SOCIAL EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES
A. SOCIAL EDUCATION The programme of social education is a comprehensive one and aims at providing education for the betterment of the life of the adult population and bringing about a desirable social change by acquainting people with the everchanging currents in social, economic and political life and instilling in them a faith in themselves and the future of their country. The field programme of Social (Adult) Education with Adult Literacy as the core activity and its implementation is the responsibility of the State Governments and Union Territories. The role of the Ministry of Education is to coordinate programmes and to provide supporting services and conduct pilot projects which are of importance to the programme of social education in the country as a whole.
1.1. The question of liquidating illiteracy and the magnitude of the problem continued to engage the attention of the Ministry of Education in the year under report. The State Governments and Union Territories have been requested to increase the tempo of literacy work. The main difficulty of the State Governments has been the lack of funds; if Central assistance of hundred per cent could be given, it would be possible to achieve the target, but it has not been possible for the Union Government to provide cent per cent funds to State Governments for the purpose. During the third Plan, an amount of Rs. 5.80 crore was allotted to social education both for Central and State sectors. If adequate funds are available in the fourth Plan, it is hoped that the number of illiterate persons will be reduced by about 50 million at the end of the Plan period. The details about the important activities during the year are given in the following paragraphs :
2. Workers' Social Education Institute, Indore.-The Institute expanded its activities of providing social education for industrial workers at Indore which mainly consisted of holding music, drawing, English and Hindi classes, Mahila Kendra Literacy classes and Mahila Kendra Handicarft classes etc.
2.1. Series of lectures on the importance of literacy in National Building were organised and 5 Adult Literacy Centres opened in different labour localities. Lectures by eminent social workers were also arranged. It has been further decided to open the second Workers' Institute in Maharashtra.
3. Yidyapeeth Programme.-Under the project it was envisaged to set up 8 Vidyapeethas in the Mysore State, but only six have been set up by the Mysore State Adult Education Council so far. Due to shortage of funds the number is not likely to increase. The objective of the Vidyapeeth is to train village youths for rural leaderships.
4. Prize Competition for Books for Neo-literates.-During the year, authors of 40 prize-winning books/manuscripts under the tenth Competition were paid the prize money of Rs. 500 each; one author of the prizewinning book of the Ninth Competition was paid Rs. 500. Fifteen hundred
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copies each of the 10 prize-winning books of Ninth Competition and 2 prizewinning books of the Eighth Competition and 9 translations of additional prize-winning books of the previous competitions were purchased for free distribution to community development and N.E.S. Blocks, social education centres and school libraries through the State Governments and Union Territories/Area Administrations. Eleven translation of additional prizewinning books of the previous competitions were also approved for the purchase of 1500 copies each during the year. 244 entries have been received for the Eleventh Competition, the results of which will be announced shortly.
5. Unesco Prize Competition for Books for New Reading Public.- During the year, authors of 7 prize-winning books under the Third Unesco Competition for books for the new reading public were paid the prize money of Rs. 1,900 each. Orders have been issued to the concerned publishers for the purchase of 1500 copies each of the 6 out of 7 prize winning books for free distribution to the social education centres, Community development and N.E.S. Blocks and libraries etc. through the State Governments and Union Territories/Area Administrations.
5.1. During the year, the Fourth Unesco Competition for books for new reading public has been announced under the auspices of the Unesco. Under this Competition, 17 prizes of value of Rs. 1,100 each will be awarded to Indian authors of best books-four in Hindi and one each in the languages, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
6. Direct Production of New Books.-The tenth and the last volume of a Hindi Encyclopaedia was published by M/s Hindi Vishwa Bharati, Lucknow, during the year. This ten volume encyclopaedia has been brought out with financial assistance from the Union Government.
7. Popular Literature Committee.-This Committee advises the Union Government on all matters pertaining to the production of literature for neo-literates and new reading public. The Committee held one meeting to finalise the results of the tenth Competition for books for neo-literates.
8. National Book Trust.-During the year till December 31, 1964, the Trust was sanctioned a sum of Rs. 3,20,000 as Government grant to carry on its activities. The Trust had published 9 books (including three reprints) bringing the total number of books published up to 31st December, 1964, to 103 books (including four reprints). The list of publications published by the Trust is at Annexure V.
8.1. The Trust organised the first National Book Exhibition from November 26 to December 4, 1964, at New Delhi. Seminar and Convention of Booksellers and Publishers were also organised in connection with the Book Exhibition. It is proposed to take the Exhibition to Bombay, Ahmedabad, Poona, Calcutta and Madras.
