INTRODUCTORY
This Report covers the activities of the various wings of the Departments of Education and Culture during the period 1976-77. The activities of the Department of Culture are reported separately following the narrative which deals with the report in the field of education.
The Central Advisory Board of Education The Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education and the Committees on (1) Universalisation of Elementary Education, (2) Implementation of the new pattern, (3) Non-formal education and (4) Youth Services, met at New Delhi in the middle of July, 1976. The meetings were preceded by a conference of the Secretaries and Directors of Education of the various States. One of the resolutions adopted at this meeting was that during the remaining two years of the Fifth Plan the resources for education should be enhanced. On non- formal education, the Committee resolved that each State should prepare a plan and identify appropriate programmes, at the district level so that they could be developed on a nation-wide basis in the Sixth Plan. The resolution on Youth Programmes emphasised the importance of continuing the national integration samities/camps and planning forums. Physical education and sports and the promotion of indigenous and inexpensive camps and sports were also to be accorded high priority. Details on other resolutions are given in Chapter Eleven of Part I of this Report.
School Education-Teacher Training The National Council of Educational Research and Training has initiated a programme of training in-service teachers through a number of Centres of Continuing Education. It is proposed
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to start hundred such centres designed to strengthen the teacher education programmes already being implemented by the various. States.
Non-formal and Adult Education Programmes of non-formal education for youth in 15 to 25 age- group are proceeding apace, the expenditure thereon being shared by the Central and State Governments. During 1976-77 the Central Government extended financial assistance to 50 districts, each district having 100 centres with an approximate enrolment of 30 in each centre. The States covered about 100 districts in their programmes. During the year about 3 lakh youth benefited from the programme.
The Farmers' Functional Literacy Project was diversified in its scope to provide links with other developmental Programmes. During 1976-77, the project was extended to cover one district under the Draught Prone Areas Programme and 5 districts under the Integrated Tribal Development Projects.
A considerable part of the responsibility in the field of non- formal education and adult literacy is shared by voluntary or- ganisations. Projects of an innovative nature and those which benefited the deprived sections of the society were given particular emphasis. The Ministry assisted over 50 voluntary agencies during the year.
Government hope to strengthen and widen the scope of these programmes as a part of a concerted effort to remove illiteracy.
Higher Education Efforts were continued during the year to strengthen the existing departments of universities and to make the existing colleges viable so that they can raise their academic standards and regulate the growth of enrolment in formal and full-time educational,
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institutions particularly at the undergraduate level. While en- rolments, in general, were regulated in the interest of maintenance of standards, measures were at the same time taken towards reservation of seats for students belonging to the weaker sections of society and towards meeting the need for special facilities for backward areas and for the removal of regional imbalances. Mention should also be made of the steps initiated by the University Grants Commission in the field of examination reforms, faculty improvement and the promotion of research.
Technical Education Under the Programme of Apprenticeship Training, the number of stipendiary trainees during 1976-77 rose considerably. The Apprenticeship Rules framed under the Apprenticeship (Amendment) Act, 1973 provide for the reservation of training places for the Scheduled Caste/Tribe apprentices. The Indian Institutes of Technology, the Regional Engineering Colleges, the Technical Teachers' Training Institutes and other organisations made further headway during the period under report. Measures of qualitative improvement which were set afoot earlier were continued, with faculty and curriculum development and joint research programmes making further notable strides.
Students Activities The scope of the projects under the National Service Scheme was redefined during the year and accordingly, the emphasis from 1976-77 would be on programmes of rural reconstruction, aimed at improving the conditions of life of the economically and socially weaker sections of the community. A new scheme called "National Service Volunteer Scheme" was proposed to be put into operation from 1977-78, as an extension of the National Service Scheme. Under this scheme, such students as desire to render social service after their graduation on a full-time basis will be enabled to do so after a period of planned training in programmes of national importance, which will be organised under Government auspices or autonomous organisations or voluntary agencies.
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Sports and Physical Education In order to develop participation in sports into a mass movement and to improve standards of achievement reached by our sportsmen in the field of competitive sports, a Bureau of Sports was set up in the Ministry, exclusively to supervise the programmes on sports and physical education in the country. The Bureau will function in consultation with the All India Council of Sports.
The All India Rural Sports Programme gathered further momentum during the year, with games and sports competitions reaching out to rural and tribal areas. Quite a number of boys and girls are joining the mainstream of competitions through participation in State and national-level championships.
The Second National Sports Festival for women was held at New Delhi in November, 1976. The Government of India have decided to make this festival a recurring annual event.
Languages and Book Promotion In the Second World Hindi Convention held in Mauritius in August, 1976 an exhibition of about 4,000 Hindi books was held to highlight Hindi as a vehicle of modem knowledge. The books included those published under different programmes run by the Union Education Ministry, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and other Ministries in addition to books contributed by private publishers. Other programmes relating to the propagation and development of Hindi, promotion of modern Indian languages and promotion of English and other foreign languages proceeded apace during the year. Programmes relating to the spread of Sanskrit also made further headway.
The Indian National Commission for Unesco The Thirtieth Anniversary of UNESCO was celebrated throughout the country on November 4, 1976. The Indian National Commission brought out a brochure entitled, "Three
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Decades of Cooperation", which throws light on the activities and programmes of the institutions in India originally started with the help of Unesco.
The 12th Conference of the Indian National Commission for Unesco was held in New Delhi in August, 1976. The Conference made a few significant recommendations. One of them emphasised the need for very frequent consultations with the expert members of the different Sub- Commissions on all important matters pertaining to their sphere of specialisation.
The Indian National Commission convened the sub-regional meeting of the National Commissions for UNESCO in Asian countries in New Delhi in September, 1976. The meetings symbolised the increasing involvement of National Commissions in the planning and formulation of UNESCO's biennial as well as medium term plans. Other details relating to India's Cooperation with UNESCO can be found in Chapter Eight of Part 1.
Museums and Libraries The activities of the various museums and libraries, started earlier, continued apace during the period under report. The most important event during the year was the Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Salarjung Museum, Hyderabad, in December, 1976. On the occasion the All India Museums Conference held its session in Hyderabad. The Central Advisory Board of Museums continued to play a significant role in the development of museums movement in the country.
The various libraries scattered throughout the country pursued their various programmes during the year and made further strides in extending library service to the public.
Archaeology Explorations, excavations, preservation of antiquities and art treasures and publications in the field of archaeology continued during the period under report. In connection with the programme of arousing the awareness of students and the general
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public of the value of preserving our cultural treasures, the Archaeological Survey of India organised several exhibitions, film shows, seminars and camps in different parts of the country in collaboration with the State Departments of Archaeology and local colleges and universities.
The registration and licensing machinery and regional offices of the Archaeological Survey of India have been strengthened in order to ensure that the arts and antiquities treasures in the country are properly preserved. The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 has been enforced throughout the country.
Akademies and Cultural Agreements Cultural agreements were concluded with Hashemite Kingdom of Jordon, Algeria, Republic of Korea, Cuba, Lesotho, Italy and Socialist Republic of Vietnam during the year.
The Akademies and other Cultural organisations continued their activities under various schemes during the period under report.
Finance Details about the total budget provision for 1976-77 and 1977-78 for both the Departments of Education and Culture are given in Chapter Eleven of Part I.