. Even then the Agreement has been criticized by some US environmental groups and unions who claim that its safeguards are weak. It was consolidated in the year 1992. The aim of the agreement was to remove trade tariffs on products for a period of not less than 15 years and at the same time limit trade contacts with outsider countries in the globe. The agreement was also expected to increase and enlarge their farmers markets and stimulate economic growth. Recently there have been calls to renegotiate or suspend the Agreement after fourteen years in operations. Clearly though Mexico has benefited from its membership in the block, which is said to be the among the world’s richest blocs. It has for example acted to increase Mexico’s amounts of exports, and also increase the amount the country receives from the United States in terms of foreign direct investments (Pasco 72-73). The agreement has also led to an increase of job opportunities for Mexicans also accompanied with an increase in wages especially in the areas with most foreign investors. #4 Governments position on trade and foreign investment In the past few decades Mexico has transitioned from a closed economy to an open economy. The policy of open trade has enabled the country to face the challenges brought by the economic slow down and financial markets that are not stable. In early years of the 80’s the country took a step towards unilaterally liberalizing its economy. The country then took domestic measures with the aim of encouraging foreign investment and deregulating business activities. In the early 90’s the country embraced the country took the initiative of opening its markets by undertaking international trade negotiations with the principles of reciprocity and balance in mind. The country has currently signed various bilateral investment agreements and not less than nine international free trade. The result has been export oriented growth and industrial competitiveness. The policies have also led to preferential market access of their exports to more than 800 million consumers that benefit from their exports and have additionally opened up new investment opportunities. Generally the Mexican strategy of free trade agreements has been critical in improving its competitiveness on a global scale, increased trade and long term growth. Its current network of trade agreements can be said to be the major cause of the impressive trade flows in the country. Mexico appears among the ten largest trading countries in the world. In 2003 for example the country had exports costing not less than $165 million. Basically its quantity of exports has tripled since 1993. Mexico has also been transformed to become a manufacturing export center courtesy of trade liberalization. Currently most of the country’s exports are largely manufactured goods a change from the early 80’s when the greater percentage of exports was oil. Their young productive labor together with the measures of investment protections and tariff elimination are among the factors that have encouraged foreign investments making it a manufacturing hub. Their auto, electronics and textile and apparel industries have industries have been the most beneficiaries of trade liberalization (Pasco 72-73). . # Reasons why Canadian companies should trade/invest there and reasons why they should not. Mexico comes across as a very viable country for Canada to invest in. Among the reasons are its strategic position, economic indicators, policies that aim at encouraging foreign investors and a conducive environment for investment among many others. The country is made up of 32 federal States of which each is free and sovereign and its territory extends to not less than one million square kilometers. The country borders Guatemala, Belize and the United States. The country additionally hosts more than one hundred million inhabitants of all religious affiliations meaning that all beliefs are represented without bias though the majority of the population is Christian. Spanish is the official language of Mexico although it has more than 66 kinds of languages. The country currency is called Peso. The country’s place of location allows it to supply the markets in North America and also to have access to potential world inputs and modern technologies. The Jalisco, Quintana Roo, Colimo are among the federative entities whose populations greatly participate in economic enhancement. Its population consists of not less than 1 million unemployed citizens. The country is endowed with an attractive investment environment even as demonstrated by the following statistics: in 2007 the country was ranked as the 12th largest economy in the world by the virtue of its GDP; with regards to its oil reserves it appears as number 17 globally; additionally the country is a very important tourist destination ranking eight globally in this regard. Moreover the country is among the top ten countries in the world that benefit most from foreign direct investment. Additionally their fiscal and monetary policies have served to ensure that the country enjoys periods of macroeconomic stability with reference to the recent years. In fact it was named the best Latin American country in terms of favourable business conditions and placement of foreigners’ capitals. The stable economy that it has enjoyed has led to it accommodating not less 30,000 foreign companies. The economic stability therefore makes it a good destination for conducting profitable business. In order to attract more investment the country has a consolidation of several sectors of production which include of industries such as the automobiles industry which was ranked 7th globally, electronic industry, telecommunications industry, the information technology and software industry. These sectors provide different kinds of opportunities for Canadian investors. The country additionally has good relationships business wise with other countries in the global scenario. This has allowed it to have preferential access to the markets in Israel, North America, and the European Union just to mention a few. The preferential access it enjoys combined with its cheap yet young and qualified labor force make the country a lucrative destination for investment by Canadians. The Bilateral Investment Treaties that the country has signed should be an attraction enough for Canadian investors. Through these treaties the country offers legal protection and security to it foreign investors. Moreover the country offers a low risk return combination that guarantees the investors markets access prevailing conditions of macroeconomic stability, transparency and political stability. Additionally investors have the opportunity of benefiting from the high quality inputs offered at affordable prices, growing domestic markets, and wide array of trade agreements. In spite of this Canada may not need to invest in Mexico because of the fact that Mexico is among the top countries with high levels of corruption in the region. Any country with high levels of corruption is should be scary to investors because it simply implies that investors will have to spend more than is necessary in order to get value for their money. The effects of corruption in fact go way past the monetary costs. The country also suffers from poor infrastructural networks although the government is taking steps to ensure that infrastructure is improved to allow investors to have access to any market and on time. The country is also consumed by the culture of drug abuse among its especially productive population. This means that in a way the investor security can not be guaranteed. The country also has strict legal and regulatory frameworks that may serve to impede the speed by which an investor can establish his business. The effects of agglomeration also may work to hinder any Canadians that would want to invest in Mexico. In conclusion Mexico would be a wise choice for any investor, this is because the country has done everything to ensure that its business people will not only be able to access the internal but also the external markets especially through the many trade agreements it has signed. This means that all the established businesses in the country have the potential to operate profitably.

Who Manipulates the Operations and Activities of the United Nations Free Essay Example, 3000 words

The establishment of NATO happened without any comprehensive consultation with the UN. The NATO came as a desire of the western powers to undermine powers of the Soviet Union. The treaty, which formed NATO defeats the purpose of collective security provided in the UN charter. Right from the start, the United States supported the UN as long as it supported its interests. The United States refused to assist the world body when it went contrary to its interests. The western states have used the UN to legitimize their intervention in affairs of other states. The mighty powers use Machinery of the UN as a camouflage with the intention of safeguarding their political, economic and commercial interests. However, these countries claim that moral considerations of supporting the UN motivate their actions. The UN has little it can do to prevent the intervention of the western powers. Although the world body came to avoid intervention, the old system of intervention still remains. The interven tion of western powers in UN affairs clearly shows that the body works in the interest of western states. The action on Korea, taken in 1950 by the United Nations portrays the influence of western powers in UN governance. We will write a custom essay sample on Who Manipulates the Operations and Activities of the United Nations or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page