 AUDIO-VISUAL EDUCATION

National Board for Audio-Visual Education.-The National Board for Audio-Visual Education was reconstituted and its third meeting was to be held at New Delhi on 5th and 6th January, 1959. Most of the recommendations made by the National Board at its second meeting have by now been implemented.

National Institute of Audio-Visual Education.-Housed for the present in the building of the Audio-Visual Wing at Indra Prastha Estate, New Delhi the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education is expected to start functioning early 1959.

Aid for the project is being received from the Technical Coopera- tion Mission of the U.S.A. who have agreed to air-condition the Institute building excepting the auditorium. Air-conditioning of the auditorium has been postponed for the present.

The services of Dr. Francis Noel as-one of the three audio-visual experts for the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education have been accepted. He will join the Institute in January, 1959 for a period of six months to start with.

Production of Films.-The films sponsored by this Ministry under its various programmes are produced at the Films Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Bombay. The following titles of films were included for production during 1958-59 :-

(A) General Publicity Programme

1. Jamia Millia

2. Universities of India

3. Herbarium

4. National Discipline Scheme

(B) Integrated Publicity Programme

1. Evolution of Man

2. Geography of India-Climate

3. Physical Regions of India-Indo-Gangetic Plain

4. Education Through Recreation

5. Carpenter

6. Calcutta

7. Indian Games

8. Jataka Story No. 1

9. Jataka Story No. 2

10. Community Centres

11. Potter

12. Parliamentary System in India

13. Rivers of India Series-Ganges

14. Holiday Camps

15. Janta College

16. Technological Institute, Kharagpur

17. Birds of India Series-Aquatic Birds

18. Yoga

19. International Geophysical Year

20. Seven Cities of Delhi

(C) Instructional and Teaching Films

1. Cotton Craft and its Correlation in Basic Education

2. Poisonous Snakes of India

3. Teaching of Elementary Mathematics

4. Currents and Tides

5. Minerals of India-Manganese

Of these the five films, viz., (i) National Discipline Scheme, (ii) International Geophysical Year, (iii) Seven Cities of Delhi, (iv) Currents and Tides, and (v) Minerals of India Series-Manganese have been selected for production during 1958-59 and the remaining constitute the carryovers from those selected in previous years.

In addition to the subjects mentioned above the following films, which were to be produced on behalf of the Central Social Welfare Board were carried over for production during 1958-59 :

1. Welfare Extension Projects

2. Training Women for Rural Welfare Work

3. Family Welfare in Urban Areas

The rough cuts of the films "Godavari", "Janta College" and "Herbarium" were previewed. The synopses of the films, 'Seven Cities of Delhi' and 'Birds of India' were sent to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Films Division, Bombay.

Under this scheme 16 films have been produced so far.

Exchange of Films with Foreign Governments.-An agreement for the exchange of films has been signed with the National Film Board

of Canada. Proposal for having similar formal agreements with the following foreign Governments is under consideration :

1. Czechoslovakia

2. Yugoslavia

3. Indonesia

4. Malaya

5. Japan

6. Poland

So far seven films have been acquired under this programme from Canada. Besides, the film "Crisis in Asia" of the National Film Board of Canada was approved by the Preview Committee for acquisition. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was approached to acquire a print of the film through the Exchange Programme.

Dubbing of Films.-Films Division, Bombay have taken up the work of dubbing the Canadian films.

Seminars and Conferences.-The Unesco Regional Seminar on Visual Aids in Fundamental Education and Community Development was held at New Delhi from 8th to 27th September, 1958 in the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education. Inaugurated by the Minister for Education on 8th September, 1958 the Seminar was attended by delegates from the following thirteen South-East Asian countries : Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ceylon, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Nepal. The strength of Indian delegation to the Seminar was six,

The Director of the Seminar was Mr. Henny de Jong and three persons from the Unesco Secretariat attended the Seminar.

The object of the Seminar was to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience on the production and use of visual aids for Fundamental education and community development to cover such fields as literacy, health and sanitation, nutrition and agriculture arts and crafts, home economics etc.

A sum of $ 20,000 was provided for this Seminar by Unesco, out of which $ 3,100 were spent on local staff, local travel, supplies and equipment in India. The Government of India also provided for an expenditure of Rs. 7,500 on the organization of this Seminar.

It has been decided to arrange five short-term Zonal Seminars on Audio-Visual Education in different regions of the country. The

estimated expenditure on each Zonal Seminar is Rs. 3,500. The pro- posal has been approved in principle and details are now being finalised in consultation with State Governments.

Foreign Assistance.-Under the Colombo Plan, the Government of India were to receive six mobile cinema vans as free gifts from the Government of Australia. Out of these six vans. two vans were received in 1952. Out of the two received, one was allotted to Ajmer (Rajasthan) and the other was kept for the use of the Ministry. The value of these two vans comes to Rs. 95,999. Out of the remaining four vans, one has been allotted to Andaman and Nicobar Islands who will adjust the cost and other incidental expenditure themselves. The Government of Australia will directly ship the van to that Islands.

The other three vans which are expected by the end of January, 1959 have been allotted as follows : (1) one van to the State Govern- ment of Madras; (2) one van to the State Government of Punjab; and (3) one van will be kept by the Ministry itself in place of the existing one which has been proposed to be given to the Government of Bihar. The approximate value of these three vans will be about Rs. 1,50,000.

