The most important problem facing the multi-purpose schools is the non-availability of efficient teachers.
1. Unattractive Pay Scale:
The pay scale of a vocational or science teacher is so low that able and qualified persons are not attracted towards its teaching profession. They try to find jobs in other departments and join professions where they get higher emoluments.
It is, therefore, necessary to raise the pay scales of teachers. Moreover, the Education Department does not provide them with those facilities which are available to them elsewhere.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
In private educational institutions whose financial position is sound and which are not under the full control of the Government, the services of teachers remain on the mercy of managers or managing committees.
Thus the teacher’s services are not very secure in private institutions. Consequently, only ordinary persons who fail to secure better jobs elsewhere generally come to the profession of teaching in schools.
Under these circumstances it is necessary that the pay scale of teachers be adequately raised and facilities necessary for decent living be provided. The teachers should also be given opportunities to add to their qualifications and knowledge.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
It should be the duty of the Government to inspect the private schools at regular intervals. The Government should compel private institutions to pay the teachers according to the prescribed pay scales.
A training college should be set up in every State where refresher courses be held for teachers, headmasters and principals of the multi-purpose schools. They should be kept abreast with the latest developments and researches in this sphere. Guidance officers and Career Masters should also be appointed in every state.
Image Source : upload.wikimedia.org
2. Lack of Suitable Text-Books and Problem of Preparing Time-Table:
There is an acute shortage of text-books of technical and scientific subjects taught in the multi-purpose schools. Whatever books are available are not of the required standard. Therefore, the Government should get text-books prepared by experts on reasonable terms.
There is one more difficulty facing these multi-purpose schools. This is the problem of the time-table. Due to a number of different subjects, the headmasters find it difficult to prepare a thoroughly satisfactory time-table.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The headmasters, having no specialised knowledge of technical and scientific subjects, fail to give enough time to these subjects. It is, therefore, necessary that the headmasters of the multi-purpose schools possess some understanding of the subjects taught in the schools.
It may also be suggested that a number of time-tables be got prepared by different experts and the best of these should be used by the schools.
3. Problems of Opening and Conversion of Schools:
Along with many other problems, the setting in of a multi-purpose school is itself a problem. To implement this scheme, it was decided that some new multi-purpose schools would be opened and some of the secondary schools be converted into multipurpose schools.
But no scheme was drawn up indicating either the names of places where new schools were to be opened or the names of secondary schools which were to be converted.
Although over a thousand such schools were opened during the Second Five Year Plan, yet in the absence of prior planning, their utility had remained doubtful. In order to make the multi-purpose schools more useful only such secondary schools should be converted which have a sound financial position.
Their conversion should be based on local needs and should be situated at places where adequate means of communication are available. They should be fully equipped.
The school buildings should be such as to permit extension when required. It will not be to any use to open new schools without keeping in view the above mentioned factors.
4. Difficulty in Completing Vocational Curriculum:
Many multi-purpose schools in the country due to shortage of funds do not possess good equipped laboratories and workshops. So it is no wonder that the course of vocational, technical or scientific study remains incomplete.
This problem may be solved through government grants but the financial position of the Government itself is not so good as to undertake this work. Hence practical training of the students should be carried in nearby workshops as is the practice in many Western countries.
The students will acquire in such workshops practical knowledge. Thus, the complex problem of providing workshops to multi-purpose schools will be solved automatically.
5. Difficulty in the Selection of Curriculum:
The main feature of the multi-purpose schools is the varieties of subjects, but unfortunately provision has not so far been made for the study of all the prescribed subjects in these schools.
Only seven optional subjects have been included in the curriculum, but by permitting the multi-purpose schools to provide any two groups of subjects, the sphere of utility has been narrowed down for the students.
In this way the multi-purpose schools differ from the ordinary schools in as much as there is only one group of subjects in ordinary schools and the multi-purpose schools possess two groups. It is also worth mentioning in this connection that the limits of the subjects have not so far been indicated in all the schools.
Although some states have with the help of the All India Educational Council fixed the studies in subjects according to classes, yet in these fixations the local needs have not been taken into account.
Moreover, there is no similarity in the standards laid down by different States. Under these conditions, it appears that the country will not derive full benefit from these multi-purpose schools.
In order to remove the above difficulties and to derive maximum benefit from multi-purpose schools, it is necessary to include at least three groups in all such institutions in the country.
It is also desirable to prescribe a uniform standard of similar subjects in all the multi-purpose schools of the country and reorient the curriculum according to local needs.
While according to the recognition of groups the situation of the schools and local needs should also be taken into consideration. This will prove helpful to the school also, besides increasing the facilities for the students.
By receiving training in local crafts the students will easily get employment in the factories and establishments situated there. Consequently, the problem of unemployment will also be eased. Moreover, the required number of trained workers and officers will be available for the various development projects in the country.
6. Problem of Parents’ Dissatisfaction:
This is a problem due to which students do not get education of their choice. This problem mostly arises due to the ignorance of parents. For example, keeping in view the efficiency and aptitude of the student the teacher recommends the study of humanities while the parents, motivated by their own ideas and concepts want their child to join some technical group.
This problem may be solved by proper guidance and efficiency test. The parents should be told about the importance of these tests.
Due to such difficulties we are yet not deriving the expected benefits from multi-purpose schools. It is, therefore, the duty of the public, government and private institution to contribute their full might in making this important and beneficial scheme a success and help in building up a prosperous India.