9. Sahitya Shivirs.-Sahitya Shivirs are literary workshops for training authors in the techniques of writing books for neo-literates. These are organised with the help of State Governments. Each Shivir is of 6-8 weeks duration. It has been proposed to hold four Shivirs during 1964-65 in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
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10. Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Social Education.-After holding its sixth meeting in March, 1964, the work of the Standing Committee has been wound up.
11. Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations in the Field of Social Education.-During the year 1964-65, 27 voluntary educational organisations were assisted to the extent of Rs. 1,91,040 for the development of various activities relating to social education and libraries. Of these, 15 organisations received their first grant.
11.1. Grants amounting to Rs. 2,44,000 were sanctioned to 23 institutions for a similar purpose during 1963-64. Fourteen institutions have furnished audited accounts to the Union Ministry about the proper utilisation of funds. The cases of others are being pursued and their accounts are also expected to be received early.
B. LIBRARIES AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT 12. The Union Government maintain, develop and help the development of a few libraries of all-India importance like the National Library and the Central Reference Library, Calcutta on the one hand and on the other carry out other programmes of relevance to social education like developing library services and fostering literacy. In addition the Central Secretariat Library that functions as a part of the Ministry of Education,, caters to the needs of all the Ministries and Departments of the Union Government while carrying on some useful documentation programmes on educational and other literature. An account of the activities of the various libraries and programmes for the development of Library Services is given, in this Section.
13. National Library, Calcutta.-The following is the progress registered during the year in its different sectors.
13.1. Acquisition.-The total number of volumes (a) accessioned was 31,780; (b) received under the provisions of the Delivery of Books (Public Libraries) Act, was 18,642 and (c) acquired through "gift and exchange" was more than 7,000. Reprint sets of research journals not available in the Library were acquisitioned by purchase.
13.2. Processing.-The number of volumes fully processed was 22,318. Of these, 10,433 were general publications in European languages, 9,090 in Indian languages and the rest were official documents, both Indian and foreign.
13.3. Library Service, Bibliographical and Reference Work.- Readers totalling 2,63,734 visited and 3,532 new members were enrolled to the Library. Over 92,700 volumes were issued to readers. 1,745 volumes were either lent to or borrowed from libraries and institutions in India and abroad. In response to requests from readers, 140 short bibliographies containing 8,983 entries were compiled.
13.4. Preservation of Books.-The total number of volumes (a) bound was 8,664, (b) mended was 1,359 and (c) fumigated was 1,269.
13.5. Exhibitions and Other Activities.-An exhibition of books and illustrations was arranged on the occasion of the 400th Birth Anniversary of William Shakespeare. An illustrated brochure containing bibliographies
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and articles was published to mark the celebrations. The Library despatched 75,820 publications to the Jawans on the front.
13.6. The Publications of the Library.-The National Library, Calcutta brought out the following publications including catalogues:
(i) A Bibliography of Bengali Language and Literature Part I (Early Period).
(ii) A Bibliography of Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias in Indian Languages.
(iii) Shakespeare in India.
(iv) Author Catalogue of Printed Books in European Languages, Vol.10(W-Z).
(v) Author Catalogue of Printed Books in European Languages, Vol. 1(A)-Supplement (1951-61).
13.7. The Annexe.-The second phase of the construction of the Annexe covering five floors has been completed.
14. Central Reference Library, Calcutta.-The Library carried on its. liaison work in the world of library on a national basis.
14.1. Compilation of Indian National Bibliography.-The following publications have been brought out by the Indian National Bibliography Unit of the Central Reference Library.
Indian National Bibliography
Sl. Name of the publication Month of
No. Publication
1. Vol. 6, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. '63) October, '64
2. Vol. 7, No. 1 (January '64) April, '64
3. Vol. 7, No. 2 (February '64) May, '64
4. Vol. 7, No. 3 (March '64) July, '64
5. Vol. 7, No. 4 (April '64) November, '64
6. Vol. 7, No. 5 (May '64) December, '64
7. Vol. 7, No. 6 (June '64) December, '64
8. Vol. 7, No. 7 (July '64) December, '64
9. Vol. 7, No. 8 (August '64) December, '64
14.2. The language fascicules of the Bibliography, which were compiled and edited by the staff of the Indian National Bibliography Unit, were published by the various State Governments as detailed below.
Sl. Language Fascicule State Governments Month of Publication
No.
1. Tamil, 1963 Government of Madras July, '64
2. Malayalam, 1963 Government of Kerala September, '64
3. Gujarati, Jan.-March,1964 Government of Gujarat July, '64
4. April-June, 1964 Do. August, '64.
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15. Khuda Bux Oriental Public Library, Patna.-The Library is being administered by a Board of Management set up by the State Government of Bihar in consultation with the Government of India.
