 SCHOOL EDUCATION

In the field of School Education, the National Policy on Education has spelt out Government's resolve to initiate strennous efforts towards the early fulfilment of the constitutional Directive on free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14. The national policy also emphasised the importance of in-service education and training of teachers in order to enable them to play their role effectively. Besides, (the policy underlined the need to set examination reforms in motion and to improve the emoluments and service conditions of teachers. The details which follow report the activities and achievements of the Ministry under these heads.

Free and Compulsory Primary Education

The position of free and compulsory education was reviewed by the Central Advisory Board of Education at its 35th meeting held on 2nd and 3rd May, 1970 in Delhi and the following resolution was adopted:

The Board views with concern the progress of primary education in the country. On the basis of the present trends, it appears that no State would be able to realise the goal set in Article 45 of the Constitution earlier than 1980, and several States will be able to do so only in the 21st century. The Board, therefore, feels that the whole situation should be reviewed afresh and concrete, proposals put forward, both before the Central and State Governments, as that the goal set down in the Constitution with regard to free and compulsory primary education would be reached in all parts of the country by 1985 at the latest. The Board requests the Chair-

man to set up a high level Committee to examine the whole issue in all its aspects.

The present position, regarding free education in the country may be summarised as follows:

(1) All education is free in two States-Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland.

(2) Tamil Nadu has made all school education free including PUC classes.

(3) All education up to the end of secondary stage is free in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mysore.

(4) In Maharashtra, primary education is free and children of parents whose income is below Rs. 1,200 a year have free education at all stages. A similar position exists in Gujarat with some changes in income limits.

(5) In Rajasthan, all education is free for girls and primary education is free for boys.

(6) In Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh primary, education is free.

(7) In Uttar Pradesh education is free for girls till the end of Class X and for the boys till the end of Class VI.

(8) In Bihar primary education is free in Classes I- VII.

(9) In West Bengal primary education is free for girls in rural areas in Classes I-VIII. In rural areas and in some urban areas it is also free for boys in Classes I- V, but in Calcutta and some other urban areas it is not yet free.

(10) In Orissa primary education is free.

(11) In Assam primary education is free for girls in Classes I-VIII and for boys in Classes I-V.

(12) In the Union Territory of Delhi, primary education is free.

(13) The other Union Territories follow the pattern of one or other of the States. But in all of them, primary education is free.

The children of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes get free education. In addition, all educational institutions generally allow a certain percentage of free studentships.

Compulsory Primary Education Act has been passed by all the States except Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh. There has also been phenomenal growth in enrolment since Independence as indicated below:

        
        Age group                     1951                     1971
        
        6-11                About 182 lacs or about      About 605 lacs or 80%
                            43% of the age group          of the age group 
        
        11-14               About 31 lacs or about       About 143 lacs or 35%
                            13% of the age group          of the age group.

This rate of expansion has no parallel in the earlier educational history of our country and only a few in the contemporary educational histories of other developing countries.

Reorganisation and Expansion of Science Teaching at School stage

The UNICEF-aided Pilot Project on Science-teaching at the school stage which was launched last year, has been making satisfactory progress. Most State Governments have introduced the Pilot Project in their States and started teaching the new instructional materials in selected primary and middle schools.

To implement the Project, a good number of teacher educators and teachers have been trained in new science-teaching programmes and about 1,200 schools participating in the Programme have been provided with science kits. The programme for equipping the key institutions comprising teacher

training colleges and teacher training institutes with new science equipment, is in progress. Orders for equipping 579 institutions have been placed and most of these institutions have already received the equipment.

In the next phase of the Project covering the period 1971-74 which has already begun, it is proposed to:

(a) complete the work of preparation, translation and printing of new syllabi and textbooks,

(b) equip another 500 key institutions with Science laboratory equipment,

(d) train 55,000 teachers, i.e. at least one teacher from each school proposed to be equipped with new Sci- ence kits.

To implement this phase of the programme, the UNICEF have agreed to bear expenditure to the tune of $ 7,022,000. The Indian counterpart expenditure will be of the order of Rs. 69 lakhs of which Rs. 28 lakhs will be borne by the Government of India and Rs. 41 lakhs by the State Governments.

Textbook Printing Presses

The Textbook Printing Press at Chandigarh which has been set up with the collaboration of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, is ready for operation, Trial runs are being made and the press will soon go into production. Steps are being taken to expedite the setting up of the other two similar presses at Mysore and Bhubaneswar. The building for Bhubaneswar press will be ready by the middle of 1972 while the building for Mysore press will be available by March, 1973.

Nehru Bal Pustakalaya

The scheme for the mass production of supplementary reading material for children was initiated by the Ministry of Edu-

cation in collaboration with the National Book Trust in 1968-69. Under this scheme, 100 titles on various subjects mainly relating to National Integration, are, to be produced in all the major Indian languages. At least one lakh copies are produced under each title. The books are priced at Rs. 1.50 each but they are supplied to the State Governments at a subsidized rate of 50 paise per copy. So far, the National Book Trust has published 14 titles under this scheme. Six more titles are under print.

Mid-day Meals

The CARE-assisted School Mid-day Meals Programme continues to operate in all the States except Assam, Nagaland and Jammu and Kashmir. The Programme is estimated to cover 110.92 lakh school and pre-school children during the year.

Desh Geetanjali

With the object of strengthening the sense of national identity among school children, a Central scheme under the Plan known as "Desh Geetanjali" has been formulated. It will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will include (1) training teachers and selected students in the correct singing of the National Anthem, (2) use of AIR broadcasts for training school children in singing National Anthem, and (3) the supply of record players and records of National Anthem to 500 institutions. The second phase will comprise (1) collection and publication of existing songs that promote national integration, (2) popularisation of popular tunes and songs and publishing them in State languages set to the same tunes and with approximately the same meaning, and (3) conducting competition in the correct singing of the National Anthem and award of prizes at state and national levels,

The first phase of the scheme, as a first step, has been taken up for implementation. During the year 1970-71 300 Recordplayers and 2400 Records of National Anthem have been supplied to various State Governments/Union Territories.

Grants totalling Rs. 1.00 lakhs have been given to the States of Mysore, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Assam for training of teachers in the singing of the National Anthem.

Girls and Women's Education

The National Council for Women's Education discussed in its Twelfth meeting, the progress of Girls and Women's education and made several recommendations for accelerating the progress in providing free and compulsory education, impetus to women teachers for recruitment, construction of hostels for girls, creation of a separate cell in every State for women's education. The recommendations were sent to the State Governments for consideration and necessary action. The replies have so far been received from Assam, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharshtra, Haryana, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Pondicherry, Aandman and Nicobar Administration, Laccadive administration and Goa, Daman and Diu States and Union Territories. They have welcomed the recommendations and are implementing them. The matter is still under consideration with the rest of the States/ Union Territories.

Welfare of School Teachers

Eight State Governments have implemented the Triple Benefit Scheme (pension, provident fund and insurance) while some others are considering it. In so far as the Union Territories are concerned, the Government of India had already sanctioned the scheme with effect from April 1, 1965. The children of teachers are provided free education in varying degrees in various States and Union Territories.

National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare

The National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare was set up by the Government of India in 1962 with the obiet of providing financial assistance to teachers and/or their dependents in distress. As in earlier years, voluntary contributions were

collected on the Teachers' Day, the 5th September, 1971, throughout the country 80 per cent of the collections made in a State/Territory is released immediately for the purpose of State/ Territory itself, while the balance 20 per cent and the annual contributions of the State Government or the Union Administration concerned are credited to the corpus of the Foundation, the target of which is fixed at Rupees Five Crores. The accumulated funds as at the end of November, 1971, amounted to Rs. 197 lakhs which are invested in approved defence bonds or securities or as short-term fixed deposits in the State Bank of India.

So far, over 14,000 teachers/or their dependents have been given financial assistance out of the Foundation funds to the tune of over Rs. 73 lakhs. The cases in which assistance has been extended comprise illness, accidents, violence, natural calamities, and scholarships to meet educational expenses in deserving cases. Assistance is also given towards marriage expenses of teachers' daughters.

