APPENDIX A (p) ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ALL-INDIA COUNCIL FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION
Meetings of the All-India Council for Secondary Education-The All-India Council for Secondary Education had a crowded programme of activities during the year ending September, 1957. Two meetings of the Council the fourth and the fifth-were held during this period. The fourth meeting was held at Baroda on 21st December, 1956 in the library room of the Faculty of Education and Psychology, M. S. University, Baroda. Shri K. G. Saiyidain, Chairman of the Council, presided over it.
The following are some of the important decisions taken at this meeting:-
(1) The duration of the Extension Services Project for the new college. to be included under the revised scheme should be three years Steps should be taken to secure the support of the State Governments for continuing the project in the old colleges after the expiry of the present term of three years.
(2) An ad hoc committee consisting of three or four members should be constituted by the Chairman for examining proposals for experimental projects in Secondary schools and for sanctioning grants in connection with these projects.
(3) About 25 to 30 Secondary schools in the country should be selected for the purpose of converting them into experimental centres and releasing them from the restrictive influence of an external examination and an external syllabus on the lines of the Eight-Year Study of the U.S.A.
(4) Financial help should be given to about 200 science clubs in the, country to the extent of Rs. 1250 for each club.
(5) Instead of the regional seminars held in previous years, 15 Seminars of Headmasters and Education officers should be organised on a Statewise basis in order that more representatives from each State may have the benefit of participation in such seminars.
(6) 30 Subject-Teacher Seminars at the rate of two in each State should be sponsored by the Council for developing initiative in the classroom teachers.
(7) Seminar-cum-training courses should be held for training untrained teachers already employed in teaching practical subjects in Multipurpose schools.
The fifth meeting of the Council was held at Simla on 14th and 15th June, 1957 with Shri K. G. Saiyidain in the chair. Some of the important decisions taken in the meeting are given below:-
(i) The Council approved certain amendments to its rules and byelaws made by the Standing Committee.
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(ii) It recommended the continuance of the Extension Services after the expiry of the three-year period as an integral. part of the programme of work in every Training college in the country. It also approved the inclusion of thirteen new colleges under the revised scheme of Extension Services.
(iii) It resolved to set up an Examination Unit and recommended that it be continued for at least a period of five years.
(iv) It authorised the Chairman to appoint a committee of five persons to advise the Council on steps to be taken to improve the teaching of Science in Secondary schools in India.
(v) It also authorised the Chairman to appoint a committee for laying down criteria for encouraging worthwhile experiments in Secondary schools and for selecting experimental schools.
(vi) It recommended that the State Governments should examine the, proposal of setting up at least two or three model Multipurpose schools in the State.
Each of the two Council meetings was preceded by a meeting of the standing Committee which considered and gave its approval to certain financial and administrative proposals relating to the work of the Council.
The Advisory Field Staff -Shri K. J. Loenose, Divisional Education Officer, Kerala and Mrs. K. Bhatia, Principal, M.B. Girls Higher Secondary School, New Delhi, joined the Advisory Field Staff on 12th March, 1957 and 4th April, 1957 respectively. The term of service of Miss K. Sen Gupta, who joined the staff of the Council in April, 1956 was extended for a further period of one year. Mrs. Bhatia resigned her post on 4th July, 1957. Shri T. A. Apte, Divisional Education Superintendent, Nagpur, joined on 9th September, 1957.
Working of the Extension Services Project-In 1955-56 the Extension Services Project for the in-service training of Secondary school teachers was introduced in twenty-four Training colleges for a period of three years. One of the selected colleges, the St. Xavier's Institute of Education, Bombay, withdrew from the project from 1st June, 1956. The colleges laboured under an initial handicap, inasmuch as they did not receive the full quota of T.C.M. equipment even in the course of the second year. Nevertheless, they have developed during the last two years useful programmes of courses, seminars, school- visits and educational guidance which are keenly appreciated by the associated schools. In fact the St. Xavier's Institute of Education, realising the value of Extension Services continued to offer a mo- dified Extension programme to its schools even after it bad withdrawn from the Council's scheme.
To start with, each Extension Services Department had about twenty schools taking advantage of the services offered, but as a result of persistent requests from other. institutions, it had to take under its influence a larger number. Some of the Centres now have as many as fifty school associated. with their activities. The enthusiasm displayed by the schools for the Extension Service programmes is a clear indication that the schools have realised
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the value of the services and are looking up to the Training colleges for increasing help and guidance.
The Conference of Principals of Training Colleges held in May, 1957 at Bangalore unanimously expressed the View that the Extension Services project has be benefitted the Training colleges as well as the schools concerned. It pleaded. for the continuance of this project on a permanent footing in all the Training Institutions in the country.
