APPENDIX A (g) : REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUDIO-VISUAL EDUCATION IN INDIA DURING THE YEAR 1954-55.
THE CENTRE
1. The National Board for Audio-Visual Education The Board was reconstituted providing greater representation to Central Ministries, State Governments, importers and producers of the Audiovisual aids in the country. The second meeting of the Board was held on
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May 17 and 18, 1955 under the chairmanship of Shri K. G. Saiyidain and was attended by 19 members. The Board inter-alia made recommendations for the development of Audio-Visual education, particularly in regard to the drawing up suitable schemes for the Second Five-Year Plan.
2. Second Five-Year Plan Plans for the development of Audio-Visual Education in the second Five-Year Plan have been prepared. The following schemes are expected to be implemented by the Centre during the period.
1. Publication of a periodical on Audio-Visual education to serve as a clearing house of the Audio-Visual educational activities in the' country, publicise and evaluate audio-visual material in the country, passing information on how simple aids could be made by teachers and students and report on significant experiments in the field in India and abroad.
2. Production of filmstrips and gramophone records in cooperation with the Ministry of I & B.
3. Evalution of audio-visual aids in education in cooperation with some select schools.
The following schemes have been proposed for implementation in co-operation with the State Governments:-
1. Establishment of Audio-Visual Sections on State-wise basis.
2. Organisation of training courses for audio- visual personnel at various levels.
3. Establishment of State Audio-Visual Boards.
4. Establishment of Audio-Visual aids libraries, on State-wise basic.
5. Supply of film equipment to District Libraries.
6. Introduction of Audio-Visual Education in Teachers' Training Institutes.
7. Supply of Radio sets to High/Higher Secondary Schools in India.
8. Establishment of- Workshop for the production of nonprojected visual aids at Teachers' Training Institutes.
3. Indo-Australian Seminar A three weeks' Indo-Australian Seminar for the Training of Audio- Visual Experts under the T. C. Scheme of Colombo Plan has been organi- sed at Lucknow since' November 1, 1955. Forty three candidates are participating in the Seminar, 25 of whom were sponsored by the Government of Australia from Thailand, North Borneo, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaya, Loas, Burma, Singapore, Pakistan and Ceylon. Mr. Newman H. Rosenthal, Director, Visual Education Department, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, acted as the Director of the Seminar.
4. Assistance to State Seminars A sum of Rs. 1,000/-has been sanctioned as a Central Contribution to the Punjab State for organising an Audio-Visual seminar in Government Training College, Jullundur.
A sum of Rs. 5,465/- has been approved as a Central contribution to the Travancore-Cochin State for organising a seminar on Audio- Visual education of one month's duration at one of the training colleges in their State. The total number of participants will be 50 out of whom 40 will be from that State Government and 10 from other State Governments.
Plans for holding three seminars on different aspects of Audio- Visual education submitted by the Government of Bihar, have been approved.
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5. Unit for the Production of Simple Visual Aids A unit for the production of sample charts and simple, visual aids has been established in the Ministry. This unit will also conduct research in the methods and evaluation of meterial produced. An illustrated brochure entitled Tips for Teachers has been prepared by the Unit and its copies will be distributed to educational institutions in the country.
6. Production and Distribution of Films Two films entitled Nutrition and The Ripening seeds produced by the Ministry of I & B, under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, have been released.
A film on Basic education entitled. Education for Life produced by T.C,M. in cooperation with this Ministry has been completed and its prints were distributed to State Governments and Social Education Organisers' Centres. Scripts for the film on Adult Literacy and Secondary Education to be produced by the T. C. M. in cooperation with the Ministry have been approved and the films are under production. The materials for the nine film-strips have also been approved for production by T. C. M. 495 educational films were presented to the Central Film Library by T. C. M. in India.
7. Censorship and Educational Films It has been decided in consultation with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that censorship fees in case of films declared as Predominantly Educational will be Rs. 5/- per 400 ft. in 16mm or 1000 ft. in 35mm irrespective of length. Formerly, the censorship fees rose from Rs. 5/- to Rs. 40/per 400 ft. in 16mm or 1000 ft. in 35mm for films exceeding 800 ft. 16mm or 2000 ft. in 35mm. The Cinematograph Censorship Rules are being amended suitably by the Ministry of I. & B.
A Standing Committee has been set up in Bombay to censore educa- tional film imported into India. Mrs. Z. Currimbhoy will represent the views of the Ministry on the said Committee.
8. The Clearing House Function A select list of journals on audio-visual education has been circulated to the States with the request that the information may be brought to the notice of all educational institutions. Some of the editors of these journals have also agreed to our proposals to duplicate suitable articles apprearing in these journals, for circulation to educational institutions in the country. In this connection, about 1000 copies of each of the articles What Every Teacher Should Know About Projection from the magazine Teaching Tools, Los Angeles 38, California, and Class Museum by Mss. E. Lyons. a reprint from the February edition of the magazine Visual Education, were circulated to the State Governments and to the members of the Central Film Library.
9. The Central Film Library The Central Film Library continued to acquire and loan films, filmstrips and other audio-visual aids. It stocks 2239 films and 1236 filmstrips, The membership registered a marked increase during the year and rose from 526 to 730. The circulation of the films during the current year continued. The Library has in its collection some of the Children's Film Foundation films, Czechoslovak puppet films directed by Zeman and Trinka, children's films produced in Soviet Russia, some significant documentaries including Flaherty's Nanook of the North and Man of Aran and the Louisiana Story, Eisentie's Battleship Potemkin' and Time in the Sun, Gustav Ucicky's The Broken Jug, Lrentz's The River and The Cenquest of the Everest. It is proposed to acquire and preserve films produced in the past as examples of film technique, the
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growth and achievements of the art of the film as a social and historical record, to make such films available to students of the cinema in this country and to facilitate the exchange of such films and information concerning them, between India and other countries.
10. Other Activities Miss Marie Seton, an eminent lecturer associated with the British Film institute, London, arrived in India on October 16,1955, at the invitation of the Central Ministry of Education, on a' lecture tour for a period of two to three months. She visited all important places of educational and cultural interest and addressed groups interested in audio-visual education and the cinema.
The Mobile Cinema Van of the Ministry is at present working an experimental project of demonstrating to educational institutions in Delhi the 'Correct use of audio-visual aids in classroom teaching' and has visited over 120 institutions in this connection. The teachers of the schools are given facilities to view the films before they are screened in their classes.
The construction of the Audio-Visual wing in Indraprastha Estate has been started.
STATES
Andhra Two intensive courses for training 51 teachers in the handling and maintenance of audio-visual aids and equipment were organised one at Vijayawada and the other at Gudur. Thirty teachers were trained in the handling of projectors at the Central Film Library, Kurnool, and 1250 filmshows were given in local schools. At present, 130 schools are equipped with 16mm projectors, 65 with 35 mm filmstrips projectors and 350 schools with radio sets. 46 schools have set up their own film libraries.
The State Government has approved two models of 35 mm filmstrip projectors viz., 'Aldis' and 'Agfa', workable on batteries for use in rural schools. At present, 12 schools are equipped with battery- operated filmstrip projectors. Schools possessing film projectors have been permitted to go in for Tape-Recorders. At present 36 schools possess Tape Recorders.
Bihar During the year under review, 15 film clubs were opened at various places in the State. This brings the total number of film clubs to 90. The film libraray in the State possesses 90 films and circulate films to educational institutions and National Extension Service Blocks and Community Project areas. Thirty-three radios were supplied to educational institutions. This brings the total number of of radios suplied so far to 330. The rural areas were equipped with 15 magic lanterns and 900 slides This brings the total to 107 lanterns and 11,310 slides.
Four modamandalis and five Jatra parties and one Demonstration- Cum-Training Unit have been set up to go round the rural areas and give cultural and instructional performances in social education centres in the State.
The Centre for the production of Audio-Visual aids' at Patna has produced a few posters on illiteracy and one dozen puppets for the use of modamandalis.
Two meetings of the State Audio-Visual Board were held and various resolutions for the development of audio-visual education in the State were passed. A Sub-Committee has been set up for selecting the subjects for the production of posters and puppets.
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A three months course in puppetry was conducted at the Patna Senior Training School.
Bombay Short-term Training Courses were organised in training colleges at six places in order to meet the increasing demand for trained teachers in the field. The need of rural areas was specially kept in view during the courses and greater emphasis was laid on practical aspect of audio-visual education. Special mention may be made of the Centres at Avidha where a series of lectures and demonstrations on the possible use audio-visual aids were given at the District Headmaster' Seminar.
The Winter vacation course was conducted along the lines of AudioVisual Education Workshops in which material like charts, models, scrollboxes and flannelo graphs were produced by teachers under training.
