CLEARING HOUSE FUNCTIONS
In the field of Education, one of the important functions of the Central Government is to act as a clearing house of information. It is accordingly one of its responsibilities to collect, compile and publish educational statistics covering the entire country. In addition, it brings out journals and other published material on education and culture both in English and Hindi and a large part of this material relates to some selected programmes and schemes of the Ministry. A Students' Information Service operates in the Ministry and attends to enquiries about facilities for Higher Education in India and abroad.
In this chapter is given an account of the various activities in this area as well as of important conferences and meetings at the Central level.
Conferences of Education Secretaries and Directors of Education/
Higher Education/School Education of States and Union Territory
Administration Conference of Education Secretaries and Directors of Edu- cation/Higher Education/School Education of States and Union Territory Adminstrations held an June 6-7, 1975 and November 25-26, 1975 discussed the strategy to, be adopted for the development of Education in the context of constraint on resources.
38th Session of the Central Board of Education This meeting was held on 27th and 28th November, 1975 in New Delhi and was attended, among others, by all the members of the Board, State Education Ministers, Member (Education), Planning Commission and Shri Om Mehta, Minister of State for Home Affairs. The Prime Minister inaugurated the Meeting. The details of the meeting are given in the Introductory narrative preceding the chapters of this report.
The Sixth All India Conference on educational statistics was organised in New Delhi from August 21st to 23rd, 1975. The Conference was attended by the Statistical Officers from various State Governments and Union Territories and the representatives from some of the Central Ministries and other Organisations. The conference discussed isues relating to stream-lining the
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present system of collection of statistics to reduce the present huge time-lag in the collection and publication of Educational Statistics. The Conference recommended a revised system of collection of statistics with effect from 1976-77 with certain minimum data to be collected on census basis and the other data to be collected either periodically or on a sample basis. It was also resolved to clear the arrears of collection of statistics up to 1975-76 in a simplified proforma by September, 1976. The recommendations of this Conference are under implementation and efforts are being made to reduce the present time-lag.
A detailed paper on "Statistics of Education" was presented by the representatives of the Ministry at the "National Seminar on Social Statistics" organised by the Central Statistical Organisation at New Delhi on 17-22 March, 1975.
A research study on the problem of wastage and stagnation at the elementary stage was completed during the year under report.
The Statistics and Information Division of the Ministry continued to publish statistical publication. During the year "Educational Statistics at a Glance, 1974-75, " "Pay Scales of teachers in India, 1973-74," "Progress of Education of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes 1969-70," "Selected Information on School Education 1973-74" were published. Besides "Education in India" was brought out up to the year 1968-69.
This Division also imparted training to the trainees sponsored by various organisations like C.S.O. and others.
The Report of the Central Advisory Board of Education Committee on
Student Unrest The CABE Committee on Student Unrest has submitted its report. The main recommendations of the Committee include improvement of standards, establishment of a proper relationship between teachers and students, giving students adequate opportunity for participation, developing student unions on the right lines and strengthening University administration. The Committee has also suggested that students should be involved in meaningful programmes of national development and their services enlisted to fight the forces of communalism, casterism, regionalism and linguism.
The report will be placed before the next meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education. Meanwhile, the State Governments have been requested to send their comments.
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Economic Programmes Relating to Students The two points relating to students included in the 20-point economic programme announced by the Prime Minister are (a) supply of essential commodities at controlled rates to the students in hostels and approved lodgings and (b) supply of textbooks and stationery to the students at reasonable prices and setting up of book banks.
Supply of Essential Commodities to Students in Hostels The primary objective of this programme is to ensure availability of essential commodities including foodgrains to the students' hostels at controlled rates so that the mess bill of the students are not unduly inflated and are reduced/stabilised at reasonable levels. Thus this programme consists of two elements e.g. (a) supply of foodgrains through the public distribution system and (b) supply of other consumer articles like pulses, spices, vanaspati, tea, coffee, toilet goods, hosiery goods etc. through the consumer cooperative institutions. For the former, the Department of Food, Ministry of Agriculture, at the initiative of the Ministry of Education had issued a circular letter to all State Governments in June 1974 asking them to arrange supply of foodgrains at controlled rates @ 80 Kg. per student per year. According to the information made available to the Ministry, foodgrains are being supplied to the students hostels in almost all the States. Definite information with regard to the total number of hostels covered and the number of hostellers benefitted as a result of these supplies has been received in the Ministry according to which 5093 hostels have been covered benefitting, 3,09,737 hostellers.
