 APPENDIX A (b) :
REPORT ON THE PROGRESS OF
 EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANS
 IMPLEMENTED BY THE GOVERNMENT
 OF INDIA

BASIC AND SOCIAL EDUCATION

The following schemes are being implemented by the Government of India:-

(A) National Institute of Basic Education.

(B) Scheme of Educational Survey of India.

(D) Scheme No. 3(b) Production of suitable literature for adults and children.

(E) National Book Trust.

(A) National Institute of Basic Education:

The Government of India have set up a National Institute of Basic education to carry out research in problems of Basic education ; undertake the training of Basic Education workers at the higher level; and function as a clearing house of information on various issues referred to it by various Governments and institutions.

2. The Institute has started functioning with a small staff and steps are being taken to strengthen it adequately.

3. It is intended, ultimately, to locate the Institute in a rural area not very far from Delhi. At present it is temporarily located at 37, Friends Colony, Mathura Road, New Delhi.

4. The work undertaken by the Institute so far is of the following nature :-

(a) Evolving a suitable Test to be used for measuring intelligence.

(b) Investigating difficulties experienced by Basic Teachers in their day-to-day work as to overcome them. A questionnaire was prepared and sent to be completed by teachers experienced in Basic education.

(d) Analysing Teacher Education Syllabus.

(e) Analysing Syllabus for Basic and non-Basic Schools.

(ii) Preparation of "Basic Education Abstracts" containing brief accounts of research theses on Basic Education.

(iii) Compilation of Bibliography of Basic Education literature.

(iv) Preparation of Literature.

(a) A pamphlet on Basic activities for Non-Basic- schools has already been produced in Ms.

(b) Work on the preparation of a pamphlet on Assessment in Basic Education has been taken up.

(v) Collection of Information from the States.

A draft outline for collecting all pertinent information about Basic Education and Training of Basic Teachers has been prepared.

(vi) Measuring Educational Potentiality of Crafts.

A plan of the method of inquiry and collection of data. on the project has been worked out. It will be sent out to a few experts on Basic Education for inviting. their suggestions on it before finalising it.

(vii) Organizing Basic Education Exhibition.

An Exhibition of Basic Education held under the aus-pices of the Union Ministry of Education, in which 24States participated was held in the Fine Arts and Crafts, Society building from 28th April to 7th May 1956.

(viii) Seminar on Basic Education.

(a) A Seminar on Basic education was organised at New Delhi from 30th April to 2nd May under the direction of Dr. Zakir Husain. It was attended by, high ranking officials of the Education departments, of the States. The Institute was actively associated with this seminar.

(b) Preliminary action has been initiated with a view to holding a seminar of about three weeks' duration, for the Directors of Public Instruction.

(B) Scheme for Holding an Educational Survey of India

On the recommendation of the Planning Commission a note on the holding of an "Educational Survey of India" prepared by Shri J.P. Naik was placed before the Central Advisory Board of Education at its 23rd Annual meeting held in January, 1956. The Board endorsed the proposal for holding an educational survey of the country on the lines suggested therein with the addition that the Survey should include secondary education and also technical education at the Secondary level.

2. The Government of India accepted the recommendation and decided to carry out the proposed survey with the Co-operation of State Governments.

3. It has been estimated that an expenditure of Rs. 22.9 lakhs will be required for carrying out the survey. A sum of Rs. 23 lakhs has

been provided for the purpose in the budget for 1956-57 under the Central Schemes of the Second Five-Year Plan.

4. Steps have been taken to recruit the necessary staff in the Ministry of Education for doing this work and it is expected the survey will be undertaken very soon.

(C)The National Fundamental Education Centre

The idea of establishing a National Centre of Fundamental Education in India arose out of the Plan 'adopted at the sixth General Conference of Unesco for the establishment of a net-work of Funda- mental Education Centres as a part of the world drive against illiteracy and low living standards. Accordingly a Scheme of establishing a National Fundamental Education Centre at Delhi under the First Five-Year Plan was worked out by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, broad details of which are as under: -

The above Scheme has met with the approval of the Planning Commission and the Departmental Finance Committee and the Centre is being set up and will start functioning on the return of the Director of the Centre who has proceeded abroad for six months training in Fundamental Education under Unesco Technical Assistance Programme i.e. in December 1956. The project has also been included in the Second Five-Year Plan.

