CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
1.01. The Constitution makes education essentially a State
subject but also vests considerable responsibilities in the Government
of India. The Union Government, for instance, is directly responsible
for Central Universities, for all institutions of national importance,
for the enrichment, promotion and propagation of Hindi, for
coordination and maintenance of standards in higher education, for
scientific and technical education and research and for welfare of
Indian students abroad and cultural and educational agreements with
other countries. Social and economic planning which includes
educational planning is a concurrent responsibility. The Centre also
has special responsibilities for the education of the schedule castes
and scheduled tribes.
1.02. The Ministry of Education strives to discharge these
responsibilities of the Central Government in education and also looks
after archaeology, scientific departments like the Survey of India,
and national programmes in cultural affairs, physical education, games
and sports. It has seven Bureaux (comprising 14 Divisions and 2
Units). The Ministry also has 21 attached and subordinate offices and
47 autonomous organisations under it, a list of which is given in the
Annxure.
1.03. Joint Consultative Machinery :
Under the scheme of
Joint Consultative Machinery and Compulsory Arbitration, a
Departmental Council of the Ministry and the Department of Social
Welfare is functioning under the chairmanship of the Secretary,
Ministry of Education, since 19th January, 1967. During 1968, two
meetings were held. The Joint Committee of the Council met on
September 7, 1968, to study the revision of pay scales of the
employees of the Survey of India. Office councils
2
under the scheme are now being set up in the various attached/
subordinate offices of the Ministry to deal with local problems.
1.04. National Policy on Education:
On a detailed exami-
nation of the recommendations of the Education Commission (1964-66), a
Government Resolution on the National Policy on Education was
formulated and placed on the Table of both the Houses of Parliament on
the 24th of July, 1968.
1.05. Fourth Five Year Plan in Education:
For the purpose
of formulating the Fourth Plan, the Planning Commission set up an
over-all Planning Group on Education under the chairmanship of Dr. B.
D. Nag Chaudhuri, Member (Education). It recommended an allocation of
Rs. 1.300 crore for education (Rs. 892 crore in the State sector and
Rs. 408 crore in the Central and Centrally-sponsored sector).
However, owing to financial stringency, the actual allocation for
educational development in the Fourth Plan is only Rs. 809 crore-Rs.
259 crore in the Central sector and Rs. 550 crore in the State sector.
In view of this constraint on resources, emphasis is being laid on a
few selected priority programmes such as expansion and improvement of
primary education, improvement of science education at all levels,
quality improvement of higher education with special reference to
reducing incidence of student unrest, programmes of national
integration and a large-scale development of book production
programmes, especially the production of literature in modem Indian
languages with a view to their adoption as media of education at the
university stage.
1.06. Central Advisory Board of Education:
The 34th
meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education was held at New
Delhi on 11th and 12th of October, 1968. The Board discussed (i) the
implementation of the National Policy on Education, (ii) the
formulation of the Fourth Plan, and (iii) the recommendations of the
National Integration Council. Following the meeting of the Central
Advisory Board of Education, a Standing Committee was constituted to
meet every quarter in
3
different zones of India and to examine the implementation of the
major educational programmes as recommended by the Central Advisory
Board. The first meeting of the Standing Committee was held at
Hyderabad on 6th and 7th January, 1969. The following subjects were
discussed: (i) programmes to be emphasized in the Fourth Plan in
education in the context of the limited resources available; (ii)
measures towards raising additional resources for education; (iii)
implementation of the three-language formula; and (iv) problems
relating to the study of languages by children belonging to linguistic
minorities.
1.07. Conference of Education Secretaries and Directors of
Education:
Along with the meeting of the Central Advisory Board, a
Conference of Education Secretaries and a Conference of Directors of
Education of States and Union Territories were held to discuss
measures to be taken up the next year and during the Fourth Plan to
implement various educational programmes, particularly with reference
to improvement of quality.
1.08. Establishment of the Indian Council of Social Science
Research (ICSSR) :
Realising the importance of social science
research and its utility in guiding programmes of planned national
development, the Planning Commission appointed, some time ago, a
committee under the chairmanship of Prof. V. K. R. V. Rao to survey
the current situation in the country and to make recommendations on
the future lines of development and the organisational and other steps
necessary to accelerate progress. The main recommendation related to
the establishment of a Council as an autonomous organisation for
promoting and coordinating research in social sciences and to the
provision of necessary funds and facilities to enable it to discharge
its responsibility. Government has accepted this recommendation and,
accordingly, an Indian Council of Social Science Research is being
established as an autonomous organisation under the Societies
Registration Act of 1860.
1.09. Review of Standing Charges:
The establishment charges
for the year 1969-70, relating to the grant of secretariat
4
proper, were discussed in detail in a meeting of the Internal Economy
Committee. As against the budget estimates of Rs. 97.61 lakh for
1968-69, the revised estimates for 1968-69 and budget estimates for
1969-70 for the grant as a whole have been arrived at Rs. 99.92 lakh
and Rs. 124.41 lakh respectively.
1.10. Budget:
As against the total budget estimates of Rs.
151.02 crore for the Ministry as a whole (including the provisions
made for the Ministry of Education in the Demands operated by the
Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance) for the year 1968-69 (both
Plan and non-Plan) the revised estimates for 1968-69 and budget
estimates for 1969-70 proposed to be provided amount to Rs. 143.19
crore (provisional) and Rs. 135.08 crore (provisional respectively.