VII. WRITTEN STATEMENTS OF STATE/UT EDUCATION MINISTERS, ADVISERS ETC.
1. Dr. P. V. Ranga Rao, Minister for Secondary Education,
Archaeology & Museums, Andhra Pradesh.
2. Shri P. Rajan, Minister for Higher Education, Adult Education &
Public Libraries, Andhra Pradesh.
3. Shri M. K. Baig, Minister of State for Technical Education,
Andhra Pradeh.
4. Shri R. K. Khrimey, Minister for Education, Science and
Technology, Arunachal Pradesh.
5. Dr. Ram Chandra Purve, Minister (Primary and Middle Education),
Bihar.
6. Shri Vinaykumar P. Usgaonkar, Minister for Education, Goa.
7. Shri Phool Chand Mullana, Education Minister, Haryana.
8. Smt. Nagamma Keshavamurthy, Minister of Primary and Secondary
Education, Karnataka.
9. Shri M. Natarajan, Adviser to Governor, Madhya Pradesh.
10. Shri Prabhakar Dharkar, Minister of Higher and Technical
Education, Maharashtra.
11. Shri Salim Zakaria, Minister for School Education, Maharashtra.
12. Dr. H. Lamin, Minister of Education, Meghalaya.
13. Shri I. lmkong, Minister of School Education, Youth Resources &
Sports, Nagaland.
14. Shri P. C. Ghadei, Minister for School & Mass Education, Orissa.
15. Shri Chaitanya Prasad Majhi, Minister for Higher Education,
Orissa.
16. Shri S. Lakshmir Singh Randhawa, Minister of Education, Punjab.
17. Prof. K. Ponnusamy, Minister for Education, Tamil Nadu.
18. Shri Anil Sarkar, Minister for Education, Tripura.
19. Shri R. D. Sonkar, Adviser to the Governor, U.P.
20. Shri Satya Sadhan Chakraborty, Minister-incharge, Higher
Education, Shri Chintya Ray, Minister-in-charge, Primary &
Mass Education Extension Department, Shri Anisur Rahaman,
Minister of State, Primary, Secondary & Madrasah Education, Shri
Tapan Roy, Minister of State-in-charge, Library Services and Shri
Bansagopal Choudhury, Minister of State-in-charge, Technical
Education & Training, West Bengal.
21. Education Department, Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
22. Shri A. Gandhiraj, Minister for Education, Pondicherry.
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SPEECH OF DR. P. V. RANGA RAO, MINISTER FOR SECONPARY EDUCATION
ARCHAEOLOGY & MUSEUMS, ANDHRA PRADESH I must at the outset, compliment the Hon'ble Minister for Human Resource Development for having convened this meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) with a view to focusing upon some of the vital aspects concerning education. It is indeed heartening to note that under the stewardship of Sri Arjun Singh, the CABE has been functioning very actively, through its various Committees. The different subjects coming up for discussion today are a reflection of the shared concern for making education effective and relevant to present-day Society.
We in the Andhra Pradesh deeply share this concern. Though an educationally backward state, the decadal growth rate of literacy between 1981-91 is happily higher than the national average. Similarly, the state is witnessing a positive trend in education of girls. I am happy to state that the efforts of the State Government both in terms of literacy programme as well as universalisation of Elementary Education are bearing fruit and we have every reason to believe that Andhra Pradesh will contribute handsomely towards the national efforts in achieving the goal "Education for All by 2000 A.D."
It is in this context that the State Government are preparing the Programme of Action which is at an advanced stage. We axe confident of finalising the same within the next three months. We shall ensure, in the process, that due attention is paid to specific needs of Weaker Sections, Women and Minorities. A participative approach marks the preparation of the Programme of Action in our State. We would like to ensure that all concerned have an opportunity to reflect their views so that the Programme of Action is holistic.
The march towards "Education For All by 2000 A.D." and more particularly "Universalisation of Elementary Education" cannot be successful unless we evolve appropriate technologies in Education. In this context, Non-Formal Education plays a very important role. We, in Andhra Pradesh are happy that the State is leading in this field. We have recently sent a proposal for revision of norms for the existing 25400 centres. I request that Government of India may sanc- tion these proposals at an early date.
Universal access in Andhra Pradesh is assured not only through formal and non-formal systems but also the Open School system which has been introduced in 4 districts and which has made impressive strides. I am confident that the Andhra Pradesh experience will be useful to all the States. I invite my colleague Education Ministers to send their officials to visit our State to study the Open School system. Encouraged by the experience in the four districts, we are slowly expanding this programme to other districts.
Yet another critical area where we are taking active interest is Teacher Education. I compliment the Government of India for introducing the scheme of Orientation of Primary Teachers. I would however request that the scheme be extended to cover all school teachers including teachers at the secondary level. The scheme may also be extended to cover every teacher atleast once in years. Any effort in this direction would not be a waste. In this regard, would strongly recommend setting up of SUB DIETs atleast in States like Andhra Pradesh where DIETS have been established in all the districts.
Convergence of services particularly in the arts of Early Childhood Care and Education is essential We in Andhra Pradesh are actively exploring this area.
