NEP declares XI and XII to be integral to Schools and not “Junior Colleges”

Vinod Kakumanu
July 31, 2019, 6:03 p.m.

The National Education Policy is set to alter certain deeply embedded perceptions we have about our education system. One of such point of views is the one which categorizes class XI and XII as Higher Secondary or Pre-university. It is said that the 10+2 education system, introduced in the National Education Policy 1968, has served the country well, yet it has been felt in view of the salience of class XI and XII for the choice of higher education and career, these higher classes of schools must be made an integral part of the secondary stage and the title of “junior college”, which is used in several parts of the country, be eliminated. This move will find relatively more resonance in some states than the others as the system of admissions to the junior colleges (XI, XII) is more prevalent in some than in others. The state of Maharashtra stands as one of the most prominent examples of this practice.

The National Education Policy is in search of a new structure of schooling and the idea of elimination of admission system in class XI and XII is mooted. It is stated that doing away with the admission process in class XI and XII will eliminate the competition between the boards. Clubbing of class XI and XII has been recommended by many to undo the junior college culture. If the classes are clubbed, it is believed that the competition for admission will plummet.

There are lot of people who share the view that delinking the senior college with the junior college is an imperative. The University Grant Commission (UGC) has been promoting funding only for the colleges that have delinked junior colleges. Moreover, it is stated that the age group (16-18) to which the students of class XI and XII belong is more suited for the disciplined school environment rather than the relatively liberal and subjective college environment.

Administratively speaking, the delinking of junior college from senior college does make sense as the teachers of the junior college are governed by the MPES act as opposed to the senior college teachers who are in turn governed by the MPU act.

The proposal to make classes XI and XII integral to the schooling system will bring in definitive structural changes, for instance the office of the Vice-Principal will be renamed as that of the Principal.