APPENDIX K PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF A MODEL PERSPECTIVE PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION (NOTE SUBMITTED BY THE MADRAS GOVERNMENT)
Need for Perspective Planning Experience in Madras State has clearly shown that it is not possible to frame a satisfactory programme of development on a planned basis, if our planning perspective is limited to the Second Five-Year Plan period. It is necessary to envisage a process of planned development at least up to the end of the, Third Five-Year Plan period. How this conclusion is based on Madras experience is explained in a note appended to this memorandum (at Annexure XV). The same conclusion also emerges from the reports of the Education Panel of the Planning Commission, the Committee on Three-Year Degree course of University education etc., which are under consideration of the Conference.
Need for "Cost-controlled Targets" Article 45 of the Constitution sets a clear enough target of expansion of educational facilities. But it has proved to be impracticable because the target was set without estimating its cost and without making a policy decision that the needed resources can and should be made available. Similarly, there are numerous schemes for improvement of the content, quality and utility of education at different levels (e.g., reports of Committees on Secondary education, Basic education etc.). But these proposals can be neither accepted nor rejected until they are ascertained to be financially feasible, or else they are revised so as to be capable of being fitted into a planned programme for which funds can be allotted.
If we are to place the development of education on a genuinely planned basis, it is essential that our targets should be "cost- controlled".
Perspective Estimate of Authorised Educational Expenditure During 1954-55 (the latest year for which detailed all India statistics are available), the amount spent on education in all States of India amounted to Rs. 4.32 n.P. per head of population out of which Rs. 2.59 UP. came out. of Government funds and 40 n.P. from the funds of local bodies, The incidence of expenditure varied from State to State. For instance, Madras State figures represented a gross total of Rs. 4.82 nP. of which Rs. 2.84 nP. came from Government funds and 57 nP. from the funds of local bodies.
We propose that India should plan on the basis that during 1965- 66 the final year of third Plan period, the gross total expenditure on education should be R8.7.50 nP. out of which Rs. 5 should come from Government funds and Rs. 1 out of the funds of local bodies. Is this feasible? If not what is the figure which the Government of India can authorise on a realistic basis, for Perspective Planning. The answers to these questions will be the starting point of the formulation of a Model Perspective Plan. Once the crucial figure of overall cost is settled then he next question will be its optimum allocation among different levels of duration (and different types of courses at each level).
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Statement XX sets out our tentative proposals out-lining the distribution by educational levels of Rs. 7.50 nP., together with the comparison of the proposed distribution with actual distribution during 1954-55. This comparison is shown both with all-India and Madras State. Does the proposed distribution of funds accord, broadly, with the relative importance and urgency in the national interest of development at different levels? If not, how should this distribution be modified? We propose that the Government of India should arrive at definite answers to these questions from a broad national point of view.
Perspective Targets of Enrolment in Educational Institutions In working out the, optimum allocation of the resources authorised for development of education, it will be necessary to form a picture of the existing structure of enrolment in educational institutions at different levels and how this structure should be changed. In particular, the setting of a realistic programme of implementation of Article 54 of the Constitution will constitute the hard core, of Perspective Planning. The decision taken on this point will have a profound influence on enrolment at higher levels. Our proposals are set out in Statement XXI. Briefly, the total enrolment during 1954-55 in all educational institutions in India war, 8.21 per cent of the population. Out of this total, 5.95 per cent was enrolled in the first five years at school. In Madras the croresponding percentages were 10.25 and 7.83. We propose, as the Perspective target for 1965-66, that 14.30 per cent of the population should be enrolled in all educational institutions, this including 11.00 per cent in the first five years at school. Careful study by experts who can collectively take a comprehensive view of the entire educational system will be needed before these Perspective, targets are finalised.
Article 45 of the Constitution Our proposal in relation to Article 45 of the Constitution is that there should be a phased programme of development of Primary education linked to the phased programme of implementation of the N.E.S. scheme. As a result, education should be made free and compulsory for all children during the first five, years of schooling. This programme should be successfully completed by 1965-66 in every village and every town of every State in India, without any exception. If, as proposed in Statement XIX, 11 per cent of the population is enrolled in the first five years at school, and if (as a result of a reasonably mild enforcement of compulsion) the abnormal rate of wastage which prevails at present gets reduced to modest proportions, the result will be as follows: Every year the number of boys and girls who complete five years of schooling and thereby, achieve permanent literacy, will be as high as two per cent of the population. There is no country in Western Europe in which the percentage is as high as that.
