APPENDIX A (f) REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE PUBLICATIONS SECTION
The main function of the Publications Section is to publish educational reports, pamphlets, booklets brochures, research pamphlets and the quarterly journal entitled, "The Education Quarterly." A Sales Depot is also attached to the Section to meet the increasing demand by the public for the publications of this Ministry. Recently work relating to the proposed bulletin, "Youth" has also been added to the duties of this Section. The first inssue of this bulletin is due in September, 1957.
"The Education Quarterly", the Ministry's most important periodical published in March, June. September and December of each year entered its ninth year of publication. A special Unesco number of the Quarterly was published in November, 1956 and was distributed among Unesco delegates with other publications of the Ministry specially brought out for the delegates, viz., "Child Writing", "Social Education in India", "Indian Universities" and "Technological Education in India."
In connection with the Ninth Session of the General Conference of Unesco, an All -India Educational Exhibition was organised at Delhi from 8th November to 5th December, 1956. The Ministry's publications were placed on display and sale at the Exhibition and also at the multistoreyed building that housed the Unesco Secretariat. The Section also displayed its publictions at Parliament House for the 24th Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education.
Expansion in the Publications Section during the year under review has been considerable both in the number of publications brought out and sold as well as the range of educational activity reported and evaluated. During the year 1956-57, 70 publications were brought out as against 60 published in 1955-56. The increasing demand for "The Education Quarterly" which provides authoritative information on educational and cultural programmes, experiments and activities conducted in India and elsewhere, has resulted in the raising of is print order from 2,200 in 1955 to 2,500 in 1956.
The Section is responsible for organising a series of Ministry of Education features for distribution to the Press in India. So far it has distributed four features. It has also been "middleman" with the Unesco Clearing House for the distribution of the special Unesco educational features to selected educational journals in India.
In April 1957, the Publications Section organised an All-India Educational Editors' Conference at New Delhi. The Conference was held on 15th and 16th April, 1957. The purpose of the Conference was to bring together those engaged in editing educational journals in India, to discuss in the common interest ways and means of improving the quality of existing journals and to formulate standards in the educational journalism. The agenda included discussions on editing, production and management of educational journals. 35 delegates from 11 States and Delhi and five observers, journals in 10 languages participated in the Conference. This Conference was the first of its kind. A sum of approximately Rs. 8,000 was spent by the Government of towards this conference.
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