 SCHOOL EDUCATION

The Union Government, besides directly implementing certain pilot projects and other reforms in the field of school education, grant financial assistance to the State Governments primarily for the twin objectives : (i) provision of free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 and (ii) improvement in the quality of school education.

A. ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

2. Expansion of Primary Education (Age-Group 6-11).-The provision of free and compulsory education in the age-group 6-11 i.e., the Primary level is by far most significant scheme of school education included in the third Five-Year Plan. At the end of the second Plan the enrolment in classes I-V reached 349.87 lakh or 62.2 per cent of this age-group. The total number of girls enrolled was 113.97 lakh or 41.3 per cent of the total population of girls in the corresponding age-group. The original targets fixed for the third Plan were to enrol 152.95 lakh additional children in classes I-V and thus take the total enrolment in these classes to 496.4 lakh or 76.4 per cent in the age-group. By the end of the fourth year in the present Plan the enrolment will be of the order of 481.53 lakh or 80.6 per cent of the original target at the end of the Plan. It is now estimated that by the end of the third Plan the total enrolment in classes I-V would be 512.07 lakh or 77.8 per cent of the population of the corresponding age-group. Of these the number of girls will be 196.01 lakh.

2.1 Although there has been general expansion of facilities for primary education, there are regional variations. The States of Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh do not compare favourably with others in the enrolment of pupils in the age-group 6-11. This is particularly marked in the case of enrolment of girls. There is also a likelihood that the third Plan enrolment target will not be reached in some States such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan mainly due to lack of adequate finances.

3. Expansion of Middle School Education (Age-Group 11-14).-In classes VI-VIII the total enrolment in the country at the end of the second Plan was 67.04 lakh or 22.5 per cent of the total population in the age-group 11-14. The original target for the third Plan was to raise this enrolment to 97.48 lakh or 28.6 per cent of the population in the age-group. By the end of the year 1964-65 the enrolment figure is likely to be 99.70 lakh.

3.1. The expansion at the middle school stage has been far more rapid than that at the primary stage. This shows that there is an increasing desire on the part of parents to let their children stay longer in school. Estimates made recently show that the total enrolment in classes VI-VIII by the end of the Plan, would rise to 107.96 lakh or 31.6 per cent of the corresponding age-group. Of these, 28.74 lakh or 17.2 per cent of the age-group would be girls.

4. Legislation for Compulsory Education.-Education at the primary stage, except for special schools and some primary schools in urban areas of West Bengal, is free throughout the country. The State Governments have enacted suitable laws or revised the old ones for this purpose. 'During the year under review, Government of Rajasthan have passed a new law for compulsory primary education. Already such laws exist in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Mysore, Punjab and West Bengal.

5. Science Education.-The primary school curriculum includes teaching of elementary principles of science in some form.

5.1. A phased five-year programme (starting with 1965-66) is under consideration to reorient and strengthen the teaching of general science as an integrated and articulated course for classes I-IX/XI. The programme also envisages the utilisation of assistance from UNICEF and Unesco.

6. Fourth National Seminar on Compulsory Primary Education.-The Seminar was held in May, 1964 at Puri. A review of the progress of elementary education during the third Plan was made State by State. It was found that nine States viz. Assam, Gujarat, Kerala, Madras, Maharashtra, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal were exceeding their enrolment targets and that the total excess was likely to be about 23.64 lakh in classes I-V and 8.27 lakh in classes VI- VIII. On the other hand, six States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir are likely to have short falls the total short fall being of the order of about 18.31 lakh in classes I-V and 36,000 in classes VI-VIII. In Nagaland it was expected that the targets would be just reached. It was noticed that the progress in the expansion of elementary education was largely retarded due to financial difficulties. The problem of the general approach to be adopted in preparing the fourth Five-Year Plan in elementary education was also discussed in the Seminar.

7. Training of Primary School Teachers.-At the end of the second Plan, the percentage of trained teachers in elementary schools (Primary and Middle) was estimated at 64.5 per cent. With the increased facilities for teacher training, it is expected that the percentage of trained teachers would rise to 70.2 per cent at the end of the third Plan.

7.1. In the fourth Plan, it is proposed to expand the teacher training facilities considerably so that the output of training institutions fully meets the requirement of trained teachers. It is accordingly proposed to provide in the last two years of the third Plan additional training places mainly in those States like Assam, Orissa, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh which have a high percentage of untrained teachers.

7.2. It is estimated that there will be about 4,00,000 untrained teachers at the end of the third Plan. It is proposed to organise correspondence courses for the training for these teachers. By way of advance action, funds will be placed at the disposal of four or five States to start these courses on a pilot basis. The State Institutes of Education will provide the necessary technical assistance in organising the courses.

8. Ameliorative Measures for Primary School Teachers.-Further efforts for improvement of emoluments and service conditions of teachers, during the year, were made. In the third Plan, there is a scheme in the State

sector under which 50 per cent Central assistance is available to State Governments for expenditure incurred on schemes for the improvement of emoluments of teachers. In view of this scheme,in most of the States there has been an upward revision of pay scales. The State Governments are further making efforts to remove the disparity between the emoluments of teachers working in Government and those working in non-Government schools. The State Governments have also been advised to introduce the Triple Benefit Scheme for non-Government school teachers.

9. State Institutes of Education.-In order to improve the quality of education at various levels, the Central Government introduced a Centrally sponsored scheme during the year 1963-64 for the establishment of State Institutes of Education. To begin with, their scope has been limited to the improvement of primary and middle school education. Eventually these will deal with education at the pre-primary, primary, middle and secondary levels. The Union Government will bear the entire expenditure on these institutions during the third Five-Year Plan. In view of the importance of the scheme, it is proposed to continue it as a Centrally sponsored scheme in the fourth Five-Year Plan also with 100 per cent assistance from the Government of India.

9.1. State Institutes of Education have been established in all the States except in Nagaland. Proposal for an institute in the State is awaited. It is likely to be established before the end of the current year. Need has been felt for the establishment of an Institute in Delhi and steps are being taken to have it started in 1965-66.

9.2. A Department of Teachers Education has been set up in the National Council of Educational Research and Training for carrying out the work of the State Institutes of Education for training their staff and for the development of teacher education in general.

9.3. A seminar for the members of the staff of the State Institutes of Education was held at Sihor (Madhya Pradesh) from November 20-24, 1964 with the assistance of the Department of Teachers Education. The seminar reviewed the progress of the State Institutes and made certain important recommendations for improving their working. The Ministry of Education, the various State Governments and the State Institutes of Education are taking steps to implement the recommendations as early as possible.

9.4. The total expenditure during the third Plan period for the implementation of the scheme is estimated to be Rs. 65 lakh; and in view of the scope of development during the fourth Plan, provision of Rs. 200 lakh has been proposed for the next Plan period.

10. Basic Education.-The programme of Basic education has been accepted as the national pattern of education at the elementary stage and all elementary schools are to be ultimately converted to the Basic pattern. The progress made in this field is evident from the increase in the number of schools. In 1950-51, there were 33,730 Basic schools (33,379 junior and 351 senior Basic schools) in the country. Their number rose to 89,482 (74,007 junior and 15,475 senior) Basic schools in 1961-62.

10.1. The "orientation programme" (introduction of activities and other features of Basic schools in non-Basic schools) is being implemented by the

States. There has also been a substantial progress in the conversion of training institutions for elementary school teachers into the Basic pattern.

10.2. In order to advise the Union Government and the State Governments on programmes and policies of Basic education, a National Board of Basic Education has been set up by the Union Government. A meeting of this Board was held on February 3, 1965.

11. Mid-day Meals.-Under a Centrally sponsored scheme, which was being implemented from 1962-63, mid-day meals are provided to children in elementary schools. Assistance is received in the form of food commodities through CARE. The expenditure on their clearance and transport to schools is to be borne by the State Governments. The Union Government, however, extend financial assistance to the State Governments equal to 1/3rd of the expenditure incurred by them on the programme. The scheme is now in operation in eight States-Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madras, Kerala, Mysore, Gujarat and West Bengal. It is proposed to introduce it in four additional States during the next year. During 1964-65 nearly 8.5 million children are covered under this programme. For the year under report a provision of Rs. 70 lakh has been made for this scheme and of Rs. 80 lakh has been suggested for the next year.

11.1. Apart from the CARE, UNICEF and Catholic Relief Services also operate similar programmes for children in a limited way in a few States and Union Territories.

12. Prize Competition of Children's Books.-The Union Government have been organising annually National Prize Competition of Children's Book since 1954. During the year the Tenth Prize Competition was held and 4 prizes of Rs. 1,000 each and 21 prizes of Rs. 500 each were awarded to books and manuscripts in various languages.

12.1. Sahitya Rachnalayas.-The object of this scheme is to train authors, writers and publishers in the technique of preparing better books for children. This scheme has been in operation from 1955-56. In the third Plan it was proposed to organise 30 Rachnalayas at the rate of 2 per State but the scheme has been kept in abeyance due to emergency. It is now proposed to resume and continue it in the fourth Plan as a Centrally sponsored scheme.

13. Printing Presses for School Textbooks.-The Government of West Germany have agreed to donate three printing presses for printing of textbooks primarily for school children. These will be located at Bhubaneswar, Mysore and Chandigarh. The plans and estimates of the press at Mysore are being finalised and those of the remaining two are being drawn up,

13.1. The Governments of Sweden and Australia have been donating annually 8,000 and 2,000 tons respectively of printing paper from the beginning of the third Plan period, for printing textbooks for primary and elementary classes. Consignment for the current year is on its way and this has been distributed to the various State Governments and the Union Territories on the basis of their requirements.

14. Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations in the Field of Pre-Primary, Primary and Basic Education.-Under this scheme, 3 institutions were given assistance up to the end of January, 1965 to the extent of Rs. 13,739.