Provision of Funds We assume that there will be no material change in the aggregate amount at present provided for development of education. in the Second Five-Year Plan. We also assume that the present pattern of Central assistance to States will be continued unchanged during the Third Plan period.
Suggested Recommendations We suggest that the Conference may (after discussing this Memorandum) recommend to the Government of India as below:
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First, that a Model Perspective Plan be prepared after taking into consideration the proposals outlined in this Memorandum and the views expressed in the course of the discussion on the Memorandum.
Secondly, that the Model Perspective Plan prepared by the Government of India may be circulated to all State Governments with the, advice that it be used by them as the basis for framing an integrated programme of development of education in States.
STATEMENT XX
Perspective Estimate of Authorised Educational Expenditure
Expressed in Rupees per head of popu-
lation
Classified Heads of National Educational Expendi-
ture and Resources Actuals Actuals Perspective
all-India Madras Budget
(1954-55) State (1965-66)
(1954-55)
Rs. nP. Rs. nP. Rs. nP.
Heads of Expenditure
1. Schools for General Education-Lower Element- 1.34 1.77 3.00
ary stage
2. Schools for General Education-Higher Element- 1.22 1.34 2.00
ary and Secondary stages
3. Schools for Vocational, Technical and other special 0.19 0.15 0.50
training
4. Colleges and universities .. .. 0.67 0.56 0.75
5. Other educational charges .. .. .. 0.90 1.00 1.25
Grand Total-Educational Expenditure .. .. 4.32 4.82 7.50
Heads of Resources
A. Government Funds 2.59 2.84 5.00
B. Local Education Funds 0.40 0.57 1.00
C. Institutional fee receipts 0.93 0.92 1.00
D. Other institutional receipts from private bone 0.40 0.49 0.50
faction
GRAND TOTAL .. 4.32 4.82 7.50
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STATEMENT XXI
Perspective Targets of Enrolment in Educational Institutions
Number of pupils enrolled per lakh of
population
Classification of educational institutions
Actuals Actuals Perspective
all-India Madras Targets
(1954-55) State (1965-66)
(1954-55)
A-Schools for General Education
1. Standards I to V .. .. .. 5,950 7,830 11,000
2. Standards VI to VIII .. .. .. 1,180 1,400 2,000
3. Standards IX to XI .. .. .. 500 560 700
Total A 7,630 9,790 13,700
B-Schools for Vocational, Technical and other Special
Training
1. Post-Elementary Training .. .. .. 130 150
} *450
2. Post Secondary Training .. .. .. 290 170
Total B 420 320 450
C-Colleges and Universities
1. Intermediate in Arts and Science .. .. 97 64
2. Professional and special courses .. .. 25 27 } *150
3. Other courses in Arts and Science colleges and .. 40 46
Research institutions or universities
Total C 162 137 150
GRAND TOTAL (A, B & C) 8,212 10,247 14,300
NOTE-*The basis for fixing the size of these targets and their break-up. by different levels And types of courses has not been worked out and requires further study.
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ANNEXURE XV
Note explaining the need for Perspective Planning (1) We are now in the middle of the second year of the Second Five-Year Plan period. Yet, in Madras, we have not yet got an integrated programme of development of education. It is true that, every year, we sanction a number of Development Schemes against the amount authorised by the Planning Commission as our quota of education development expenditure for that year. It is also true that these schemes are necessary and useful, educationally. But are we carrying out "Planned Development" of Education? Do the sanctioned schemes add up to an integrated programme of a meaningful character? Not yet.
(2) This does not mean that there is no appreciable progress in education On the contrary, educational facilities are being developed in our State (as, no doubt, in other States) at an unprecedentedly rapid rate ever since Independence But this was unplanned development.It is taking place without active Governmental planning or stimulation because of wide-spread popular awakening and insistent pressure from all parts of the State for opening new institutions, for upgrading existing institutions and for increasing their intake of pupils. The normal effect of the old system of educational grants-in- aid has proved sufficient (in response to this popular pressure) to produce all the development, which the State was capable of financing. When, towards the end of the First Five-Year Plan period, the Planning Commission and the Ministry of Education of the Government of India came forward to make funds available, the pace of progress was further accelerated.