The scheme for the supply of other essential commodities through the consumer cooperative institutions was circulated in April, 1975. Following the announcement made by the Prime Minister the scope of this Scheme was expanded to cover all students hostels in the country. According to information received, 4429 hotels have been covered benefitting 3,70,051 hostellers.
Supply of Textbooks The shortage in supply of textbooks and exercise books at the appropriate time and the rising cost of textbooks create tremendous difficulties for the students. In early 1974 the rising cost of printing and writing paper in the open market had assumed dangerous proportions. To safegaurd the interests of the student community the Government took certain measures and the economic programme now announced by the Prime Minister in
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this regard is intended to ensure that the students get textbooks, exercise-books and other items of stationery on time and at reasonable rates.
Supply of white printing paper to the educational sector at a concessional rate of Rs. 2750/- per tonne has had a tangible impact on the prices of textbooks and exercise books and has helped some States even to reduce the prices of textbooks and exercise books vis-a-vis 1973 prices. While Assam, Orissa and West Bengal have succeeded in reducing the prices this year compared to those obtainable during the last two years, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Punjab (in the case of university level books only) Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram have been able to stabilise. the prices at the 1973 level. In all other States prices this year have increased when compared to 1973 prices. In U.P. out of 1188 titles published during 1975, prices of 234 titles only have been increased.
The prices of exercise-books which were fixed by the exercise books manufacturers and are much less than the 1973 level of prices have been reduced and have also been standardised in order to bring uniformity in their pattern throughout the country.
With the availability of adequate quantity of concessional. paper it should be possible for the State Governments to effect all possible reduction in the prices of textbooks and bring them nearer to the 1973 level of prices, as paper constitutes nearly 60% of the cost of production of textbooks where the print order is large. During 1975- 76 i.e. since July 1975 to date 72489 tonnes of paper has been allotted to the State Governments and Union Territories for various purposes.
Publications The Publication Unit brought out 29 publications and journals during the year under report. These included the issues of two quarterly journals, The Education Quarterly and Indian Education Abstracts. Particular mention should also be made of the following publications:
(i) Education in India 1973-75
(ii) Our Teachers
(iii) Women in the Indian Freedom struggle.
(iv) Special Educational Facilities for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students in educational institutions administered by the Centre.
(v) A folder on the new 10+2+3 pattern of Education.
(vi) Scholarships for Study Abroad and At home (Revised edition).
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17 Hindi publications were also brought out during the year including the issues of two quarterly journals Shiksha Vivechan and Sanskriti.
Students Information Unit The Students' Information Services Unit continued to render educational guidance services to Students Advisory Bureaux in, the country. It attended to about 7,400 enquiries related to facilities for higher education in India and abroad. Nearly 2,000 persons visited the Reference Library attached to the Unit to consult the prospectuses and calendars of Universities/Institutions in India and abroad. The work of collection and revision of informative material on facilities for higher education in India and abroad was continued. 63 compilation on different topics/ subjects on higher education in India and abroad wore brought out/revised during the year under report. 1604 additions were made to the Reference Library of the Unit by way of the latest calendars, prospectuses and other reference literature about India and abroad. Some of the Students' Advisory Bureaux attached to various Universities were supplied with informative material to help them deal with enquiries received by them from students.
Training Course in Educational Planning by UNESCO Regional
Office Unesco Regional Office for Education in Asia, Bangkok proposed to organise a Training Course in Educational Planning in four phases during 1975-76, Phases I & IV being Correspondence Programmes and Phases II and III being Training Workshop and Third Country Study and Observation in New Delhi and Colombo respectively. The National Staff College for Educational Planners and Administrators New Delhi has been selected as the venue in India for Phase II of the programme from November 10 to December 5, 1975 and Phase III will be in continuation in Colombo (Sri Lanka) from December 8-19, 1975.
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE