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The provision under the "Department of Culture" is for general administration of the Department and its various attached and subordinate offices and for miscellaneous schemes and programmes under Culture including museums, libraries and Cultural akademies.
The shortfall in the revised estimates (Rs. 148.19 lakhs) is due to drive for effecting economy in Government expenditure and non approval of Plan schemes.
The increase in B.E. 1975-76 vis-a-vis R.E. 1974-75 (Rs. 145.92 lakhs) is due partly to normal increase in Non-Plan expenditure and partly due to an increase in annual Plan allocation for 1975-76. The increase is also on account of additional provision required for Dearness Allowance. The National Archives of India, and Anthropological Survey have been included in the Demand for the Department of Culture from 1975-76.
The provision under Archaeology is for' the maintenance of archaeological monuments, explorations and excavations and special repairs. It is mostly normal maintenance expenditure. The shortfall in R.E. 1974 -75 (Rs. 44.21 lakhs) is mainly on account of non approval of Plan schemes as a result of which most of the work could not be undertaken during the year and partly due to economy in expenditure.
The increase in B.E. 1975-76 vis-a-vis R.E. 1974-75 (Rs. 116.97 lakhs) is partly due to normal increase in maintenance expenditure and partly due to operation of the Antiquities and Art Treasure Act and provisions made for conservation of ancient monuments, archaeological explorations and excavations and the Central Archaeological Museums. It also includes additional provision required for Dearness Allowance.
School Education
The National Institute of Education, a part of the National Council for Educational Research and Training, has been restructured during the year so as to ensure coordination in academic and research work and progress in programmes of qualitative improvement. The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, which opened 17 more Vidyalayas, during the period under report, continued to maintain the outstanding record of earlier years. The Vidyalayas propose to adopt the 10+2 pattern of schooling from 1975. The Union Ministry has prepared a
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scheme of vocationalisation to be implemented in the Fifth Five Year Plan in selected higher secondary schools. The recently launched Educational Technology Project, both at the Central and State levels, made considerable headway during the year.
Higher Education The development of higher education is vital for the economic and social advance of the country. Higher education can play the expected role if talented people are drawn to the Universities and colleges, which can happen if the salary scales of University and College teachers are attractive. It is hoped that as a result of the improvement in the conditions of work of persons, engaged in teaching and research, it would be possible to obtain people possessing the requisite qualifications to work in the field of higher education and to create a system of higher education which would facilitate national development. Accordingly revised salary scales, recommended by the University Grants Commission, have been approved for Central Universities and Colleges and these scales have also been recommended for acceptance by the State Governments. Assistance has been offered to the State Governments to the extent of 80% of the additional expenditure upto the end of the Fifth Plan period whereafter the State Governments would be expected to take the entire responsibility.
The University Grants Commission has started new quality and innovative programmes like examination reform and autonomous colleges and restructuring of courses. In the field of examination reform, the Commission has drawn up a substantial programme and has issued a plan of action which provides for new methods of teaching and new types of examination questions based on classroom experience and suited to the levels and attainments of different groups of students. Other programmes of the Commission like faculty improvement, improvements of science teaching and provision of research fellowships were continued during the year.
The new Central University at Hyderabad came into being on October 2, 1974, The Central Universities continued to carry out their normal functions during the period under report. Research programmes under the auspices of the University Grants Commission, the Indian Council of Social Science Research and
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the Indian Council of Historical Research registered steady progress during the year.
Technical Education The All India Council for Technical Education made important recommendations at a meeting held during the year under report and these relate to the establishment of appropriate links between industry and educational research institutions, to programmes of vocationalisation and the establishment of teacher training centres in the field of management education. Following the review by expert bodies, the Indian Institutes of Technology are now poised for important changes. Details of these and other programmes are given in Chapter III of this Report.
Scholarships The operation of the various scholarships schemes and programmes of the Union Ministry of Education and Social Welfare maintained a steady pace during the year.
Book Promotion The Sixth National Book Fair was held at Bombay. A survey of Indian Book industry, the first of its kind to be taken up, under the aegis of the National Book Trust, was completed during the year. The report on the survey gives comprehensive information about various aspects of book publishing in the country.