1. Object :

To serve as a well-equipped National Centre for the training of Social Education Officers or teachers and to act as the spearhead of the improvement of Social Education in the country.

2. Functions :

(a) To carry out research in the field of Social Education.

(b) To train higher level personnel for Social Education e.g. District Social Education Officers etc.

(d) To act as clearing-house for Social Education information.

3. Location :

For reasons of administrative and supervisory convenience, it has been decided to locate the Centre in some rural areas near 'Delhi. It is proposed to put up a new building for the Centre as soon as possible, and till such time as the building is constructed, the accommodation for the Centre has been arranged at 37, Friends Colony, New Delhi, which has been rented on Rs. 1,000/- p.m. Necessary bunget provision for the construction of building has been made and Ministry of Works, Housing aud Supply have been asked for the preparation of the plan for the building and allotment of suitable plot in the adjointing rural areas of Delhi.

Shri A.R. Deshpande, Special Officer (Social Education) Community Projects Administration was appointed to the post of the Director of the Centre on 15.5.56. He has gone abroad on six months training in Fundamental Education under Unesco Technical Assis-

tance Programme on 19.5.56. Steps are being taken to recruit other staff for the Centre,

(D) Scheme No. 3(b) : Production of suitable literature for adults and children.

(a) Sanctions to State Governments.

Details of the amount sanctioned during 1953-54, 1954-55 and 1955-56 are as follows :-

        
                            During 1953-54                     Amount
                                                               sanctioned
        
        West Bengal    (i) For the publication of eight        Rs. 21,500
                            books
        
                       (ii) For the publication of an          Rs. 7500 
                         album of representative paintings
        
        Travancore-Cochin   For the publication of 14          Rs. 12,500
                            books for children and books 
                            for adults.
        3
         
                                    During 1954-55
         
                        The following amounts were sanctioned
         
        States               Item approved.                    Amount
                                                               sanctioned
        
        Assam          2 books for Basic Education             Rs.4,000/-
                       2 books for Social Education
        
        West Bengal    Publication of an album of              Rs.7,500/-
                       of representative Paintings)
        
        Bihar          6 books                                 Rs. 4,800/-
        
        Bhopal         4 books for adult education             Rs.10,000/-
                       4 books for children (11-14             Amt.lapsed
                       age group).
        
        Delhi          5 books                                 Rs.  7,500/-
        
        Madhya Pradesh 12 books in Hindi literature  }         Rs.23,079/-
                       12 books in Marathi           }
        
        Saurashtra     Weekly adult Bulletin.
                       Prizes to authors of Children's 
                       literature.                        }    Rs.  3,005/-
                       Prizes to authors of adult
                       literature
        
                                 During 1955-56
        
        Madras         Production of literature for            Rs.18,750/-
                       children and adults.
        
        Hyderabad      Production of literature for            Rs.9,600/-
                       children and adults.
        
        Saurashtra     Weekly adult Bulletin.                  Rs.  5,510/-

(b) Preparation for publication in Hindi of the following three-books is being expedited :

(i) History of India,

(ii) History of the World.

(ii) Story of Life.

(e) Early in 1954 the Ministry set up a Folk Literature Committee to encourage worthwhile literature for neo-literates in the various regional languages of the country. In March, 1954 authors. and publishers were asked to submit books for a prize-competition. 35 prizes of Rs. 500/- each were announced on 2nd October, 1954, and further additional awards of each to the 5 of the 35 prize winners were announced on 26.1.6195. The Ministry has purchased 1000 copies of each prize winning book for distribution in the Community Development blocks. In addition 1000 copies of each of the translations into all Indian regional languages of books awarded prizes of Rs. 1,000/- each were also purchased for distribution (1000 copies of each).

The Ministry also approved some books which were not awarded prizes. The Development Commissioners were requested to purchase, as many copies as possible of such approved books.

The Ministry announced a Second Competition in 1955 on similar lines as the first and awarded 42 prizes of Rs. 500/- each on 2nd October, 1955. Five of these books were awarded additional awards of Rs. 500/- each. Besides 29 books have been approved and recommended for purchase in C.P. Areas. In 1956, 40 prize of Rs. 500/- each have been announced on 2nd October, 1956, and the fourth competition will shortly be announced-entry to which close on 30th April.

(d) In order to place the writing of books for neo-literates on a scientific basis, a vocabulary research unit for Delhi area was set up in February 1954 as a pilot project. It completed its work in February 1955. It has compiled a list of proverbs and has listed words in order of frequency. A new unit was at the same time set up to produce model primer and reader based on the graded vocabulary. The unit finishes its work on 31.10.56.

