5.3.2 The actual achievements upto 1990-91 and the anticipated achievements during 1991-92 are given in Table 5.3.
Table 5.3
Science Education : Achievements
1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 Total
(antici-
pated)
Amount spent
(Rs. in crores) 29.27 29.16 21.60 20.59 23.99 124.61
No. of States/
UTs covered 19 15 21 24 25
No. of schools covered
i) Upper Primary
(science kits) 20,719 14,037 8,463 5,791 6,000 55,010
ii) Sec./Higher sec.
Library assist-
ance) 8,899 5,784 1,699 3,843 3,000 23,225
iii) Sec./Higher Sec.
(laboratory
assistance) 6,920 5,392 2,761 3,981 4,200 23,254
42
1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 Total
(antic-
ipated)
No. of vol.orgns.
coverd (for inno-
vative programmes)
(cumulative) - 8 11 76 (new) 20
No. of institutions
assisted for setting
up of District
Resource Centres 80 13 22 60 60 235
International Mathematical olympiad in School Education 5.4.1 With a view to identifying and nurturing talent in Mathematics at school level, the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is held every year. India has been participating in this Olympiad since 1989. Each participating country is required to send a team comprising not more than six secondary school student contestants, a team leader and a deputy team leader.
5.4.2 As per the existing financing pattern, the host country pays for the food, accommodation and transportation of the participating teams during their stay in the host country; while the expenses on international travel is borne by the participating countries. The Indian team in the last three Olympiads was jointly sponsored by the Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, and the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM), Department of Atomic Energy. The cost on international travel was paid by the Department of Education and all other expenses an selection of students, internal travel, incidental expenses, etc., were borne by the NBHM.
5.4.3 An eight member delegation comprising six student contestants, a team leader and a deputy team leader participated in IMO 1991 held in Sweden during July, 1991. India ranked 10th out of 55 participating countries. Each student contestant won a medal three of them won a silver each and the other three a bronze each.
Environmental orientation to School Education 5.5.1 In order to promote integration of educational programmes in the schools with local environmental conditions, as envisaged in the NPE, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Environmental Orientation to School Education was started in 1988-89.
43
5.5.2 Under the Scheme, 100 per cent assistance is provided to the States/Union Territories and voluntary agencies. The State/Union Territories are provided assistance for taking up the various programmes/activities aimed at creating environmental consciousness among the students on project basis. Each project area should consist of a few blocks/districts having homogeneous ecological conditions. In order to plan, co-ordinate and monitor the activities proposed to be taken up by a State/Union Territory, assistance is provided for creation of a State level cell. Similarly, in order to design and organize various educational programmes in schools keeping in view the local environmental conditions and concerns, assistance is provided for setting up of project cells for each project area. The project activities include review and development of curriculum to make it local specific; preparation of textbooks, instructional material, informative books, booklets, brochures, posters, slides, audio tapes, and films on environment; organisation of seminars for creating environmental consciousness; orientation of teachers; adoption of monuments for their upkeep and maintenance; study of ecological problems; etc. one of the preferred activities under the project is setting up of school nurseries. Voluntary organisations are assisted for taking up of various kinds of experimental and innovative programmes in the field of environmental orientation to school education.
5.5.3 A summary of actual achievements during 1987-88 to 1990-91 and the anticipated achievements during 1991-92 under the Scheme is presented in Table 5.4.
Table 5.4
Environmental Orientation to School Education : Achievements
1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 Total
(antici-
pated)
Amount spent
(Rs. in crores) Nil 1.92 1.65 2.00 3.00 8.57
No. of States/UTs
covered Nil 15 10 8 11 32
No. of projects
sanctioned Nil 25 7 6 12 50
No. of schools
covered Nil 7,298 4,512 4,876 6,000 22,686
No. of voluntary
bodies assisted Nil 6 9 7 5 (new) 17
(cumulative)
44
Computer Education in Schools 5.6.1 A pilot project on Computer Literacy and Studies in Schools (CLASS) was initiated in 1984-85 in 248 selected secondary/higher secondary schools jointly by the Department of Electronics and the Department of Education to acquaint students and teachers with the range of computer applications and its potential as a learning medium. Till 1989-90, 2598 schools were covered under the project. sixty resource centres were set up to train school teachers and provide logistic support to the participating schools. Installation of hardware and its maintenance continued to be the responsibility of Computer Maintenance Corporation (CMC) and the NCERT continued as the nodal agency for software development, academic support and organisation of teachers' training. The Steering Committee for the project was jointly headed by the Secretaries of the Department of Electronics and the Department of Education. Upto 1986-87, the schools received a set of two BBC Micros. This number was increased to five BBC Micros from 1987-88 onwards. Since the last financial year, a decision has been taken to provide an additional three BBC Micros to those old schools (1249) which have so far only two computers each. Therefore, no new schools have been added since 1990-91. The evaluation of the project was done in 1986 by the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad.
