SECONDARY EDUCATION
Reconstruction of Secondary Education A sum of Rs. 4 crores was provided in the budget for 1959-60 for giving grants to the State Governments towards the progress of reconstruction of secondary education. This provision has since been revised to Rs. 3.5 crores. Every month the Ministry of Finance release instalment to the State Governments as "ways and means advances". Final sanction, adjusting these advances, will be issued by the Ministry of Education towards the end of the financial year 1959-60. A sum of Rs. 4.7 crores has been proposed for this purpose in the budget for 1960-61.
Directorate of Extension Programmes for Secondary Education The former All-India Council for Secondary Education was reconstituted with effect from 1st April, 1959 in accordance with a Resolution of the Government of India No. F.13-36/58-S.E. 3, dated 28th March, 1959. The reconstituted Council. is now an advisory body, all the executive functions performed hitherto by the All-India Council being the responsibility of the Directorate of Extension Programmes for Secondary Education under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. All the activities of the former Council were continued by the Directorate.
Extension Service Departments in Training Colleges At the commencement of the year 1959, 53 Extension Services Departments were functioning under the Council. The opening of another centre was sanctioned at the Teachers' College, Banaras Hindu University in March 1959. The Centres continued to offer their programme of in-service training through courses, seminars, workshops, library Service, audio-Visual and guidance services. The Extension Services Project as a whole had a significant impact on the outlook of teachers and heads of the associated schools and on the methods and techniques used in classroom teaching.
Seminars Seminars on an All-India, Regional and State basis helped headmasters, teachers and educational administrators to discuss and clarify the many problems that arose in implementing the reforms relating to secondary education. During the year under report 16 seminars of Headmasters and Educational Officers, one all-India Seminar, 16 subject teachers'
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seminars, one seminar-cum-training course and three follow-up- workshops are proposed to be held.
Conferences of Headmasters of Multipurpose Schools Heads of multipurpose schools met at five regional conferences and discussed the problems relating to the implementation of the Multipurpose pattern.
Examination Reform In furtherance of the decision taken at the conference of Secretaries of Boards of Secondary Education held in September 1958, the Central Examination Unit conducted a number of workshops in evaluation and collected a pool of test material. The officers also organised over one hundred orientation workshops through which nearly 2000 teachers were introduced to the new concept of evaluation. Test material collected so far was screened, edited and translated and tried out in selected schools in the different States. Workshops of an advanced level brought together teachers who were already familiar with the new technique to prepare test items in complete units of the higher secondary school syllabus. Draft brochures were prepared by the unit on evaluation in general and evaluation in the different subjects.
A conference of Secretaries of Boards of Secondary Education was held in September 1959 when in addition to considering the steps for promoting examination reform, special attention was given to the problem of the high incidence of failures in the Secondary Schools examination, its cause and possible remedies. It also considered ways of including new test material in the final examination and the introduction of internal assessment as an integral part of the examination system.
Strengthening of Science Teaching The science club movement started in the previous year gained momentum during this period. 183 new science clubs were started in schools and given financial assistance of Rs. 1200 each from the Council. Some more Central Science Clubs were organised by the Extension Services, Departments in their training colleges. There are, at present, a total of 313 school science clubs in the country. Three conferences of science club sponsors gave guidance to over one hundred science teachers in organising and conducting the clubs.
Under a scheme for the strengthening of science teaching in India formulated by the Government of India in 1956. 40 science teachers had been sent abroad to the U.K., U.S.A. and Canada for studying the science teaching programme in these countries. A seminar of these teachers which was organised during this year, provided an opportunity for reviewing their experience and for planning future programmes for strengthening science teaching in secondary schools.
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Experimentation in Schools The scheme to encourage experimentation in schools introduced during the previous year was further extended during this year. Twenty six new projects were selected and admitted for grant-in-aid. Some of these projects were carried to a successful completion.
Model Multipurpose Schools A scheme was launched by the Directorate under which twenty-six selected multipurpose schools in the different States are to be strengthened, with. equipment and expert guidance so that they would develop into model institutions. Two schools were selected, one at Jullundur and the other at Bombay and were assisted with commodities and resource personnel in the elective subjects.
