OVERVIEW
Allocation of Funds and their use 2.1.0 A budget provision of Rs.1725.17 crore was made for Education in the Central Sector during the year 1992-93. Out of this Rs.773.87 crores was under Non-plan and Rs.951.30 crore under Plan.
Review of NPE 2.2.1 A review of NPE, 1986 was conducted during 1990-92. The Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) in its 47th meeting held on 5-6 May, 1992 considered the report of the CABE Committee on Policy set up to make an in-depth study of the Report of the Committee for Review of NPE, 1986. While broadly endorsing the Policy, it recommended certain modifications in the light of developments during the last few years and the experience gained in the implementation of the Policy. The revised Policy Formulations containing these modifications recommended by the CABE were tabled in the Parliament on 7th May, 1992.
Revision of POA 2.2.2 Following the adoption of the Revised Policy Formulations in May 1992, a revised Programme of Action (POA) was prepared. The POA 1992 was tabled in the Parliament on 19th August, 1992.
2.2.3 The POA, 1992 envisages preparation of State Programme of Action. In order to facilitate State POAs, the Ministry organised four regional workshops for the Northern, Western, Southern and Eastern Regions at New Delhi, Bangalore and Calcutta on 29-30 October, 1992, 20-21 January, 28-29 January and 17-18 February, 1993.
Elementary Education 2.3.1 In the field of Elementary Education, which is the core sector in educational development, the emphasis was no longer on enrolment alone; participation and achievement have begun to be emphasised. The revised policy identifies achievement of essential levels of learning as one of the thrust areas. Taking a realistic view of the enormous task of achieving UEE in its entirety, the revised policy formulations envisage that the goal of UEE would be achieved before we enter the 21st century. As laid down in the Programme of Action, 1992, discussions and consultations were initiated during the year to work out the modalities of launching of a National Mission for achievement of this goal.
2.3.2 The minimum levels of learning laid down at the primary stage were introduced in about 2,300 schools, under 18 Experimental Projects. Action was initiated to set up a
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Committee for laying down minimum levels of learning at the upper primary stage. The principal achievements so far under the major programmes of Operation Blackboard, Non-Formal Education and Teacher Education were:
Coverage of Blocks under the
scheme of Operation Blackboard 5848
Number of Schools covered 4,71,000
Number of additional posts 1,35,000
sanctioned
Number of non-formal education 2,72,000
Centres
Number of Teacher Education 350
instituions sanctioned
(District Institutes of
Education and Training,
Colleges of Teacher Education
and Institutes of Advanced
Study in Education)
Secondary Education 2.4.1 Under the scheme of vocationalisation of secondary education, the emphasis is on consolidation and strengthening of the programme. Action was initiated for the revision of the scheme and setting up of a Central Institute of Vocational Education as an apex R & D organisation to provide academic and technical support. Considerable stress was laid on practical training and it had been possible to include 40 more vocational subjects under the apprentice scheme. A computerised management information system was developed for regular flow of information.
2.4.2 Under the National Population Education Project activities during the VIII Plan period will be substantially and systematically directed towards the non-formal sector. For this purpose a different strategy for curriculum-development and orientation for the functionaries of non-formal education system will be adopted. The project-activities in the non-formal sector will be coordinated effectively with the voluntary agencies and Panchayati Raj Institutions.
2.4.3 The Central sector "Scheme of Assistance to Agencies for Strengthening Culture/Art/Values in Education for Assistance to Educational Institutions Implementing Innovative Programmes" has been reformulated to make it more purposeful. The reformulated scheme with a new title 'Assistance for Strengthening Culture and Values in Education' has been approved for launching during the VIII Plan period. It has a new additional component of strengthening the in- service training of art, craft, music and dance teachers.
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2.4.4 The centrally sponsored scheme of integrated education for disabled children, which is in operation since 1974, seeks to integrate in common schools the children with physical and intellectual disabilities within the purview of equal educational opportunities by provision of specific needs, such as, aids, equipment and special teacher support under pragmatic placement principle.The scheme, which had a modest coverage of 2, 500 disabled children in 1982-83, has picked up the tempo over the years to 30,000 by 1990-91. The scheme has been revised for implementation during the VIII Plan and is expected to accelerate the coverage in the near future.
Adult Literacy 2.5.0 The Total Literacy Campaigns (TLCs) have extended their outreach to 179 districts. In the process, they have created a large number of neo-literates who are steadily reaching to higher competencies. They have also resulted in setting up of Village Education Committees and have thereby created a delivery mechanism which can be used to deliver messages relating to national concerns and development programmes.The creative forces thrown up as a result of large number of neo-literates emerging from TLC is sought to be consolidated,harnessed and transformed into enhanced learning competencies and skill development through Post Literacy Campaigns (PLCs).Twenty-seven PLCs covering more than 12 million neo-literates have already been launched. The year saw a consolidation of Total Literacy Campaigns and a steady focus on the Post Literacy Campaigns. The TLCs for the third year in succession attracted international recognition by the award of the prestigious King Sejong Prize of UNESCO to the Puduvai Arivoli Iyakkam of Pondicherry for literacy and post-literacy campaigns. The Bharat Jan Gyan Vigyan Jatha-II was launched in some of the northern States for regenerating an environment conducive for literacy.
Technical Education 2.6.0 Some of the significant initiatives in the field of Technical Education are as under :-
i) Under the programme of modernisation and removal of obsolescence in technical education, 337 projects were supported with financial assistance amounting to Rs. 30.00 crore.
ii) The second phase of the Technician Education Project with World Bank assistance was approved to cover eight more States and the Union Territory of Delhi. With this, the Project covers sixteen States and one Union Territory with an outlay of approximately Rs. 1650 crore including World Bank Credit assistanc of US $ 517 million approximately. Both the phases of the Project are now under implementation.
