SOCIAL EDUCATION

Social education aims at providing education for the betterment of life for the adult population. Within the limited resources available, the programme of social education during the year under report had necessarily to be restricted and confined more or less to a few more important activities, such as-

(a) Conducting pilot projects in the education of industrial workers;

(b) Training of workers in library service;

(c) Developing a library service in Delhi as a pilot project;

(d) Cooperating with international agencies;

(e) Assisting voluntary organisations and institutions; and

(f) Supporting certain ancilliary services, such as production of literature for neo-literates, and for the new reading public.

2. The more important details of the activities during the year in this field are given in the following paragraphs.

3. Workers Institute, Indore.-

The Workers' Institute, established at Indore in November 1960, as a pilot Central scheme, undertook various activities during the year, in order to achieve the main objectives, namely,

(a) To stimulate a desire for knowledge among the working class,

(b) To arouse a sense of social and civic responsibility in them,

(c) To provide facilities for general education and for enlarging the range of their interest, and

(d) To provide wholesome recreation.

4. The year under review is the first year of the existence of this institute, and a number of activities were undertaken. The Institute provided facilities to workers to learn music drawing, Hindi and English. It also organised handicraft classes and literacy classes for women workers. Cultural activities like Kavi Goshtis, variety entertainments, symposia and elocution competitions were also organised. Regular weekly discussion groups, based on the teaching of the Ramayana were held in the principal industrial residential localities. After a series of lectures on good house keeping, three "clean-house competitions" were organised in which 52 families, consisting of 312 members took part. The Institute has also

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been able to set up a fairly good library. During the year under review. the membership of the library rose from 49 to about 450, and the average daily circulation of books from 111 to 739.

5. Institute of Library Science, Delhi.-

This institute, which was started in March 1959, conducted during the year under review, the third one year diploma course, as also the master's degree course in library science. About 50 students were admitted to the diploma course, and about 9 students were admitted to the master's course. A special course of six months' duration in advance librarianship was organised for four Iraqi librarians sent by Unesco.

6. Delhi Public Library.-

The Delhi Public Library originally established by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Unesco in 1951 for providing a free public library service for all citizens regardless of religion, caste or creed and to cater particularly to the needs of neo-literates and children, continued to run as a Central project. The membership of the Library increased by 1,000 to 46,000 and a stock of books by 15,000 to 1,58,000. Sixty per cent of the books are in Hindi. The average daily turn-over of books during the year under review from the main library and the 20 deposit stations and 38 service points in the urban and rural areas covered by the two mobile library vans, was about 5000. The reference section of the Library continued to be very popular. The children's section and the social education section of the Library arranged during the year a number of activities like group discussions, film shows and musical concerts. During 1962-63, the library proposes to open a Braille section for the blind. The library is also planning to open a service for the indoor patients of one of the hospitals in the city. Two more mobile vans are also proposed to be added.

7. Draft Model Library Act.-

In pursuance of the recommendation of the Advisory Committee for Libraries that the State Governments should enact library legislation for the establishment, maintenance and development of public libraries, the Ministry of Education set up a committee under the chairmanship of Dr. D. M. Sen, Education Secretary to the Government of West Bengal to draw up a model library act. The Committee has since submitted its report, which is at present being examined.

8. Mysore State Vidyapeeth Programme.-

In cooperation with the Ford Foundation, U.S.A., the Ministry of Education assisted the Mysore State Adult Education Council to establish one more vidyapeeth in the State, bringing the total number to 5. These vidyapeeths aim primarily to train village youth to rural leadership. Necessary financial assistance to set up three more vidyapeeths during 1962-63, which will bring the total to 8, has already been released to the Mysore State Adult Education council.

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9. Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations in the field of Social Education and Libraries.-

During the year under review, 14 voluntary organisations and institutions were assisted to the tune of Rs., 1.56 lakh for the development of various activities relating to social education, and libraries.

10. Literature for Social Education.-

The steps taken by the Ministry to promote and stimulate the growth of literature for various types of readers, mainly neo-literates, is briefly described below.

(a) Prize Competition for Books for Neo-literates:

The eighth prize competition was held during the year for which 323 entries in various Indian languages were received. Thirty-six of these were awarded prizes of Rs. 500 each. The selection of the best 5 of these 36 prize-winning books, for the award of additional prizes of Rs. 500 each, is at present under consideration. The best five books out of the 40 which were awarded prizes under the seventh competition held during 1960-61 were awarded additional prizes of Rs. 500 during the year under review. Fifteen hundred copies each of the 22 books awarded prizes under the fifth and: sixth competitions were purchased for free distribution to community development blocks, social education centres and school libraries. Steps, have also been taken during the year under review to expedite the translation in various modem Indian languages, of the books which have been awarded additional prizes under the seventh competition. More than 40 translations were received during the year.

(b) Unesco, Prize Competition for New Reading Public:

The second prize competition for the award of prizes to Indian authors of best books for new reading public in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Tamil published between January 1959 and December 1960 was held during the year under review. Out of the 17 books received, 7 books, comprising 4 in Hindi and 3 in Tamil, were awarded prizes of $ 400 each. Fifteen hundred copies each of three out of the six books which were awarded prizes under the first competition have been purchased by the Ministry of Education for free distribution to community development blocks, social education centres school libraries etc. Copies of the remaining 3 prize-winning books under the first competition will be purchased during 1962-63.

(c) Direct Production of New Books

(i) HINDI VISHVA BHARATI.-The 7th and 8th volumes of the Hindi Vishva Bharati were published during the year under review. The last two volumes are expected to be published during the next year.

(ii) AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.-This book, which is essentially meant for neo-literate readers, is in the final stages of printing, and is expected to be published in early 1962-63.

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11. National Book Trust.-

The National Book Trust, established in 1957. brought out 20 books during the year under review, in English, Hindi and various regional languages, bringing the total number of books brought out so far to 52. Thirty-four books were under production, about 50 manuscripts were awaiting selection of presses and 187 manuscript were under different stages of translation.

12. Financial Provisions.-

Financial provisions for the various schemes in this sector during 1961-62 and 1962-63 are given below:- 

 
                                          

        
                                                     Provision       Budget
             Name of the Scheme                      for           Provision
                                                     1961-62          for
                                                                    1962-63
        
                                          

                                                     Rs.             Rs.
        
        (1) Workers' Social Education Institute      40,000          70,000
        
        (2) Institute of Library Science, Delhi 
             University                              80,000          80,000
        
        (3)  (a) Delhi Public Library                3,30,000        3,30,000
        
             (b) Development of Library Service in 
                 Delhi                               ..              2,41,200
        
        (4)  Ford Foundation Aid-Mysore State 
             Vidyapeeth Programme                    5,00,000          59,000
        
        (5) Production of Literaure for 
             Neo-Literates                           1,62,000        2,94,000
        
        (6) National Book Trust                      3,51,000        4,70,000

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