INTRODUCTION
 

The year under review has seen increased activity and expansion in all fields of education and culture and considerable progress has been made in all these programmes.

The Ministry rendered every possible assistance to the State Governments in setting' up a number of Basic and Social educational institutions in compact selected areas. A sum of Rs. 15,65,869 was sanctioned to the State, Governments up to December 1955 to implement the programme for the expansion of Basic education. Under the scheme of intensive educational development designed to work out sound techniques of Basic and Social education from the, elementary to the post-graduate (training) level within compact selected areas, a budget provision of Rs. 39,00,000 was made for the current year.

With a view to helping the development and expansion of Basic education on. sound lines, the Ministry has decided to set up a National Institute of Basic Education. A Special Basic Education Committee has also been set up as a Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education to advise the Government on matters pertaining to Basic education. To assess the progress of Basic education and advise on its further development, an Assessment Committee was appointed to go round various States and make an on-the- spot study of Basic institutions in different parts of the country.

Under the programme to relieve educated unemployment, the target of employing 80,000 teachers in rural areas has been practically achieved. The Ministry continued its programme of encouraging the production of suitable books for neo-literate adults by the award of prizes to authors of the best books in all Indian languages. The first of five volumes of "Gyan Sarovar", the popular encyclopaedia in Hindi, has been published. The Government of India are also organising four literary workshops each for authors of books for children and neo-literate adults on a monolingual basis.

The National Board of Audio-Visual Education, that has been reconstituted to provide greater representation, Made recommendations for the development, of Audio-Visual education, particularly in regard to the drawing up of a suitable scheme for the Second Five-Year Plan.

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The Government of India have set up an All-India Council for Secondary Education to review the progress of Secondary education throughout the country and to advise the State and Central Governments on the improvement and expansion of Secondary education in all its phases. A provision of Rs. 2.75 crores exists under the scheme in the current year's budget for the reconstruction of Secondary education.

The Government of India have undertaken ten Seminars, three- workshops and 24 Extension Services Projects for the improvement of Secondary education.

The Rural Higher Education Committee has submitted a report after visiting various institutions dealing with Rural Higher education tin the country. The Government of India are giving their earnest consideration to the recommendations of the Committee and have constituted a National Council for Higher Education in Rural Areas.

The University Grants Commission Bill that aims at the co- ordination and determination of standards in universities and, for that purpose, the establishment of a University Grants Commission, was passed by the Lok Sabha on the 28th November, 1955. The Rajya Sabha returned the Bill to the Lok Sabha wit certain amendments and the latter passed the Bill during the current session. A sum of Rs. 1,93,15,000 has been placed at the disposal of' the Commission till December, 1955.

The Government of India have appointed a committee to examine the question whether insistence upon a university degree is necessary for entry into government service.

Progress in the field of Technical education has been fully sustained. A special committee of the All-India Council for Technical Education at its meeting held in April, 1955 prepared in outline the second Five-Year Plan of Technical education estimated to cost 80 crores of rupees. In addition to the Ministry's Regional offices at Bombay and Calcutta, the Regional offices for Northern and Southern Zones were established at Kanpur and Madras respectively. Action has been initiated to establish a higher technical institute for the Western Zone at Bombay and proposals are under consideration for the establishment of similar institutes for the Southern and the Northern Zones during the' Second Five-Year Plan. Progress at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur and the Delhi and Nilokheri Polytechnics has been fully sustained.

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Substantial grants have also been paid to universities and non- university institutions for the development of facilities for Scientific and Technical education and research.

Since its reconstitution in 1954, the Hindi Shiksha Samiti has made important recommendations fox the propagation and development of Hindi, that are being implemented by the Government.

In addition to a large number of substantial grants made by the Centre to non-government organisations for the propagation and development of Hindi, grants on a percentage basis to the extent of Rs. 489,870 have been sanctioned so far to the various non-Hindi. speaking State Governments to implement their schemes for the promotion of Hindi as approved under the Five-Year Plan.

An exhibition of Hindi books, maps, charts etc. was organised by the Ministry at New Delhi from 12th August, 1955 to 21st August, 1955.

The work of compilation of scientific and technical terminology in Hindi made considerable progress and has evoked appreciation' from various quarters.

A provision of Rs. 3.6 lakhs was made for the scheme of Merit Scholarships in Public Schools in 1955-56.

The Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes Scholarships Scheme has been considerably expanded. During the current year, a budget provision of Rs. 150 lakhs was made and over 31,000 scholarships awarded to deserving candidates. In addition, 12 Overseas Scholarships were given to students of these classes during 1955-56.

In the field of cultural activities a provision of Rs. 8,57,000 was made for the three National Akademis to carry out their activities during the year. A sum of Rs 3,00,000 was provided for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations during 1955-56.

To promote cultural relations with foreign countries, some of the more important activities during the year were: sending a troupe of six Indian dancers and musicians to the U.S.A., sending a delegation of Indian University students and teachers and a cultural delegation of Indian musicians and dancers to the People's Republic of China, receiving a delegation of Uzbek dancers and a delegation of Nepali students and presenting books on Indian art, culture, history, languages etc. to libraries and institutions in foreign countries.

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As before, India participated in important projects of Unesco. In this connection special mention may be made of the active part played by the Indian National Commission for Unesco and its participation in the programme for the translation of the Classics, the Rook Coupon Scheme, the programme of Coordinated Experimental Activities in Schools, Schemer, of Fellowships and Travel Grants, the Fundamental Education Programme, Travelling Exhibitions and the Technical Assistance Programme. The Ninth Session of the Unesco General Conference will be held at New Delhi in November-December, 1956 under the auspices of the Indian National Commission for Unesco.

A National Advisory Council for the Education of the Handicapped was appointed to advise the Government of India on all problems concerning the education, training, employment and the provision of social and cultural amenities for the physically and mentally handicapped. Scholarships were instituted for the blind, the deaf and the orthopaedically handicapped.

The Ministry organised four youth leadership training camps and two dramatics camps for a group of universities with the object of preparing college teachers to conduct youth welfare activities in a more systematic and organized way. A Seminar of Principals was also held at Subathu to discuss problems of youth and to discover ways and means of solving them. The Second Inter-University Youth Festival was organised by the Ministry at New Delhi from 23rd to 30th October, 1955.

Since the establishment of the All-India Council of Sports, a number of activities, such as the training of coaches, assisting sports federations in organizing training camps and providing better amenities for sports have been initiated for the promotion of sports in the country. Grants have also been paid by the Government to various sports federations for inviting sports teams from abroad to India and also for sending teams abroad for international meets.

The 23rd Annual Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education was held on 14th and 15th January, 1956 at New Delhi and presided over by the Education Minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. An informal meeting of the Directors of Public Instruction and Directors of, Education was held on the 12th January, 1955.