 SCHOOL EDUCATION

2.01. School education is essentially a responsibility of State Governments. The Ministry of Education and Youth services operates a few significant programmes in this area which have been briefly described in this chapter.

A: DIRECT CENTRAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN SCHOOL EDUCATION

2.02. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan:

The Sangathan is an autonomous body with the sole purpose of administering the Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) which have been established in all parts of the country to provide for the education of the children and wards of transferable Central Government employees, including Defence personnel. It now conducts 119 schools with an enrolment of 71,827 students (which shows an increase of 9 per cent over the previous year's enrolment). One school in Delhi and two in Assam were sanctioned during 1969-70. The proportion of successful students in 1969 was about 82 per cent. The medium of instruction in these schools is Hindi/English.

2.03. Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi:

The total number of schools affiliated to the Board rose to 705 as against 660 during the previous year. These institutions are mainly of two categories: (1) those following the Higher, Secondary (three-year course), popularly known as the Delhi Scheme; and (2) those following the All-India Higher Secondary Scheme. All Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central Schools) and Sainik Schools are affiliated to the Board under its All-India Higher Secondary Scheme. At the request of the Administration of the Union Territory of Chandigarh all

the high and higher secondary schools in Chandigarh have been affiliated to the Board this year.

2.04. The total number of candidates who took the Board's examinations in 1969 was 44,411 which marked an-increase of 11,527 over the 1968 figure. Besides the examinations for the two schemes mentioned above, the Board conducted the following examinations during 1969: (1) Higher Secondary (one-year course) Examination; (2) Higher Secondary Multipurpose Examination; (3) Higher Secondary Demonstration Multipurpose Examination; and (4) Higher Secondary Technical Examination. The Board also conducted a special All-India Higher Secondary Examination in November-December, 1969, for the students of Sainik Schools, who were hitherto preparing for the Indian School Certificate Examination.

2.05. As a part of its programme of examination reform, the Board conducted, in collaboration with the, NCERT, a workshop for the training of paper-setters in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

2.06. Central Tibetan Schools Administration:

The Tibetan Schools Society, New Delhi, now called, "Central Tibetan Schools Administration" runs seven residential schools and six day schools in the Tibetan resettlement colonies and one educational-cum-vocational institution. The schools have about 16,000 students on their rolls. The residential schools at Darjeeling, Dalhousie, Mussoorie and Pachmarhi have been raised to the higher secondary status and affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New, Delhi.

2.07. Bal Bhavan and National Children's Museum. Delhi:

The institution, an autonomous body financed by the Ministry, has several sections. Its art education centre organises short-term workshops for art teachers, demonstration in creative art teaching, puppet doll-making activities for children, etc. The

creative art section of the Bhavan promoters activities such as painting, drawing, picture-making, batik work, weaving, wood-cutting, modelling, etc. The science education centre provides the children with experience in electricity workshop, surface observatory, etc. Other activities of the Bhavan relate to the promotion of dance, drama and music. During 1969-70, 5,189 children were registered as members- 3,676 casual and 1,513 annual. The, daily average attendance in the various sectional activities was approximately 1,600.

B: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING

2.08. Re-organisation of the NCERT:

The most important development during the current year was the re-organisation of the Council and its National Institute of Education based on the Government Resolution on the Review Committee's Report. It was decided that the Council should function as the academic wing of the Ministry of Education and Youth Services in the field of school education.

2.09. The National Institute of Education of the Council was also re-organised and now has seven Departments and two Units as follows:

(i) Department of Social Sciences and Humanities

(ii) Department of Science Education

(iii) Department of Educational Psychology and Founda tions of Education

(iv) Department of Teaching Aids

(v) Department of Textbooks

(vi) Department of Primary and Pre-Primary Education

(vii) Department of Teacher Education

(viii) Data Processing and Educational Survey Unit

(ix) Library, Documentation and Information Services

The Department of Textbooks, the Department of Primary and Pre- Primary Education and the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities are new departments indicating the emphasis on primary education including pre-primary education, textbook production and the study of the Humanities.

The General Body of the Council met and amended the rules of the Council providing for a new set-up for the General Body and the Executive Committee. A full-time post was created for the Director of the Council and filled during the year.

2.10. Regional Colleges of Education:

In view of the closure of multipurpose schools in most of the States, it was decided to discontinue courses in technology and agriculture in the Regional Colleges of Education run by the Council. The four Regional Colleges at Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Mysore turned out in all 153 B. Ed's and 15 M.Ed.'s in full-time courses and 842 B. Ed.'s through correspondence courses during the current year. Besides, they trained 364 teachers in various in-service courses in science, commerce, crafts, etc.

2.11. Curriculam:

In the field of primary education, the Council undertook, during the year, the work of preparing a standard curriculum for the primary stage as recommended by the Ninth National Seminar on Elementary Education. A handbook on the concept of 'work experience' was prepared and a scheme for programmed learning for primary classes developed.

2.12. Textbooks:

The norms to be adopted in the pre- paration of textbooks and procedure for evaluating them have been prepared for the entire school stage in the following subjects: mother tongues, social studies and supplementary readers.

Similar work has also been completed for the middle and secondary stage in the second language For the middle school stage, work has been completed in English, geography, civics, physics, mathematics and biology. A comparative study of the syllabi in the various States was also completed during the year.