(3) The whole process is illustrated by the following figures:
Recurring annual expenditure on education incurred out of State Government funds increased from 2.62 crores in 1938-39 to 10.43 crores in 1950-51 the last year before the First Plan. Within the first five years of the First Plan period, the level of annual expenditure increased to 11.96 crores. Then the State was partitioned and Madras was reduced to three-fifth of its old population. Nevertheless, by the last year of the First Plan, the State Government had to spend as much as in the first year, even though the number of people to be served had been reduced by about 40 per cent. Then again, there was a reorganisation, entailing further reduction -of numbers by about one- seventh. During the current year (1957-58) we have made budget provision for 11.42 crores, as against 9.19 crores only three years ago (during 1954-55). This has been found necessary, notwithstanding the reduction of commitments by about one-seventh.
The cost of "unplanned development" tends to grow at an average rate of one crore more every year than in the preceding year.
(4) When we entered the Second Five-Year Plan period, we had not realised how rapid a pace of development had already been set. We assumed that the "normal" development would continue to be provided from "non-Plan" funds and that we were to provide separately for large sums in the Development budget. In retrospect it is clear that this was an erroneous perspective. When, at the end of protracted discussions about the overall size
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of the Second Plan, the Planning Commission fixed it and fixed also the allotment for educational development, we found our resources were fully allocated. The Finance Commission which visited us subsequently, fixed our non-Plan expenditure strictly with reference to the requirements of maintaining the level of expenditure reached at the end of the First Plan. As a result we found that the funds available for Planned development were less than the amounts we would have had to spend had we merely allowed the old unplanned development to continue.
(5) Though (as Education Minister), I deplore the cuts made in our original estimates, I am bound to admit (as Finance Minister) that the Planning Commission was justified in imposing them. Financing the development of education requires far greater scrutiny than even the financing of major projects of irrigation and power; because the latter is a non-recurring liability while the former consists mainly of permanent additions to the level of recurring annual expenditure of the State. We have to take care to see that we, do not set a pace which will increase recurring annual expenditure on education beyond a fair proportion of anticipated revenue resources. It was against the background of this overriding limitation that we undertook a review of all the pressing demands for which provision had to be made in financing any programme.
(6) An intractable problem was posed at the outset by Article 45 of the Constitution. Are we going to provide eight successive years of education for every child in the State before 26th January, 1960? Are we also going to compel every parent to put his children in school? It was easy enough to reach the conclusion that these questions must be answered in the negative, so far as the target date of 26th January, 1960 was concerned. But then the question arises whether a later date can be definitely set. Shall we fulfil Article 45 during 1965-66, the final year of the Third Plan period? Simple arithmetic showed that the answer was again in the negative. That being accepted what are we to do? shall we forget Article 45 and get along with no particular and to be secured by any predeterminded date? If so, why take any steps at all to stimulate enrolment? Why (in particular) should we undertake to compel any parent in any part of the State to put his child in school, when it is certain that such compulsion cannot be made uniformly applicable to all parents in the State, within any period which can be now foreseen?
(7) The considerations to be taken into account in answering these questions and formulating a viable policy are numerous and varied. It is sufficient, in this connection, to say that they were all set out in the Madras Government White Paper, which was considered by a Committee of the Legislature, which accepted the following conclusion, 'Limited Objective and Extended Time Limit'.
"The objective of compulsory education for all children should be limited to the first five year of school education. The time-limit for attaining the objective should be extended to 1965-66, the final year of the Third Five-Year Plan period. By the end of that period, free and compulsory education for all children of school-age I to V should be effectively in force in all the villages and all the towns of the State without exception."
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While endorsing the proposal that a ten-year programme of development of Primary education should be framed and executed, the Committee explained the policy involved in the following terms :-
"We desire that compulsory enrolment should become universal, not because compulsion is an end in itself; but because it is the necessary means of ensuring that the maximum number of children are helped to become literate at the minimum cost to the State. At present our annual literacy output is less than 10 children per 1000 people; and the cost of imparting permanent literacy is nearly Rs. 200 per child. We seek to increase the annual literacy output to 20 children per 1000 people; and to reduce the cost of imparting permanent literacy to Rs. 150 per child".