Under the T.C.M. Aid Programme 129 prints of the two films 'Literacy for Progress' and 'The School-Secondary Education' were received. Out of this, 102 prints were distributed to the State Gov- ernments and Union Administrations. 37 prints of the film. 'Training the Rural Teachers' were also received, out of which 30 prints have been distributed to the State Governments, Union Administrations and rural institutions.

Censorship of Films.-The films purchased for the Central Film Library are sent to the Central Board of Film Censors for censorship, and films declared 'predominantly educational' get exemption from payment of customs duties. The films are at present being got censored at Bombay through the Western Regional Office, Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting have now recently agreed to 'arrange for censorship facilities at Delhi.

Gramophone Records.-At the request of this Ministry. Directorate General, All India Radio have set up a committee for advising them regarding the production of gramophone records for Higher Secondary schools. It was decided that twelve records per annum would be produced in the first instance. The State Governments were requested to state if they could provide gramophones to schools. The comments of some of the State Governments are still awaited.

A few topics have, however, been drawn up and it is expected that four records will be ready by March, 1959.

Encouragement to Private Producers.-Under this scheme the film producers in the country are encouraged by purchasing their outstanding educational and feature films.

Travelling Library of Visual Aids.-The Travelling Library of Visual Aids that was received from the Unesco on December 6, 1956 has so far visited six Social Education Organisers' Training Centres. It is now with the National Fundamental Education Centre, New Delhi. It has been decided to retain the library for another period of two years for use in the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education. The library was on display at the Regional Seminar on Visual Aids in Fundamental Education and Community Development.

Production of Filmstrip Projectors.-Negotiations are afoot with the Ordnance Factory, Dehra Dun for manufacturing of 35 mm filmstrip projectors on a mass scale. Efforts will be made to make the projectors available at rates cheap enough to be within the easy reach of the institutions.

Assistance to State Governments.-A sum of Rs. 2.06 lakhs was paid in March, 1958 to State Governments as Central assistance for the implementation of the Audio-Visual schemes in the States as the second instalment of the assistance to State Governments for 1957-58. Estimated assistance to State Governments for 1958-59 is Rs. 3.10 lakhs.

Central Film Library.-A sum of Rs. 65,000 was provided for 1958- 59 for the purchase of films, filmstrips, film equipment and other audio-visual aids. During this period 623 films, 57 filmstrips and some periodicals were, acquired for the Central Film Library. These also include some outstanding feature films like the "Yatrik", "Gandhiji", "Chhota-Bhai", "Achhut Kanya" and "Pardesi". The Library enrolled 89 educational and allied organisations as members bringing the total to 1220. The Preview Committee held 22 meetings and 97 films were previewed. 9,719 films and 96 filmstrips were lent out to member-institutions. Quarterly annotated supplements to the films and filmstrips which used to be issued separately to the member- institutions, are now being incorporated in the "Audio-Visual Education" journal since July, 1958.

Mobile Cinema Unit.-A provision of Rs. 4,000 was made for the maintenance of the mobile cinema van. The Unit as usual confined its activities to conducting film shows in the local educational ins- titutions and other allied associations. During the period the Unit

conducted 121 film shows; and 48 preview-meetings were held. On the basis of a normatic survey conducted by the Unit in the local schools, a report was published in the Audio-Visual Education journal for the guidance of the members and others interested in audiovisual techniques.

To help eradicating the social evils like drinking, gambling etc., prevalent among the village folk the Mobile Cinema Unit plans to organise audio-visual programmes in the Social Education Centre, Begumpur, near Qutab in 1959-60 by exhibiting films on the evils of drinking, gambling etc.

"Audio-Visual Education" Journal.-As usual, four issues of the journal were published during the period. The journal has con- siderably improved both with regard to the contents and get-up. The October '58 issue was devoted exclusively to the Unesco Regional Seminar on Visual Aids, in Fundamental Education and Community Development.

It is now proposed to add shortly a Hindi Section to the journal.

Unit for the Production of Visual Aids.-The Unit for the Pro- duction of Visual Aids was engaged during 1958 in the production of model charts and posters for schools and Social education. More than half a dozen charts and posters have been produced on mass scale and distributed among State Governments and others concerned. Work on six more charts for Higher Secondary schools is in progress. It has also launched a project of preparing brochures and monographs on important topics of Audio-visual education for promoting proper use of audio- visual aids among teachers and instructors. A monograph on production and use of filmstrips is likely to be brought out shortly.

The programme for the next financial year envisages the production of twenty-four Charts on Science, Economic, Geography, and Indian History for Higher Secondary schools, and half a dozen charts on Social education topics. It is also proposed to award prizes to private producers in order to encourage production of good non-projected audio-visual material. It is also proposed to publish for monographs on various subjects of Audio-visual education during 1959-60.

Translation of Teaching Notes.-Since the filmstrips were con- sidered to be more useful than films for classroom teaching, the work of preparing Hindi teaching notes of filmstrips was taken up last year. Hindi teaching notes of 38 filmstrips have been prepared

so far, and these teaching notes are invariably sent along with filmstrips for use in institutions.

It is proposed to prepare Hindi teaching notes and standardised Hindi commentaries in respect of a number of selected films during 1959-60.