Youth Welfare, National Integration, SPorts and Games and Physical
Education With the National Service Scheme, having gathered momentum and the campaign "Youth Against Famine" launched in 1973 having made a significant impact, a special camping programme "Youth Against Dirt and Disease" was started in 1974. it is proposed to launch this year the "National Service Volunteers scheme' which would provide opportunities to graduates to work on a full-time basis in rural areas for a year on a monthly stipend. Rural sports made further strides during the year and emphasis on broad-basing sports activities so as to involve rural and tribal youth in sports and games was maintained. On the
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advice of the All India Council of Sports, Government laid down early this year certain guidelines subject to which Government financial and other assistance would be made available to National Sports Federations/Associations.
Languages The Union Ministry continued to give vigorous assistance towards the promotion and development of Hindi, modem Indian languages, Sanskrit, as well as English and other foreign languages. 'The various schemes -under different heads relating to languages development and language teaching and to the production of university level books in Hindi and regional languages continued to be operated. The Taraqqi-e-Urdu Board was reconstituted during the year in order to streamline arrangements for obtaining expert advice on the production of books in Urdu.
Indian National Commission for UNESCO The 18th Session of the General Conference of Unesco was held at Paris from 17th October to 24th November 1974. The Indian Delegation was led by the Union Minister of Education, Culture and Social Welfare.
The 11th Conference of the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with-Unesco was held at New Delhi on 3-4 October 1974. The Commission gave its recommendations in regard to the draft programme and budget of Unesco, for the biennium 1975-76.
Adult Education The 5th Plan Programmes in the field of Adult Education will relate to non-formal education for the age-group 15 to 25, functional literacy programmes relating to developmental activities for the age- group 15+ and non-formal education to meet the need of urban workers. The Directorate of Adult Education continued its work during the year and was nominated as a documentation centre in the area of adult education.
Cultural Affairs Cultural agreements were signed with the People's Democratice Republic of Yemen, Senegal, Argentina, Colombia, Korea, Sudan, Guyana, U.A.E. Mauritius, Tanzania and Bahrein. Under the Indo-US Joint Commission agreement, which has been
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signed very recently, a sub-commission has been set-up to promote educational and cultural cooperation between the two countries. Proposals for concluding Cultural Agreements with Rwanda, Italy and Srilanka are under consideration. Cultural Agreements with twelve other countries are in various stages of negotiation. Ten Cultural Exchange Programmes with other countries were drawn up during the year. As in the years past, there was a considerable interchange through visits of cultural delegations between India and a number of countries. The Akademies and other cultural organisations maintained their tempo of work during the period under report.
Archaeology Notable progress was achieved during the year in Archaeological Surveys, explorations and excavations and in the publication of volumes and archaeology.
Museums and Libraries The Rajya Sabha passed the Raza Library Bill 1974 and it is now pending consideration in the Lok Sabha. The bill is for the purpose of declaring the Raza Library, Rampur as an institution of national importance. The Joint Committee of both the Houses of Parliament, to consider the National Library Bill 1972 in order to provide for the administration of the National Library, Calcutta presented its report to the Lok Sabha in July, 1974. The Bill is now awaiting the consideration of the Lok Sabha.
All activities connected with Museums, Art Galleries, and Archives proceeded apace during the period under report.
To sum up Educational reform has necessarily to proceed through a series of consultations and by persuasion of all those involved such as teachers, students, educational administrators and parents as without such a process, there is always a risk of the reforms being introduced in form but not in spirit. It is also equally necessary not to cause dislocation in the educational system in the earlier stages of putting through major reforms. The progress might, as a result, appear slower than what one would wish, but in retrospect the educative phase of the reforms has always proved to be most crucial and a necessary foundation for further progress. It can be stated that during the year under review, the
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major new ideas of educational restructure and renovation have been widely discussed and disseminated among all sections of educational thinkers, teachers, students and the public. Given the necessary additional resources and the climate of hard work to which the Central Advisory Board of Education has referred, one can look forward to a period of substantial progress in achieving the goals placed before the country in the National Policy on education.