CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
 

1.1.Background

1.11. In recent years there has been serious criticism of the system of polytechnic education by educationists, representatives of industry, professional bodies and employers. The common points of criticism are as follows:

(a) The diploma courses in our polytechnics are mostly theoretical with very little practical bias.

(b) The diploma courses are a poor imitation of the degree courses, and as such do not really serve the purpose of training middle level technical personnel,

(c) The diploma courses, as conducted at present are in the broad fields of civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, metallurgy, etc. No attempt has been made towards specialisation in any one particular branch of a subject field in which specialist technicians are required.

1.12. These and several other factors have been causing concern to persons responsible for the development of technical education. Their anxieties have found expression, on several occasions, in the meetings of the All India Council for Technical Education, the Institution of Engineers (India). the All India Manufacturers' Organisation, the Indian Engineering Association, the Indian Society for Technical Education and other organisations.

1.13. The second conference of the State Directors of Technical Education held on the 14th and 15th June. 1969 at Delhi has also stressed the need for the reorganisation of polytechnic education

1.14. It was in this context that the initiative for focussing attention on the reorganisation of the system of Polytechnic Education came from Prof, V. K. R. V. Rao. Union Minister for Education and Youth Services. Presiding over the 20th meeting of the All India Council for Technical Education held on the 23rd September. 1,969, Prof. Rao expressed concern over the state, of polytechnic education and suggested that the present stage of consolidation of technical education is opportune for reorganising the polytechnic courses. He also outlined the following general guidelines for consideration:

(a) A system of polytechnic education that articulates the joint and co-operative effort of technical institutes and industry should be developed. The primary need is for a purposeful system of industrial apprenticeship that industry accepts as its responsibility. The technical institutes, on the other hand, should cosider apprenticeship as an integral part of the total process of polytechnic education.

(b) Polytechnics and industry which are located near each other should co-operate in organising and conducting sandwich courses for training the correct type of technicians that industry requires. Sndwich courses should become ultimately a general pattern for all polytechnics which are located close to industry.

(c) It is only through better faculty development and through better selection procedures for admission of students that the prevalent ineffectiveness of the teaching and learning in the polytechnics can be corrected.

(d) Polytechnics, in close co-operation with industry, should carry out an analysis of the functions, fields of activity and typical job positions available, identify various technician specialities and reorganise their curricula to suit them. In doing so, the polytechnics should bear in mind the pattern of employment in major sectors of engineering activity, the need for the mobi- lity of technicians-both vertical and horizontal and the immediate and future employment opportunities available to them. Each Polytechnic should, in consultation With the employing, authorities concerned. ensure that there is an adequate demand for the specialist technicians to be trained. Training in each speciality should be a Judicious combination of theory and practical experience in the field.

(e) The curiculum should aim to give a broadbased education in the major fields of engineering. Training in a particular speciality should be built on this broad base. This is necessary to ensure that if the diploma holder cannot get a suitable job in his speciality he would not become unemployable as a technician in another relevant field hi horizontal mobility should be become difficult .

1.15. Prof. V. K. R. V. Rao suggested that a high-power Committee consisting of experts in technical education and industry should examine "the entire system of polytechnic education. The Committee should not only examine the present inadequacies in the system and suggested measures, for improvement but also prepare a blue-print to reorganise all aspects of polytechnic education during the next ten years. He also suggested that experts

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from Britain, Germany, USSR, USA and other countries, where similar problems have been dealt with effectively, should be invited to advise and assist the Committee.

1.2. Setting up of the Committee

1.21. On the advice of the All India Council for Technical Education, the Government of India constituted the, Special Committee for Reorganisation and Development of Polytechnic Education under the Chairmanship of Prof. G. R. Damodaran.

1.22. The composition of the Special Committee is as follows:

Chairman

Prof. G. R. Damodaran, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore-4.

Members

Prof. S. K. Das Principal, Technical Teachers' Training Institute, 7, Mourbhanj Road, Calcutta-23.

Dr. S. M. Dasgupta, Director, Govindram. Seksaria Inst- itute of Technology and Science, Indore-3.

Shri K. C. Lall, Principal, YMCA Institute of Engine- ering (Faridabad), Zakir Nagar, Mathura Road, Faridabad.

Shri A. L. Narayan, Principal, Government Polytechnic, Hyderabad.

Dr. Pranlal Patel, Messrs, Malleable Iron and Steel Castings Co. Pvt. Ltd., and Presidet, All India, Manu- facturers' Organisation, Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel, Bombay-13.

Shri Y. Saran, Principal, S. V. Polytechnic Bhopal. (at present, Principal, of TTTI, Bhopal).

Prof. B. Sengupto, Lat-Bagan, P.O. shahganj, Dist. Hooghly.

Shri S. G. Somani, Hon. General Secretary, All India Manufacturers' Organisation, Bombay.

Member-Secretaries

Shri Biman Sen, Deputy Educational Adviser (T) Ministry of Education and Youth Services, New Delhi.

Shri D. V. Narasimham, Deputy Educational Adviser (T) Ministry of Education and Youth Services, New Delhi.

1.23. The Committee Co-opted the following members:

Shri K. R. Sivaramakrishnan, Institute of Applied Manpower Research, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi.

Col. S G. Pendse, Director of Training and Central Appr- enticeship Adviser, Directorate General of Employment and Training, Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Marg, New Delhi.

