VOTE OF THANKS BY DRY. MA.SE.
 

On behalf of the Central Advisory Board of Education I thank you, Mr. Chairman, on four accounts. The first set of thanks are due for convening this meeting at so opportune a time and for giving us an opportunity to express our views on the significant problem of educational development. At this moment in our history, we are facing a crisis in education, of which two obvious symptoms are mass malpractices in examinations and educated unemployment which has grown to menacing proportions. One of our colleagues has circulated a letter reminding all of us that the very survival of education is in question and that is what we are dealing with in this meeting. TO all of us in the country who are anxious to play our part in the struggle to reconstruct our educational system--legislators, teachers, parents, public men-you have given an invaluable lead and shown a ray of hope. My second set of thanks is due for the valuable ideas and programmes you have enunciated. You propose to offer education to those who have had no education, drop outs or illiterates living below the poverty line. you have emphasized the use of mass media; you have laid empha- sis on transformation of the educational system, an improvement of standards at all stages, and especially in secondary and higher education, and on fulfilling the constitutional directive. My third set of thanks is for the excellent documentation supplied. You call it a blueprint, its colour is blue and it is full of faith and hope. It provides us with the first baseline guidance, although I agree with Prof. Chakravarty that, in view of the severe constraint on resources, we shall still have to think of priorities within priorities. Finally, Mr. Chairman, I thank you for placing before us a blueprint for culture also whose significance has tended to be ignored in the past.

I also thank, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the Board and myself, our two distinguished guests here-Shri Inder Gujral and Prof. S. Chakravarty-for their valuable addresses and guidance which will enrich our educational programmes and help to make them realistic and practical.

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One last word, Mr. Chairman, I feel extremely grateful to you for bringing a sense of urgency to these discussions and for the warning that history will never forgive us if we fail in our duty at this juncture. I assure you, Mr. Chairman, that we share this concern of yours and shall do our best to assist you in re-moulding our educational system.

CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION