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and educational development, these priorities can be indicated only in broad outlines. The importance of the educational programme in the general plan of development lies in the fact that it is only through a properly organised educational approach that the personnel of the requisite calibre at various levels, required for the implementation of the Plan, can be trained and made available. This requires, firstly, the improvement and strengthening of existing institutions and secondly, the expansion of facilities on a considerable scale as and when resources become available.
10. The various stages of education are, however, so closely interlinked that it is not possible to lay down any strict order of priorities amongst them, so far, at any rate, as the improvement of the existing facilities is concerned. Better primary or basic educa- tion depends on better teachers, who can only be supplied if standards of secondary education are greatly improved, and this, in turn, de- pends on the provision of better teachers, who are educated in the universities and are prepared for their profession in the training colleges. That is why, it is necessary to ensure that there is a general advance and improvement on all fronts.
11. Subject to these remarks, however, it may be stated that side by side with the consolidation and improvement of existing facil- ities, high priority should be given to experiments and research in improved educational methods; to the training of teachers; to the preparation of literature for teachers, children and adults; to pro- viding adequate facilities for basic and social education; and to developing, to the fullest possible extent, the facilities for techni- cal and vocational education at lower levels, as well as for training high grade technicians in certain selected fields. In the field of university education, high priority should be given to the improvement of standards and the development of post-graduate work and research.
12. In the context of the remarks made above, the Commission is of the view that in the educational development envisaged, a serious attempt should be made to achieve the following broad targets in the various sectors, subject to such modifications as may be required to suit local conditions :-
(1) At the conclusion of the Five Year Plan, educa- tional facilities should be provided for at least 60 per cent of all the children of the school-going age within the age group 6-11, and these should develop, as early as possible, so as to bring children up to the age of 14 into schools in order to cover the age-group 6-14, which should be regarded as an integral whole for the purpose of providing basic education. The percentage of girls of the school-going age (6-11) attending schools should go up from 23.3 per cent in 1950-51 to 40 per cent in 1955-56.
(2) At the secondary stage*, the target should be to bring 15 per cent of the children of the relevant age- group into educational institutions. The percentage of girls of this age-group attending schools should go up to 10 per cent.
* The 1950-51 provision for the age-group 11-17 was roughly 11 per cent.
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(3) In the field of social education, we should envis- age that at least 30 per cent of the people (and 10 per cent of women) within the age group of 14 to 40 receive the benefit of social education in the wider sense of the term.
No targets have been laid down for the university education as the problem here is mostly one of consolidation rather than expansion. It is, moreover, not possible to determine quantitatively the progress in higher education with the same ease as in the case of earlier stages.
We estimate that with State resources alone the country will be able to provide schooling facilities for 55.7 per cent of the children of the age-group 6-11 and 13.3 per cent of those of the age-group 11- 17 The gap between these figures and our targets, stated earlier, will be bridged by the development and utilisation of local resources and the productive capacity of students by the introduction of crafts in schools.
AGENCIES 13. Role of the Central Government-Educational programmes are carried out by the Central Government, the State Governments, local bodies and private agencies. According to the Constitution, education is primarily the concern of the States. The Central Government have special responsibility in certain fields which have been clearly defined in List I of the Seventh Schedule and share responsibility with the State Governments in certain other fields also enumerated therein. It is, however, generally recognised that the Centre has also an overall responsibility for helping, coordinating and guiding the work of the States so that national policies can be evolved and satisfactorily worked out. In view of the shortage of funds, the Centre has so far not been able to do much in this direction. In spite of the substantial improvement, which the Plan makes in this respect, the total resources available with the Centre stilt remain inadequate and call for the utmost care in their disposal, in order to obtain the maximum results. Except for helping especially backward States, we feel, that in the field of pre-university educa- tion, it would be very difficult at present for the Centre to under- take responsibility for expansion. It should confine itself to help- ing, on a contributory basis, those States which are willing to co- operate in certain activities of national significance like research in techniques, training of especially selected personnel, production of literature, conducting pilot experiments, etc. Similarly in other fields, where the Constitution does not lay down a definite responsi- bility on the Centre, grants-in-aid should be related to specific schemes, and an adequate machinery set up to see that the grants are actually spent for the purpose for which they are meant. At the university level the setting up of a University Grants Commission has already been recommended. The work of guiding and coordinating tech- nical education in the country is performed by the All-India Council for Technical Education. Similarly it is necessary to have an expert body at the Centre to guide and co-ordinate work in the States in regard to basic, social and secondary education, especially at this stage when much pioneering work remains to be done. This body should also frequently assess the work done in different States and publicize the results. In this way sound foundations would be
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laid for the expansion programme when more funds become available. Another very important activity, not especially mentioned in the Constitution but which the Centre has to take up, is the promotion of the federal language.