15.1. In view of the importance, antiquity and value of manuscripts. and books in the Khuda Bux Oriental Public Library, it is necessary to reorganise and develop the Library on modern scientific lines by declaring it institution of national importance under an Act of Parliament. It is proposed to introduce a Bill of Legislation in this behalf in the Parliament shortly. For the maintenance of the Library, a grant of Rs. 20,000 has been released to the Board of Management up to 31st December, 1964. Further grants will be released according to the actual requirements.
16. Central Library, Town Hall, Bombay.-There is acute shortage of accommodation in the library for housing the books etc. It has been decided to pay to the Government of Maharashtra two-thirds of the estimated expenditure of Rs. 10 lakh for the construction of additional accommodation for the library. The Government of Maharashtra have been asked to go ahead with the work.
17. Connemara Public Library, Madras.-The Connemara Public Library is under the control of the Madras State but as a recipient under the Delivery of Books and Newspaper (Public Libraries) Act, 1954, this library has been faced with the question of finding space for the books etc. received by it every year. The State Government have made a request for Central contribution for the construction of additional accommodation on this account. The question of payment of the grant to the Government of Madras in this behalf is under consideration.
18. Central Secretariat Library.-The library continued to render its useful and effective services during the year. The following statistics broadly indicate the volume of work handled during the year:
Accessions- Books 4,200
Documents including Pamphlets 18,745
Periodicals titles 850
Reference queries (nearly) 11,000
Loans 1,32,483
18.1. Nearly 50 bibliographies on several topics relating to education and also other subjects were compiled. The following publications are regularly brought out by the Library:
1. Indian Education Abstracts
2. Current Education Literature
3. Current Administration Literature
4. Central Secretariat Library
5. India and Her Neighbours
19. Delhi Public Library.-The membership of the Library increased from 23,754 to 94,000 and the stock of books from 74,189 to 2,58,322. The average daily turnover of books also increased from 3,238 to 12,800.
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19.1. Under the programme of Development of Library Service in Delhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru Library, Shahadara, has been taken over as third branch of the Delhi Public Library and the fourth branch of the Library has been opened in Karol Bagh. Two more community libraries (sub-branches of Delhi Public Library) have been opened in Motinagar and Ramesh Nagar. Deposit Station at Azadpur and Tilak Nagar have been converted into part-time community libraries and two mobile vans have been added to its fleet of mobile libraries raising the total number to four. The activities of the Library would be continued during 1965-66.
20. The Institute of Library Science, Delhi.-On reconsideration, and at the request of the Delhi University, the Institute was allowed to function in conjuction with the Delhi University till the close of the last academic year. Revised scheme for the Institute is under consideration.
C. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS 21. The financial provisions for the various schemes described in this Chapter are given below:
Sl. Provision for 1964-65 Provision for
No. Name of the Scheme 1965-66
Original Revised
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
1. Worker's Social Education institute,
Indore
(Plan) 35,000 35,000 35,000
(Non-Plan) 33,500 33,500 32,500
2. Mysore State Vidyapeeth Programme-
-Ford Foundation Project. (Plan) 56,000
3. Assistance to Voluntary Educational
Organisations in the field of Social
Education. (Plan) 5,00,000 5,00,000 5,00,000
4. Assistance to Voluntary Organisations
for the Production of literature for
neo-literates. (Plan) 20,000 25,000
5. Production of literature for neo-
literates
(Plan) 60,000 1,000 60,000
(Non-Plan) 90,000 90,000 90,000
6. Sahitya Shivirs for training of authors
in the technique of writing for neo-
literates. (Plan) 52,000 52,000 51,000
7. National Book Trust
(Plan) 2,82,000 3,66,000 3,80,000
(Non-Plan) 2,50,000 2,40,000 2,20,000
8. Institute of Library Science, Univer-
sity of Delhi. (Plan) 1,00,000 2,200 10,000
9. Delhi Public Library (Non-Plan) 4,70,000 4,70,000 5,71,000
10. Development of Library Service in
Delhi-Delhi Public Library (Plan) 4,00,000 4,00,000 4,80,000
11. National Library, Calcutta 23,87,000 22,41,800 21,34,800
12 Central Reference Library 2,89,000 2,32,300 2,94,800
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(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
13. Khuda Bux Oriental Public Library,
Patna 1,00,000 38,000 91,000
14. Central Library, Town Hall, Bombay 3,13,000 1,00,000 3,00,000
15. Connemara Public Library, Madras 3,70,000 3,00,000
*16. Financial assistance to displaced stu-
dents from East Pakistan (Non
Plan) 2,07,500 5,53,600 4,06,000
*17. Financial assistance to displaced stu-
dents from West Pakistan (Non-
Plan) 72,200 72,900 43,600
*18. Remission/Write off of educational
loans to displaced students (Non-
Plan) 12,000 3,500 7,500
*Details of the scheme are in Chapter XVI.
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