2.13. Science Education:

Under a scheme sponsored by the Unesco, the NCERT has been preparing syllabi. and textbooks for science subjects at all levels of the school stage. Unesco has given assistance of experts and equipment for the Central Science Workshop in the NCERT. Experimental editions of textbooks for science in class III with a companion teacher's guide was completed during the year. Similar material for class VIII in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics was prepared. Textbooks already already prepared for physics and biology for introduction in the first year of the middle school, namely, standard V/VI have been sent to the States for translation and/or adaptation. These will be tried out in a pilot project in selected schools in all the States during 1970-71. The Central Science Workshop was strengthened by the addition of the following sections: (1) Plastics; (2) Optics-Lens Grinding; (3) Slectricals/Electronics; (4) Electroplating; (5) Assembly; and (6) Quality Control. Science demonstration kits for class V/VI have been prepared and 750 physics and biology kits are being prepared for supply to pilot project schools. Similar kits for higher classes are under prepartion. A special kit for primary classes-standards III-V is under preparation and will be supplied to the pilot project schools.

2.14. Languages :

It is proposed to concentrate on deve- loping improved methods of language teaching. A committee was appointed to study the possibilities of using language laboratories in the country. It has recommended mass production of equipment required for language laboratories. A pilot project to try out the new technique will be launched in 1970.

Meanwhile, textbooks have been written and published by the NCERT for teaching Hindi in standards in standards I to XI.

2.15. Teacher Education:

The syllabus for primary teacher education is being revised. A similar revision for the education of secondary school teachers (B. Ed. programme) has been completed and the revised syllabus sent to the universities for eliciting their views.

2.16. Teachers Aids:

The Departmental of Teaching Aids, formerly known as the Department of Audio-Visual Education, prepared, during the year, flip charts entitled, "Some Basic Facts about Life". The Department trained 65 teacher-educators in audio-visual techniques. It also supplied 300 audio-visual kits on Mahatma Gandhi.

2.17. Summer Institutes of Science:

In colaboration with the UGC, the National Council of Science Education and the USAID, the NCERT organised 57 summer institutes for science teachers of secondary schools during the year. About two thousand teachers were trained in the new programme of teaching of science.

2.18. National Science Talent Search Scheme:

About 300 scholarships are being given annually by the Council to the talented students who have qualified in the competitive test under this scheme. For the first time, the examination and tests were conducted this year in all the regional languages in addition to English and Hindi. Special attention was paid to locate talented students in mathematics and agricultural sciences.

2.19. Buildings:

The six-storeyed administrative building in the new campus of the NCERT on Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi, was completed during the year.

C: OTHER PROGRAMMES

2.20. National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare:

The National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare was sponsored in

1962 with the object of helping the teachers and /or their dependents in distress. As in the past, voluntary contributions were collected on the Teachers' Day, the 5th of September, throughout the country. To extend the maximum benefit to teachers and their dependents, 80 per cent of the collections made in a State/Union Territory, is allowed to be retained with the State/Union Territory. The balance of 20 per cent of these collections, and the annual contributions made by the State/ Union Territory Governments, are credited to the corpus of the National Foundation, the target of which has been fixed at Rs. 5 crore. The funds, as on September 30, 1969, amounted to Rs. 102-50 lakh in fixed deposits and Rs. 29.50 lakh in defence bonds, in addition to Rs. 9.29 lakh in current account.

2.21. So far, assistance of more than Rs. 1.32 crore has been released and the reports received show that nearly 10,000 teachers and/or their dependents have been benefited.

2.22. National Awards for Teachers:

The scheme of giving National Awards to Teachers was instituted in 1958 with the object of granting recognition to teachers of outstanding merit. It covers teachers of primary and secondary schools as well as Sanskrit pathsalas/tols. Ninety-eight teachers received the awards in 1969 which were announced on the Teachers' Day. Each award consists of a certificate of merit and rupees five hundred in cash.

2.23. Mid-day Meals Scheme:

This programme is in operation in all the States except Assam, Nagaland and Jammu & Kashmir. 145 lakhs of children in primary and nursery schools are covered by the programme which is operated under the Indo-CARE agreement for the supply of food.

2.24. Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations:

Under the Plan scheme of assistance to voluntary educational

organisations, grants were given to several schools for the cons- truction of school buildings particularly for science laboratories, and towards the purchase of science equipment and library books.

2.25. The Ministry has also been assisting three other institutions engaged in the field of secondary education, viz. Banasthali Vidyapith, Dr. Graham's Home (Kalimpong), and Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian Education for which separate budget provisions are made.

2.26. National Seminar on Elementary Education :

The Ninth National Seminar on Elementary Education was organised by the Ministry at Simla on October 14-17, 1969. Among the various recommendations made by it, the following may be mentioned:

(i) The core of the curriculum in primary schools must be common for all the States and this may be indicated by the Union Government in consultation with the States.

(ii) The School Feeding Programme should be expanded and coordinated with the School Gardens Programme with a view to developing an Indian base for the programme.

(iii) Cheap textbooks should be produced and attempts made to supply free textbooks at least to poor and needy students.

2.27. Women's Education:

The Eleventh Meeting of the National Council for Women's Education was held in April, 1969 at New Delhi. It is proposed to try out some pilot projects to implement the various suggestions made by the Council as well as by the Directors of Education and Education Secretaries to improve the enrolment of girls in schools.

2.28. Financial Allocation :

The major allocations for the programmes described above are given below:

 
                                                               (Rs. in lakhs)
                                          
        S.                                Provision for 1969-70     Budget
        NO.          Item                                          Estimates
                                           original     Revised      for
                                                                   1970-71
                                          
        1 Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan       371.00      319.53     382.83
        
        2 Central Tibetan Schools Administra-
            tration.                           59.84      54.00     55.00
        
        3 Assistance to Voluntary Organiza-
          tions                                 6.00       6.00      7.00
        
        4 Bal Bhavan and National Children's
            Museum, New Delhi                   6.05       6.05      6.80
        
        5 NCERT                               326.38     322.78    390.79