INTRODUCTION
1. Scope and Functions.
-The Government of India have sole
executive responsibility for subjects included in the Union List.
Under this head, the Ministry of Education is responsible for the
Central Universities-Banaras, Aligarh, Delhi and Visva-Bharati-and
also for a few Central institutions established for the development of
special educational fields, viz., (1) Central Institute of Education,
New Delhi (with which the Central Bureau of Textbook Research and the
Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance have been
recently merged), (2) the National Institute of Basic Education, New
Delhi, (3) the National Fundamental Education Centre, New Delhi, (4)
the National Institute of Audio-Visual Education, New Delhi, (5) the
Central Institute of English, Hyderabad, (6) the National Centre for
the Blind, Dehra Dun, and (7) the Lakshmibai College of Physical
Education, Gwalior. The responsibility of the Government of India for
the coordination and determination of standards in institutions of
higher education is carried out by the Ministry through the University
Grants Commission which was established in 1953. It is also directly
responsible for all education (other than technical education) in the
Union Territories of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands and
in the Centrally Administered Areas of Pondicherry, N.E.F.A., and
N.H.T.A. The direct responsibility for the development of education in
the rest of the country lies upon the State Governments and hence most
of the programmes of educational development are included in the State
sector. But even here, the Ministry of Education has an important
role to play. It looks after the financial assistance to be given to
schemes included in the State sector; and in all sectors of education
such as Primary and Basic, Secondary, university, scholarships,
physical and social education and education and welfare of the
handicapped, it conducts a number of Centrally sponsored schemes which
are implemented by the State Governments but, for which financial
assistance is provided by the Centre and implements several Central
schemes in significant areas. The Ministry is also in charge of the
programmes for the promotion, development and enrichment of the Hindi
language and looks after all programmes of international collaboration
in education and the Unesco. As a federal agency, the Ministry is
responsible for general coordination and collection and supply of
educational information for the country as a whole. In addition to
these educational responsibilities, the Ministry is also in charge of
social welfare and the National Archives of India.
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2. Organisation.
-The organisation of the Ministry is
given in the chart on the opposite page.
During the year under review, one new Division was created on May
9, 1960, under the name of 'Research and Publication'. It is
responsible for the promotion, coordination and publication of educa-
tional research in India and looks after all the publications to be
issued by the Ministry.
At the beginning of the year there were two Directorates under
the Ministry-the Directorate for the National Discipline Scheme
(established in 1959) and the Directorate of Extension Programmes for
Secondary Education (established in 1959). During the year under
review, a new Directorate was created from March 1, 1960, under the
name of 'Central Hindi Directorate'. Besides, the Social Welfare and
Rehabilitation Directorate was transferred to this Ministry from the
Ministry of Home Affairs on January 4, 1960.
The Ministry of Education has also taken over, during the year
tinder report, a considerable amount of work from the Ministry of
Rehabilitation.
The Special Reorganisation Unit is studying the working of the
different sections in the Ministry with a view to finding out how the
work could be reorganised to secure the maximum of efficiency with the
minimum of staff. The work on some sections has been completed during
the year and the recommendations made are tinder the active considera-
tion of the Ministry.
3. Advisory Bodies.
-In order' to discharge its
responsibilities of coordination and clearing house functions the
Ministry of Education has appointed a number of advisory bodies. The
oldest of these is the Central Advisory Board of Education which was
established in 1935 and whose Silver Jubilee was celebrated on January
16 and 17, 1961. The list of the remaining sixteen bodies is given in
Annexure I.
4. Finalisation of the Third Five-Year Plan.
-The most
important event during die year under review was the preparation and
finalisation of the third Five-Year Plan. Working Groups for the
preparation of the Plan were set up, both at the Centre and in the
States, as early as in 1959. An All-India Plan was prepared by the
Central Working Group and submitted to the Ministry in March 1960.
Working Groups in the States also submitted their Plans to their State
Governments by about the same time and the final Plans were discussed
with State Governments between August and November 1960. The total
demand made in these Plans was very large; but the provisional
allocations made were only about Rs. 400 crores-Rs. 328 crores in the
State sector and Rs. 72 crores in the Central sector. This reduction
in allocation has made it necessary
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to cut down the magnitude of several programmes and to exclude others.
It is, however, hoped that more funds would be available as the pro-
grammes of the Plan are annually reassessed and that the resources
available in the States and Central budgets would be supplemented
largely through contributions raised from the community.
The major schemes included in the Second and Third Five-Year
Plans
will be discussed, in their appropriate context, in the Chapters that
follow.