APPENDIX C DESIRABILITY OF ESTABLISHING MULTIPURPOSE TRAINING INSTITUTIONS TO TRAIN TEACHERS FOR DIFFERENT STAGES OF EDUCATION
On 2-6-1956, the Planning Commission sent the following extracts from a letter received from Dr. E. A. Pires, a member of the Panel on Education for the comments of this Ministry:-
"As regards the training of teachers, I am strongly of the opinion that our Training colleges should become Multipurpose. Multipurpose institutions would be more economical, because the same facilities in the form of libraries, psychological and science laboratories, gymnasia, assembly halls etc., could be utilised by a large number of students. Moreover, such a step would help to bring together, all types of teachers, teachers of science, humanities, arts and crafts, Physical education, domestic science, and the Technical. subjects thus helping to enhance the spirit of professional solidarity. There is today a caste system among teachers which is highly deleterious in its effects."
This proposal was considered in the Ministry in two meetings. Dr. Fires was also invited to elucidate his proposal for the benefit of the Divisional Heads. The minutes of the meetings and the Secretary's note dated 18th June, 1957 follow.
At the instance of Principal A. N. Basu and Dr. E. A. Pires, the question of setting up Multipurpose Teachers' Training colleges was included as item B(4) of the agenda of the meeting of the Panel on Education held on 15th and 16th July, 1957 at Poona. A copy of the Memorandum on the above item is at Annexure XIII. The Planning Commission has since informed that this item did not come up for discussion at the meeting of the Panel due to lack of time.
Minute A proposal was made by Dr. E.A.Pires to the Planning Commission that Multipurpose Training colleges may be established in the country. In support of the proposal it was stated that such institutions will be more economical because the same facilities in the form of libraries, existing buildings, equipment etc. can be utilized by a larger number of students. It was further stated that such a step will help to bring together all types of teachers, teachers of Science, the Humanities, Arts, and Crafts, Physical education, Domestic of Science and the Technical subjects, thus helping to enhance the spirit of professional solidarity.
I invited Dr. Pires to elucidate his proposals for the benefit of the Divisional Heads. At the two meetings held in this connection were present Dr. P.D. Shukla, Shri Veda Prakasha on behalf of Dr. R. K. Bhan, Dr. H. C. Gupta, on behalf of Dr. G. F. Lakhani besides Shri Nauhria Ram and myself.
It was felt that if teachers at different levels have to live together and mix freely and have the opportunity of learning from one another then their living conditions have to be identical. In other words, the emoluments of the teachers should be identical and similarly the emoluments of trainers of teachers.
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This would increase the bill considerably as at present there is a good deal of difference between emoluments of teachers working in the Primary schools, the Middle schools and the High schools. Dr. Pires also agreed that this would be the case. It was, therefore, decided to look at the problem not from the point of view of the doubtful economy that would be achieved, but from the educational standpoint.
The meeting felt that horizontal integration in the training of teachers should be attempted. This presents no problem at all in so far as the training of teachers at the Primary level is concerned. In fact, it has already been decided that all teachers will be trained on the Basic pattern. Separate colleges are, however, provided for the training of graduate teachers on the Basic pattern. It is at this level that integration will present some problems. While the meeting supported generally the suggestion that the training of teachers for Basic institutions, and teachers for B. T. or B.Ed. degrees should he done in one institution, Dr. Shukla was of the view that rural surroundings are a necessary -requirement for such a Training college. He was of the view that an integrated course useful for all graduate teachers regardless of where they would work later, will not be possible in many of the existing institutions which are located in urban areas.
The meeting felt that educationally, vertical integration was also desirable. Apart from the high cost of maintenance of such a Multipurpose Training college where teachers of all kinds and levels could be trained, there is the practical consideration that the number of teachers required for Primary schools is very much larger than that for the Secondary schools, and therefore quite a number of institutions would be required for the training of Primary teachers alone. Vertical integration should, therefore, be attempted in only a few institutions. As a first step, the experiment may be tried in five to six selected institutions, which should be eminently suited for Basic training. It was also suggested that one of the existing Basic Training colleges be selected for this experiment.
It is observed from the agenda of the meeting of the Educational Panel of the Planning Commission received from Mr. K.L. Joshi that the question of setting up of Multipurpose Training colleges is going to be discussed at that meeting. The item has been included at the instance of Dr. Basu and Dr. Pires. I suggest that we await the deliberations of the Panel and if the idea is supported at the meeting, we may formulate an outline of a scheme which may be considered at the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education. Although in our meeting of the Divisional Heads we had thought of selecting four or five centres, it may be worthwhile if the scheme receives the support of the States to- have one such college in each State.