Shri M. V. V. Raman, Director (Industrial Engineering), National Productivity Council, 38, Golf Links, New Delhi.

Prof. H. C. Guha, (Representative of Institution of Engineers (India), 77-A, Ibrahimpur Road, Jadavpur, Calcutta-32.

1.24. The following foreign experts were associated with the work of the Committee:

        
                  Prof. Ross Henninger           USA
        
                  Mr. E. Houghton                Bretain
        
                  Prof. W. D. Kurz               West Germany
        
                  Dean Minoru Shimosaka          Japan
        
        
                                          

1.25. The terms of reference of the Committee were as follows:

(a) to examine the whole system of polytechnic education vis-a-vis the needs of industry for middle level technicians and to prepare a ten year plan for its reorganisation and development;

(b) to recommend measures for improving the practical content of diploma courses through co-operation between polytechnics and industry with particular reference to sandwich courses, apprenticeship training and divers- ification of subject fields: and

(c) to report on all other aspects of polytechnic education.

1.3. Sittings of the Committee

1.31. The first meeting of the Committee was held at New Delhi on 4th April, 1970. It was inaugurated by Prof. V.K. R. V. Rao, Union Minister for Education and Youth Services, who broadly indicated the guide-lines for the work of the Committee. (Prof. Rao's address is given in Appendix No. I).

1.32. After a general discussion on the terms of reference the Committee decided to adopt the following strategy of action:

(a) To undertake a sample survey of industry in order to find out the types of technicians required. This survey should cover a cros-section of industry embracing the heavy, medium and small scale industries,

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(b) To make a thorough analysis of the present system of polytechnic education in order to find out the lacunae and deficiencies visa-vis job requirements.

(c) To examine how far diversification at the technician level is possible keeping in view the need for mobility of technicians-both horizontal and vertical.

(d) To examine the fields in which sandwich courses could be successfully started with indications of the structure of the courses, duration etc.

(e) To examine how best the practical training be made industry-oriented and the type of training which the students should get and its corelation with the teaching.

(f) To examine the aspects of faculty development the types of training and retraining programmes for teachers and the type of industrial training required to keep them up-to-date.

(g) To analyses the present evaluation system in order to modify and make it purposeful.

(h) To consider ways and means of achieving the maximum involvement of industry in the training of technician-students and teachers.

1.33. The Committee at its first meeting, set up two sub- committees to make preliminary studies.

(a) The sub-committee to examine all aspects of the present Polytechnic Education and to formulate future, educational programmes, was constituted as follows:

Prof. B. Sengupto (Convenor)

Shri A. L. Narayan

Shri S. K. Das

Shri Y. Saran

Shri N. Gnanasambandham

Prof. S. M. Dasgupta

(b) The sub-committee to prepare a questionnaire and conduct a sample survey of industry was constituted as follows:

Dr. Pranlal Patel (Convenor)

Shri K. R. Sivaramakrishnan

Shri S. G. Somani

Shri Y. Saran

Shri K. C. Lall

At the second meeting held at Bangalore, the Committee authorised the Chairman to conduct a independent, brief and quick survey of the utilisation of technician manpower in industry.

1.34. Subsequently the Committee met at Bombay, Calcutta and New Delhi before its concluding session at New Delhi on the 26th, 27th and 28th February, 1971.

1.35. During the course of the meetings held in various regions, the Committee met the Directors of Technical Education of various States, representatives of the Institution of Engineers (India), the All India Manufacturers Organisation, the Indian Engineering Association, Chamber of Commerce and other organisations in order to ascertain their views.

1.36. In Bombay, the Committee met the members of the Special Committee appointed by the Government of Maharashtra for the reorganisation of Polytechnic Education in that State,

The list of persons interviewed by the Chairman and the Committee is given in Appendix No. 2.

1.37. The Committee also sought and obtained the views of principals and teachers of polytechnics in the country.

1.38. At the fourth meeting of the Committee held on the 17th and 18th October, 1970, at Calcutta, a Drafting Committee, was appointed with the following members:

Prof. G. R. Damodaran (Convenor)

Prof. B. Sengupto

Col. S. G. Pendse

Dr. Pranlal Patel

Shri K. R. Sivaramakrishnan

Shri Biman Sen.

1.39. Based on their study of selected polytechnics in different States, the foreign consultants submitted individual reports to the Committee. The reports of the consultants are given in Appendix No. 3. The Committee considered these reports at its fifth meeting held at New Delhi.

1.310. During the course of its work. the Committee also appointed the following Working Groups:

(a) Working Group to prepare the draft frame work of a Ten Year Plan.

Prof. G. R. Damodaran (Convenor)

Shri K. R Sivaramakrishnan

Dr. Prem Bhatt

Shri P. Sivalingam.

Shri Biman Sen

(b) Working Group to examine the ways of organising Practical Training, securing the co-operation of industry and starting of sandwich and diversified courses.

Prof. G. R. Damodaran (Convenor)

Shri S. G. Somani

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Prof. B. Sengupto

Shri M. S. S. Varadan

Shri T. R. Doss

Prof. A. P. Jambulingam

Shri D. V. Narasimham

1.4. Draft Report

1.41. The Draft Report prepared by the Drafting Committee was considered at the last sitting of the Committee held at New Delhi between the 26th and 28th February, 1971 and adopted after modifications.