PRIMARY AND BASIC EDUCATION
(Age-Group 6-14)
Under Article 45 of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of
the State (which expression also includes the Government of India) to
provide free and compulsory education up to 14 years by 1960. For
several socioeconomic reasons, it was not possible to implement this
programme within the time specified. The Panel of Education appointed
by the Planning Commission, therefore, suggested, at its meeting held
in Poona in 1957, that an intensive effort should be made to provide
universal education for children in the age-group of 6-11 by 1965-66.
This recommendation was accepted by the Government of India and since
1958-59, continuous efforts are being made to implement this revised
programme.
The implementation of this programme was divided into two stages.
In the first stage, which was spread over the last three years of the
Second: Plan itself, three Centrally sponsored schemes were undertaken
and an, attempt was to be made (1) to expand enrolment in the age-
group of 6-11, (2) to adopt preliminary measures for increasing the
enrolment of girls, and (3) to expand the facilities for teacher
training. In the second stage, which was to be coterminus with the
Third Plan, an attempt was to be made to provide universal education
in the age-group of 6-11.
2. Scheme of Expansion of Primary Education.
In so far
as the first. of these stages is concerned, the results achieved in
all the three programmes undertaken are satisfactory, In respect of
the first programme, viz., the expansion of enrolment in the age-group
of 6-11, the Government of India sanctioned a scheme under the title
of "Relief to Educated Unemployment and Expansion of Primary
Education" in 1958-59. Under this scheme, assistance on a hundred per
cent basis was given to State Governments for three purposes: (1) the
appointment of additional teachers in Primary schools or for starting
Primary schools in schoolless, villages; (2) the appointment of
additional inspecting officers to the extent needed by the expansion
achieved; and (3) construction of quarters for women teachers in rural
areas. The scheme, however, has to be worked' out within the State
Plan and subject to the Plan ceilings.
During the last three years, on an aggregate, 60,039 teachers,
1,119 inspecting officers and 5,490 quarters for women teachers have
been sanctioned to different State Governments under this scheme as
shown in Annexure Ill.
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The scheme has been able to secure a good deal of additional
enrolment. According to the original targets, a total enrolment of
325 lakhs was expected at the end of the Plan. On account of this
scheme, however, the enrolment in the age-group 6-11 has gone up by
about 20 lakhs and is expected to reach 338 lakhs by the end of 1960-
61. In particular. the scheme has been of great assistance to
backward States and has enabled them to make some leeway to catch up
with the more advanced States.
3. Scheme of Expansion of Girls' Education.
-As
expansion in the education of girls is the most important bottleneck
in the progress of Primary education. it was decided, in 1957-58, to
introduce a Centrally sponsored scheme to accelerate the enrolment of
girls in Primary schools and to increase the number of women teachers,
especially in rural areas. Under this scheme, assistance is given to
State Governments to the extent of 75 per cent of the approved
expenditure; but it is open to the State Governments to contribute
their quota of 25 per cent or not. The State Government can choose
one or more of the following nine approved schemes for this purpose in
accordance with local conditions: (1) Free Accommodation for Women
Teachers in Rural Areas; (2) Appointment of School Mothers; (3)
Condensed Courses for Adult Women; (4) Stipends for Women Teachers for
Teachers' Training; (5) Refresher Courses; (6) Stipends for High
School Students to take up Teaching; (7) Attendance Scholarships; (8)
Exemption from Tuition Fees; and (9) the Construction of Hostels for
Secondary Schools for Girls.
Grants sanctioned under the Scheme totalled Rs. 0.93 lakhs in
1957-58, Rs. 30.80 lakhs in 1958-59 and Rs. 70.37 lakhs in 1959-60.
During the Year 1960-61, administrative approval totalling Rs.
67,54,939 have been issued so far. The details are given in Annexure
IV.
4. Scheme of Expansion of Training Facilities for Primary
Teachers.