15. Education of Girls and Women.-It is expected that by the end of the Plan, 60.6 per cent of girls at the primary stage, 17.2 per cent at the middle stage and 7.8 per cent at the secondary stage in the respective age-groups will be in schools.

16. National Council for Women's Education.-At its sixth meeting, held in February, 1964, the National Council for Women's Education recommended that : (i) There should be a massive programme of continuation education through part-time courses, for those children, who are not in a position on account of social and economic reasons, to attend full-time courses in the schools; (ii) The funds should be provided to the States outside the Plan ceiling with cent per cent Central assistance for special programmes to develop women's education and bridge the gap between the education of boys and girls; and (iii) the Planning Commission be further requested to expedite the allocation for Advance Action proposals for Women's Education. The seventh meeting of the Council will be held in February, 1965.

16.1. The Committee on Part-time Employment and Training of Women appointed by the Council continued its work during the current year. The pilot survey on attitude of women towards part-time employment entrusted to Delhi School of Social Work, Delhi, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay has been completed. The Reports of the Institutions were considered by the Committee. The Committee set up by the National Council under the Chairmanship of Shri M. Bhaktavatsalam, Chief Minister of Madras "to look into the causes for lack of public support for girls education in rural areas and to enlist public cooperation" has submitted its report. The Report was approved by the Council. The Report and recommendations have since been circulated among the State Governments, State Councils for Women's Education and prominent voluntary organisations.

16.2. The report of the fourth Plan Working Group on Women's Education set up by the National Council, for drawing up schemes for women's education for the fourth Plan was considered by the Council. The Council recommended that the targets regarding girls education set out therein along with the financial implication should be taken as the minimum programme for adoption in the fourth Plan. The recommendations of the Group were considered and suitably included in the preliminary report of the Working Group on General Education of the Ministry of Education.

16.3. Under the scheme of financial assistance to voluntary educational organisations engaged in the field of Women's Education, grants up to the end of December, 1964 were sanctioned to the extent of Rs. 2,09,349 to 20 institutions towards the construction of hostel buildings, laboratories and libraries.

16.4. In order to educate public opinion and to publicise the spread of girls education it was proposed to organise 22 seminars on programmes and policies dealing with girls education. During the current year Central grant of Rs. 12,000 has been sanctioned to various States to organise 10 seminars. A documentary film "Who Seek the Light" has also been produced by the Films Division on behalf of the Union Ministry for educating public opinion on the need of girls' education and will be exhibited free through the "Integrated Publicity Programme" of the Films Division throughout the country.

B.SECONDARY EDUCATION

17. Expansion and Improvement of Secondary Education.-Secondary education is the most vital sector of education. At this stage the schools should prepare their pupils not only for the universities, but also for middle level positions in the various sectors of development. Hence there has been an effort to place the emphasis not only on quantitative development, but also on the improvement of quality in all secondary schools. The number of secondary schools has risen from 6,682 in 1949-50 to 22,581 in 1963-64. The enrolment at secondary stage (classes X-XI) has risen from 10.45 lakh in 1949-50 to about 45 lakh in 1963-64.

17.1. In regard to the improvement of quality of education at secondary level the Union Government have initiated from the year under report a crash programme for improving the science laboratories and school libraries by organising special training programme for teachers of science. This programme on the basis of 100 per cent Central aid is estimated to cost about 7 crore. It was introduced during this year and a provision of Rs. 150 lakh has been made for this purpose. In addition to the activities mentioned above, the Union Ministry has sponsored other projects for raising the standard of education at this stage; expansion of multipurpose schools; upgrading of high schools to higher secondary schools pattern, improvement of service conditions of teachers and the like. It was also envisaged, under this scheme, to have a State Unit of Science Education set up in each State for the promotion and improvement of science teaching in schools at all stages. These State Institutes of Science are designed to work as State level counter-parts of the Department of Science sponsored by the Ministry under the National Council of Educational Research and Training. For the present the programme is intended to cover secondary schools functioning at the end of the second Plan and to bring them up to a reasonable though austeric standard of efficiency.

18. Strengthening of Multipurpose Schools.-In pursuance of the recommendations of the Secondary Education Commission, a number of multipurpose schools were set up in many States and Union Territories by the end of second Plan period. During the third Plan the major attention in this connection has been to consolidate and improve the working in the existing schools rather than to increase the number of these schools. It was visualised that there would be further expansion of the multipurpose education during the fourth and subsequent Plans. Thus a Centrally sponsored scheme for strengthening of multipurpose schools was introduced during the year 1962-63. The Central assistance for developing experimental multipurpose schools is restricted to 50 per cent of the actual expenditure subject to a maximum of Rs. 2 lakh per school. The proposals of the States of Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mysore, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat and the Union Territories of Pondicherry and Tripura have been approved by the Union Government. In all, 13 experimental multipurpose schools in these States and Union Territories are being developed at present.

18.1. A list of selected books in science, agriculture, Commerce, technology and fine arts has been circulated to the State Governments, Union Territories and 100 per cent Central assistance has been offered to them. Most of the States and Union Territories are going ahead with the implementation of the scheme in this regard.