Under the Extension Services project a considerable amount of valuable equipment including library books and visual aids materials and a transport an vehicle are to be supplied by the T.C.M to the 53 extension centres that are to be established all over India.The T.C.M. equipment started coming in from August, 1956. The books and other materials were despatched to the Extension Services centres as and when they were received by the Council. A list of the T.C.M. equipment is given At Annexure XI.
Under a contract entered into between the Ministry of Education and the T.C.M., three Professors of the Ohio State University are now working with the Council in connection with its programme of in- service training. They are (1) Dr. C. Mendenhall (General Curriculum), (2) Dr. A. F. Griffin (Social Studies), and (3) Dr. S. L. Mikelson (General Science). They arrived towards the end of October, 1956 and their assignment here is for about a period of 18 months. These experts worked as consultants in courses organised by the Extension Centres at Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Madras, Calcutta and Coimbatore. They are actively cooperating with the Council in the implementation of its projects on experimental schools.
Three American teacher-grantees, Miss N.L. Anderzhen, Miss R. L. Wilcox and Mr. F. L. Jackson, who came to India under the Fulbright Scheme, helped several Extension Services Departments in arranging courses in Social Studies and crafts. The U.S. Foundation for Education in India is cooperating with the Council in its in-service programme by allowing their teacher-grantees to work in the Extension Services centres.
The services of Dr. R. Naidu have recently been placed at the disposal of the Council by the Ministry of Education for a period of one year in its programme of strengthening the teacheing of Science in Secondary schools
The Directors and the Coordinators of the Extension Services departments in each of the four zones into which the country is divided for the purpose of Extension Services met at four different centres to-review the progress made and discussed certain common problems arising out of the working of the project These zonal meetings were held in March April and May. The recommendations made at the meetings are receiving the active consideration of the Council.
In the year under review, it was proposed to extend the project to 30 more Training colleges under a revised scheme approved by the Council at its meeting in Baroda in December, 1956. Accordnig to this scheme, the Council was to supply to each selected institution a complete unit of T.C.M equipment including the transport vehicle and give it a total grant of Rs. 60,000 over a period of three years, provided the Government of the State in which the institution was situated undertook to meet the cost of travelling and daily allowances of the teachers participating in the Extension courses to the extent of Rs. 6,000
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each year. These new -proposals were accepted by all the State Governments Some of the colleges that were to be included in the Project under the revised scheme had already been visited by the Advisory Field Staff and recommended for inclusion. Others were institutions whose names were recommended by the State Governments concerned. A few private colleges that have the facilities for conducting Extension Service activities were also considered for the project. Every case was carefully examined and a selection was made with due regard to the capacity of the college to implement the project and the needs of the area in which the college was situated. The Extension Services project was, instituted in the college only after the State Government had agreed to ear the financial liability to the extent of Rs.6,000 in respect of travelling and daily allowances of the participants of the courses. A list of the colleges selected for inclusion in the revised project under the modified schemes is given at Annexure, XII.
An initial grant of Rs. 5,000 has been sent to the first 26 Training colleges mentioned in the list. The colleges at serial nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ll, 14, 16 and 18 have already appointed Coordinators and have started their work. The others are in the process of completing the preliminary arrangements required for the institution of the project. It has been decided that in the second group of colleges, the project would terminate on the same date, namely, 31st March, 1960.
Thus 52 Secondary Training institutions, 23 under the old scheme and 29 under the revised scheme, are now included in the Extension Services Project. A State wise distribution of these centres is given below:
1. Northern Zone-Uttar Pradesh-6, Punjab-4, Jammu & Kashmir-1 and Delhi-2 =13
2. Southern Zone-Madras-7, Andhra Pradesh-4, Mysore-4, Kerala-3 =18
3. Eastern Zone-West Bengal-4, Bihar-4, Assam-1, Orissa-1 = 10
4. Western Zone-Bombay-6, Rajasthan-2, Madhya Pradesh-3 = 11
At the Bangalore Conference held in May, 1957, the principals of the Training colleges having Extension Services departments laid down certain criteria for the evaluation of the work of the Extension Services. A self-rating card was prepared by a committee at the Conference in order that the Extension centres -may evaluate in terms of qualitative as well as quantitative achievements with reference to the impact of the project on the teachers collectively and individually. These self-rating cards will be sent to the Extension centres at an early date. But a systematic evaluation of the work of the Extension departments must now be undertaken by the Council. It is recommended that an Assessment Committee may be appointed for this purpose. The members of this Committee will be asked to visit the 23 Extension centres that have been in operation for the last two years and evaluate, the working of the project at each of these, centres and on the basis, of their report advise,the Council regarding the further development of the Extension Services in the future.