Since trained Primary teachers are essential for
qualitative improvement of education and as it takes considerable time
to set up training institutions and to turn out teachers after a
course of one or two years, it was decided to assist the State
Governments to expand training facilities for Primary teachers during
the Second Plan itself. During 1959-60 and 1960-61, assistance on a
hundred per cent basis was given to State Governments for two
purposes: (1) to expand the available accommodation in existing
training institutions, and (2) to establish new institutions, where
needed. In accordance with the programme implemented so far, 276 new
training institutions have been established and the total additional
accommodation provided is 27,570. (The details are given in Annexure
V-A).
Last year, grants-in-aid totalling Rs. 85 lakhs were sanctioned
to State Governments for this purpose. During the current year, the
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administrative approvals issued so far totalled Rs. 1,45,94,760. (The
details are given in Annexure V-B).
5. Schemes for Primary Education included in the State Sector
of the Second Five-Year Plan.
-All other schemes for the expansion
and improvement of Primary education were included in the State sector
of the Second Five-Year Plan. The Government of India assisted the
State Governments generally on a 50 per cent basis for these schemes.
6. From the information available with the Ministry of Education, it
appears that, taking India as a whole, the total enrolment in Classes
I to V of Primary schools is expected to be 338 lakhs at the end of
theSecond Plan. This implies an additional enrolment of 86 lakhs
(from 252 lakhs in 1955-56 to 338 lakhs in 1960-61) in the Second Plan
as against the additional enrolment of 61 lakhs (from 191 lakhs in
1950-51 to 252 lakhs in 1955-56) in the First Plan.
7. Outline of the Third Five-Year Plan for Education in
the Age Group 6-11.
-The following targets have been adopted for the
Third Plan in the light of the resources likely to be available:-
(1) The target of the universality of school provision
was to be reached and a Primary school was to be
established within easy walking distance from the home
of every child before the end of the Third Plan;
(2) Taking into account the minimum period of time
needed to bring all girls into schools, especially in
those States where the existing level of the enrolment
of girls is very low, and to prepare conditions in which
it would be feasible to introduce compulsory education
in the tribal areas, it was suggested that the target
for enrolment should be 90 per cent (boys and girls
taken together) in the advanced States and 70 per cent
(i.e. 90 per cent boys and 50 per cent girls) in the
backward States. According to the present proposals,
the enrolment at the end of Third Plan would be about
504 lakhs in classes I-V. This will mean an additional
enrolment of 166 lakhs of children. The details will be
found in Annexure VI.
(3) The percentage of trained teachers should be
raised to not less than 75 per cent at the end of 1965-
66 and, as far as possible, the duration of training
should be raised to two years.
8. Three further steps have been taken during the year under
review towards the implementation of the compulsory education
programme in the Third Five-Year Plan: (1) Education Survey; (2)
Preparation of a Model Legislation on Compulsory Primary Education;
and (3) Organization of Seminars for the Orientation of Officers.
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9. Education Survey.
-As reported in the preceding year,
the Education Survey of the country was completed between 1956-57 and
1958-59 and its report was published during the year under review,
This survey will be of immense use in fulfilling the first target
of the Third Plan, viz., the establishment of a school within an easy
walking distance from the home of every child. A brief note on the
main findings of the survey is given in Annexure VII.
10. Model Legislation on Compulsory Primary Education.
-One
of the basic essentials for a programme of universal education is the
enactment of a good law for the enforcement of compulsory attendance.
The Ministry of Education, therefore, examined all the compulsory
education laws in the country and also in a few selected countries
abroad and prepared a model legislation for compulsory education. The
Delhi Primary Education Act based on this document was passed by
Parliament during the year under review and it was brought into force
on 2nd October, 1960. The State Governments have since been advised
to examine their existing laws in the light of this Act. The States
of Andhra Pradesh and Punjab have already passed the necessary laws
and other State Governments are considering the matter.
11. Seminars.
-To orientate the officers of the State
Education Departments for the successful implementation of this major
programme, four regional seminars were organised during the year under
review at Bangalore, Mahabaleshwar, Puri and Chandigarh and senior
officers from all States and Union Territories took part in them.
