ANNUAL REPORT 1961-62

 INTRODUCTION

1. Scope and Functions:

The Government of India have sole executive responsibility for the 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 autonomous organisations or institutions, such as the National Council of Educational Research and Training, the Central Institute of English, Hyderabad, the Lakshmibai College of Physical Education, Gwalior, the National Institute of Sports, Patiala and the National Book Trust.

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. The Ministry is also responsible for education (other than technical education) in the Union Territories and for the programmes of social welfare. The direct responsibility for the development of education in the rest of the country is with the State Governments and therefore most of the programmes of educational development are included in the State sector of the Plan. The Ministry, however, coordinates the formulation of the development projects, assesses their progress and provides for the financial assistance to be given to schemes included in the State sector. In addition, it sponsors special schemes in all sectors of education such as primary and Basic, secondary, university, scholarships, physical and social education and education and welfare of the handicapped, which are implemented by the State Governments with financial assistance provided by the Centre, and undertakes programmes for the promotion and development of the Hindi language. As a federal agency, the Ministry is responsible for general coordination, collection and supply of educational information for the country as a whole and for programmes of international collaboration in education.

2. Organisation:

The organisation of the Ministry is given in the chart on the opposite page.

During the year under review, the following major changes occurred in the organisational set-up of the Ministry:

(1) The work relating to the colleges for displaced students and the training of displaced primary teachers in West Bengal was transferred from the Ministry of Rehabilitation to this Ministry with effect from 1st April, 1961.

(2) The work and establishment relating to the homes/infirmaries and children's institutions for displaced persons from East Pakistan were transferred from the Ministry of Rehabilitation.

(3) The Unesco Section was converted into an independent unit with effect from 11th May, 1961, to serve as the secretariat of the Indian National Commission for Unesco and to deal with other matters pertaining to Unesco. The 'Higher Education and Unesco Division' was renamed 'University Education Division'.

(4) A separate unit, known as the Tibetan Refugee Children's Education Unit, was created with effect from 3rd June, 1961, to deal with all matters concerning the education of refugee children from Tibet.

(5) A Commission was set up for the review, evaluation and coordination of scientific and technical terminology.

(6) In agreement with Unesco, a Regional Centre for the Training of Educational Planners, Administrators and Supervisors in Asia has been set up at New Delhi as a subordinate office of the Ministry of Education.

3. Advisory Bodies:

The Ministry has appointed different advisory bodies to assist it in the discharge of its functions. All the advisory bodies, which existed at the, beginning of the year, were continued and one new advisory body was set up during the year, viz., the National Board of Basic Education. The main function of this Board is to advise the Government of India and the State Governments on the development of Basic education.

The details about the meetings of the advisory bodies held during the year under review are given in Annexure I.

4. Third Five-Year Plan:

The year under review is the first year of the third Five-Year Plan and the implementation of the schemes in the Plan was taken up at the Centre and in the States.

An allocation of Rs. 7,200 lakh has been made for the schemes of the Ministry in the third Five-Year Plan in the Central sector, including the provision for the University Grants Commission. Report on the progress of the schemes is included in the chapters that follow.

The State sector of the educational Plan (excluding technical education which is under the control of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs) has an allocation of Rs. 34,000 lakh. The details are. given in Annexure II.

5. The table below gives the enrolment and percentage of the various age-groups attending schools in the first and second Plans and the targets for the third Five-Year Plan:

        
                                              
                                                              Percentage of Population
                         Enrolment in Classes                  in Schools of the
                                                                      Age-Group
        Year                
                  
                        I-V       VI-VIII     IX-XI           6-11     11-14    14-17
                                                    
        1                2           3          4               5        6        7
                                                        
        
        
                                            (Figures in lakhs)
        
        1950-51         191.5         31.2       12.2            42.6       12.7       5.3
        
        1955-56         251.7         42.9        18.8           52.9       61.5       7.8
        
        1960-61         344.2         63.5        28.7           61.3       23.0      11.4
        
        1965-66         496.4         97.5        45.6           76.4      28.6      15.6

The first year of the third Five-Year Plan is now over and the State and Central Plans for the second year have been finalised. It is, therefore, possible now to review the trend of achievement in relation to the targets for the Plan as a whole. The following table shows the actual and the anticipated achievement during the first two years of the Plan.

        
                                          
        
                                                           Percentage of Population in
                           Enrolment in Classes                Schools of the
                                                                    Age-Grout,
        Year                  
        
                        IV         VI-VIII      IX-XI        6-11      11-14       14-17
        
                                                    
        1                2           3            4            5          6           7
        
                                                    
                  
                                            (Figures in Lakhs)
        
        1960-61        344.2          63.5        28.7          61.3        23.0         11.4
        
        1961-62        379.7          70.1         31.5           65.7        24.3         12.1
        
        1962-63        416.0          79.0         34.6           70.0        26.2         12.9