Regional and State Seminars of Headmasters-Another regular activity of the Council is the Organisation of Seminars for Headmasters and Educational Officers in various State. In October and November, 1956, five regional seminars were held at Porebandar,Cuttack, Srinagar, Patiala and Dewas for the
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Headmasters and the Educational Officers from thirteen of the Parts A, B the reform of Secondary schools in the light of the recommendations of the Secondary Education Commission formed the basis of discussion. The following were some of the topics taken up for detailed consideration :
(1) Problems of private schools; (2) Cumulative records; (3) Curriculum for class; (4) Syllabus for Social Studies; (5) The Three language Formula; (6) Wastage and stagnation in education; and (7) Education for character. In all their talks and speeches, the delegates reverted, again and again, to the basic principle that the teacher was the pivot in the whole scheme of reorganisation and that it's success depended on increasing his professional efficiency.
At the Baroda meeting of the Council it was decided that Seminars of Headmasters and Educational Officers should henceforth be organised on a Statewise instead of a regional basis. Accordingly, seven State Seminars were sponsored by the Council in May-June, 1957. This new arrangement gave opportunity to a large number of Headmasters from each State to participate in the study camps. Moreover, as the problems taken up were discussed in the context of the conditions existing in one State alone, a more intensive and practical study was made possible. The central theme of discussions at these gatherings shifted from the recommendations of the Secondary Education Commission to the recommendations contained in more recent publications of the Council, like the Draft Syllabuses of Higher Secondary Schools, the Report on the seminar on Examinations, the Report on the Teaching of Science and the Report on the Seminar on the Teaching of Social Studies. In some of these camps the participants planned a few projects for implementation in their own schools. Members of the Advisory Field Staff visited all these Seminars, stayed with the participants for a few days and took active part in the discussions.
Arrangements have been made for five more Seminars in autumn in five more States in India. Mysore has planned to hold a similar study camp in winter and Jammu & Kashmir had to postpone the dates of its Seminar on account of unprecedented floods.
Subject-Teacher Seminars-To develop initiative and responsibility among classroom teacher, provision has been made for giving financial assistance to 30 Subject-Teacher seminars during 1957-58 at the rate of two seminars per State. Each such seminar will last for ten days. State Governments have been requested to organise these study camps themselves or authorise voluntary educational and professional organisations with good standing to organise them wherever possible and recommend them for financial assistance. Twenty such seminars have already been arranged and will be held at different dates from 1st October to 30th November, 1957.
All India Seminars-Besides the regional and State seminars, the Council organised in the period under review two study camps of an all-India character. The first was a Seminar on Social Studies for lecturers of Training colleges held at Madras from 22nd December, 1956 to 4th January, 1957. The main purpose of this gathering was to provide an opportunity for these lecturers to exchange ideas on the subject of Social Studies in the curriculum, to study the implication of the new approach to the teaching of the subject, and to formulate a
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programme for the reorientation of the teachers who will be called upon to teach the subject in reorganised schools. 56 delegates came, to the Seminar from all the States in India excepting Assam. Shri Perumal Mudaliar, Principal of the Teachers' College, Saidapet was the Director and Mrs. Devki Damodaran, Principal, Lady Willingdon College was the Associate Director. From a some what shaky beginning the Seminar worked its way through to a large area of agreement. On the last day, an All-India Association of Social Studies Teachers was formed. The lecturer. of the Training colleges that attended the Seminar are organising a series of workshops in their own institutions for teachers of Social Studies. Consultants from the Council are helping the Training colleges in conducting these study-camps. Miss G. R. Samuel, Principal, Christopher's Training College has accepted an assignment from the Council for writing a handbook on the Teaching of Social Studies.
In the early part of May, 1957, the Council in cooperation with the Association of Training Colleges in India, organised a Conference, of Principals of Training Colleges' at Bangalore. to consider the report of the B. Ed. Syllabus Committee, to evaluate the work of the Extension Services and to review research projects in Training institutions. Judged by the number of participant, this was probably the largest gathering of Training college principals assembled for a consideration of certain closely inter-related problems of teacher education. Nearly 70 Heads of Teachers' Training Institutions came to the Conference and participated in its discussions. The Report of the B.Ed. Syllabus Committee was examined, discussed, modified, wherever necessary, and enlarged in some respects at the Conference. Similarly, the Extension Services programmes at the different centres were carefully appraised and a set of useful criteria suggested for the evaluation of the project. The third section of the Conference, the Research Project Seminar, provided an opportunity for research workers to exchange experiences, review the progress so far made and consider the possibilities of development in this field in future.