OVERVIEW
Allocation of funds & their use 2.1.0 During the year 1987-88 the total budget allocation given for the Department of Education was Rs. 1,2 11 crores (Rs. 800 crores under Plan, Rs. 386 crores under Non-Plan and Rs. 25 crores under the Border Area Development Education Programme (BADEP). The entire allocation was spent. All the Plan programmes were formulated and implemented on a project oriented basis, securing the full cooperation of the States and Union Territories. Significant progress was achieved under all schemes implemented with reference to NPE, 1986 important amongst these are Operation Blackboard, Non-Formal Education, restructuring and re-organisation of Teacher Education, Vocationalisation of education, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Education Technology,Science teaching in schools, Adult Education, Distance Education and modernisation and removal of obsolescence in Technical Education.
2.2.0 Allocation of funds for the year 1988-89 was Rs. 1595 crores (Rs. 800 crores under Plan, Rs. 45 crores under Border Area Development Programme and Rs. 750 crores under Non-Plan).
2.3.0 In ensuring effective implementation of the various programmes, special care was taken in regard to the following :
* According of sanctions through State level empowered Committees consisting of senior officers of the State Governments and Central Government. (This facilitated elimination of avoidable correspondence, promptitude in decisions and careful examination of proposals).
* Repeated mid-term consultations with State Education Secretaries and Directors at national level conferences;
* Reviews and consultations, mid-term, in the meetings of Central Advisory Board of Education and its Committees.
Elementary Education 2.4.1 Consistent with the perspective and strategies envisaged in the 7th Plan and with NPE 1986, special emphasis was laid on Elementary Education. The allocation of Rs. 233.40 crores for Elementary Education for the current year accounts for 29% of the total Plan allocation of Rs. 800. crores. During 1987-88, the following were the achievements in the drive towards the universalisation of Elementary Education :
* Central assistance
extended under
Operation Blackboard -27 States/UTs
* Number of Schools
covered -1.13 lakhs
(21.43% in the country)
* Number of additional
teachers posts
sanctioned -0.37 lakhs
* Number of States/UTs
covered under Non-
Formal Education
Programme -15
* Number of NFE
Centres sanctioned -1.85 lakhs
* Number of teachers
oriented under the
Mass Orientation
of school teachers -4.55 lakhs
* Number of restructured
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Teacher Education
institutions sanctioned -116
(101 DIETs, 8 CTEs and 7 IASEs)
2.4.2 During 1988-89, the second-phase of the above activities is in full swing. These activities have brought about a consciousness about, and set the trend for, providing at least minimum level of infrastructure to primary schools, taking education to the doorsteps of children outside the Formal School system and professionalisation of the teaching system.
2.4.3 In order that investments made by the Centre and the States in this important area of Elementary Education really brings results, action has been initiated for setting up a new Monitoring system - i.e. for assessing progress towards universalisation of Elementary Education.
2.4.4 The Department of Education had submitted to the Ninth Finance Commission, in May 1988, a statement regarding the resources required for Education in the Central Sector. The Commission in its reports for 1989-90 has recommended allocation of Rs. 200 crores for Elementary Education for provision of school buildings in 10 educationally backward States. Apart from this, they have also recommended allocation of Rs. 41.92 crores for the upgradation of Education Sector in 12 States.
Secondary Education 2.5.1 The emphasis in the area of Secondary Education has been on making education relevant to the world of work, Science teaching, use of Education Technology and special efforts for the talented rural children. The tempo of significant progress achieved in 1987-88 in respect of the schemes meant to achieve the above objectives was continued during 1988-89 i.e., schemes relating to vocationalisation of education, strengthening of Science teaching, Education Technology and Navodaya Vidyalayas.
2.5.2 Specific achievements during 1987-88 in the area of Secondary Education were the following:
* Assistance given to 18 States to start 3 100 Vocational courses in 1000 schools;
* Assistance given to 18 States for Science Education (in respect of 6,900 schools for laboratory upgradation and 8,900 schools for library upgradation, apart from establishment of 80 District Resource Centres;)
* INSAT transmission of education programmes, mainly for the children of 6-11 age group in Hindi, Oriya, Telugu, Marathi and Gujarati for 45 minutes of five days in a week;
* Over 10,000 TV sets and 37,000 Two-in-One Radio-cum- Cassette Players provided for distribution amongst schools in 13 States;
* Opening of 256 Navodaya Vidyalayas in different parts of the country benefitting over 34,000 talented rural children;
2.5.3 Analysis of the data regarding the children of Navodaya Vidyalayas shows the following :
* Rural children - 79%
* Children belonging to
Scheduled Castes - 18%
* Children belonging to
Scheduled Tribes - 12%
* Children coming from
families below poverty
line - 41%
* Children coming from
families with income
less than Rs. 12,000
per annum - 63%
Higher Education 2.6.1 In the area of Higher Education, significant progress has been achieved in Distance Education. As in January, 1989 the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) had on its roll 54,000 students for doing various degree, diploma and certificate level courses. IGNOU has come to cover, by now, all States and UTs. barring Sikkim, Pondicherry and Lakshdweep through its network of 12 Regional Centres and 112 Study Centres.
2.6.2 Under the various programmes of the University Grants Commission, assistance has come to be rendered for various purposes to 100 universities and over 4500 colleges. Approvals have been given for autonomous status in respect of 92 colleges. Majority of the States has also come to implement the revised and improved pay scales for teachers. Performance appraisal and Continuing Education, as integral elements of the scheme of improving the service conditions of the teachers have come under implementation. For the training of University and College teachers, 48 Academic Staff Colleges have come to be established. UGC also gave assistance to a large number of Centres of Advanced
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Studies and University Departments for development of research and promotion of Centres of excellence.
Adult Education 2.7.1 The National Literacy Mission has come into operation in full swing. There are 2.71 lakhs Adult Education Centres in operation with an enrolment of 8.1 million Adult learners. Over 500 voluntary agencies are involved. There are 14,000 Jana Shikshan Nilayams to provide continuing education for the neo-literates.
2.7.2 The Prime Minister launched the Mass Mobilisation campaign in May, 1988. A special programme of "Operation Literacy by Census 1991" has also been launched in certain districts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. Efforts for launching this programme in other States and IO Metropolitan cities are being taken. The programmes of the National Literacy Mission have also come to be aided by a significant techno- padagogic support system in terms of improved Blackboards, slates and dustless chalks, solar power packs for lighting' Computerised Management Information System, application of rapid literacy methods etc.
Technical Education 2.8.1 In order to ensure orderly development of Technical Education and coordinated maintenance of standards, the All India Council for Technical Education has come to be given statutory backing by the enactment of the AICTE Act. The AICTE has formulated. its own regulations, norms and standards for courses and institutions, fee and admission guidelines, models for State Directorates etc. The AICTE has also approved 39 out of the 89 proposals received for starting new institutions/courses.
2.8.2 A large number of thrust areas in Technical Education have been identified for concentration. Over 10,000 laboratories have been identified for modernisation. During 1987-88, over 700 projects for modernisation, and thrust area development were cleared and equal number is expected to be cleared during the year 1988-89 as well.
2.8.3 The Community Polytechnics have come to be pressed into service for the benefit of the rural community in a significant way. As on date there are 109 Community Polytechnics. Manpower trained by them, so far is 94,000. Technical services have been rendered by them to over 3000 villages.
Other on-going Programmes 2.9.0 All the on-going programmes for improving the content and process of education, providing access to education for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, minorities and women, for providing scholarships to the deserving in India and abroad, for Book Promotion and for promotion of languages were continued.
Computerisation 2.10.0 Consistent with the All India effort being made for the development of education as envisaged in NPE 1986 and POA, with the assistance of the National Information Centre (NIC computerisation has also been introduced in the Department of Education in a significant way both for purpose of business transaction as well as for Management Information.
International Co-operation 2.11.0 India has been actively participating, during the year in consultations organized by the UNESCO at various levels for the formulation of its Third Medium-term Plan. Meeting of Regional Working Group on International Literacy Year at New Delhi in October, 1988 and conduct of sub-regional symposium to promote Technical Co- operation among Developing Countries (TCDC) organized in New Delhi in December, 1988 were the other important highlights of the work done during the year by the Indian National Commission for UNESCO. The Director General of UNESCO Mr. Frederico Mayor, visited India in December, 1988 and held consultations with the senior officers of the Ministry of Human Resource Development. He also called on Minister for Human Resource Development and the Prime Minister.
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