CHAPTER XII CLEARING HOUSE FUNCTIONS
One of the roles of the Central Government in the field of education is to act as a clearing house of information. The union Ministry accordingly is responsible for the collection, compilation and publication of educational statistics covering the country as a whole. Besides it brings out journals on education and culture both in English and Hindi, in addition to brochures and pamphlets on a few selected programmes and schemes of the Ministry. The union Ministry also runs a Students Information Service which attends to enquiries about facilities for Higher Education in India and abroad.
This chapter gives details of work carried out in these areas in addition to those relating to the educational conferences held at the Central level and to the Central Advisory Board of Education. The visit of a 15 member delegation of Bangla Desh Education Commission in January 1973 is also recorded.
Standing Advisory Committee on Educational and Cultural
StatisticsThe existing Standing Advisory Committee for Educational Statistics has been reconstituted as Advisory Committee on Educational and Cultural Statistics with representatives from the concerned Central Ministries/Departments. Education Secretaries/ Directors of Education of some States and representatives of some other bodies/agencies in the field of education and culture. The terms of reference of the Committee are:
(i) To advise the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare on the best manner of clearing up the existing backlog in the collection of educational statistics;
(ii) To advise the Ministry oil the new system of educational and cultural statistics proposed to be introduced from the first year of the Fifth Plan; and
(iii) To advise the Ministry on all matters relating to educational and cultural statistics referred to it from time to time.
122
Training CoursesThe Ministry assisted the Government of Assam and Uttar Pradesh in conducting the In-service training course for the officials dealing with the work of collection of educational statistics in the Districts by deputing its officials for the purpose.
Crash ProgrammeAn arrear cell was formed with the creation of an additional post of Deputy Director (Statistics) for expeditious collection, finalisation and publication of educational statistics. In pursuance of this decision, teams of officials were sent to various States. and Union Territories and data was collected and finalised on the spot under this programme. The States of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal and the Union Territories of Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and L. M. & A. Islands and some Universities were visited.
Publications The publications brought out include:
1. Directory of Institutions for Higher Education-1971.
2. Education in India 1965-66 Vol. 1.
3. Education in Universities in India, 1965-66.
4. Education in India Vol. 1, 1961-62-Hindi Edition.
Students' Information Services The Students' Information Services Unit continued rendering educational guidance services to the Students and Student Advitory Bureaux in the country. It attended to about 10,000 enquiries regarding facilities for higher education in India and abroad. 1554 persons visited the unit's library to consult the prospectuses and calendars of various universities/institutions and other available literature. The-material on courses of study in India and abroad was collected and compiled for the use of students all over, the country. 116 compilations on different topics/subjects of higher education in India and abroad were brought out/revised during the year under report. This unit also supplied the students Advisory Bureaux, Employment Information and Guidance Bureaux attached to various universities with the informative material to, help them to, meet the enquiries on educational courses in India. and abroad that they receive from the students from time to time.
123
Visit of Bangladesh Education Commission to India A 15-member delegation of Bangladesh Education Commission headed by Dr. M. Q. Khuda, Chairman, visited India on a four-weeks' visit in January 1973 at the invitation of the Government of India. During their tour of the country, the delegation visited various educational/scientific institutions and had discussions with eminent educationists/scientists at New Delhi, Jaipur, Ajmer, Bombay, Poona, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and Calcutta.
State Education Secretaries and Directors of Public Instructions'
ConferenceA conference of the State Education Secretaries and Directors of Education/Higher Education/Public Instruction was held at New Delhi on 11th and 12th June 1973. It discussed, among other things, proposals for inclusion in the Fifth Five Year Plan.
The Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of EducationThe first meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education was held in New Delhi on June 13, 1973, to chalk out proposals for inclusion in the Fifth Five Year Plan. It was attended by the Education Ministers of all the States/Union Territories Administrations. It approved proposals estimated to cost Rs. 2200 crores for inclusion in the Fifth Five Year Plan.
CABE Committee on Educational problems of Hill Areas and Informal
EducationThe meetings of the Central Advisory Board of Education Committees on Educational problems of Hill Areas and Informal Education were held at Simla in May 1973.
Expert Committee for Preparation of Model Curricula for Classes I
to XII.An Expert Committee to prepare Model Curricula for Classes I to XII was set up. The Committee held two meetings in New Delhi in April and July 1973 and set up eight Working Groups to finalise subject-wise Curricula. The Working Group on Science held its first meeting in New Delhi in July, 1973.
124
Committee to Prepare Reading Materials for Schools on National
Integration-Designated as "The Essence of Indian Culture"
A Committee was set up on the compulsory teaching of the Essence of Indian Culture to advise the Government on the courses to be prepared in the revised curricula for schools at all stages. It held its first meeting in New Delhi in April 1973.
Publication UnitIn addition to the existing quarterly journals, 'The Education Quarterly'; Cultural Forum & 'Sanskriti' which were continued to be brought out during the year, the Hindi version of the Education Quarterly, 'Shiksha Vivechan' was started. A few issues of this journal have already come out in print. The total number of publications brought out by the Publication Unit was 35. The total sales effected during the year was about Rs. 47,000.
DEPARTMENT
OF
CULTURE