Kerala Model of Development is the name given to the paradigm of development that took shape in Kerala during the first three decades following the formation of the State. The characteristic feature of this model was the priority given to egalitarian ethos in development. Greater emphasis was laid production of wealth. A little piece of land, a decent dwelling place, primary health care and minimum level of education for all—these were the goals sought to be achieved. Though these ideas were opposed by a section of the people when they were mooted by the first Left Front Government, which came to office in the State in 1957 under the leadership of Com.. EMS Namboothiripad, they gained wider currency in course of time.
In the early nineties, there was a consensus on the need for change. The need for a growth oriented development strategy was also largely shared. But there was sharp difference of opinion with regard to the strategies for the new growth oriented model of development. Those who supported the official line of the Central Government, which introduced Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) reforms in 1991, argued that the "Kerala Model" was a sinking ship, which cannot be repaired and rescued. The only sane thing to do, it was urged, was to abandon the ship arid swim to the safety of the model of capitalist globalization.
The alternate view on Kerala's development that emerged in the nineties was that the old Kerala Model had indeed laid the foundations for equitable and sustainable development of the State. It was perceived that an indiscriminate integration into the global economy would not only ruin our achievements in the past, but also permanently destroy the possibilities for sustainable development. At the same time it was also recognized that we cannot remain completely insulated from global developments. The nature and pace of Kerala's future progress will depend to a large extent on its ability to exploit two important determinants of development today, namely the emergence of knowledge as the most important factor of production and of services as the fastest -growing sector in the economy. At the same time, the "Kerala Model" has in fact laid the foundations for the development of new model based on knowledge- intensive industries and services and modernization of traditional agriculture and cottage industries. Education is the key to the new "Kerala Model" of development .The old "Kerala Model" has helped us make great strides in education. We have achieved near universal access in education at the school level. In terms of access, our performance in higher education, with an enrolment of 16-17 % of the relevant age group, is far ahead of the national average at 10-11 %.
A NEW KERALA MODEL
The international Seminar is organized by the Government with a view to interrogating these concerns and experiences of Kerala in the light of the current global concerns and experiences. It is expected that this exposure will not only help us understand our requirements better, but also assist the process of evolving a consensus on the strategies and programmes for their implementation.The seminar mainly focuses the important initiatives in education taken by the present Government over the last two years.
The Government has undertaken a slew of measures at all levels of education - primary, secondary and higher secondary education, higher and technical education and adult and continuing education, with a view to improving both quality and equity in education for promoting inclusive development.in general , the attempt has been to update the content and pedagogy at all levels of education, to make governance more functional, to set up regulatory frameworks responsive to societal needs and to promote greater public investment and socially regulated private investment in education.
At the school level, a massive programme of updating the curriculum is under way. New text books have already been introduced in classes 1, 3, 5 and 7. Other classes will have new text books in the next year. The attempt is to update the content and apply the insights of critical pedagogy to encourage creative engagement of the students with the learning process. The Environmental awareness is inculcated among the school children through such initiatives as "My Tree programme" under which 25 lakhs saplings had been planted across the State on 5"' June 2007. "The School Sanitation program" of which the plastic free campus is a major component is an action plan against environmental degradation. The promotion of Khadi uniforms is intended to inculcate Gandhian values among school children. The quality of midday meals for school children has been improved and the proposal is to extend the scheme to high schools as well. girls, are measures taken by the education department in coordination with the departments of sports and health. Special attention is given to tackling the problems of the differently­abled children. The Government is trying to make the schools most children friendly through all the above measures.
At the college and university level, a significant initiative was taken by the Government by enacting a law for regulating admission and fee in unaided professional institutions, immediately after its coming to office. Though the High Court has struck down some of the important provisions of the law, the Government has been able to bring about some control over unaided institutions, through the effective implementation of the validated provisions of the law on account of its political commitment. The Government has also constituted a Higher Education Council which has been entrusted with the responsibilities of giving policy advice to the Government and Universities on aspects of higher education, coordinating activities in higher education at the state level, making innovative proposals for reforms and providing certain common services in higher education. Here the above mentioned details are some of the measures being taken up by the present Government to ensure equity and improve quality of education, with a view to eliciting feed back from the esteemed participants, who have accepted our invitation to come to this southernmost state of India from different parts of the world.