APPENDIX C : MEMORANDUM ON ITEM 5 : PRODUCTION OF TEXTBOOKS
Next to the teacher, textbooks play a vital role in school education. Coupled with oral exposition by the teacher and other teaching aids, which may be available, text books are one of the most important means of developing the educational process containing fundamentals and the essential context of subjects which the pupils have to master according to the well-founded scientific principles of learning.
2. The quality of textbooks in use in our schools has attracted considerable criticism on the score of factual accuracy, presentation, suitability for the mental level of the children for whom the books are meant, emphasis on national and moral values, paper, printing, illustration, get up and pricing.
3. since textbooks exercise a powerful influence on the child's growth, it is evident that the production of good textbooks at low prices in an enterprise of great national significance. The importance and the urgency of this effort were underlined at the recent Chief Minister's Conference and again at the National Integration Conference. The statement issued by the Chief Minister's Conference refered to this problem in the following words:
"The importance of providing suitable textbooks in schools both at the primary and the secondary stages was emphasised. Normally, these textbooks should be produced by the State Governments and not be left to private enterprise. The textbooks should be so designed as to inculcate in the minds of pupils an integrated outlook and a sense of unity of India as well as of the basic cultural background of India. Also they should provide an introduction to modern conditions in India and elsewhere. The preparation of such textbooks should be entrusted to persons of high quality. The Central Government should prepare model textbooks both for the primary and secondary stages."
The National Integration Conference stated:
"The view was generally accepted that textbooks should be written on a national rather then State or regional level, and when they are written in any regional language, arrangements could easily be made for their translation or adaption into the other languages.
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The recommendations made by the University Grants Commission, in this regard, namely, that a national Advisory Board consisting of eminent scholars and university teachers from different States be set up to advise on the writing of the inter-provincial textbooks or for reviewing textbooks prescribed in different States, making recommendations for revision and improvement, wherever necessary, was also accepted. It was, suggested, however, that such a Board, might include some eminent writers. The work of producing such textbooks should be entrusted to some central agency."
4. In almost all the States, textbooks for the primary schools are prepared and published departmentally. In a few States such departmental publication has been extended to the middle classes also. For secondary classes textbooks are generally selected by a process of competition amongst the publishers.
5. A textbook is the result of combining the contributions of the author, educator, subject expert, illustrator and the printer The resources of these various factors are not always available for. the preparation of textbooks in all subjects. In certain subject-areas the market for textbooks is so limited that the initial investment needed for the preparation of a good textbook is hot forthcoming. Apart from the problem of preparing suitable textbooks, there is also the need for a greater exchange of information and experience as between the States. There are a few good textbooks in use in some of the States but information about them is not available to other States.
6. It is, therefore, proposed that a Central committee for textbooks and other educational literature should be constituted with which will be associated eminent scholar teachers and authors. It will enlist the collaboration of the agencies concerned with textbooks in the State Departments. To ensure that its work on, textbooks is coordinated with curriculum development and research, the Committee will function as a committee of the National, Council of Educational Research and Training recently established by the government of India as an autonomous organisation. One of the tasks of the committee will be to have some textbook prepared for consideration of the State Governments. The State Education Departments will be free to accept these textbooks for use in their schools or utilise them as source material for preparing their own textbooks or make suitable adaptations of them.
7. The programmes in this regard for the Third Five Year Plan envisages preparation of the following textbooks :
(i) Textbooks on General Science for elementary classes;
(ii) Textbooks on scientific subjects like Physics, Chemistry, etc;
(iii) Science teachers' handbooks;
(iv) Textbooks on Social Studies for elementary And classes;
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(v) Textbooks on Mathematics for elementary and secondary classes;
(vi) Textbooks on history for secondary classes;
(vii) Textbooks on Geography for secondary classes;
(viii) Hindi textbooks for non-Hindi areas;
(ix) Textbooks for Sanskrit;
(x) Textbooks for the special courses in multipurpose schools-technology, agriculture, commerce, crafts and home science.