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iii) The number of Community Polytechnics for meeting the needs of rural sector rose to 171. These institutions would train on an average over 25,000 rural youth every year.
iv) The Boards of Apprenticeship Training facilitated training of over 21,320 students.
V) During the year, All India Council for Technical Education approved 48 new institutions and 217 new programmes to be introduced in the technical and management institutions.
University and Higher Education 2.7.1 There has been a steady growth of higher education system in the country since independence. The number of universities has increased from 25 at the time of independence to 201 (including 31 deemed universities), and the number of colleges from 700 to nearly 7,000 at the beginning of the Eighth Plan. Enrolment in the Faculty of Arts constituted 40.4% of the total enrolment. In the faculties of Science and Commerce the percentage was 19.6 and 21.9 respectively. Enrolment at the first degree level was 40.6 lakh (88.1%) at the postgraduate level 4.38 lakh (9.5%); at the research level 0.51 lakh (1.1%); and at the diploma and certificate level 0.60 lakh (1.3%). About 10 per cent of the total enrolment was SCs and STs.
2.7.2 There has been a perceptible change in the trend in the growth of student enrolment during 1980s. While student enrolment increased by over 5% average each year upto 1985-86, the annual growth of student enrolment from 1986-87 has been between 4.1% and 4.2% each year. It is estimated that if this rate of growth continues, the total enrolment at the end of the Eighth Five Year Plan should be around 60 lakhs students.
2.7.3 The faculty-wise break-up of students shows that nearly 40% of students were enrolled in Arts and Humanities, 22% in Commerce, 20% in Science, 5% in Engineering and Technology, 5% in Law, 3.4% in Medicine and 1% in Agriculture. While there is a steady increase in the number of students enrolled in each faculty, the percentage of enrolment for each faculty in the total enrolment has remained steady during the Seventh Plan.
2.7.4 The enrolment in correspondence courses and open universities at the end of the Seventh Plan was approximately 5 lakhs students. There has been considerable enthusiasm for distance education system in the last 2-3 years. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has enrolled more than one lakh students. One of the thrust areas during the Eighth Plan period would be to achieve additional enrolment of one million students in open universities and distance education institutions.
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International Cooperation 2.8.1 An important legacy of the World Conference on Education for All, held in March, 1990, at Jomtien, Thailand, has been the keen interest among donor agencies to support basic education. To harness this interest the Department of Education has been developing basic projects in educationally backward States and eliciting funding from bilateral and multi-lateral agencies. Two such Projects have been already begun -- the Bihar Education Project with UNICEF assistance (1991) and the Lok Jumbish Project in Rajasthan (1992) with SIDA assistance. The UP Education Project is in the process of appraisal and is expected to be cleared by the World Bank in its fiscal year early June, 1993. UNDP and Germany are assisting the development of a project in South Orissa. The European Community evinced interest in funding a project in MP as early as December, 1990. A project document has been prepared and revised a couple of times, in the light of suggestions from the EC delegations from Brussels which visited India. Even prior to the Conference, the overseas Development Agency of United Kingdom (ODA) had begun supporting a Primary Education Project covering the whole of Andhra Pradesh.
2.8.2 Indian National Commission for Co-operation with (INC) UNESCO with its Secretariat in the Department of Education has been contributing significantly to UNESCO's work particularly in the formulation and execution of its programmes. INC continued to provide effective intellectual inputs in UNESCO's regional programmes.
2.8.3 A six member Indian Delegation led by the Minister of Human Resource Development participated in the 43rd Session of the International Conference on Education held in Geneva from 14 to 19 September,, 1992. A Delegation led by the Minister of Human Resource Development visited China in November, 1992. During the visit the Delegation had inter-action with the counterpart agencies in the field of education.
2.8.4 Measures were taken to strengthen external academic relations by close monitoring of the implementation of the education component of more than 60 bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes and other collaborative arrangements.
2.8.5 Unesco awarded the King Sejong Literacy Prize to the Puduvai Arivoli Iyakkam (Movement for Light of Knowledge) of Pondicherry for having meticulously planned and conducted literacy and post literacy campaigns in Pondicherry.
Language Development 2.9.1 Government of India has rendered to State Governments the financial assistance to meet the salary part of 1090 posts (upto January, 1993) of Hindi teachers in Non-Hindi speaking States. Thirty-five Hindi Teachers Training Colleges were supported. These institutions have provided training to about 1360 trainees.
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2.9.2 The Central Hindi Directorate has offered correspondence courses for teaching Hindi in regional languages to about 14,674 persons.
2.9.3 The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore continued its programme of training of teachers from Hindi speaking areas in Modern Indian Languages.
2.9.4 The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Hyderabad played an effective role in coordinating the activities of the English Language Teaching Institutions. CIEFL also monitored the schemes of Saturation Training of English Language Teachers through district centres.
2.9.5 A Committee on the Establishment of Urdu University was constituted in September, 1992 to consider in detail all aspects of the proposed university and make suitable recommendations in this regard to the Government.
2.9.6 A committee on the International Hindi University was constituted in July 1992 to advise the Government on setting up the proposed International Hindi University in the country.
Education of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women 2.10.0 Thrust continued on removal of disparities and equalisation of educational opportunities to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Education for Women's Equality 2.11.0 All out efforts made for improving girls'/women' participation in education, especially in higher education and science and technical streams. The programme of Mahila Samakhya is under implementation in the States of Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
Resources for Education 2.12.0 The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices for the year 1990-91 is estimated to be Rs.472660 crore. The budget of the Education Departments in the Centre and the States/UTs for the same year i.e. 1990-91 was Rs.16,362.22 crores. This investment is of the order of 3.5% of the GDP.
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