The State Library contains 1700 films. A few schools were provided with classroom teaching material for conducting experiment in assessing the value of films in education. Such experiments are being taken up on larger scale under the Extension scheme at Training Colleges.
Special children's shows were arranged at various places and their reaction to selected films were studied. It is intended to carry on the experiment annually.
Views on Audio-Visual Education were exchanged with Miss Mary Field Secretary, Children's Film Foundation, U. K. and Mr. Takee Otgawa of Japan, Specimen information bulletins and wall-magazine illustrated articles were prepared and periodical information bulletins were issued.
Coorg A film library has been set up by pooling together films from different Departments. One High school has been equipped with a 16 mm projector. The film equipment of Education Department is being utilized for giving filmshows in rural areas.
Hyderabad The Government of Hyderabad have accepted the following recomm- endations made at the meeting of the producers and distributors of films in Hyderabad and Principals of High schools:-
1. Formation of a Central Film Library.
2. Levy of Audio-Visual education fees of Rs. 1/8/- per boy in High schools and Re. 1 /-per boy in the Middle schools.
3. Training of 20 teachers for handling the film outfit.
4. Consolidation of resources in regard to mobile vans in the Departments.
5. Inclusion of School Broadcasts as an integrated activity of schools having radio sets.
6. Appointment of a separate Special Committee for advising the Department on Audio-Visual education in the State.
The Local Government Department of the State has taken upon itself to buy one projector for each district which will be at the disposal of the Inspector of Schools of the district.
The Social Education Section has now 80 educational films and four projectors to form the nucleus of the Central Film Library. These projectors are available for the 150 Adult Literacy and Social Education Centres. The Janata College has prepared 60 charts and posters besides compiling folk songs.
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Madras The State Government has taken the entire responsibility of imparting Audio-Visual education through 16 mm films, 35 mm filmstrips etc. and steps are being taken to equip every Secondary and Training school in the State with audio-visual aids. During the year, 25 Schools were equipped with 16 mm projectors and 73 schools with 35 mm filmstrip projectors and 31 schools with radio sets. One hundred and sixty teachers were trained in the handling of projectors. 27,240 filmshows were arranged in educational institutions.
A list of approved projectors was circulated to all the educational institutions in the State and schools possessing film projectors were permitted to build up their. own film libraries by purchasing films and filmstrips from the list of film approved by the Department.
Madhya Pradesh Two Audio-Visual educational seminars have been arranged at Prantiya Shikshan Mahavidyalaya, Jabalpore and instructions have been given to teachers in Secondary schools in the mechanisms of projection and other Audio-Visual aids.
Eighteen Government Secondary Schools have been supplied with AudioVisual equipment worth Rs. 78,860/-.
Punjab The Audio-Visual education in the State has been centralised at the Government Training College, Jullundur, where a separate centre is functioning for the purpose. The Centre has organised the following activities:-
1. Production of 30 films (16mn) and maps, charts and models.
2. Experiments in porducing cheap projectors.
3. Organising of exhibitions, Books and Films Festivals, Educational Melas and Music Festivals.
4. Utilization of visual aids in the Social Education Centre at 'Chaughati' Village.
5. A film library of 100 films.
The State Government has set up an Audio-Visual Education Board consisting of 11 members.
The A. I. R., Jullundur has started a programme of school-boardcasts from January, 1955.
Pepsu Ten schools have been equipped with 16mm sound projectors and five with radio sets. All the, High schools have been instructed to purchase radio sets out of their union funds.
Saurashtra The Education Department purchased 21 educational films and orga- nised 12 shows in the State which were attended by a large number of students.
Travancore-Cochin There is a well-equipped Audio-Visual Education Unit under the State Adult Education Board. One more unit is being equipped. 138 filmshows were arranged during the year.
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Tripura Thirteen High schools, nine Middle schools and three Basic Training schools were equipped with a radio set and a gramophone each.
Filmshows were arranged in various schools.
Uttar Pradesh The production Unit of the State Audio-Visual Section produced six (35mm) films and one filmstrip. The work about the reduction of. 35mm films to 16mm films has also been taken up in the Section. Two officers of the Department were deputed to attend the Audio-Visual educational seminar organised by the Government of India in May- June, .1955. 411 filmshows were conducted by the distribution section of the Department in different schools and 296 in rural schools with the help of five Publicity Vans of the Department. 65 school fairs and melas were organised in the State during the year.