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socialist society will appear in its pure shape. Well, there is no such thing as a pure society.

"Anyhow, the problems before us in India are very important but still limited, in the sense that many of the problems come up be-fore other parts of the world, the more prosperous parts. We have not even reached that stage, to have those problems. We, may discuss them theoretically. Our problems are, in the first place, to give the minimum necessities of life to every individual in India-food, clothing, housing, education and health-and I would beg of you to always think of every problem that is before you from the point of view of the four hundred million people living in India. Do not forget that; that is basic. We are not thinking in terms of a selected crowd here or a selected crowd there. And broadly speaking, you have to think of a measure of equality of opportunity for the people, because it is quite absurd to talk of socialism-that is a big thing-if there is not even equality of opportunity. What does that term equality of opportunity' mean ? It means not what a person inherits from his father or others; the may help or not. Probably the tendency would be that if he inherits too much, he is a fool and he will remain a fool, that is to say, there will be no incentive for him to do anything. He will only sponge on somebody, his own family property or somebody else's. It is not a good thing for any individual to be able to sponge on society in this way. The real capital that you can provide to an individual is education, the capacity to do things, some effort to do things. Therefore, equality of opportunity means, first of all, the opportunity to study, to learn, to get education and profit by it, to the best of one's ability. Every body is not equal. I must distinguish it by saying that every body is not born equal. There are fools as also wise men. It is absurd to say that if the fools count in larger numbers, they become wise. But equality of opportunity is entirely a different thing. Then those who have the capacity, take advantage of it and can go ahead. Of course, when I say 'education', I do not mean just reading, writing and all that, but the capacity to do things in the modern world in a hundred or a thousand ways. And this leads you inevitably to the spread of education to all in the country. That, of course, ought to be done at the initial stages, and the initial stages, it is now recognised, begin from birth, not from the age of your primary schools but from the age of pre-primary school. That is highly important. Whether you can do it or not is entirely a different matter, but that is now recognised to be the most vital age for a child, not of course for his education, not that way, but conditioning the child or child care or whatever it is called.

"Then primary education is supposed to be free and compulsory. What then, after that ? Even at that stage we get into difficulties. What is the good of asking the child to go to school if he has not got enough to cat? Immediately you come across some other problems. You know, in the State of Madras they made an experiment which was remarkably successful, about mid-day meals, etc. to all children at the primary stage I am not sure about the secondary stage-with the help of the people. The State spends relatively little. Every child gets a, mid-day meal, and a good meal, and that has made a tremendous difference to the quality of the child and to the quality of what he learns. Then they have gone a step further. They have given and they are giving some kind of clothing too may be a school uniform or whatever it is. All these things form part of education. The other day, I went to a school in my own district in

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Allahabad. A small building, a nice building had been put up but the children that came there were in rags. I could not concentrate on anything, seeing the kind of clothing they were wearing or not wearing. All these are aids to education. Education is not a book or reading a book or imbibing a lesson. The school should provide raid- day meal. How that is to be done is for you to consider. There should be a uniform, a simple uniform or clothing. It has a tremendous effect on the minds, the uniformity of clothing and on discipline and cleanliness. Whatever the quality of it may be, that is for you to determine. What afterwards ? Obviously at the present moment, the opportunities are limited, the higher up you go. That has to be remedied. You might have seen stress being laid on it now, recently, specially and previously also. At the Congress session at Bhavnagar this was mentioned in a resolution and I think that probably the Planning Commission will also put this in their final draft-that boys and girls of merit should not have their educational careers stopped for lack of opportunities or finance. That is a simple statement to-make but it carries us very far. It means that the State, of course till such time at a distant future when we are much more prosperous, when education is more or less free and all that, till then, I feel the boy or girl of merit must be provided through the State with opportunities of carrying on the later stages of education, and which are very costly stages-technical training, medical training and all that. It is not a question of giving a small fee but really making that boy or girl fully capable of profiting by that training. We should be doing that all over India.

"Who is a boy or girl of merit? It should be an automatic choice, not a personal choice. It means a large number but if we do that, it would release an enormous reservoir of energy. I have, no doubt that there is a vast number of boys and girls who cannot make good today because of lack of opportunity. So all these things come up, which are not merely a question of the type of textbooks and other books. It is also important for you of course to consider as to how much science and how much other things a boy should read. Naturally, in this age of science, I think science should be begun at a very early stage, simple science of course.

"Education is the greatest liberating force. The basic problem before us in India is to bring an element of modernity in our lives, in our social lives, in our individual lives. It is not an easy matter but the easiest way to do it is the mere process of education, whatever it may be. The biggest revolution that is happening in India today is the vast number of people going to the schools, specially girls, and the girls going back to the homes are a greater revolutionary factor than boys.

"I have just said various odd things to you which may or may not be relevant. Now I shall say something else which is still less relevant. That is this. I watch little boys and girls going to, schools here carrying a bundle of books, tiny tots of seven or eight, with four or five books and wobbling along. That is absurd. Do you ever see that kind of thing in Europe? I do not think so. Why? They all carry their books in rucksacks. It is a cheap little bag. Even here, they carry bags. They carry it on one side and on the other, their tiffin-carrier. It is absurd. They should be carried, as is done everywhere, in cheap little canvas rucksacks on their shoulders. Normally it is not a question of money really, because they can be made very cheaply. It is a little canvas bag of various sizes. The point is, there

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should be two little straps on the two shoulders and then both hands are free. It is essential for the child that the weight is properly put on the back and the mere fact of finding the weight there makes a child straighten itself. It pulls it back, this tendency of the child to straighten his back. These are small things which are important. I think this Advisory Board of Education with eminent experts may think of high matters but it is important as to how a child carries books to the school. I think it can easily be done to start with in cities, etc. The parents ought to do it. I do not mean to say that if our school-masters or others give a push to this, this will not happen. Of course somebody should produce them cheaply. They can be produced quite cheaply of various sizes. For the rest I would repeat again the vital importance, basic importance, of education in all our planning. It is true that you are limited by our resources. You cannot do everything, however important it may be, and the rest of the Plan is meant to produce the resources. The two are tied up. It is no good saying that one must be done without the other. Yet, I come back to the fact that possibly education, proper education, is the most important thing of all."

5. There was a general discussion after the presidential address. It was felt by the members that the standing committees should give more time for the detailed consideration of the various problems placed before the Board. For this purpose, these committees may meet more than once, if possible, and their recommendations should be in the hands of the members at least a month before the meeting of the Board. In constituting the standing committees the choice and interest of the members may be kept in view.

6. The Board then considered the different items of the Agenda (Annexure II) in the light of the Memoranda (Agenda and Memoranda was circulated to the members at the time of the meeting; only the items of the Agenda have been reproduced in Annexure II) prepared for this purpose and the recommendations of the standing committees (Annexure IV). The following resolutions were adopted at the final session :-

ITEM No. 1 : To record appreciation of the services rendered by those who have ceased to be members since the last meeting of the Board and to welcome new members

The Board recorded appreciation of the services of the following who, ceased to be members of the Board :

1. Col. B. H. Zaidi

2. Shri E. W. Aryanayakam

3. Shri T. S. Avinashilingam Chettiar

4. Dr. Sushila Nayar

5. Shrimati Laxmi Bai Sangam

6. Shri Raghubar Dayal Mishra

7. Shri Frank Anthony

The Board extended its welcome to the following new members

1. Shri S. R. Das

2. Dr. D. S. Kothari

3. Prof. T. M. Advani

4. Smt. Indira Gandhi

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5. Smt. Renu Chakravartty

6. Shri Harish Chandra Mathur

7. Shri K. V. Ramakrishna Reddy

ITEM No. 2 : To report that the proceedings of the 27th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education held at New Delhi in February, 1960, were confirmed by circulation to members and the copies were sent to State Governments and the Union Territory Administrations etc.

The Board noted that the proceedings of the 27th meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education held at New Delhi in February, 1960, were circulated to the members, State Governments and Union Territories etc.

ITEM No. 3 : To place before the Board the Silver Jubilee Souvenir volume of the Central Advisory Board of Education

The Board noted that the Silver Jubilee Souvenir volume of the Central Advisory Board of Education was published and distributed to the participants.

ITEM No. 4 : Central and Centrally sponsored schemes of the Ministry of Education

The Board considered the Central and Centrally sponsored schemes in the Third Five-Year Plan of the Ministry of Education and approved them in the light of the standing committees' reports thereon and subject to the following recommendations:-

PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION

(i) The Board emphasises the need for greater attention being given to the provision of schemes in the Third Five-Year Plan for pre- primary education and designed to promote the total development of the child, and recommends that the Central and the State Governments should allocate resources in their Plans to enable a comprehensive programme in this field to be developed and implemented in a coordinated manner. Every assistance and encouragement should be given to voluntary organisations in the promotion of this programme, and it is also necessary that the Centre should assume a greater measure of responsibility for the training of personnel required for the programme.

SPECIAL PROGRAMME FOR WOMEN'S EDUCATION

(ii) Considering the crucial importance of girls' education in the successful implementation of the programme of universal and free primary education, the Board strongly recommends that the special programme for women's education should be promoted as a Centrally sponsored scheme and accordingly funds should be allocated for the purpose. This is necessary for effective implementation which in the view of the Board cannot be ensured only through the earmarking of the funds in the State Plans. It is further recommended that grants for the construction of hostels for girls in the elementary and secondary schools should be provided in the Centrally sponsored sector on a larger scale and the pattern of assistance should be same as was prescribed for this scheme in the Second Plan.

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PRIMARY EDUCATION

(iii) The Board recommends that adequate measures should be taken to ensure that during the course of the Third Plan all training institutions for primary teachers should become Basic training institutions, an integrated syllabus covering the entire field of primary education is introduced in all primary schools and that all teachers and primary schools are oriented to the Basic pattern on the lines of the recommendations of the Allahabad Seminar.

(iv) Steps should be taken by the Central and State Governments to arrange the supply of textbooks and writing material free or at low cost to the primary school children and for this purpose, the responsibility for the preparation, printing and publication of textbooks should, if necessary, be assumed by the State.

SECONDARY EDUCATION

(v) As the scheme of junior technical schools was only of an experimental nature and as the scheme is linked up with the technical stream of the multipurpose schools as well as with the establishment of industrial schools, the results of the experiment may be placed before the Board for consideration before any further expansion of the junior technical schools is contemplated.

(vi) The number of extension centres should be increased so that each training college in the country ultimately becomes an extension centre. If this is not immediately possible, at least 50 new extension centres should be opened in the Third Plan.

HIGHER EDUCATION

(vii) The Board agreed with the recommendations and suggestions of the Standing Committee on Higher Education.

In regard to the scheme for National Institutes for Women, the Board decided that the report of the committee set up in this regard may be awaited.

SOCIAL EDUCATION

(viii) The Board approved in principle the recommendations of the Social Education Committee. In regard to the suggestion for a library cess, the Board was of the view that each State Government may decide the matter in the light of the local conditions. Voluntary organisations running institutions for the handicapped should be given assistance on a more liberal scale.

ITEM No. 5: Scheme of Correspondence Courses and Evening Colleges

The Board approved in principle the scheme of evening colleges providing arts, science and professional courses of the same standard as those in the day colleges and recommended that a small committee should work out the details. For the correspondence courses the Board suggested further detailed studies by a small committee before a firm decision could be taken.

ITEM No. 6: Institution of Diplomas in Modern Indian Languages in Indian universities

The Board approved in principle the institution of diplomas in modern Indian languages in the universities.

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ITEM No. 7 : Metric system in the educational syllabi

The Board recommended the introduction of the metric system into the textbooks at all stages of education.

ITEM No. 8 : Medium of instruction in universities

The Board approved the recommendations of the Standing Committee.

With regard to the question of reviewing the present policy relating to the media of instruction, it was decided that the matter be referred to another session of the Board. It was also suggested by the Chairman that if necessary the Board may be called to discuss this question.

ITEM No. 9: National Physical Efficiency Drive

The Board recommended:

(a) that the Central Government should continue to give Rs. 300 per centre to enable the State Governments to establish a large number of centres to provide adequate facilities for the National Physical Efficiency Drive;

(b) that special attention should be paid to encourage non- school-going youth to undergo the National Physical Efficiency Tests in larger numbers. For this purpose, it was recommended that some amount should be spent on publicising the Scheme among the non-student youth; and

(c) that steps should also be taken to popularise the Scheme among women, both school-going and non-school-going. Special facilities to train women desirous of participating should also be made available through women's clubs or girls' schools, etc.

ITEM No. 10 : Reform in examination system,

The Board emphasised the need of reform in the examination system for internal as well as external assessment of the students and noted the measures taken by the Government of India in this direction.

ITEM No. 11 : Exchange of professors and lecturers amongst universities and colleges

The Board considered it desirable to encourage the exchange of professors and other members of the teaching staff amongst the universities and colleges.

ITEM No. 12 : Inter-State contact of officers

The Board recommended that the Scheme may be tried for a period of three years on an experimental basis.

ITEM No. 13 : To consider the present condition and management of private aided schools

The Board noted with satisfaction that the policy of the Government was to encourage private organisations in the development of educational institutions. To eliminate the malpractices prevalent in some privately managed schools, the Board recommended that the State should take adequate steps to ensure that such schools are properly managed and that the teachers are paid their full salaries regularly. If necessary, a system of direct payment to the teachers may be considered for this purpose. It was felt that grant-in-aid rules for assistance to private schools should be liberalised as far as possible.