8. The textbooks will be prepared by commissioning suitable authors and writers and will be supervised by a panel of subject experts and educators. In the first instance, a small edition will be brought out to be tried in schools in different parts of the country and the final version of the book will be prepared in the light of the experimental try-out.
9. From the above description of the scheme it will be noted that it represents a major effort in the field of textbooks and its success would largely depend on the measure of active collaboration that it receives from the State Governments and non-official agencies interested in the improvement of textbooks.
10. The proposal is submitted for the consideration and approval of the Board.
Appendix C (Contd.)
Item No 5 (b): Low cost textbooks for colleges and universities. (Ministry of Education)
One of the major problems in the development of higher education in India is the non-availability of reasonably priced quality books in various fields both for purposes of reference and for use as textbooks in universities, colleges and schools. The problem arises mainly from the fact that we have to rely almost entirely on foreign books for imparting instruction. As foreign books are expensive, they cannot be easily bought by students and teachers.
2. The Ministry of Education has considered the adoption of suitable measures to develop an adequate programme to encourage the inexpensive publication in India of foreign books of reference and other standard Works. For this purpose an Inter-Ministerial Committee was set up under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, comprising representatives of the Ministries of S.R. & C.A., Health, Food &
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Agriculture, Commerce and Industry, Finance, Information Broadcasting and the University Grants Commission. With the assistance of this Committee, select lists of titles in the following subjects have been finalised:-
1. Basic Sciences
2. Humanities
3. Medicine
4. Agriculture and Veterinary Science
5. Engineering and Technology
3. The University Grants Commission has considered the question of affording a necessary guarantee for the minimum off-take to ensure production and has given that guarantee for some of the above lists.
4. The Ministry of Education has conducted negotiations with a view to bringing out cheaper editions of American standard works and books of reference. The Possibilities of such a programme have been increased by the likelihood of the Rupee Funds under the surplus Commodities Agreement (P.L. 480) being utilised for reprint/translation of American books required for actual classroom use in India. In consultation with the concerned Ministries and the Ministry of External Affairs, broad guiding principles have been finalised within which the programme of the cheap publication of American books with the help of P.L 480 funds may be undertaken by the American Embassy or a representative designated by the American Embassy for this purpose. These guiding principles are as follows :
(a) The Ministry of Education will indicate the title suitable for publication, and only after clearance by the Ministry will the work be started.
(b) Contracts could be entered into with publishers of standing who have secured the necessary copyright with regard to publication of the mutually agreed list. This requires the prior approval of the Ministry of Education in each case.
(c) Under Indian regulations, royalty payment requires the prior approval of the Government. The Ministry of Education will obtain the decision of the competent authority and, for this purpose_an application regarding each proposed title may be referred to it. The Ministry must be kept informed of each separate case relating to royalty payments.
(d) The sale price of the books published under the scheme should ordinarily come to about one-third of the original published price. This price will be fixed in accordance with the cost of production, likely subsidy and the economic price to be charged.
(e) Distribution could, in general, be through normal trade channels. In addition, the University Grants Commission might take
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part in the scheme by, inter-alia bringing copies of some titles and arranging distribution "through I University cooperative stores where they exist.
(f) It might be useful to publicise details of the project so that all suitable Indian publishers can cooperate. The Ministry of Education will. be glad to undertake the necessary publicity work. When doing so, it will inform interested parties that the American Embassy is the operational body of the programme.
(g) The Ministry of Education should be kept regularly informed of all contracts and other major steps taken by the American authori- ties in the implementation of the scheme.
5. The above broad guiding principles have been accepted by the American Embassay, New Delhi, who have already started work on the publication of some titles.
6. The following textbooks inter-alia have been accepted for publication under the scheme,
1. College Chemistry by Original price Rs. 30.00
Linus Pauling (Published,) New price Rs. 12.50
2. Stalistic Methods Applied Original price Rs. 37.50
to Experiments in Agricul- New price Rs. 15.00
ture and Biology by
Snedecor, G. W.
