THE CABE, 47TH SESSION, 1992

26. The load of school bag, Smt. Alva said, should be lessened. The contents of the textbooks should be relevant to the environment and life of the community. Further, frequent change of text books should be avoided. There should be a single book on history for the whole country. Education should serve as a cementing factor of national integration rather than as a divisive force. She also advocated free education for sports persons. On R&D effort she stated that there should be linkages between industry, universities and national

laboratories. She stated that she welcomed the Reddy Committee's approach on making higher and technical education gradually self- financing. Speaking on brain drain she advocated that scientists and engineers must serve for at least three years in the country before going abroad.

27. Shri Jyotibhai Desai dwelt on character building as the main role of education. According to him provision of resources alone will not help. He also emphasised the importance of making national heritage a part of the curricula so as to provide necessary inspiration to children. Government's role, he emphasised, was only to provide support, particularly financial support; the real work in the field of education has to be done by the people, the voluntary organisations and the teachers. What is required is faith, not funds, self-confidence and determination.

28. Shri Sudhir Ray, M.P., referred to the two systems of Education running parallel in the country, one for the privileged 20 per cent who go to Novodaya Vidyalayas, etc., and the other 80 per cent who go to sub-standard schools and colleges. He wanted operation Blackboard to continue, Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) to cover all rural areas and abolition of capitation fee for admissions in educational institutions. He said that instead of concentrating on the Common School System, the Government is investing money on Navodaya Vidyalayas. He concluded by saying that 10 per cent of the total budget should be earmarked for education at the Centre while at the State level it should be 40 per cent. He also pleaded for spending at least

6-per cent of GNP on education.

29. Shri Tulsi Singh, Minister for Human Resource Development, Bihar, agreed with Janardhana Reddy Committee Report that what. is required is a more effective implementation of NPE, a new Programme of Action and a fillip to backward states with emphasis on rural education. He advocated better salaries for Non-Formal Education (NFE) instructors and incentives for adult learners. He was of the view that we should concentrate on primary education and arrest the growth of drop-out rates; otherwise the number of illiterates would continue to increase. He referred to the good work of Bihar Education Project which covers seven districts of the State and wanted more allocation for education from the Planning Commission. He concluded by saying that illiteracy and poverty go hand in hand and the only way to remove poverty is to eradicate illiteracy.

30. Dr. (Mrs) Chitra Naik, Member (Education) Planning Commission, highlighted the thrust areas of the Eighth Plan which included, amongst others, employment where education profiles the most critical input. She emphasised that demand for education, modernisation and efficiency had to be stimulated through a general awakening and mobilisation of rural community through sensitization especially in the educationally backward states. By the end of the Eighth Plan, illiteracy must be completely eradicated and universal primary education achieved in the age group 6-11. Educational deprivation of women must be removed and cultural and educational gap between tribals and non-tribals as

between formal and non-formal abridged through micro-planning. We must not be content with budgetary allocations, she said; Education should also have social financing and self-financing components. She also laid emphasis on the role of voluntary sector in education and said that the Planning Commission was having wide-ranging discussions with voluntary organisations to step up the literacy programme through campaign method. She referred to the NDC Committee on Literacy and said that its report was expected in June, 1992. Literacy, she concluded, must become a tool of cultural change and economic development. We have the Policy which has stood the test of time. What is required is vigorous and more rigorous implementation. She reminded the Board of the advice given to a delegation of educationists including late Shri J.P. Naik who called on Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1968 on the finalisation of the National Policy on Education. When asked for advice, Dr. Zakir Hussain, replied `Implement, Implement, Implement'.

31. Dr. Karshandas Soneri, Education Minister, Gujarat, was of the view that the struggle for education should be similar to the struggle for freedom. Education, particularly Primary Education, should be people's movement. In Gujarat State, he said, school students are being involved in literacy campaigns. Girls education is being. given a boost; it is already free in Gujarat from primary to college level. He was of the view that centre should allocate more resources to those states who are spending more on girls education; mid-day meals should be introduced in all states. He further stated that post-literacy

programmes were as important an literacy programmes. The medium of instruction should be the regional language alongwith Hindi and English. He concluded by saying that the thrust in the coming days should be on education in rural areas and the content of education should be Gandhian.

32. Shri P.V. Ranga Rao, Education Minister, Andhra Pradesh, congratulated Shri Janardhana Reddy for his excellent report which contained historic recommendations. He agreed with all the recommendations of the Reddy Committee on pre-primary to higher education and said that Anganwadi workers should be regarded as agents of change who can bring about village development. He referred to the contribution of the A.P. Open School, and the A.P. Residential Schools, in improving girls' education and reducing dropout rates. He stated that total literacy campaigns were going on in 14 districts of Andhra Pradesh and eradication of illiteracy in the state had become a people's movement. The campaigns were improving school enrolment and creating a new demand for education. He said that the Field Publicity Organisation and the Song and Drara Division of I&B Ministry should be utilised for literacy campaigns. He strongly supported the idea of a second Channel on TV mooted by the Union Minister of I&B and said that this would give a new boost to total literacy and girls' education particularly in the year of the girl child. He pleaded for better facilities and more incentives for SC/ST, weaker sections and minorities. He advocated value-based education without which there would be no peace in society. He said values such as national integration,

patriotism and contentment should be built into school curriculum. What is required is a need-based not a greed-based society. He also pleaded for more resources for education.

33. Shri P.G. Momin, Education Minister, Meghalaya, agreed with the idea of participatory education as envisioned by Reddy Committee. He generally agreed with the other recommendations also and wanted that there should be separate Working Group on North Eastern Region.

34. Shri Hari Kumar Audichya, Education Minister, Rajasthan, emphasised village education and involvement of people therein. He said that the present indiscipline in the educational institutions was all due to the absence of value education in the curricula. He stressed expansion of girls education and vocational training to increase their skills and employability. Referring to the teaching of languages he stated that Sanskrit should be included in the Three- language Formula as Sanskrit symbolised the unity of India. He concluded by saying that the CABE should meet more frequently.

35. Shri Anant Rao Thopte, Minister for Education and Technical Education, Maharashtra stressed the need for providing education in school-less villages and activisation of Village Education Committees (VECs). He said that every village in Maharashtra had a VEC where 50 per cent members were women. The VECs had collected three crores of rupees in cash for education. He also stated that there was no coordination between Balwadis, Anganwadis and ICDS programmes, no local representative

in the management of Navodaya Vidyalayas and no proper linkage between pre-primary education and UEE. He agreed with all the recommendations of the Janardhana Reddy Committee Report. He Suggested that there should be a Jan Shikshan Nilayam for every village and hamlet. All vocational courses suggested by NCERT should be included in the purview of Apprentices Act 1961 and more institutions conducting non- engineering technical courses be opened. He concluded by saying that a national debate would help to evolve a common purpose and a common heart, so essential for re-formulation of Programme of Action for the National Policy and for its effective implementation.

37. Dr. Swaminadhan, Member, Planning commission agreed with the recommendations of the Janardhana Reddy Committee Report on higher and technical education. He said that an integrated view of the entire higher education system was necessary to enable us to properly plan and phase out our priorities. He said that science and technology should be tempered with human values the same way as the whole of education should be tempered with human values. Value education, therefore, should be included in the school and college curriculum. He stated that increase in productivity is strongly influenced by education and this investment must be made in time to get full benefits from development. As regards research, he said, it goes mostly wasted and unutilised. We should, therefore, utilise it properly. Finally he endorsed the suggestion of the I&B Minister for media support for education.

36. Shri Shiv Pratap Shukla, Education Minister, Uttar

Pradesh, stated that there was need to consider the Janardhana Reddy Committee Report in greater depth. He further stated that we should also wait for the report of the NDC Committee on Literacy set up by the Planning Commission. There was also need to give a second look at the programmes of National Literacy Mission (NLM) and the revised pattern Rural Functional Literacy Programme (RFLP). The NLM Authority should be decentralised; an Authority should also be set up at state level. He emphasised the importance of girls' education, need to revise the textbooks, particularly of history and necessity of taking effective measures against copying in the examinations. He stated that for the first time, the Government of UP had issued an ordinance against copying which had been welcomed by all sections. The Ordinance made copying a cognizable offence. He concluded by saying that education should satisfy the requirements of body, mind and soul and only value and moral education can quench this thirst.

37. Shri Kishori Lal Verma, Education Minister, Madhya Pradesh, stated that our education should reflect our culture; it should be a reflex of our civilisation. He said that education should inculcate human values and the values for which Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Dr. Zakir Hussain stood. He further said that a country which gave lessons in peace to the rest of the world in ancient times was these days ridden with intolerance, violence and terrorism. He made a special plea for the education of the weaker sections and bringing them on par with the rest of the society.

38. Shri Harnam Das Johar, Education Minister, Punjab stated that the Government of Punjab was already implementing the various parameters of NPE-1986 and that he supported all the recommendations of the CABE Committee on Policy. Presenting the educational profile of Punjab he pleaded for the retention of the Border Area Development (Education) Programme (BADEP) with the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and more allocation for the State of Punjab in State Plan allocations during the Eighth Plan. He referred to exploitation of teachers in private institutions and said that the disparity between the salaries of government and private teachers should be removed. He further stated that we should have Indian names of terms such as 10+2+3, etc. About adult education he said that this programme had to be discontinued in the State last year following litigation by the functionaries. What is required is a consolidated effort on the part of the community and the government to adopt the model of the Government of Kerala in this regard.

39. Shri Chaitanya Prasad Majhi, Minister of Education, Orissa, wanted central assistance for tribal education, special treatment to Orissa in respect of school buildings, NFE centres and literacy programmes for adults. He said that the three districts of Sundergarh, Ganjam and Koenjhar would attain total literacy in the next few months while TLC has started in two more districts recently viz. Dhankanal and Kalahandi. There is a favourable climate for literacy coming up in the State and the same should be sustained till the entire State attains total

literacy. About vocational education, he said that Orissa's experience had not been satisfactory teachers with expertise in chosen trades were not available, facilities for providing apprenticeship in the post-vocational education were limited, linkages with Banks and other financial institutions to provide self-employment not yet established. In the circumstances Orissa wanted to modify the scheme as `Karnataka' had done.

40. Smt. Shanti Rathi, Education Minister, Haryana welcomed the Janardhana Reddy Committee Report on Policy and stated that education of girls should be given highest priority. She wanted that States which are spending more on girls, education should be given special assistance. In Haryana girls education is free upto B.A. On Navodaya Vidyalayas, she said that supervision of these vidyalayas be entrusted to State Governments. She pleaded for-rural education on Gandhian principles, integration of science and humanism in curriculum and development of Hindi. She dwelt on the message of `Satyameva Jayate' in education and concluded by saying that India's value system must be reflected in our education.

41. Professor Syed Khaleefutullah commended the recommendations of the Janardhana Reddy Committee Report and said that the university system must observe the academic calendar. He reminded the Board that when salaries of university teachers were increased it was a package, today it is a one-way traffic. He said that the central office of the AICTE has no staff and regional offices are depraved. He was of the view that professional bodies should not have Ministers as Chairmen; the

regional offices of the AICTE should be headed by experts. Speaking on value education, he said that we should not shirk the responsibility of defining values. He pleaded for special consideration for minorities, education, minorities' institutions and special measures for SCs/STs. He regretted that not many recommendations made in the 46th session of CABE had been implemented particularly with regard to educationally backward minorities. He also stressed the need to abolish capitation fees for admission in professional colleges. He advocated the patronisation of the indigenous system of medicine like Ayurveda and Unani.

42. On 5th May, 1992 the Board adjourned for lunch after announcement on arrangements for discussions in the Working Groups. Eight Working Groups were set up (including the one on North Eastern Region) to deliberate in-depth the main Agenda items.Details of the arrangements are furnished in Annexure - VI.

43. In the afternoon of May 6, 1992, the Board met to listen to the remaining members of CABE on review of policy and to consider the reports of the various Working Groups that had been formed the previous day.

44. Shri Radha Raman Shastri, Education Minister, Himachal Pradesh, the Chairman of the Working Group presented the Report of the Working Group on Elementary Education. The report which also included recommendations on teachers and their training was adopted unanimously.

45. The Report of the Working Group on Secondary Education And Vocationalisation was presented by Shri M. Veerappa Moily, Education Minister, Karnataka. Education Minister, Punjab referred to paras 11.8 to 11.10 on Teacher Training and stated that the duration of the B.Ed. course should be two years instead of one year. The Chairman observed that CABE was not the suitable forum to take such a decision which nay be taken by the university concerned. The report was adopted unanimously.

46. The Report of the Working Group on Technical Education and Management Education was presented by Shri Surendra Nath, Administrator, Chandigarh. Following points emerged in the result of discussions

(i) Prof. A. Gnanam, Vice Chancellor, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry stated that alongwith community polytechnics we should also have community colleges.

(ii) Opinion on the chairmanship of Regional Committees of AICTE was divided. While Education Minister, Karnataka wanted State Ministers to head the Regional Committees on the lines of AICTE itself being headed by HRM, Dr. V.L. Chopra, Ms. Suman Sahay and Dr. Swaminadhan wanted experts to head the Regional bodies.

Subject to the above, the. Report of the Working Group on Technical Education was adopted.

47. The Report of the Working Group on Higher Education was presented by Professor G. Ram Reddy, Chairman, University Grants

commission. Dr. Malcom Adiseshaiah wanted to know the present status of the CABE Committee under the Chairmanship of Education Minister, Gujarat which was set up to take a view on Gnanam Committee Report. Shri Anil Bordia informed that the report was ready but since the -meeting of the CABE was called at a short notice the same could not be presented therein. However, there would be another meeting of the CABE after 2-3 months where the whole range of management of education including the Gnanam Committee Report as well as the CABE Committee Report would be discussed. Professor Savithri Lakshmanan, M.P., stated that there should be a women's university in each of the ten educationally backward States. Shri Veerappa Moily, Education Minister, Karnataka, was of the view that in higher education there should be more emphasis on technical education and development of technical skills. Professor Gnanam wanted to know how Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) had been made the National Apex Body in the Open Learning System in higher education whereas the Universities of Hyderabad and Madras were much older with larger members in various disciplines. He suggested that there should be a National Council of Open Education. Professor G. S. Randhawa, V. C. , Guru Nanak Dev University wanted a code of conduct for teachers. He also suggested restrictive admission based on aptitude, increase in college and university tuition fee and full utilisation of university staff for teaching and research. Dr. Swaminadhan agreed with Janardhana Reddy Committee's recommendations on Accredition Council and the Councils for Higher Education. The