(IX) APPENDIX I
MEMORANDUM ON ITEM 12 :
 INTER-STATE CONTACT OF OFFICERS
 

The main object is to provide opportunity to senior officers of the Education Directorates to visit other States to study their educational system, to observe the special features and to profit by their experience.

At present, while our officers know a little about the educational systems of a number of foreign countries through books, their knowledge about even the neighbouring States is practically nil. This is hardly a desirable state of affairs.

It is necessary that ample opportunity should be provided to educational officers to visit other States. Every year two teams, each consisting of two officers, should visit at least two States for a period of a fortnight or a week for each State. They should, during this period, study the administrative set-up of the State, visit different types of institutions and discuss with the officers of the State visited, problems, common to both the States.

If this scheme is followed for a period of, say, five years every senior officer of the Directorate will be able to gather firsthand knowledge of all the States. Naturally he will be much more useful to the Directorate.

The most important benefit from the scheme will be free exchange of views, besides developing personal contact and close collaboration amidst the directorates all over the country.

The total cost of the scheme, which will not be much, should be borne by the Central Government. We have had quite a few inter-State seminars and workshops but this scheme may yield much better results.

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