VII- THE MAIN FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
On March 31, 1957, the Educational Survey enumerated 2,812 cities and towns with a total population of 5.56 crores, (1951 census) which works out at 17 per cent of the total population of the country. In the countryside, it enumerated 8,40,033 rural habitations with a total population of 27.95 crores (1951 census) or 83 per cent of the total population of the country. All the urban areas were provided with a fairly adequate number of Primary schools and although more schools were needed in them to cope with the rapidly increasing population, this problem was neither complex nor large. it was in the rural areas that universality of school provision did not exist and the Survey. therefore, concentrated its attention on the problem of providing a school within easy walking distance from the home of every child.
2. The Survey adopted the following principles in suggesting the location of Primary schools:
(a) If a habitation has a population of 300 or more, it should have a school for itself i.e. it should be provided with an 'independent school'; and
(b) If a habitation has a still smaller population., an attempt should be made to group it along with some other habitations in close proximity and a 'group school' may be provided for each group with a population of 300 or over. It was also generally agreed that, barring exceptional cases, the villages to he grouped together should be within one mile of each other.
3. On this basis, the Survey found that ultimately, the country will need a total of 3,23,463 Primary schools of which 1,50,215 would he independent' schools and 1,73,248 would be 'group' schools. Between them, these independent and group schools would serve the educational needs of 7,99,075 (or 96.70 per cent) of the total number of habitations in the country as the following table would show:
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Habitations that would be Served by Primary Schools if the
Proposals made by the Educational Survey are implemented
Total
Habita- No. of
tions Habita-
Served Habitations Served by Group Schools tions
Slab by served
Indepen- In the Within Within Within Within Total by
dent Habita- 1/2 1 1 1/2 2 Indepen-
Schools tion Mile mile Miles Miles dent
and
Group
Schools
5000 & above 401 146 4 1 .. .. 151 552
2000 to 4999 7,707 3,727 106 21 .. 1 3,855 11,562
1000 to 1999 24,406 16,078 692 203 3 1 16,976 41,382
500 to 999 53,417 44,938 5,010 2,051 46 2 52,047 1,05,464
400 to 499 19,762 19,516 7,509 2,661 147 2 29,835 49,597
300 to 399 25,571 25,983 15,460 6,429 398 11 48,281 73,852
200 to 299 11,995 29,930 32,807 33,118 2,690 229 98,774 1,10,769
100 to 199 5,907 24,154 69,881 71,060 7,078 599 1,72,772 1,78,679
Below 100 1,049 8,776 1,02,984 1,01,407 11,895 1,107 2,26,169 2,27,218
TOTAL 1,50,215 1,73,248 2,34,453 2,16,951 22,257 1,951 6,48,860 7,99,075
4. The Survey has also pointed out that if these 3,23,463 Primary schools are established, the total population served with this educational facility would be 27.75 crores or 98.69 per cent of the total population. Of this, 20.96, crores of people (or 75.01 per cent) would have the benefit of a school within the village while others would have a school in close. neighbourhood as shown in the preceding table.
5. How many additional schools will have to be established to reach, this goal is the next question. The Survey enumerated a total of 2,27,135 schools as on March 31. 1957. It, therefore, follows that the total number of new Primary schools required is 96,328. A large number of these schools will be established within the Second Plan itself. The Survey has shown where gaps exist in school provision and these are being filled up. But it is still estimated that about 70,000 new schools will have to be established in the Third Five-Year Plan if the target of universal provision of schools is to be reached.
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6. It has to be pointed out that the problem of small villages is 4 very difficult problem in India. In spite of the care with which the Educational Survey has framed its proposals, a very large number of small habitations still remain without any educational facilities. It is true that the total population of these villages is only about 36.5 lakhs per cent of the total population of the country (1951 census); but it obvious that something will have to be done even for these small habit
7. There are only three proposals possible -(1) peripatetic teacher schools, (2) establishment of Central Schools with hostel accommodation,. and (3) establishment of Central Schools with transport facilities attached. Experimental pilot projects in order to provide different types of educational facilities for these villages are proposed to be conducted during the Third Five-Year Plan and their generalisation will be considered later on in the light of the experience gained. In the meanwhile, the Survey has tentatively assumed that the concept of peripatetic schools may begiven a greater trial. On March 31, 1957, there were 1,888 peripatetic teacher schools in the country. The Educational Survey has proposed, that their number may be increased to 8,848 during the Third Five-Year Plan if the experiment of their working proves to be successful. The total number of new schools required in the Third Five-Year Plan would, therefore, be 1,03,288 (96,328 ordinary Primary schools and 6,960 peripatetic teacher schools).
8. The break-up of these 1,03,288 new schools required is given in the following table:
Number of New Primary Schools Needed according to the Educational
Survey (As on March 31, 1957)
Total No. of Total No. Total No. of
S. State Schools Pro- of Schools New Primary
posed by the in Exista- Schools
Educational nce on Needed
Survey of 31-3-57
(including
Peripatetic
Schools)
1 2 3 4 5
1. Andhra Pradesh 27,849 2,708 5,141
2. Assam 14,192 11,001 3,191
3. Bihar 37,261 26,351 10,910
4. Bombay 49,300 40,528 8,772
5. Jammu & Kashmir 2,825 1,884 941
6. Kerala 7,938 5,751 2,187
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1 2 3 4 5
7. Madhya Pradesh 35,718 20,824 14,894
8. Madras 19,832 17,979 1,853
9. Mysore 21,632 17,875 3,757
10. Orissa 21,370 15,032 6,338
11. Punjab 12,708 11,229 1,479
12. Rajasthan 17,773 8,933 8,840
13. Uttar Pradesh 59,637 26,168 33,469
14. Delhi 220 191 30
15. Himachal Pradesh 1,931 1,004 927
16. Manipur 862 671 191
17. Tripura 1,262 895 367
TOTAL 3,32,311 2,29,023 1,03,288