During 1961-62, measures would be adopted to involve all inspecting
officers in suitably organised seminars, and in addition, five all-
India seminars devoted to the study of special problems are proposed
to be held. A provision of Rs. 50,000 has been made in the budget for
1961-62 for these seminars.
12. Education of the Age-group of 11-14.
-Education for
children in the age-group of 11-14 also is proposed to be expanded
very considerably in the Third Five-Year, Plan. The total enrolment
of children in this age-group in 1950-51 was 31.20 lakhs or 12.9 per
cent of the total population in the age-group. At the end of the
First Plan, it increased to 42.93 lakhs (or 16.7 per cent of the total
population in the age-group), thus showing a gain of 11.73 lakhs in
enrolment. During the Second Plan, the gains are expected to be still
greater; a total of about 19.00 lakhs of additional children is
expected to be enrolled and the enrolment in the age-group of 11-14 is
expected, to be increased to 62.00 lakhs by the end of 1960-61.
During the Third Plan, the target adopted is the enrolment of an
additional number of 38-00 lakhs of children so that the percentage of
children enrolled in the age-group of 11-14 would be 30 by 1965-66.
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13. Remuneration and Training of Primary Teachers.
-In
this field, three proposals were made at the beginning of the Second
Plan: (1) that the minimum basic salary of an untrained Primary
teacher should be Rs. 40 and that of a trained Primary teacher should
be Rs. 50, (2) that the same dearness allowance should be paid to a
Primary teacher as is being paid to a Government servant drawing the
same salary and (3) that the old-age provision for Primary teachers
should include pension also as in the case of Government servants.
State Governments which undertook programmes to implement these
proposals were to be assisted on a fifty per cent basis.
14. A good deal of progress has been made in implementing these
proposals. The first of these recommendations has been accepted by
almost all State Governments and the basic salaries of qualified
untrained and trained teachers are now equal to or above Rs. 40 or Rs.
50 respectively. In respect of the second, it may be said that ten
States out of fifteen do not make any discrimination between the
dearness allowance paid to Primary teachers and other Government
servants; two more States have made provision in their Third Plan for
removing this discrimination and the remaining States are actively
considering the matter. In respect of the third proposal it may be
stated that Madras Government has introduced a system of pension-cum-
provident fund-cum-insurance. Pension is available to Primary
teachers in Punjab and Rajasthan and to a considerable proportion of
teachers in a few other States. Gujarat has included a scheme to
introduce pensions for all Primary teachers in the Third Plan. The
remaining States are considering the matter.
15. It is possible to give some indication of the improvement
made or proposed to be made in the salaries of teachers in the Second
and Third Plans. just before the Second Five-Year Plan commenced, in
four States the minimum emolument (salary and allowances) of the
Primary school teachers was less than Rs. 44, in six States it was
between Rs. 45 and Rs. 55, in three States between Rs. 56 and Rs. 65,
and in only one State over Rs. 65. As a result of the revision made
during the Second Plan, there was no State left where the level of
total emoluments was less than Rs. 45; in six States it was between
Rs. 45 and Rs. 55, in two States between Rs. 56 and Rs. 65, in three
States between Rs. 66 and Rs. 75 and in three States it was over Rs.
75. On the basis of the proposals of the State Governments, a
provision of Rs. 14 crores has already been made in the Third Plan in
the State Plans concerned for improving the remuneration of Primary
teachers and when these proposals are implemented, there would remain
only one State where the emoluments would be less than Rs. 55, in four
States the emoluments would be between Rs. 56 and Rs. 65, in five
States between Rs. 66 and Rs. 75, and in five States over Rs. 75. It
is hoped that these measures would enable us to attract a better type
of individuals to this profession.
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16. First National Seminar on the Training of Primary
Teachers.
The Ministry of Education conducted a detailed survey of
training institutions of Primary teachers during 1959-60. It also
convened the first National Seminar on the Training of Primary
Teachers at New Delhi in, October 1960. This was attended by two
representatives from each State and Union Territory-a deputy director
in charge of teacher training and a selected principal of a Training
school-and its deliberations were of great use.
17. Basic Education.
-Since the conversion of Primary
schools to the Basic pattern was being delayed on account of the
paucity of funds available, the Panel on Education suggested at the
Poona Meeting that the immediate task to be taken up should be the
orientation of all Primary -schools to the Basic pattern by
introducing all those activities of Basic schools which do not require
any costly equipment or larger space. This idea was pursued in four
regional seminars held at Gandhigram, Bhopal, Puri and Chandigarh in
which the details of the programme were finalised. The programme has
now been included in the Third Plan and funds have been provided in
the State Sector for the orientation of all Primary teachers to Basic
education. It is hoped that by 1965-66, all Primary schools would be
orientated to the Basic pattern and adopt a common integrated
syllabus. The dichotomy between the Basic and non-Basic schools would
thus be reduced to the minimum.
18. At the end of the First Plan, the total number of junior
Basic and Senior Basic schools was 8,360 and 1,645 respectively which
works out at 3.05 and 8.3 per cent of the total number of Primary and
Middle schools in the country. By the end of the Second Plan the
number of junior Basic schools will increase to 33,800 (or 10.3 p.c.)
and that of Senior Basic schools will increase to 4,571 (or 20.1
p.c.).
19. National Institute of Basic Education.
-In order to
assist in the programme of Basic education, the Government of India
has established the National Institute of Basic Education, New Delhi.
Since its foundation in 1956, it has made considerable progress and it
is proposed to expand its activities still further during the Third
Five-Year Plan. A brief note on its activities during the year is
given in Annexure 11.
20. Celebration of Basic Education Week.
-For the last
four years, the State Governments/Union Territory Administrations and
the Union Government have been celebrating a Basic Education Week
high-lighting the salient features of Basic education. These
celebrations have served a useful purpose in creating greater
awareness and appreciation of the aims and objectives of Basic
education.
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21. Central Scheme for the Promotion of Children's
Literature.
-Since good children's books are not available in
sufficient numbers in the regional languages, the Ministry of
Education took up a special scheme for the promotion of children's
literature during the Second Five-Year Plan. Under this Scheme, two
programmes have been adopted: (1) a National Annual Prize Competition
for Children's Books; and (2)Sahitya Rachanalayas.
(a) National Annual Prize Competition for Children's Books.-
Since1954-55, the Ministry of Education organises national
competitions for children's books in all regional languages. So far,
six competitions have been conducted, and in the sixth competition,
which was conducted during the year under review, five prizes of Rs.
1,000 each and twentythree prizes of Rs. 500 each were awarded to
books in different languages,. the details of which will be found in
Annexure VIII.
(b) Sahitya Rachanalayas.-In order to train potential authors of
children's books, sahitya rachanalayas are being annually organised
since 1955-56. The actual conduct of rachanalayas is left to the
State Governments. In each rachanalaya, a number of authors of
children's books, are brought together for a period of six weeks and
given orientation in the production of children's literature. Till
the end of 1959-60, eleven sahitya rachanalayas had been organised.
During 1960-61 administrative approvals have been issued to the State
Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and West Bengal for
organizing one sahitya rachanalaya each at an expenditure not
exceeding Rs. 11,000.
This important scheme is also being continued in the Third Five-
Year Plan. The provision for 1961-62 is Rs. 2 lakhs.
22. Pilot Project for the improvement of Science-Teaching
in Primary Schools.
-A Centrally sponsored scheme for the
improvement of the teaching of science in Primary schools was
approved. by the Government of India in 1959. It provides for the
appointment of science consultants with the object of making expert
guidance in the teaching of science available to Primary teachers so
as to enable them to make their students familiar not only with
abstract scientific principles but also, with many of the practical
applications of these principles. Under this Scheme, the Government
of India bears the entire expenditure up to a ceiling of Rs. 4,000
non-recurring, and Rs. 11,580 per year recurring per consultant unit.
This assistance is available up to the end of the Second Five-
Year Plan only and then the projects have to be continued by the State
Governments on their own. Administrative approvals have so far been
issued