14. Role of local bodies-The question of the relationship be- tween the State Governments and local bodies arises mostly in the field of primary education. In this field a recent committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education has examined the problem and its recommendations are under consideration by the various State Govern- ments. In order to secure maximum local help and co-operation and to build education closely round the life of the people, progressive decentralisation in the administration of education at lower levels should be effected as conditions become more and more favourable. Care should, however, be taken to ensure broad uniformity of educa- tional policy and efficient and impartial administration.
15. Role of private agencies-Private agencies have always an important role to play in a democracy. In India where till recently they have had the major share of responsibility for welfare activi- ties, they occupy a special place. Private agencies are generally able to manage things more cheaply than Government for they are able to appeal more effectively to the idealism of workers and are compara- tively free from red tape. In view of these considerations and the fact that mobilisation of the efforts of the entire nation is neces- sary to meet the situation in regard to education, for which private agencies are especially fitted, it should be an item of priority in the Plan to help such agencies to develop their capacity fully and to function effectively. Both the Central and State Governments have schemes for helping private agencies.
2.PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION 16. The highly impressionable, plastic and educationally potent period of a child's life preceding the age of six, when compulsion begins, has been neglected in India although it is all the more impor- tant in this country in view of the extremely depressing conditions of home life in most cases. The existing schools are mostly concentrated in the towns and cater for the children of the richer classes while the need of the rural areas and of industrial labour, which is very much greater, is almost completely neglected.
17. In view of the shortage of funds Government can accept only limited responsibility in this field, confined to research in evolving methods suited to our needs, training of teachers, helping private agencies who take up this work in the rural areas by grants-in-aid and running a few model balwadis or nursery schools in each State. In labour areas, it should be the responsibility of industry to make provision for such schools. In other areas the major burden of orga- nising and running balwadis should be borne by local bodies. Where resources do not allow the opening of fulltime institutions, day nurseries, working for a few hours in mornings and evenings, should be organised by voluntary workers. Where buildings are not available seasonal open-air nurseries may be organised.
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3. PRIMARY (INCLUDING BASIC) EDUCATION 18. The provision of free and compulsory primary education, is the first necessary step towards establishing equality of opportunity for every citizen. At this stage, we deal with the entire future human resources of the country and, if it is properly handled, a way can be found for the full development and the most effective use of these resources.
19. Basic education-A most important development in the field of education in recent years has been the acceptance of basic education by the country as the pattern for the education of children of the age-group 6-14. Work in this direction, however, has only just begun. It has, moreover, varied to such an extent in the matter of approach and quality in different places that it is impossible to get an idea of the work done from statistics alone. This confusion should, howev- er, disappear after the clear lead given by the Central Advisory Board of Education in March, 1952, when they enunciated : " A system of education cannot be considered as basic education in the real sense unless (a) it provides an integrated course, including both the junior and the senior stages, and (b) places adequate emphasis on craft work in both its educational and productive aspects ". The broad framework of basic education has been worked out and given inspiring expression at some places. But it has to be recognised that many of its details remain to be worked out and we are far from having fully developed the potentialities of basic education.
20. The foremost task in the field of basic education is the improvement of technique and the development of methods, by which it can be passed on to the vast majority of teachers of rather low educa- tional qualifications and average ability. To this end at least one group of model basic institutions should be opened in each of the Part 'A' and 'B' States and in Delhi among part 'C' States. Each group should consist of a number of pre-basic and basic schools, a post- basic school, a teachers' training school and a teachers' training college. These institutions should be located near each other. One of their important tasks will be to develop a spirit of self-help and co-operation in the school community as well as to work for an allround reconstruction of the community around. In addition, a few experimental basic schools should also be opened in urban areas to discover necessary modifications of the basic system, as it has been worked out in the rural areas, to make it suitable for urban areas as well.
21. Our experience of basic education hitherto is very limited. Even so, as the recent inquiry conducted in regard to its produc- tive aspect by the Ministry of Education shows, wherever the scheme has been given a fair trial it has yielded encouraging results in spite of serious handicaps. The stage has arrived for a thorough investigation of the obstacles in the way of the full development of the productive capacity of basic education, as far as that can be done without sacrificing educational interests, and a determined effort to remove them. Any success in this direction would help in the spread of free and universal basic education for the people.
22. The States have hitherto tried to run mostly basic schools of five classes which are truncated units not only economically but also educationally. We would recommend that all States should run, wherever conditions permit, eight-year full-fledged basic schools instead of five-year schools. The experience of Bihar indicates that hardly any additional recurring expenditure would be involved in adding the three senior classes.
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23. Insufficient attendance seriously affects the productivity of most basic schools. The remedy does not lie merely in compulsion. The positive approach to the question is to improve the economic condition of the villager. The burden on him of supporting the child, should be lightened by providing in schools free lunch, wherever possible, and by organising, voluntary work outside school hours to enable pupils to produce essential consumable or marketable articles. Holidays should be so timed that labour of children is available to their parents in the busy season. The practical aspect of basic education and its capacity to serve the community should be fully developed to convince the villagers of its utility and win for it their loyalty. The teachers should also be taught in training col- leges to handle more than one class at a time. Perhaps the most important aspect of the question is the improvement of the quality of teachers.
24. Non-provision of adequate and, initial equipment and other capital expenditure are amongst other serious handicaps. Most of the schools have no land while others have an insufficient amount of it. Land, however, is necessary to develop agriculture-centred basic schools and to introduce kitchen gardening in other schools. The report of the Ministry of Education on the productive aspect of basic education, referred to earlier, estimates that the total amount re- quired for basic schools, for all the children of the age-group 6-14, and training schools, for training the necessary number of teachers for them, will be 31,46,460 acres which is only 0.99 per cent of the total cultivated area in India. Difficulties of procuring land have to be faced at the local level. We would suggest the following meas- ures to solve them :-
(i) Basic schools should be opened, or existing pri- mary schools converted into basic schools, preferably in those places where the local inhabitants are prepared to donate at least five acres of land and the local commu- nity, or the State, provides initial equipment and other capital expenditure. The experience of Bihar, where basic education has been given a comparatively fair trial over some period, proves that gifts of land for basic schools can be easily secured. The social educa- tion programmes of the State Governments can prepare ground for such donations.
(ii) Wherever Government land is available or where Government come into possession of land, such as by the abolition of Zamindari estates, basic institutions should have a prior claim in the surplus land.
(iii) All Government demonstration farms should be used for training the staff of basic institutions.
(iv) Wherever consolidation of holdings is undertaken, the needs of the local school for land should be taken into consideration in determining the extent of land to be reserved for the common needs of the village.
(v) Government should simplify procedure for the transfer of land and provide the schools with necessary facilities and co-operation of the agricultural depart- ment for improving the land offered.
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(vi) Where land is not obtainable under any condition it may be rented.
(vii) Collective labour under the supervision of teach- ers, as has been tried in the basic school at Vedchhi*, for example, may also provide a way out of the difficul- ty of procuring land.
Requisitioning of land should not be resorted to, except under very exceptional circumstances, as it creates strained relations between the school and those who are dispossessed in the surrounding area.
25. It has, however, to be recognised that very little experi- ence has been gained about the problem of agriculture-centred basic schools. It is very necessary, therefore, to take up forthwith a few agriculture-centred schools as an object of special study by qualified people so that they can provide guidance for the rest.
26. The disposal of the products of basic schools is not proper- ly attended to. It is too often forgotten that indifferent craft work is not only bad economics but also bad education. Arrangements should be made to carry out all the craft processes so that finished products are turned out from basic schools, either singly or a number of schools co-operating together. Quality and taste should be properly attended to and every attempt should be made to eliminate waste. Articles produced should be generally for consumption by the community of students, and teachers and the local community. If production is properly planned, and the community spirit is developed, there should be no unsold surplus. When, however, this adjustment is not perfect, the services of the normal machinery for the disposal of cottage industry products should be available to these schools.
27. In view of the central place which the personality of the teacher occupies in the basic system, the selection and training of the large number of basic teachers required is one of the most baf- fling problems in spreading basic education. The methods of selection should be so devised as to give due weight to personal traits in the teacher like the love of children and rural areas, self-help, initia- tive, resourcefulness, etc., which constitute really the key to his success as a basic teacher.
28. In view of the heavy cost that will be involved in training the large number of teachers required, it is highly important to develop the productive capacity of training schools to the fullest extent possible, consistent with educational interests. That will also provide pupil-teachers valuable lessons in self-help and resourcefulness. In view of the results obtained by some of the basic schools there are good prospects of achieving a fair amount of success in this regard in basic training schools and colleges.
29. The training of a large number of teachers, required within a reasonably short period of time, is a colossal task, which will need the 'closest co-operation of the Central Government, the State Govern- ments and non-official bodies. Besides the services of basic educa- tion experts, the programme will require the services of allied de- partments like agriculture, animal husbandry, co-operation, etc.,