The Foundation has also decided to institute three awards of Rs. 500/- each to the teachers with distinguished service of not less than 30 years to commemorate the memory of late Prof. D. C. Sharma, the well-known educationist, who was a member of the General Committee of the Foundation. Three teachers have been selected for awards during the current year.

National Awards to Teachers

The scheme of National Awards to Teachers was introduced in 1958 with the object of giving public recognition to teachers of outstanding merit. During 1971, awards were given to 97 selected teachers of primary and secondary schools as well as Sanskrit Pathshalas/Tols run on traditional lines. The awards carry a certificate of merit and cash payment of Rs.1000/-. With 97 Awards for the year 1971, the total number of National Awardee Teachers so far comes to 1202.

Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations in the field of School Education

Since the First Five Year Plan, the scheme of Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations in the field of School Education has been in force for extending financial assistance to privately run educational institutions to enable them to augment educational facilities in certain specified directions like science education library facilities, hostels for girls etc. The fourth Plan allocation for the scheme is Rs. 45 lakhs. During 1970-71 the scheme was amended to include additional activities for assistance for construction of buildings for teachers clubs etc. The Review committee set up to examine the working of the scheme has submitted its report and the revision of the scheme with certain modifications is under consideration.

National Council of Educational Research and Training

A brief description of significant activities undertaken by the National Council of Educational Research & Training during the year under report is given in the following paragraphs:

(a) Science Education: The qualitative improvement of science and mathematics education at the various levels of school education continued to receive priority during the year. Under the UNESCO/UN ICEF assisted pilot project for improvement of Science Education it continued to provide the instructional materials to school and training to key personnel. It also selected 100 teacher training college and 30 teacher training schools for supply of equipment under this project. Under its programme of curriculum development, the Department of Science Education brought out textbooks for primary, middle and secondary classes and teachers' guides for adoption/adaptation by various States/Union Territories. The National Science Talent Search Scheme was also successfully continued during the year. Under this scheme about

1000 candidates were interviewed, of which 360 were selected for award. The total number of scholars receiving NSTS awards at different levels now is 1094, of which 717 are at the undergraduate level, 274 at the postgraduate level and 103 at the Ph. D. level. Nineteen summer schools were organised during May-June, 1971 for the undergraduate awardees at different university centres. More than 200 postgraduate awardees were placed for the Summer Programmes at 25 national laboratories and institutes of advanced studies in different parts of the country. A team of 15 talented students in science from the U.K. and the U.S.A. visited India in September, 1971. A special function was arranged for the visiting team to meet the NSTS awardees of Delhi.

New tests were developed for the examination to select the awardees held in January, 1972. The examination was held at about 350 centres throughout the country. The Executive Committee of the Council set up a Science Advisory Committee to examine science programmes, including the NSTS scheme. The first meeting of the Committee was held on 6th May, 1971. A sub-committee was appointed by the Science Advisory Committee to review the NSTS scheme.

The Central Science Workshop attached to the Department of Science Education continued to work both on the development of prototype science equipment as well as batch production of a number of kits for use under the UNESCO/UNICEF assisted pilot project on improvement of science teaching. The Workshop also assisted the National Small Industries Corporation and the UNICEF in final designs of various kits for commercial exploitation.

Under its ancillary curriculum project, the Department of Science Education developed films, slides, and brochures for effecting qualitative improvement in science education.

(b) Textbook Programmes: Four of the eight brochures on preparation and evaluation of school textbooks brought out as experimental editions earlier, on his- tory, geography, biology and mathematics, were finalised and sent to the press. Besides, experimental editions of the brochures on general science, second language and civics were also prepared.

The Crash Programme for Evaluation of School Textbooks from the point of view of national integration continued during the year under report. Some of the States for which the work could not be finalised during the previous year was carried over to 1971-72. Barring a few States, the work has been completed in all others. The reports about materials prejudicial to national integration have been communicated to the authorities concerned for follow-up action.