The cost of the project in 1954-55 came to Rs. 13500/-.

It was earlier decided to set up Vocabulary Research Units in four States The duration of each Unit is one year and the expense is estimated at Rs. 10,000/- per unit, the Government of India's share being 50% of their total expenditure. Three such units have been set up-One in Andhra (Government of India's share at 50% was Rs. 2500/-), the Second at Travancore Cochin (Government of India's share was Rs. 1958/13/4) and the Third at West Bengal (Government of India's share being Rs. 2500/- up to 31.3.1956).

(e) The Ministry has also under preparation a "Popular Ency- clopaedia" in five volumes for adults who have studied up to 8th standard. The first volume of the Enclopaedia has already been brought out and sold out in the current year. The work on second

volume and the second edition of 1st volume has been taken in hand, This scheme has cost so far Rs. 40,000/- (approximately).

(f) The Ministry also assists in the sale of good books for adults The demands for State Governments are consolidated and orders. placed with the publishers after fixing quota for each State Govern- ment. Government of India meet half the cost of the books, plus, transportation charges. The rest of the cost is met by the State Governments concerned. At present this scheme is confined only to, Hindi books.

(g) Literary Workshops :-For the year 1955-56, it was decided' to set up literary workshops on a mono-lingual basis for training authors for writing for children and neo-literates adults. For adults these workshops were held in West Bengal, Bombay, Madras and. Travancore-Cochin at an estimated cost of Rs. 11,000/- each. The duration of these workshop was six weeks. Similarly, it was proposed to hold four literary workshops for writing books for children on a monolingual basis, but only one could be held before 31.3.56 at an estimated cost of Rs. 10,000/-. Its duration was also six weeks.

Keeping in view the good work done by these literary workshops during the First Five-Year Plan, the Government of India have decided to continue the Scheme in the Second Five-Year Plan and has approved the organisation of eight Literary workshops-four for neo-literates and four for children to be held in the current year. The State Governments have been requested to intimate their willingness to hold such a workshop in their region before 30th November, 1956.

(h) The various items for children's literature are as follows :-

(i) The production of literature for children is also included under (0) above).

(ii) To indicate the desirable standard of production of children's books, the Ministry have taken it upon themselves to produce some children's books. The following books are under preparation :-

1. History of Indian Shipping :- In cooperation with Toy Cart Bombay (Under Preparation).

2. Baune-Ki-Kheti. The book has been printed and steps are being taken to popularize its sale through the Maktaba Jamia.

3. Anokhe-Janwar. Under preparation.

(iii) In order to draw authors and publishers into cooperation in the scheme for the production of Children's Literature in the various regional languages of India, a prize scheme was announced and worked with the cooperation of State Governments. The State Governments were requested in March, 1954, to invite entires of books written in regional., languages since 1947 and select and submit six best books in their Regional languages for consideration, for the award of prizes. After careful consideration, 15 books were selected in the regional languages for an award of prizes of Rs.50/- each.

Three books were selected for purchase only, 2000 copies of each of these 18 books were purchased by the Government of India for dis- tribution to schools and libraries in the regions covered by the various languages.

Another competition was announced by the Government of India on 15th January, 1955, for selection from books published during 1954-55. Books were accepted till 30th September, 1955. The results have now been finalised and 23 books have been selected for the award of prizes Rs. 500/- each and purchase of 2000 copies of each.

The third competition in children's books is expected to be announced shortly.

(E) National Book Trust

The Government of India have decided to set up a National Book Trust (Resolution attached) to encourage the publication of good books at low prices by Indian publishers for distribution to a wider audience, including libraries, educational institutions, social welfare centres and industrial areas. The Trust will be an autonomous body and will encourage expansion in the production of books of quality in all Indian languages. The main object of the Trust will be to help these languages to become adequate and satisfactory vehicles of modern knowledge and thought and also assist in the cultural integration of India.

Since the Trust of the type envisaged cannot be effective unless a fairly long-term programme is drawn up, it is proposed to spread the scheme over the entire period of Second Five-Year Plan. The cabinet have already approved the Scheme in principle and consitution for the 'Trust has been finalised and notified. A resolution has been published in the Gazette of India. A copy of the Resolution is attached.

Composition of Trust: