Curriculum of small rural schools
8.6
The subjects taught and the activities planned in rural schools are not very different from those in urban schools although some do not offer English because they cannot find suitable teachers. Teaching aids found in these rural schools leave much to be desired and most schools have no library books. The performance of pupils in the Academic Aptitude Test is generally poor. Teachers who wish to attend courses very often cannot do so except during vacations since in some cases it would mean closure of the school during the teachers' absence.
Class organisation
8.7
Classes in the smallest schools, namely, those with less than three operating classes in each session, have to operate combined classes for children of two, three or even four different age groups.
8.8
Using formal traditional teaching methods the teacher normally does not attempt to deal with these combined classes as a unit. Instead he tends to teach one group while the others are occupied with copying work or other basic exercises. Pupils often find these exercises dull and are frequently distracted by what the other children are doing. Such schools are often not sufficiently challenging for the brighter or older village children.
8.9
The deficiencies in the larger remote schools are limited primarily to the difficulties in obtaining good staff, the difficulties of enabling teachers to attend courses, and the lack of regular visits by the Advisory Inspectorate.
Proposals
8.10
It is considered that wherever possible without causing hardship, schools of less than six operating classes close to large centres of population should be closed. In cases where schools serve a specific compact community there might be a case for allowing the school to continue in operation but even then attempts should be made to persuade that community to send its children to nearby larger schools. Each case should however be treated on its own merits after a full investigation of all the circumstances.
8.11
It is considered essential that all teachers in the remaining genuinely remote very small rural schools be trained in the 'learning by doing' approach and the classes given the equipment and allowances for consumables provided for such classes. It has already been proposed in paragraph 5.43 that schools with one or two classrooms only should be staffed with 11⁄2 and 21⁄2 teachers per session respectively, using part-time teachers where appropriate. By sharing teachers between the a.m. and p.m. sessions, the resulting additional member of staff would provide some free periods in which administrative and professional duties could be carried out. All schools in remote areas, irrespective of size, should be visited regularly by the Advisory Inspectorate and it is recommended that a number of inspectors should be earmarked for these duties, based upon a ratio of one inspector for every 20 rural schools.
8.12
A survey of all remote schools should be made to establish the extra expenses incurred by teachers who have to teach in such remote areas. On the
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