5.6.2 In pursuance of the objectives laid down in the NPE, an expanded programme was prepared in 1987-88 to cover 13,000 higher secondary schools all over the country. However, due to paucity of funds and other administrative reasons, the proposal to cover 13,000 schools was not finalised. The project is being reviewed for further expansion.
5.6.3 In the following Table, a summary of achievements under CLASS Project is presented:
Table 5.5
Class Project : Achievements
1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 Total for
(antici- 1987-88,
pated 1988-89,
by 1989-90,
31.3.92) 1990-91 &
1991-92
Amount spent 5.39 5.98 6.00 5.86 6.00 29.23
(Rs. in crore)
No. of States
assisted 30 31 32 - - 32
(cumulative)
No. of schools
covered
(cumulative) 1949 2327 2598 - - 2598
45
National Population Education Project (School and Non-Formal
Education) 5.7.1 The National Population Education Project (NPEP) was launched in April 1980 with the main objective of institutionalising population education into the formal and nonformal education system. The programme activities have been developed in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) and UNESCO and also with the active involvement of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The NCERT provides technical assistance. The Ministry of Human Resource Development has decided to extend the NPEP into the Eighth Five Year Plan. Population Education aims at making young students aware of the inter-relationship between population, development and the quality of life. It further seeks to develop in them a rational attitude and responsible behavior towards population issues and to foster in them positive value orientation so that they may take informed decisions which, in turn, would promote the small family norm. The project is currently being implemented in twenty-nine States and Union Territories.
5.7.2 The main activities during 1991-92 were in the following areas:-
- Preparation of training, instructional and supplementary materials.
- orientation of techer-educators and intensive training of newly appointed project personnel in State Population Education Cells.
- Holding of meetings with the State Educational authorities like school boards, textbook bureaux and voluntary organisations for effective implementation of the project.
- Conducting the co-curricular activities with extensive involvement of community and NGOs.
- Evaluation and research activities to find out the impact of population education programmes and activities on awareness and attitude of students and teachers at different levels of school education.
5.7.3 Activities conducted during the year were as follows:
- The materials for the core-packages on population education in different areas such as curriculum materials, training and instructional materials, evaluation, research, co-curricular activities, electric media were prepared.
- The picture stories were developed and got printed. The same were tried out in classroom situations and reactions of the students obtained and analysed. The
46
materials prepared in the form of posters and picture stories were sent to UNESCO Regional Office, Bangkok for further review and adoption.
- Two Video Programmes on population growth and environment, and process of growing up, and manuals on these video programmes giving guidelines were prepared.
- Twenty-five project personnel from State Population Education Cells were trained and approximately 400 teachers, educators and principals were oriented by the four regional colleges of education.
- Population Education Week was celebrated throughout the country by the State Population Education Cells and a few RCEs. The Population Education Week synchronized with the celebration of World Population Day on 11 July, 1991.
- Source Book on Population Education has been printed and sent to various universities and SPE Cells. Copies of the source book have also been sent to UNESCO Regional Office, UNFPA, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, UGC and other agencies.
- Monitoring of the NPEP, was carried out by faculty members of the NCERT by visiting the various States for effective implementation of the project activities.
