Prof. A K Sharma, Director National Council of Educational Research & Training's Foreword on 'Vers La Lumiere: A Study of the French School System' - shared by K J S Chatrath

 

FOREWORD

Education system of a country reflects its socio-cultural and political ethos. Each country, therefore, formulates its own indigenous approaches to education to meet the challenges facing her. Though thoughts and practices of scholars and educators from one country have influenced educational thinking in other countries, understanding a holistic view of educational system of a country provides a unique conceptual framework for a comparative study of educational systems across the nations. Education acquires a new meaning when considered in the context of its universality. While a global perspective provides reinforcement to directions for educational change visualised within a country, it also opens up new areas of thinking for possible adaptations in the educational fabric of the country. And of vital interest is to understand how different educational systems have succeeded in realising the social, political and cultural goals nations have set before themselves.

This painstaking effort by Dr. K.J.S. Chatrath on the French system of education is a useful contribution to the literature in the field of education. He has very succinctly but fairly com- pletely outlined the genesis of the study undertaken by him, the literature browsed through, the persons interacted with, the bibliography for further detailed study, the historical evolution of the French school system and its present structure, to mention a few. The basic principle of the French school system in respect of provision for free education, its neutrality in the area of religion, philosophy and politics, its compulsory nature for the age group 6 to 16, certification of achievement of children through public examination and community participation, is a pointer to how France has used education as a vital instrument for promo- tion of nationalism.

A very vivid account of the history of education has been presented in its multi-dimensionalaspects including laws, supervision mechanism, financial expenditure, basic educational statisticsin terms of enrolments at different levels, status fof teahers, and educational establishments. Appropriate comparative references to corresponding Indian situation have also been included wherever considered relevant by the author.

France formulated the most comprehensive Law on school education system in 1989 known as the Orientation Law 1989. The complete details of this law have been provided by the au- thor and serve as a very important reference for acquiring a deep perception of the French education system. This law which is referred to as a revolution in the educational transformation of France, incorporates details of establishment of national consultative bodies, setting of institutions of teacher training, insti- tutionalising educational planning, organising education in 'cycles' against in 'years' and participation of students in the mul- tidimensional contexts underlying the educational process. This Law could be compared to our National Policy on Education 1986/1992 and to some extent its accompanying Programme of Action.

An overview of the French educational system at Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Senior Secondary stages is quite comprehensively provided. The importance given to early childhood education is something worthy of emulation by other educational systems. We in India underscored its importance in our National Policy on Education 1986/1992. The focus on oral aspect of language, reading, mathematics including mental calculations, arts and aesthetics are some of the salient features of the education of pre-school and primary years.

The secondary education, as in our context, provides for streaming into academic and vocational areas with subject availabilities more or less on the same lines. There are, how- ever, distinct pedagogical interventions which is indicative of the scope provided for experimentation and innovation in the French school system. Like our diversification of vocational education into areas like technology and engineering, agriculture, home science, health and para-medical, commerce and business, and humanities based, more or less similar course work is a part of professional Lycees in the French system.

Our concerns in India for education of socially disadvantaged sections, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities, finds similar reflections in interventions for positive discrimination for immigrant groups in the French educational system. Information on how the French school system handles education of children with different disabilities perhaps can be traced in the comprehensive references cited.

Teachers are the pivot of any educational system. The importance given to the teachers and the supervisory mechanism in the French system is very rightly called as the one of the two main pillars of the French school system. One would have benefitted to know how teacher education programmes are organised, how teachers demonstrate intrinsic motivation in their work. The French system of inspection provides the real strength to their system of education as this has a lot of bearing on improving the performance and quality of teachers.

The French system is equally alive to the revolution in information and communication technologies. Utilisation of mass media and educational technology including radio, Television, video and computers for creating general awareness of the quality of education is integral part of their education system. There is, however, a need to assess how these technological interventions have resulted in improving the quality of education and its relevance to culture, creativity, social and environmental concerns, national development and for continuing education of teachers and students and as a tool of evolving new interactive modes of teaching and learning. Indian experience of using dents and as a tool for evolving new participative and intera teleconferencing through our Satellite for inservice teacher edcation is quite relevant in this regard.

Having known Dr. Chatrath for his aptitude for undertaking studies and documenting them, he has proved his love for probing into academic areas. I am sure this study by Dr. Chatrath will be a useful reference for students of comparative education.

New Delhi 110 016,

 January 9, 1998

A.K. Sharma 

Director

National Council of Education Research and Training