What is the common school system?

The Constitution embodies the principles on which the National System of Education is conceived of. The concept of a National System of Education implies that, up to a given level, all students, irrespective of caste, creed, location or sex, have access to education of a comparable quality… Effective measures will be taken in the direction of the Common School System recommended in the 1968 policy (MHRD, 1998, P.5).
National Policy on Education, 1986.

The National Policy on Education, 1986 had envisaged that the common school system would be open to all children irrespective of social, economic and other differences; adequate standards would be maintained and average parents would not ordinarily feel the need of sending their children to expensive schools outside the system. Similar systems have developed in other democracies such as the neighbourhood school system in the USA and the comprehensive schools in the UK.

How the policy has been implemented?

Unfortunately, this is one of the forgotten policies of the Indian education system.
No measures were announced either in the Programme of Action (POA), 1986 or the modified POA, 1992 to implement the policy on the common school system.

What has happened?

The PROBE (1999) has reported the forms of social discrimination operating in the Indian school system. Poor and the disadvantaged are going to government schools and the well off students go to the private schools. There is a hierarchy of schools catering to the different groups. Some such school groups are:

• Elite schools offering international certifications
• Private fee charging schools for upper middle and rich classes
• Schools for the children of central govt., public undertakings and the defence staff (heavily subsidized)
• Schools for ‘talented’ rural children
• Low fee private schools in rural areas
• Govt. and municipal schools for lower middle classes
• NFE, EGS, SSA, alternative schools for the poor and disadvantaged
• Schools for child labour (non-formal type)
• Schools for the scheduled tribe (residential but sub-standard)
• Special schools for children with disabilities outside the mainstream education system

What are the implications of the failure to establish the CSS?

• It has a serious impact on the issues of equity in the Indian education system
• Some schools believe that the poor and disadvantaged children are not ‘intelligent’ enough and cannot mix up with those coming from the richer class and could not be admitted into regular classrooms!
• The existing system of education seems to have been adversely affecting the quality of governance in the country.

What is inclusive education?

• Inclusive education is concerned with reducing all exclusionary pressures and all devaluations of students whether on the basis of disability, attainment, 'race', gender, class, family structure, lifestyle or sexuality.
• Beginning with the movement to end isolation of children with disabilities in respect of education, and supported by a series of rights and education related UN declarations, the inclusive education is addressing the question of equity for all children and aims at systemic reforms in general education so that it is responsive to all children.
• The principle of inclusive education being accepted internationally as the best way to address diversity and equity gets addressed while implementing the concept and policy of the CSS in India.