Teachers were also sponsored to attend workshops/seminars organised by the CBSE, NIEPA and NCERT. Besides, some staff was deputed for visit/training abroad as follows :-

Sl. No. Designation No. deputed Training/Visit Country

1 A. C. 1 Study of Educa- Russia tional system

2. Principal 1 School Manage- Australia ment

3. PETs 2 Physical Educa- Australia tion and Health Studies

Continuous efforts are being made by the Sangathan to help the back- ward children to come up and bright children to achieve academic excellence. As a result of these efforts, the pass percentage in the Central Boards, All India Secondary School (Class X) Examination, 1983 of Kendriya Vidyalayas was 92.3% As against 90.8% at the, 1982 examination. Eight

students were placed in the merit list. Highest marks in Hindi, Maths (Course "A"), Science (Course "A") and Social Science were secured by students of Kendriya Vidyalayas. Similarly, in the All India Senior School Certificate examination, the pass percentage of Kendriya. Vidyalaya students was 86.7, against the over-all pass percentage of 75.5 for all schools affiliated with Central Board of Secondary Education. Thirteen students appeared in the merit list of the Board-7 in science stream, 3 in commerce stream and 3 in humanities stream. Even in various competitive examinations for admis- sion to engineering and medical colleges and National Defence Academy, students of Kendriya Vidyalayas have done exceedingly well. 35 students of Kendriya Vidyalayas secured scholarships by competing in NCERT's National. Talent Search Examinations.

Besides academic excellence, Kendriya Vidyalayas emphasise on games, sports and other activities for an all round growth of the personalities of their students. Various games and sports events at school, regional and national levels were organised. The Sangathan also. organised coaching camps for the students. Stipend at the rate of Rs. 225/- p.m. for boarders and at the rate of Rs. 50/- p.m. for day-scholars was given to outstanding sportsmen. Besides, cash awards were given to students who secured any of the first 3 positions in SGFI meets.

For growth and development of scouts and guides movement, the KVS State Association of the Bharat Scouts and Guides and National Head- quarters have agreed to construct a camp site at the National Training Centre of BS&G, Pachmarhi, at an estimated expenditure of Rs. 3 lakhs.

To inculcate a spirit of adventure in the students, 132 adventure clubs have been started in Kendriya Vidyalayas. An adventure course for 15 PETs and training programmes to Pindari and Jamadar Glacier, Chamba-Manali & Nilgiri Hills have been organised. 3624 students participated in the Rock Climbing courses conducted by the HSE Mountaineering and Allied Sports Institute, Pachmarhi. To bring students more near the nature, 120 Nature clubs have also been organised in Kendriya Vidyalayas.

As a result of the study of the Indian Institute of Public Administration on restructuring of K.V.S., quite a few posts at various levels have been created to strengthen the headquarters and also the regions.

Bal Bhavan Society Bal Bhavan Society (India) is an autonomous organisation, registered in 1956 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and is fully financed by the Government of India. It affords opportunities to children for education through creative, recreational and physical activities that inculcate in them such values as would help them develop a modern Indian Personality with a scientific temper. Amongst its various objectives, it aims to act as National Training Resource Centre for Creative Education and to make available to the nation a prototype comprehensive children's institution through Art and Science experience and help children to grow towards national aspirations.

A record 12,000 children enrolled their names for the institution's membership during 1983-84. During the summer, double shifts were arrang- ed to cater to the extraordinary rush.

National Children's Museum at Bal Bhavan organised 15 exhibitions (both on Science and Humanities) to, supplement school education and making a child rational in thinking and receptive to new ideas, through scientific temper. The exhibitions were viewed by lakhs of children.

The National Training Resource Centre (N.T.R.C.) of Bal Bhavan organised 43 workshops in Creative Arts at regional, zonal and national levels to bring Bal Bhavan workers and teachers into the creative fold. The workshops provided intensive training in creative arts pertaining to college, construction, puppet making, maskmaking, school decoration, paper cutting and paper pasting. In these workshops, 2500 participants were trained.

The institution, also conducted 11 workshops for children in performing and plastic arts, physical education, aeromodelling museum techniques and science. The workshops were attended by 800 children.

With a view to inculcate the spirit of national integration amongst children, 16 Integration Camps were organised in various parts of the

country. The camps imbibed in them the spirit of cooperation, team work, experience in community living and self confidence.

5th National Children's Assembly was organised in November, 1983, in which 300 children from State Jawahar Bal Bhavans of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Orissa, West Bengal, Gujarat and Assam assembled and stayed at Bal Bhavan. This event provid- ed children opportunities to enjoy the freedom of expression in an atmos- phere of friendship and brotherhood. The theme of National Assembly was Unity, Creativity and Peace. Children could exchange their ideas and ex- periences to learn to live together, understand each other's language and culture.

Twelve symposia and conventions were organised for children. The topics included 'Ocean and Space---Our Future Hope, Theatre Festival, Science Fiction convention. The other noteworthy activities included Kavi Goshti, Young Ecologist Convention, Design and Construction of Housing, Science Fair, Fabricating models, i.e. Solar Wind Mill, Machine Modelling, Electronics, Aero Modelling and Museum Techniques. Children were also exposed to the astronomical constallation, stars and planets. To provide more literary inputs, children held discussions and debates on various national and international problems. The entire 'exercise enlivened them about the prob- lems and happenings they encounter in their daily life.

Nine Tournaments in skating, chess, football, cross country cycle rally and badminton were also organised, thus giving opportunity to 1,800 children to fruitfully utilise their pent up energy. Besides, Instramurals in Badminton and Table Tennis involved 500 children.

Bal Bhavan children participated in three 'Big Marches' on different occasions to awake consciousness among people about peace and love for animals and plants. 12,000 children joined the Marches in the main locali- ties of Delhi.

At Ahmedabad, a National Workshop on Bal Bhavan Concept, Com- munication methods and extension services was organised. Following the workshop, the 3rd All India Bal Bhavan Directors' Conference was also organised at Ahmedabad to take stock of the development of Bal Bhavan Movement in the country.

In order to enliven children with existing progress in the country, they were taken to various museums, science and craft centres, computer centres, factories and art galleries. To this end, creativity fair, science fair and art fairs were organised at Bal Bhavan in which both Indian and foreign children participated in thousands.

Workshops 15-day package workshops on Science Education and Modelling & Museum Techniques, Symposia & Conventions were organised at Rishi Valley Education Centre (A.P.) in Bangalore and Mysore. A similar workshop in Creative Arts was organised at Banaras in December at Rajghat Education Centre. Also, N.T.R.C. workshops were organised at Jawahar Bal Bhavans at Hyderabad and Madras. At Ahmedabad, 2 training workshops were organised.

Bal Bhavan Kendras 7 more Bal Kendras were opened in various localities during this year, raising their number to 27. These Kendras are disseminating children-acti- vities to backward areas. Each one of them caters to over 1,000 children.

'Bal Sansar', Children's Magazine continued in publication regularly.

The Bal Bhavan hostel housed over 750 children and adults during camps held from time to time and also took up home science classes which were very popular during summer.

The Bal Bhavan collaborated with several organizations such as NCERT, Kendriva Vidyalaya Sangathan, different Central Ministries etc. in organising different activities. N.C.E.R.T. had produced a TV film on Bal Bhavan which was telecast via satellite. A 16mm film on Bal Bhavan has also been taken from out of funds of the Social Welfare Ministry which is almost ready for realease.

Community Singing Movement Community singing not only provides an opportunity for expression of one's artistic talent but promotes, simultaneously, a feeling of together- ness, harmony and national integration. It has therefore, been decided that community singing should be cultivated like a mass movement. The Ministry of Education and Culture has launched a Plan scheme with an outlay of Rs. 173.05 lakh over a five-year period commencing 1983-84 for propagation of community singing as a mass movement amongst school children. This scheme is being implemented through N.C.E.R.T. Under the scheme, camps will be organised to train teachers of Kendriya Vidya- layas as well as of schools run various States/Union Territories in com- munity singing. Tape recorders and recorded tapes will also be supplied by N.C.E.R.T. to the schools.

To give a boost to the efforts being made for spreading the community singing movement, a programme of community singing by 10,000 children from the Delhi Administration schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas located in Delhi was organised by the Ministry of Education and Culture in collabora- tion with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Delhi Administra- tion and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium oil Children's Day- 14 November, 1983. The programme was witnessed by about 45,000 children and about 5,000 other invitees.

All the States and Union Territories have also been urged to identify schools, select children and take other steps to organise similar programmes in their States on the Children's Day. Response from the States has also been very encouraging.

National Foundation for With the object of providing financial assistance to teachers and their Teachers' Welfare dependents in indigent circumstances and to promote the welfare of teach- ers, the National Foundation for Teachers' Welfare was set up in 1962.

To provide a sound financial base to the teacher welfare schemes Cor- pus of Rs. 5.00 crores was created. This target has since been achieved and the funds of the Foundation have now actually exceeded Rs. 8.00 crores. As regards to the, utilisation of the Corpus money the matter was referred to, a Committee and the same will be put up for approval to the General Working Committee at its next meeting.

The Corpus of the Foundation comprises the contributions made by the Union and States/Union Territories. From the collection made by States/Union Territories, 20% of the Collection is contributed to the Corpus while the remaining 80% is retained by them for financial assistance to teachers. This year, as in previous years, a campaign for collection of funds was organised by the Education Ministry and the States/Union Territories on Teachers' Day, which is celebrated on the 5th September. The col- lection for this year was very encouraging.

The Foundation also gives awards comprising of a certificate and cash prize of Rs. 1,000 every year to three teachers for their long and merito- rious service. This award commemorates the memory of late Prof. D. C. Sharma, an eminent educationist and one of the founder-members of the Foundation. For 1981, three,teachers were selected for this award.

Cultural Exchange Programme The Ministry has been implementing Cultural Exchange Programmes in the field of School with various countries with a view to sharing experiences in the field of Education education as also to gain better understanding of the problems faced by various countries and to learn from their systems.