INTRODUCTORY
Shri Siddartha Shankar Ray who assumed charge of the Ministry of Education and Social welfare on the 18th March, 1971, also took over the Department of Culture which came into being on 3rd May, 1971. Two Deputy Ministers, Shri K. S. Ramaswamy and Prof. D. P. Yadav, assumed office on the 18th March, 1971, in the Ministry to assist the Union Minister for Education.
On 4th October, 1971, Prof. S. Nurul Hasan took charge as the Minister of State.
Budget
Department of Education The total budget provision for 1971-72 and 1972-73 appearing under all demands including the demands of the Ministries of Finance, Home and Works and Housing is as under:
(Rupees in lakhs)
Budget Revised Budget
Particulars 1971-72 1971-72 1972-73
(Provisional)
Secretariat of the Department of
Education 100.57 93.68 105.27
Provision for general education, em-
ployment of educated person-
nel etc 9,125.29 9,141.54 10,980.46
The major portion under general administration is for maintenance of non-Plan establishment. The fall in the Revised Estimates is due mainly to some posts having remained vacant and increase in budget estimates for the next year is due partly
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to normal increase in establishment, provision for additional interim relief, etc.
The provision for schemes and programmes show a slight increase in the Revised Estimates. The Revised Estimates include provision for the scheme for employment of educated personnel which was not included in budget estimates of 1971-72. The increase in the budget estimates of 1972-73 is partly due to additional provision for employment of educated personnel, normal increase in expenditure and the progressive development of plan activities.
Department of Culture The total budget provision for 1971-72 and 1972-73 appearing under all Demands, including Demands of the Ministries of Finance, Home and Works and Housing is as under :
(Rs. in lakhs)
Budget Revised Budget
Particulars 1971-72 1971-72 1972-73
(Provision)
Secretariat of the Department of Cul-
ture 21,42 20.06 30.53
Archaeology and other schemes and
programmes of the Department
of Culture 548.30 465.88 663.63
The increase in the budget estimates for 1972-73 for Secretariat expenditure is because of the transfer of some more staff to it.
The saving under the revised estimates in respect of schemes and programmes is because of a deliberate attempt made to effect economy in view of the need for economy allround. The increase in the budget estimates for 1972-73 is due partly to increase in the Plan activities and partly to the transfer to this department of a number of schemes particularly regarding modern Indian languages which are being previously attended to by the Department of Education.
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General Review During the year 1971-72 the Union Ministry continued to promote the various educational activities which come under its purview, in line with the principles enunciated in the National Policy on Education approved by Parliament. In what follows, some of the significant programmes under various heads are highlighted. The activities of the Department of Culture are detailed in Part II of the Report.
It should be mentioned in this connection that the Union Ministry could not execute as much of its programmes as it had planned for the year owing to the crisis that had developed on our borders. Finances were required to cope with the needs of the refugee problem following the tension on our borders and subsequently to meet defence requirements and the rehabilitation of refugees in Bangla Desh.
Compulsory Primay Education Towards the expansion of education in this sector, the Government of India have sanctioned a scheme of Central assistance to the States and the Union Territories for the appointment of 30,000 additional Primary Teachers and 240 Assistant Inspectors of Schools during the financial year just ending. The scheme has also taken into account the need for the free supply of textbooks and stationery and facilities for provision of midday weals to about 9 lakhs school children. In order to make school education meaningful and practical, financial sanction has been given for the introduction of work experience in 1,000 selected middle schools in the country to start with. All these programmes will cost Rs. 4.4 crores.
School Textbook Printing To assist States and Union Territories in, the mass production of primary school textbooks three modern printing presses are being established by Government of India at Chandigarh, Bhubaneswar and Mysore. The equipment is gifted by the
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Federal Republic of Germany. The press at Chandigarh has already been commissioned.
Science Education Project Under the agreement executed by the Ministry of Education with UNESCO and UNICEF in April, 1967, a project has been launched to expand and improve the, teaching of science throughout the school stage in the country. While the Ministry of Education are helping the State Governments in the preparation of now syllabii and textbooks and in the training of science teachers, the UNICEF are assisting by equipping Teacher Training Institutions with laboratory equipment, books and other materials and by providing new science kits to the participating schools. So far, about 550 training institutions have been provided with laboratory equipment and about 1,100 schools with science kits on a pilot basis. During the next two years, it is proposed to equip another 500 training institutions with science, equipment and to provide science kits to 55,000 schools.
Higher Education In the newly set up, Central University at Delhi, viz., Jawaharlal Nehru University, the School of Life Science has been set up and will start its academic programmes in July, 1972.
The University Grants Commission, as in the past, provided assistance to universities and colleges for approved development programmes. The number of universities (including institutions deemed to be universities under Section 3 of the U.G.C. Act) rose from 47 in 1960 to 92 in 1970. The number of colleges rose from 1542 in 1960-61 to 3,604 in 1970-71. A Committee of the U.G.C. visited Pondicherry to consider in detail the proposal to establish a Central University in Pondicherry. The proposal was first mooted on the occasion of the birth centenary of Sri Aurobindo. The question of declaring the School of Town and Country Planning, New Delhi and the Institute of Science, Bombay as deemed universities is under the consideration of the University Grants Commission. The Committee set up by the University Grants Commission knows
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as The Gajendragadkar Committee has made recommendations of a far reaching character relating to size of universities, University autonomy and block grants, the role of Central Universities, students' participation in university administration, etc. The University Grants Commission and the Central Government have accepted the recommendations of the Committee in principle.
Technical Education A number of measures have been taken to improve the standard and quality of technical education.
Forty engineering colleges and polytechnics have started sandwich courses in cooperation with industry to integrate theoretical engineering education with actual practical experience. It is hoped that the system of sandwich courses will be extended, gradually to all technical institutions that can establish cooperation with industry, to 'produce the correct type of engineers and technicians needed by our country. For the training of teachers, four Regional Teachers' Training Institutes have, been established, which offer a wide range of facilities, particularly for the inservice training of polytechnic teachers. In addition, special provision has been made at the Institutes of Technology to train, the teachers of engineering colleges for the Master's and Ph.D. Degrees.
Development of Languages The Central institute of Indian Languages and the four Regional Language Centres at Mysore, Bhubaneswar, Poona and Patiala have been providing intensive training in Indian languages for secondary and higher secondary school teachers deputed by State Governments. The main object in offering this training is to provide an incentive to all Indian States on an even basis to implement the three-language formula and to offer assistance. It is also the intention to strengthen effectively the communication between various Indian languages as vehicles for bringing about the emotional and social integration of the country. Details of teacher-trainees deputed from various States to undergo
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the prescribed courses are found in the chapter on Languages in this Report.
Book Promotion The Ministry has accelerated its programmes of Book Promotion, with the main aim of fostering the writing, by Indian writers of suitable textbooks at the university level to suit Indian needs 618 books mainly on science and technology in various regional languages have so far been published and manuscripts for 2215 books will be ready in another three months.
Besides, the Union Ministry has offered, through the University Grants Commission, 153 Fellowships for the writing of original books on science and technology to scholars who are closely associated with recognised specialists in these fields. In order that the university level books written by Indian authors do not suffer in competition with the subsidised textbooks from the USA and the UK, a scheme to subsidise Indian authors has been launched by this Ministry. Under this scheme, 375 books at the university level are under examination for grant of subsidy. It is proposed to step up such schemes.
Adult Education Although, due to the increase in population, the number of illiterates in 1971 was 386 million, as against 388 million in 1961, the percentage of literacy (according to the 1971 census of India), has actually risen and would be 29.00 against 24 in 1961. The Union Ministry has decided to initiate pilot projects towards the speeding up of literacy in selected districts. It intends to cover about 6 million illiterate adults during the Fourth Plan period as a preliminary move, to be followed by a massive programme in the subsequent plans.
Apart from the mass approach in the eradication of illite racy the Ministry of Education has already taken up the programme of selective approach by initiating the programme of
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farmers' functional literacy project in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Information and Broadcasting. This programme will cover over a million illiterate farmers who will be made functionally literate in 100 high yielding variety districts in the country during the Fourth Plan and by the end of the current year, functional literacy projects would be in operation in 80 districts. The evaluation of the programme, carried out recently, has indicated that there is a close relationship between the functional literacy programme and the adoption of new agricultural practices.
A programme of functional education for industrial workers based on the polyvalent approach, being run in Bombay, has demonstrated its usefulness and is being extended to other industrial areas.
The voluntary organisations have been playing a very significant part in promoting the programmes of adult education in the country. To help the voluntary organisations to take up meaningful programmes of adult education and adult literacy in some of the selected areas and for a certain category of population, were adult education is required urgently, the Ministry of Education have been assisting the voluntary organisations on a liberal basis. This programme is being considerably stepped up.
Youth Welfare Play-fields in urban areas of 170 districts are to be developed at a cost of Rs. 50,000 per district. The Fourth Plan allocation for the project is Rs. 85 lakhs. The budget provision for the year about to come to a cost is Rs. 25 lakhs. A scheme for the establishment of rural sports centres has also been put into operation and it is hoped that when these two schemes have been fully implemented, there will be a large net work of playfields both in urban and rural areas all over the country.
Financial assistance is also to be given towards the estab- lishment of 20 work centres, one work centre project per
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State/Union Territory. The assistance is to cover 50 per cent of the capital expenditure on each project subject to a maximum of Rs. one lakh per project and a maximum of Rs. 60 thousand per year per project to cover recurring expenditure. The Fourth Plan allocation for this project is Rs. 30 lakhs and for the year 1971-72, the budget provision is Rs. 15 lakhs. The basic objective of these work centres is to train non-student youth in various occupational skills and to equip them with the potential for self-employment at the end of their training. Both these schemes are new and it Will be possible to assess their working after a period of time.
National Service Scheme This scheme is becomings increasingly popular with university teachers and students. The aim of the scheme is community service rendered by teachers and students and its efficacy has been proved by a very heartening experience of recent date. Thousands of national service, students drawn from various universities in the country gave a helping hand in the refugees camps. They displayed considerable initiative and enterprise by collecting donations, distributing food, clothing and medicine and conducting surveys on the condition of refugees.
UNESCO Programmes The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO in collaboration with the National Council for Education Research and Training organised functions in November, 1971 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of UNESCO. Among the programme carried out for the occasion were, news coverage and special broadcasts and talks on Radio and Television, essays and declamation contests, debates, symposia etc.
Department of Culture The various programmes and activities in the field of culture have been intensified during the year. India had entered into cultural agreements with 23 countries and during the current
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financial year one more agreement in the cultural field has been signed. As in the previous years, exchange of delegations between India and various countries of the world was continued during the year to promote art and culture.
The scheme for propagation of culture among college and school students was instiuted during the year and two refresher courses for college and school teachers were held.
To review the working of the three National Akademies the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, a Committee was appointed in early 1970 under the Chairmanship of Justice G.D. Khosla.
The Archaeological Survey of India has augmented its activities during the year. It has strengthened the foundations of Qutab Minar in Delhi, protected the Taj Mahal from the floods in Jamuna and replaced the weathered and damaged pillars, brackets and lintels of the Dwarkadhish Temple at Dwarka in Gujarat. A face lift has also been given to the Chalukyan Temples at Aihole and Pattadakal in district Bijapur, Mysore, and brought out their hidden beautiful architectural features. Outside India the Survey has been responsible for the, conservation of world's largest rock-cut Buddha image in the ancient monastery at Bamiyan in Afghanistan. Conservation work on the small Buddha Image, which is 38 metres high, has been completed and the mural paintings decorating the ceiling of the cave preserved. Repair work is to be taken up on the large Buddha figure, which is 53 metres high. The Survey was ably assisted by the officers and staff of the Royal Afghan Government.
The Government is considering the feasibility of suitable legislation to regulate the export trade in antiquities and art treasures of national importance. The aim is to check Malpractices of any kind and to provide for the compulsory acquisition of art treasures and their preservation in public places.
The National Museum, New Delhi which has many unique exhibits is being further strengthened by not only objects of art
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of Indian origin but also of Pre-Columbian, South Asian, Egyptian, Greek and other phases of ancient art. Its Central Conservation Laboratory has started courses in chemical conservation to which chemists from South Asia are also to be invited. The Government is considering a proposal to declare the National Museum to be an institution of national importance.
An Annexe to the National Archives of India building is to be constructed to accommodate several files of records some of which have already been received by the National Archives. The training course in archieves keeping has been expanded to take in more trainees. The National Archives have also been entrusted with the publication of records regarding "Partition and Transfer of Power in India" and will cover the period from 1939 to 1947.