OVERVIEW
Allocation of Funds and their use 2.1.1 A budget provision of Rs.1805.30 crore was made for Education in the Central Sector during the year 1991-92. Out of this Rs.774.00 crore was under Non-plan and Rs.1031.30 crore under plan including Border Area Development Programme.
2.1.2 All the ongoing programmes under NPE continued to be implemented on a project oriented basis in close coordination with the States and Union Territories. However, in so far as financial resources were concerned, the Department kept in mind the Planning Commission's intention to reverse the past practice of retaining physical targets of crucial social sector goals but reducing the financial outlays on the ground of financial stringency. It assumed that need-based financing would be made available in the high priority areas of universalisation of elementary education, adult literacy and vocationalisation. In the areas of higher and technical education, reliance on nongovernmental resources was also made. Emphasis was also laid on systematic monitoring and evaluation to improve cost- effectiveness and programme delivery.
Review of NPE 2.2.0 National Policy on Education (NPE) was adopted by Parliament in 1986 and its implementation commenced soon thereafter. As contemplated under NPE a CABE (Central Advisory Board of Education) Committee on Policy was set up under the Chairmanship of Shri N. Janardhana Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. This Committee was required to take in account all developments since NPE which have a bearing on policy and the Report of the NPE Review Committee. This Committee submitted its report on 22nd January, 1992. The report is to be considered by the CABE. On receipt of the CABE's recommendations the government will finalize its views on modifications to be made in the Policy.
Programme Implementation 2.3.1 The priorities formulated and efforts made to implement the various programmes during the year under review are given below:
Elementary Education 2.3.2 In the field of elementary education, which is the core sector in educational development, the emphasis was no longer on enrolment alone; participations and achievement have begun to be emphasised. A new perspective of minimum levels of learning was brought to bear on universalisation of elementary education throughout the country. The principal achievement so far under the major programmes of Operation Blackboard, Non-formal Education, Teacher Education and Minimum Levels of Learning were:
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Coverage of Blocks for the purpose of
improvement of schools infrastructure 5275
Number of schools covered 4.04 lakh
Number of additional teacher's posts
sanctioned 1.15 lakh
Number of non-formal educational centres 2.72 lakh
Number of teacher education institutions
sanctioned (District Institutes of
Education and Training, Colleges of
Teacher Education and Institutes
of Advanced Study in Education) 324
Number of MLL projects started 18
Number of Experimental and
Innovative projects for
Elementary Education including
Non-formal Education sanctioned 49
2.3.3 Adult Literacy i) Provisional figures of 1991 census have presented a considerably altered literacy scenario of the country; for the first time the literacy rate climbed over and above the 50 per cent mark signifying that there are now more number of literates than illiterates in the country.
ii) The National Literacy Mission through the mechanism of Total Literacy Campaigns also made considerable progress not only through the launching of these campaigns either fully or partially in more than hundred districts of the country but also in achieving total literacy in Burdwan (West Bengal), Gandhinagar (Gujarat), Union Territory of Pondicherry, Sindhudurg (Maharashtra) and Dakshin Kannada (Karnataka) emulating the success of Ernakulam district in Kerala State.
iii) Post-literacy programmes were also taken up in the districts where the Total Literacy Campaigns have concluded with the objective of strengthening and reinforcing the literacy skills of the neo-literates so that they are capable of independent self-directed learning.
iv) Attempt to standardise the pedagogy of the adult learners continued by making it mandatory to use only the IPCL materials in all the programmes of adult
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education. For this purpose, rigorous screening was done by a national level review committee of all the materials produced before they were actually put to use.
v) Centre-based programme was revised and reorganised to make it effective and result-oriented. The voluntary organisations were allowed more flexibility in the revised scheme and procedures streamlined to encourage them to take up projects aimed at eradicating illiteracy in specific areas be it a village, a group of villages or a block.
2.3.4 Secondary Education i) Under the scheme of vocationalisation of secondary education stress was laid on practical training of students and action is in progress to start vocational courses specific to the needs of the users to ensure ready employment and self-employment. A National Seminar on Vocationalisation of Education was organised by NCERT to review the progress of the implementation of the scheme.
ii) Under the National Population Education Project, emphasis was given on preparation of training materials and production of video programmes on population growth and environment.
iii) Assistance provided for strengthening cultural/art input in the educational content and process, value education in school system and implementation of innovative programmes at school stage.
iv) Stress laid on all sided improvement in the content and process of education, particularly by improving teaching of science and mathematics, of the language particularly English, giving environmental orientation to education programmes and by systematic introduction of educational reforms.
v) Examination reforms.
2.3.5 Teacher Education i) Improvement of existing District Institutes of Education and Training (DIET) and establishment of a DIET in uncovered districts.
ii) Upgradation of selected Secondary Teacher Education Institutions into Colleges of Teacher Education/ Institutions of Advanced Study in Education (CTEs/IASEs)
iii) Strengthening of State Council of Educational Research and Training.
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iv) Establishment and strengthening of departments of education in universities by the University Grants Commission.
2.3.6 Technical Education i) Under the programme of modernisation and removal of obsolescence in technical education, 328 projects were supported with financial assistance amounting to Rs.29.50 crores.
ii) The second phase of the Technician Education Project with World Bank assistance was approved to cover eight more States and the Union Territory of Delhi. With this, the Project covers sixteen States and one Union Territory with an outlay of approximately Rs.1657 crores. While the first phase of the Project is under implementation, the second phase is expected to be operational by March, 1992.
iii) The number of Community Polytechnics for meeting the needs of rural sector rose to 159. These institutions would train on an average of about 25,000 rural youth every year.
iv) The Boards of Apprenticeship Training facilitated training of over 22,000 students.
v) During the year, All India Council for Technical Education approved 42 new institutions and 231 new programmes to be introduced in the technical and management institutions.
2.3.7 University and Higher Education i) There has been a steady growth of higher education system in the country since independence. The number of universities has increased from 25 at the time of independence to 175 (including 28 deemed universities), and the number of colleges from 700 to nearly 7,000 at the end of the Seventh Plan period. The enrolment of students has incrased from 2 lakh at the time of independence to 42 lakh in 1989-90. Of the total enrolment of 42 lakh, 37 lakh students (88%) were enrolled in graduate programmes, 4 lakh (9.5%) in post-graduate and 47,000 (1.1%) in research. 55,000 (1.3%) students were enrolled in diploma or certificate programmes. The number of women students was around 13 lakh (32%). About 10% of the total enrolment was for SCs and STs.
ii) There has been a perceptible change in the trend in the growth of student enrolment during 1980s. While student enrolment increased by over 5% average each
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year upto 1985-86, the annual growth of student enrolment from 1986-87 has been between 4.1% and 4.2% each year. It is estimated that if this rate of growth continues, the total enrolment at the end of Eighth Five Year Plan should be around 60 lakh students.
iii) The faculty-wise break-up of students enrolment shows that nearly 40% of students were enrolled in Arts and Humanities, 22% in Commerce, 20% in Science, 5% in Engineering & Technology, 5% in Law, 3.4% in Medicine and 1% in Agriculture. While there is steady increase in the number of students enrolled in each faculty, the percentage of enrolment for each faculty in the total enrolment has remained steady during the last five years.
iv) The enrolment in correspondence courses and open universities at the end of Seventh Plan was approximately 5 lakh students. There has been considerable enthusiasm for distance education system in the last 2-3 years. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has enrolled more than one lakh students. one of the thrust areas during the Eighth Plan period would be to achieve additional enrolment of one million students in open universities and distance education institutions.
v) Keeping in view the needs of the system of higher education in the country and the schemes already initiated during the Seven Five Year Plan, the following would be the thrust areas for development of higher education during the Eighth Five Year Plan:-
- Consolidation and strengthening of facilities in universities and colleges.
- Re-designing and restructuring of courses to meet the development needs of the country.
- Support to establishment of autonomous Colleges, Universities Departments and examination reforms, strengthening of research facilities, with special reference to creation of common facilities.
- Greater involvement of students in extension activities like adult education and population education.
- Teachers training.
- Modernisation and restructuring of the management of the university system.
- Generation of financial resources from within the system.
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- Additional enrolment of one million students in Open Universities and distance education system.
2.3.8 Language Development i) Government of India rendered financial assistance to meet the salary costs of 1394 posts (upto January, 1992) of Hindi teachers in Non-Hindi speaking areas in different parts of the country. Thirty-five Hindi Teacher Training Colleges were supported. These Institutions provided training to about 1,360 trainees.
ii) The Central Hindi Directorate offered Correspondence Courses for teaching Hindi in regional languages to 14,000 persons.
iii) The Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore, continued its programme of training of teachers from Hindi speaking areas in Modern Indian Languages.
iv) The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages (CIEFL) played an effective role in coordinating the activities of the English Language Teaching Institutions. CIEFL also monitored the schemes of Saturation Training of English language teachers through District Centres.
2.3.9 Border Area Development (Education) Programme (BADEP) Border Area Development (Education) Programme was implemented for the fifth year in succession in the border States of Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan covering 18 Border districts and 79 Border Blocks. The cumulative level of investment by the end of 1991-92 under the programme is likely to be Rs.225 crores. Financial assistance was rendered to the States under this programme in all priority areas of Education such as Universalisation of Elementary Education, improvement of Secondary Education, Vocational Education, Culture and Sports besides establishment of I.T.I's and Polytechnics.
2.3.10 International Cooperation i) Indian National Commission for cooperation with UNESCO (INC) with its Secretariat in the Department of Education has contributing significantly to UNESCO's work particularly in the formulation and execution of its programmes. INC continued to provide effective intellectual inputs in UNESCO's regional programmes.
ii) The Indian delegation led by the Minister for Human Resource Development played an important role in the 26th Session of the General. Conference of UNESCO held
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in Paris from 15th October to 7th November, 1991. A delegation led by the Education Secretary made an important contribution to deepen collaboration among the SAARC Member countries in the 3rd Meeting of the SAARC Technical Committee on Education in Islamabad in August, 1991.
iii) measures were taken to strengthen external academic relations by close monitoring of the implementation of the education component of the bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes and other agreements.
iv) UNESCO awarded the Noma literacy Prize to the Government of West Bengal for its outstanding contribution in the struggle against illiteracy.
2.3.11 Education of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women i) Thrust continued on removal of disparities and equalisation of educational opportunities to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
ii) All out efforts made for improving girls/womens participation in education.
Resources for Education 2.4.0 The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at current prices for the year 1989-90 is estimated to be Rs.395,000 crores. The budget of the Education Departments in the Centre and the States for the same year (1989-90) is Rs.13619 crores. This investment is of the order of 3.5 per cent of the GDP.
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