5.7.4 The Budget provision for NPEP (School & Non-Formal Education) for 1991-92 is Rs. 100 lakh under Plan.
Integrated Education for the Disabled Children 5.8.1 It has been established scientifically that children with mild handicaps make better progress academically and psychologically if they study in common schools alongside normal children. The Scheme of Integrated Education for Disabled Children provides 100 per cent financial assistance to State Governments, Union Territory Administrations and voluntary organisations for creating necessary facilities in the schools. Admissible items of expenditure are books and stationery allowance, transport allowance, uniform allowance, readers allowance (for blind children), escort allowance for orthopaedically handicapped children with lower extremity disabilities, equipment allowance and wherever necessary, hostel charges. Besides, the scheme also provides for meeting the cost of salary and incentives for teachers, setting up of resource rooms, carrying out assessment of disabled children, training of teachers, removal of architectural barriers in schools, development and production of special instructional materials for disabled children, etc. Assistance is also given, through the UGC, to selected universities and institutions for running training courses in special education for teachers of the handicapped children. Training facilities are also provided by
47
the NCERT and the-four Regional Colleges of Education.
5.8.2 The scheme is at present being implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram,Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Delhi and A & N Islands.
5.8.3 There is one UNICEF assisted Project of Integrated Education for Disabled (PIED) which envisages development of context-specific strategies for education of children with disabilities in general schools. Assistance is given to the States/Union Territories implementing this project also for meeting the expenditure on account of various facilities provided to disabled children. One block each in the States of Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu and the Municipal Corporations of Delhi and Baroda are covered under this project.
5.8.4 About 28,000 children spread over 6000 schools are presently receiving benefits under this scheme. A much larger number are receiving indirect benefit through special teachers and other learning material. During the year 1991-92, against the budget provision of Rs.4.00 crore, the actual releases to the various States, Union Territories and voluntary organisations is of the order of Rs. 1.43 crore (as on 30.11.91)
Educational Concessions to the Children of officers and Men of
Armed Forces Killed of Disabled During-Hostilities 5.9.1 The Central Government and most of the State Governments and Union Territories continued to offer educational concessions to the children of defence personnel and para military forces killed or permanently disabled during Indo-China hostilities in 1962 and Indo- Pakistan hostilities in 1965 and 1971.
5.9.2 During 1988 these concessions were extended to the children of IPKF/CRPF personnel who were killed/disabled during action in Sri Lanka and to the children of Armed Forces personnel killed/disabled in action in operation Meghdoot in Siachen Area.
5.9.3 In the year 1991-92, four students availed themselves of these concessions amounting to Rs.57,585.00 against the budget provision of Rs.1.30 lakh.
Promotion of Yoga 5.10.1 The Ministry of Human Resource Development has been implementing a scheme for promotion of yoga as part of its overall programme for development of physical education in the country taking into consideration the potential usefulness of yoga in promoting physical fitness. Under the scheme financial assistance is given to yoga institutions of an all-India character, towards maintenance and also developmental expenditure on basic research, teacher training and programmes in other
48
aspects of yoga except therapeutic. Financial assistance to yoga institutions for promotion of therapeutical aspect is being extended by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
5.10.2 The Kaivalyadhama Shriman Madhava Yoga Mandir (KSMYM) Samiti, Lonavla (Pune) continues to be assisted under the scheme, both for its maintenance and developmental expenditure for research and teacher training programmes. During 1991-92 the KSMYM Samiti was given a grant of Rs.10.00 lakh under Plan and Rs.15.00 lakh under Non- Plan (as on 30.11.1991).
5.10.3 Yoga was introduced in Kendriya Vidyalayas on an experimental basis as a separate subject for a period of one year in 1981-82. The experiment has since been evaluated and the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has decided to integrate yoga with their physical education programme. In the light of the NPE, it is proposed to introduce yoga in schools on a fairly large scale. Accordingly, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme was started in 1989-90 under which yoga institutions are assisted for training yoga teachers and for building infrastructure facilities for the purpose. During 1989-90, which was the first year of implementation of the scheme, the tempo did not pick up because State Governments were not able to commit themselves to depute their teachers for training. The involvement of the State Governments is imperative for the effective implementation of the programme. Thus it was decided during 1,990-91, in consultation with the Planning Commission, to release grants to State Governments to enable them to arrange training of teachers in Yoga institutions under their control or through voluntary agencies. As a result of this, there has been a more positive response from the State Governments.