The magnitude of the task of School Education both in terms of scope as well as number is so large, that it calls, for proper planning and monitoring. The need for a projectised approach in education cannot be, over emphasised. I am happy that Andhra Pradesh is among the select States to be covered by the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP). I am assure the Union Minister that Andhra Pradesh will successfully implement the programme.
While focus on Primary Education is no doubt critical to the success of our Education effort, I would urge Government of India to help to evolve suitable schemes for the Secondary Education too. This is essential not only to ensure quality of input for higher education but also to provide suitable outlet for the product of primary education in which we are investing so heavily. Two aspects deserve attention in this raw. The first is to provide adequate number of good quality secondary schools. The Residential School system in Andhra Pradesh has been the forerunner of similar efforts olike Navodaya schools. Nevertheless, the cost is so heavy that we have to think in terms of provid-
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ing equally good but perhaps less costly secondary education. The second aspect is to provide prevocational education below the plus 2 stage. I am happy that the Education Secretaries who met on 5th an 6th October, 93 focused on this issue. Since we in Andhra Pradesh have already started this programme, I would urge Government of India to help us in extending the same so as to provide more meaningful edu- cation at the secondary stage to our rural students.
I must compliment the CABE Committee on the Decentralised Management of Education as well as the National Advisory Committee on reducing the academic burden (Yashpal Committee) for having completed such delicate tasks so successfully. Both these issues are of such far reaching importance that they should be subjected to more detailed discussion before this august body takes any firm decisions. I have had the pleasure of being associated with the CABE Committee on Decentralisation of Management. In fact we in Andhra Pradesh had conducted a seminar on this subject, involving academicians, officials and non-officials; the results of this seminar have been presented to the CABE Committee. I am circulating this once again among my colleague Ministers since it will perhaps make better understanding of the problems and perspective of education. We are in agreement with the basic concern of the CABE Committee that Education cannot be complete without the community involvement and that appropriate mechanisms will have to be evolved to involve the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The 73rd Amendment Bill which is now on the statute book is itself an enabling legislation and gives wide scope to each State to evolve its own mechanisms within the basic framework, depend- ing upon each State's specificity. We must reckon with the fact that while on the one hand, there is enthusiasm among the village community that they will hereafter be allowed to participate in the Education process, there is also a certain apprehension among every section of society that education will be adversely affected unless the linkages between Panchayati Raj institutions and the education infrastructure is properly handled. Therefore there is need for a delicate handling of the entire subject. We do hope, in our State, to have wide-ranging discussions before appropriate decisions are taken. It is also not out of place to mention that subjects relating to Education form part of a list of 29 subjects in the Eleventh Schedule. Therefore, arrangements for education will also have to be dovetailed with arrangements procedural as well as infrastructural, in the other fields.
I am given to understand that other Ministries like Agriculture, Forests, Rural Housing, Welfare, Women and Child Welfare, Health etc., have not yet finalised their strategies nor have they called for the remarks of State Governments. Therefore, while early action on the part of the HRD ministry is appreciated, I would like to caution that it is perhaps a little too premature.
I must also caution against academic supervision being left to the Panchayati Raj institutions. In fact, this runs counter to the recommendations of this very Committee at item (6) of para 4.52 which entrusts this function to the State Government. Academic supervision should not be with the local bodies.
I share the concerns expressed by the Yashpal Committee. In fact "learning without burden" should be an integral part of education for all. The tendency of certain schools, particularly private schools, to load the child with excessive teaching and home work needs to be curbed. Nevertheless, we should recognise that the intense competetion for professional courses, leading to the entrance examinations being exclusive examinations and the level of examinations being progressively higher naturally imposes a burden on the learning process. The post-school scenario therefore plays a key role in the learning process at the school level. I would also like to express a note of caution against any tendency towards decentralisation of curriculum and syllabus below -the State level at this stage. The process of text-book development is itself undergoing considerable evolution. Till this is stablised and till the capacities are developed at the sub-state level, it may be premature to attempt such initiatives. Audio-Visual Education can go a longway in reducing the learning burden through formal text-books. We in Andhra Pradesh have already started this exercise. In this regard, I acknowledge Government of India's assistance in provision of colour Television sets to schools. I would, however, urge that financial provision be made for development of software so as to make Audio- Visual Education effective.
Text-books form a vital input in both formal and non-formal education. Andhra Pradesh has a long tradition of text-books being written and produced under Government supervision by academic experts and I am happy to say that every text-book fully reflects the cherished values of our Indian society. The National struggle for freedom, Constitutional rights and duties of citizens, principles of secularism and democracy are all reflected in text-books alongwith a degree of academic excellence, appropriate for each level. I share the concern that distortions in textbooks, particularly those which affect the secular fabric of our society, need to be curbed. The utility of a statutory national commission is however not clear.
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An expression of national concern through a forum like this should be sufficient to deter any attempts at such wilful distortion. As a supplementary effort we could consider constitution of a Standing Committee of CABE to continuously monitor the text-books so that any harmful deviation could invite the collective opprobrium. I would suggest a careful reconsideration of setting up of a Statutory Commission.
I thank Sri Arjun Singhji once again for having convened this meeting and for having given us an opportunity to meet and exchange our views.
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SPEECH OF SRI P. RAJAN, MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, ADULT
EDUCATION & PUBLIC LIBRARIES ANDHRA I am happy that the 49th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education has been convened today, to consider some of the important problems in the field of Education in India. I thank Sri Arjun Singhji for giving us this opportunity.
Regretfully, Andhra Pradesh is still educationally a backward State. However, the State is witnessing a raid change in this regard, thanks to the total Literacy Programme launched three years ago. As against 20 lakh persons made literate under the Adult Education Programme between the years 1980 and 1990, 34 lakh persons have been made literate in the last three, years. 17 of the 23 districts have already launched the Total Literacy Campaign and other districts will follow suit very shortly. This programme has not only brought young volunteers into developmental effort but also resulted in Literacy being the concern of all Government departments rather than being viewed that of a single department. There are however a few areas which require our attention. As the meeting of the Education Secreta- ries (5-6 Oct. 93) has identified, there is need for a permanent mechanism to take care of the left outs, the fresh illiterate entrants into the adult age-group as well as neo-literates relapsing into illiteracy. Secondly, there is need for a continuous evaluation, so that the neoliterates relapsing into illiteracy can be identified and corrective action takes. Thirdly there is need to develop Jana Sikshana Nilayam into a Library network so as to serve the needs of the Neoliterates. Today, the rural areas are characterised by a marked absence of public libraries. Our Government is committed to successful implementation of the Literacy programme.
Higher Education plays a key role in the building of modern India. Our state attatches considerable importance to the quality of Higher Education. The annual budget for this -sector exceeds Rs. 400 crores.
In addition to the Agriculture and Health Universities there are 10 Universities in Andhra Pradesh including 4 State-wide Universities. Of these one is elusively a Womens University located in the Pilgrim town of Tirupati. The second state-wide University is the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University meant for the development of technical Education in the State. The Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University is the first Open University in the country at the State level. We have also a Telugu University established for the purpose of development of Telugu language, literature, art and culture. We have been providing budgetary support in the shape of blockgrants to all the Universities. Our Government propose to spend Rs. 75.44 crores for this purpose du- ring this year as against Rs. 64.46 crores, last year. We have a comprehensive Universities' Act covering the traditional Universities and 4 different Acts for the 4 State-wide Universities in view of the special role assigned to them. I may mention here that these enactments contain most of the recommendations of the Gnanam Committee as modified by CABE Committee.
We are perhaps the first State, in. the country to have established a State Council of Higher Education, to advise the State Government in matters relating to Higher Education and to oversee its development through perspective planning. This was done in pursuance of he National Education Policy, 1986.
We have also constituted a College Service Commission to recruit College Teachers, thus delinking the rerruitment process from the State Public Service Commission to avoid delay. This has considerably reduced the burden on the State Public Service Commission besides resulting in speedier selection process of teachers by a professionally competent body.
As regards the CABE Committee's recommendations on the Gnanam Committee Report, I would like to state that we are in broad agreement with most of the recommendations made by the "CABE COMMITTEE". As already indicated, most of these recommendations already find place in the various statutes governing the Universities in our state. Efforts to make Universities functionally more effective and also accountable to society is welcome. Likewise, the possibilities of a meaningful association with industry require to be actively explored without however jeopardising the Universities' role in carrying out fundamen- tal research, so vital to keep our nation scientifically and technologically self-reliant. While the scientists from national laboratories may be nominated to university boards, eminent scientists from universities should likewise be seconded to national laboratories I also velcome the suggestions relating to professionalisation of Universities' management.
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Some of the recommendations however need to be viewed with circumspection. Among them is the proposal for additional legislative measures. Likewise, mobility of students from one university to another may, in a State like Andhra Pradesh, be difficult. Details such as the terms of university functionaries could be left to the State Governments.
In Andhra Pradesh the +2 stage also forms part of Higher Education. These institutions are called Junior Colleges, and a number of them also impart vocational education. As a matter of policy, our state government have taken a decision to delink the intermediate courses (+2 stage) from the Degree Colleges and this is being done in a phased manner. We have made efforts to popularise the Vocational Courses, but lack of infrastructural facilities poses a constraint. Additional financial assistance from Government of India will contribute to making the scheme more effective.
Andhra Pradesh is predominantly an agricultural state. The thrust given to the rural development in various schemes formulated by the Government of India and the State Government, must find its proper Place in Higher Education. Even at degree level more number of vocational courses particularly those which directly have a bearing on Rural development must be introduced in greater number. Our experien- ce with the few colleges which have such courses with rural bias has been extremely good, as the students coming out of these institutions are absorbed by varous agrobased industries or the main-line industry. I would urge the Government of India and the UGC to keep this in view and help the State in introduction of such courses by way of additional grants.
Our State Government has been requesting the University Grants Commission to locate its southern regional centre (office) at Hyderabad. I take this opportunity to once again request Sri Arjun Singhji to use his good offices with the UGC and help in establishing the Regional Centre of UGC at Hyderabad.