(Sd.) G. K. Chandiramani
13-6-1957
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I am agreeable to awaiting the reaction of the Panel. Personally, however, I am not enthusiastic about the proposals particularly in so far as it relates to, "vertical integration". A more feasible approach would be to expand some of the existing Secondary Training colleges to include training in the new vocational subjects. The possibility of providing post-graduate Basic and Secondary Training in the same institution can also be explored experimentally.
(Sd.) K. G. Saiyidain
18-6-1957
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ANNEXURE XIII
PLANNING COMMISSION
Education Division Item B 4 -Centralization of Training of Teachers at all stages in a single Institute of Teachers' Training, Multipurpose Teachers' Training College
The scheme proposed by Principal A. N. Basu and Dr. E. A. Pires is as follows:-
The institution of Multipurpose Training colleges for teachers would be more economical -because the same facilities in the form of libraries, psychological and science laboratories, gymnasia, assembly balls, etc. would be utilized by a larger number of students. Moreover such a step would help to bring together all types of teachers. Elementary and Secondary school teachers, teachers of science, the humanities, arts and crafts, Physical education, domestic science and the technical subjects-thus helping to enhance the spirit of professional solidarity. Further, caste system among teachers would be eliminated. The work of teachers' training is done to-day in a number of different institutions, different in status, different in the quality of their personnel and equipment and different in the nature of the training imparted to their students; and there are separate institutions for training Nursery and Kindergarten teachers, Primary school Teachers, Middle school teachers, and Secondary school teachers in addition to separate Training institutions for teachers of Physical education, music, art, oriental languages etc.
The type of the teachers' college envisaged is one in which (1) various categories of teachers, (e.g., teachers of the humanities, of the sciences, of technical studies, of music, arts and crafts, of Physical education, of domestic science, etc.) and (2) various levels of teachers (pre-Primary teachers, Primary school teachers, Middle school teachers, Secondary school teachers) will be trained together instead of in separate institutions. This proposal is under the consideration of the Ministry of Education. If found practicable, it is suggested that pilot schemes in Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay could be considered in consultation with the States.
Further Comments-Additional advantages that could be claimed for Multipurpose teachers' colleges are as follows :-
(1) The specialist in the teaching staff would, in general, concentrate on his speciality and bring to bear on his subject knowledge and experience gained by teaching at all levels. Familiarity with problems at all levels would yield a clearer perspective both to the teacher and the pupil. (2) With Kindergarten, Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools attached to Multipurpose teachers' colleges, identification and solution of the problems of research should be easier.
Administrative Control -A point to be considered is the administrative control of the proposed centralized Training colleges. The Secondary Education Commission recommended (p. 166) that "graduate training being a post-graduate qualification should come under the university and when there are universities carrying on this function, all graduates should be trained in institutions which are affiliated to the universities and submit to tests conducted
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by the university". In their opinion (p. 166) institutions which train under-graduates should be under the control of a separate board appointed for this purpose. The problem needs to be considered in relation to control of the universities and State Education departments in training the personnel for Primary and Secondary schools.
Besides, there are certain private institutions which are at present doing this experiment probably on grounds of economy. In Madras, Andhra and Rajasthan there are a few Training institutions which prepare their students for certificates diplomas and degrees of education. In particular, reference may be made here to the Basic Teachers' Training College, Gandhi Vidyamandir, Sardarshahr, Rajasthan, where STC department for Primary teachers and B.Ed. department for Secondary school teachers are affiliated to the Department of Education, Rajasthan and University of Rajputana, respectively. This college has some of features of a Multipurpose college for teachers, e.g., common staff, equipment, library, buildings, playgrounds, cocurricular activities and community life.
The International Team of Educators (sponsored by the Ford Foundation,New Delhi, in 1954) in its report entitled, Teachers and Curricula in Secondary School recommended that "in the first place, all training of teachers be brought under the same authority which will deal with it as an integral process, and, in the second, active cooperation be established between the university, the Training colleges, the departments of education and the schools in the matter of all teacher training" (p.30).
While this question is under consideration of the Ministry of Education it is submitted to the Panel on Education for advice.
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