A sample survey of the multipurpose schools in the country was conducted by the team of the T.C.M. Consultants attached to the Direc- torate.
The first meeting of the Reconstituted All India Council for
Secondary Education and its Sub-committees The first meeting of the reconstituted All-India Council for Secondary Education was held in July 1959 at New Delhi. Among the problems considered by the Council, the most significant were those relating to the Up-grading of high into higher secondary schools, those involved in the conversion of high schools into multipurpose schools and the causes of failures in the secondary school examinations. The five subcommittees constituted in accordance with a resolution of the Council also met during the last two months of the year and considered special areas referred to them on higher secondary and multipurpose schools, examination reform, in-service training of teachers, experimentation in schools, and science teaching.
Programme of activities for the period January to March, 1960 The plan of activities for the first quarter of 1960 includes 72 seminars and workshops, nine conferences and grants to 75 experimental projects and 95 science clubs. It is also proposed to finalise the test items on the basis of the try-out so far made so that they may be made available to the State Departments and Boards for internal and external assessment. Publication of the brochures on evaluation, the second number of science club newsletter and instructional material for use in multipurpose schools are also contemplated.
Programme of activities for the year 1960-61 In addition to the usual. programme of activities of Extension Services Project, strengthening of science teaching, experimentation etc., the
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important features of the next year's programme are the training of officers to man State Evaluation Units, establishment of Regional Offices and organisation of science fairs and science talent search. In the last conference of Secretaries of Boards that was held in September 1959, it was resolved that State Evaluation Units be set up by the beginning of the academic year 1960-61. It is expected that about forty officers will have to be trained from the different States.
As a further step in the science club movement, it is proposed to initiate a scheme of science fairs on special science days as a means of encouraging and discovering science talent among young pupils.
Against the original budget provision of Rs. 21,56,000 for 1959- 60 on activities and grants to the Extension Services Departments, Science Clubs, Experimental Projects etc., the revised estimates are only Rs. 15,38,000. The major portion of this allotment viz. Rs. 10,20,000 is earmarked for financing 54 Extension Services Departments attached to Training Colleges spread throughout India. After their budgets are scrutinised and sanctioned, grants are paid to them by instalments according to their requirements. Utmost care is exercised to see that the grant is utilised properly in accordance with the sanctioned budget. Instructions are issued from time to time for proper maintenance of accounts and effecting economy in the expenditure. Similarly the grants are paid to secondary schools for the establishment of science clubs and for conducting experimental projects, only after a thorough scrutiny of the proposals.
There is an increased provision of Rs. 18,12,000 on activities and Grants-in-aid in the budget estimates for 1960-61, so it will be feasible to start the programme of activities at the beginning of the year.
Scheme for Assistance to Voluntary Educational Organisations
working in the field of Secondary Education A sum of Rs. 1,97,592 has so far been sanctioned during the period January 1959 to November, 1959 to various educational institutions for the development of education at the Secondary Stage. The budget provision for the financial year 1959-60 was Rs. 16 lakhs. During the period from December, 1959 to March, 1960 a further amount of Rs. 2 lakhs is expected to be utilised.
A provision of Rs. 6.30 lakhs has been made for the scheme for the year 1960-61.
Scheme for Loans for the Construction of Hostels The Scheme is intended for the grant of loans to educational institutions for the construction of hostels with a view to improving the living conditions of students and creating a proper academic atmosphere by providing suitable facilities to the students for residence and studies
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Out of the provision made under this Scheme for the current financial year a sum of Rs. 12,60,000 was earmarked for grant of loans to Secondary Schools and Training Colleges. A loan of Rs. 4,00,000 has already been advanced and the balance is expected to be advanced during the rest of the current financial year.
The Scheme has been slightly modified providing for scrutiny etc. of the applications for loans by the State Governments themselves as recommended by the Central Advisory Board of Education. Loans would be Sanctioned by the Central Government to State Governments, who would, in turn, advance them to the institution. Grants equal to the amount of interest will also be sanctioned and the net effect would, therefore, be that the institutions will not have to pay any interest.
RESEARCH IN PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH SECONDARY EDUCATION The scheme for the promotion of research in problems connected with Secondary Education was continued and grants amounting to Rs. 1,03,399 were sanctioned during 1959 to 21 Teacher Training Colleges and Departments of Education of Universities for 24 research projects. Four new research projects were approved. A statement showing the names of institutions, the amounts sanctioned and the titles of the research projects is given below:
STATEMENT SHOWING THE GRANTS SANCTIONED UNDER THE SCHEME "RESEARCH IN
PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH SECONDARY , EDUCATION" DURING THE PERIOD FROM
1-1-1959 to 31-12-1959
S. No. Institution Amount Title of Research project
sanctioned
1 2 3 4
Rs.
1 David Hare Training College, 2,001 A Comparative study of 'Trained'
Calcutta. vs. 'Untrained' teachers in res-
pect of teaching efficiency.
2 University of Nagpur. 7,999 Preparation of Achievement tests;
for some electives at the High
School stage.
3 Education Department, Govern- 2,450 Construction and standardistion of
ment of Uttar Pradesh (for Art appreciation tests.
Government Junior Basic
Training College, Muzaffar-
nagar).
4 Indian Institute of Technology, 30,439 The effectiveness of Board and
Kharagpur. University Examinations in
India and suggestions for
their improvements.
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1 2 3 4
Rs.
5 Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vid- 4,513 A study of the socio-economic
yalaya Teachers' College Co- conditions of High School
imbatore. students in Coimbatore Dis-
trict.
The causes of resistance to Basic
Education.
6 University of Allahabad 12,227 A study of the causes of failures
in High School Examinations
in Uttar Pradesh.
A survey of the load of work on
Secondary School teachers.
7 Prantiya Shikshan Mahavidya- 3,450 Construction and standardisation
laya, Jabalpur. of Differential Aptitude Test
battery.
8 D.S. College for Women, Feroze- 2,202 The utility of the school broad-
pore. cast and the ways and means
to make it more effective.
9 University of Poona. 1,364 Visual Education.
10 University of Gorakhpur 3,029 A sample survey of mental ability
in urban and rural Secondary
Schools of Eastern U.P.
11 Indian Institute of Education, 5,261 Wastage in Secondary Education
Bombay. in Bombay and the neighbouring
districts of Thana, Kolaba, and
Ratnagiri.
12 Education Department, Govern- 9,230 Determination of the allocation
ment of Uttar Pradesh (for of time for the different crafts,
Government Basic Construc- with reference to interest, fatigue
tive Training College, Luck- and productive capacity of pu-
now) pils of classes V & VI (Ages,
11+ and 12+).
A follow-up programme of tech-
nical teachers in service with
special reference to multipurpose
schools.
13 Visva-Bharati, Shantineketan 2,588 Preparation of standardised attain-
ment tests in different school
subjects.
14 B.R.College of Education, Agra. 500 Construction of Achivement tests
in English and Mathematics.
15 Government of West Bengal, 1,900 Attitude towards teaching.
Education Department (for
Institute of Education for Wo-
men, Calcutta).
16 M.S. University of Baroda 3,279 Educational and Vocational Gui-
dance.
17 University of Lucknow 2,943 A critical evaluation of the Se-
condary Teacher Training, Pro-
gramme in India.
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1 2 3 4
18 R.K. Arya College, Nawanshahr, 2,617 Preparation and standardisation of
Doaba (jullundur). Achievement test for VIII
Class.
19 University of Gauhati 527 A follow-up study of teachers in
training.
20 Mahila Vidyalaya Training Col- 3,395 A study of the causes of educa-
lege, Lucknow. tional fall off in classes VI to
XII.
21 Shri Mouni Vidyapeeth, Gar- 1,485 A study of the scholastic back-
goti. wardness of pupils in rural
secondary schools.
TOTAL 1,03,399
The scheme is proposed to be continued during, 1960-61 for which as provision of Rs. 1,54,000 has been proposed.