3. A Descriptive Petrography
of Igneous Rocks, by
Johannsen.
Vol. I Original price Rs. 30.00
New price Rs. 10.00
Vol. II Original price Rs. 40.00
New price Rs. 10.00
7. For the information of publishers a 'release' giving information on the scheme was prepared and circulated.
8. Additional titles have been suggested by the American autho- rities and Indian publishers. To evaluate these books, panels of Indian experts in various subject-fields to 'vet' books have been set up. The following have been sent out for evaluation:-
(i) "History of the Far East" by Crofts and Buchanan
(ii) "Sanskrit Grammer" by William Whitney
(iii) "Sources of Indian Tradition" by T. De Bary
(iv) "The Twice Born" by Prof. Carstairs
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9. (iv) has been rejected-(i), (ii) and (iii) are still in process of evaluation.
10. It has now been found necessary to review the- entire scheme of the cheap publication of textbooks at the collegiate level. The Ministry of Education is anxious to see that the scheme is fairly administered so as to cause no hardship to Indian authors and publishers. An IndoAmerican Board has, therefore, been set up on which are represented nominees of the Ministries concerned of the Government of India and of the American Embassy. The Board consists of 14 members (seven representing the Government of India and seven the Government of the U.S.A.). The Chairman of the Board is the Secretary, Ministry of Education and the secretary of the Board is Mr. Sol Schindler, Books officer, U.S.I.S. The Board will go into the several problems connected with the working of the scheme, with a view, among other things, to safeguarding the interests of Indian authors and publishers. The Board has met once on 1. 11. 1961 and proposes to meet about once a quarter.
The U.K. Scheme The Goverment of the U.K. has also initiated a scheme for the production of low-priced books of reference and standard works for use in India nd has given a measure of priority to university textbooks. The first group of 23 books on scientific, engineering and other technological subjects have been produced and sold out.
The price range of these books varies between 9sh. and 15sh. a volume. These prices average one-third of the normal value and in some cases, even less. These lists will be followed by a further group of university textbooks, Titles on sale are being offered at the official exchange rate of 80 np. to the shilling.
The British Council has begun to hold exhibitions of these low- priced books in the principal cities of India. Seven of the titles of the Pitmen's series, Wrangham's "Heat Engines" and both English Universities Press titles are either sold out or are nearly so. and substantial orders for more copies have been received. The question of reprints is being urgently considered in London.
The titles were selected in consultation with the University Grants Commission in New Delhi, the criteria being that the books are widely used by Indian universities and colleges and are too expensive for the average student to buy.
The U.K. Government has appointed an Advisory Committee on the Selection of low-priced books with Mr. Norrington, Vice-Chancellor, Oxford University as Chairman.
The U. S. S. R. Scheme There has also been an offer from the Soviet Government under the Soviet Agreement for Technical Assistance for the development of the Institute of Technology in Bombay, to make English translations of Russian books of reference in Science and Technology available to the
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Government of India, without cost, for publication and distribution in India. This work is being handled by the Ministry of Scientific Research & Cultural Affairs which has drawn up a list of 30 titles for printing and translation.
A provision of Rs. 2 lakhs has been tentatively proposed during the Third Five-Years Plan to promote publication in Science, Technology and the Humanities by Indian authors at university level. Details are being worked out.
Textbooks' Conference The Ministry of Education proposes to convene a conference in the next few months to discuss measures that can be adopted for the improvement of textbooks at all levels of education. In this connection, the Ministry is preparing a questionnaire highlighting problems affecting authors, publishers, printers and illustrators to collect information for the proposed conference. Action to inform state Governments, Ministries of the Union Government, and publishers has been initiated. A Working Paper produced for discussion with the Planning Commission has since been discussed and further action is in progress.
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