APPENDIX D : REPORT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION ON BASIC EDUCATION.
In January, 1955, the Government of India set up a special committee on Basic Education as Standing Committee of the Central as well as the State Governments on matters pertaining to Basic Education. The functions of the Committee are as under.
1. To advise the Ministry in the planning of the policy for the development of Basic Education.
2. To examine the work done in this field by the Centre and State Governments and to suggest ways and means for promoting further development.
3. To examine the problems of Basic Education with special reference to the following points
(a) Development of correlated techniques of teaching.
(b) The productive aspeet.
(c) Preparation of suitable materials and aids.
(d) Integration of Basic with Secondary and University Education.
(e) Impact of Basic Education on the life of Community.
(f) Any other issues connected with Basic Education.
4. A list of the members of this committee is givenbelow (Appendix I).
The above committee has met three times so far, on the 5th March, 1955, 7th and 8th June, 1955 and 21 st October, 1955. A copy of the minutes of these meetings are attached at (Appendix II).
Appendix I
MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE CENTRAL
ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR BASIC EDUCATION 1. Dr. Zakir Husain, Vice-Chancellor, Aligarh University, Aligarh.
2. Shri E. W. Aryanayakam, Secretary, Hindustani Talimi Sangh, Wardha.
3. Shri T. S. Avinashalingam Chettiar, M. P.
4. Shri Acharyya Badrinath Varma, Education Minister, Bihar.
5. Shri J. K. Modi, Education Minister, Saurasthra.
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6. Shri Shriman Narain, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee, Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi.
7. Shri G. Ramachandran, Director, Gandhigram, Madurai Distt., South India.
8. Shri A. N. Basu, Principal, Central Institute of Education, 33 Probyn Road, Delhi.
9. Miss S. Panandikar, Principal, S. T. College, Bombay.
10. Mrs. P. Johri, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, New Delhi.
11. Kaka Saheb Kalelkar, Chairman Backward Classes Commission, New Delhi.
18. Shri P. D. Shukla, Deputy Educational Adviser, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
APPENDIX II Minutes of the joint meeting of the Standing Committee of the C.A.B.E. for Basic Education and the Assesment Committee for Basic Education held on 5th March, 1955.
A joint meeting of the Standing Committee of the Central Advisory Board of Education for Basic Education and. the Assessment Committee for Basic Education-the latter appointed by the Central Ministry of Education in pursuance of the recommendation- of the Planning Commission as contained in para 5 of the minutes of their meeting held on 7th December, 1954-was held at 11 A. M. on Saturday, the 5th March, 1955, in room No. 45 (`M' Block), Central Secretarial, New Delhi.
The following were present:
1. Shri Humayun Kabir
2. Dr. P. D. Shukla
3. Dr. R. K. Bhan from the Ministry of Education.
4. Shri Sohan Singh
5. Shri Jagdish Singh
6. Shri S. N. Agarwal
7. Shri A. N. Basu
8. Shri E. W. Aryanayakam from the Standing
9. Shri T. S. Avinashalingam Chettiar Committee.
10. Shri J. K. Modi
11. Shri G. Ramachandran (also a
member of the Assessment Committee.
12. Shri Saeed Ansari
13. Shri G. Ramachandran (also a
member of the Standing from the Assessment
Committee Committee.
14. Shri R. S. Upadhya J
15. Shri K. L. Nanjabya from the Ministry of Commerce
16. Shri D. P. Nayar from the Planning Commission
2. Shri Humayun Kabir thanked the members of the Committees for assembling at a short notice. It was, however, necessary that the preliminary work of the Assessment Committee should be gone through as early as possible to enable it to take up its main task.
3. The meeting decided that like the Standing Committee, the Assessment Committee should also elect its own chairman foe its meeting. Shri S. N. Agarwal was elected chairman of the present meeting.
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4. Shri K. K. Mody suggested that Shri Nannabhoy Bhatt and Shri Kaka Kalelkar may be nominated to fill the two vacancies on the Standing Committee.
5. On the request of Shri T. S. Avinashalingam the paper containing the functions of the Standing Committee was circulated to the Members.
6. Before taking up the agenda, the meeting permitted itself a general discussion on the problems and difficulties of Basic Education in its present context. Two points stood out: Firstly, it was agreed that the Ministry of Education should prepare a note on the position which the Central Advisary Board of Education has taken vis-a-vis the Basic pattern of education in the three fields of Elementary, Secondary and University Education. Copies of the note will be sent to the Education Secretaries of the various State Governments and also to all the members of the Standing Committee on Basic Education. Secondly, it was decided to recommend to the State Governments to accept as a firm policy that in future no teacher or inspector of schools will be appointed for any work connected with the elementary stage of education, unless he has undergone a regular course in Basic Education.
7. The meeting then settled down to the consideration of the four items of the agenda.
(A) With regards to item No. 1-Establishment of a National Centre of Research in Basic Education-the meeting observed that the Centre' should be properly named the National Institute of Basic Education. The institute would carry on research closely linked to actual problems in the field of Basic ducation. In order to introduce findings of research in field work in Basic Education, it will be necessary for the institute to undertake training of Basic education workers, i.e., teachers, administrators and inspectors. Further, the institute should link its work closely with schools in a compact area around it and shoulder the responsibility of making all the-Elementary schools in the area conform to the Basic 'pattern in its best form. The institute shall organise its work and community living in such a manner that it diffuses an atmosphere of Basic Education.
In the course of discussion on the item, the members suggested the following problems which the institute may take up :-
(a) Research into suitable crafts for Basic schools in urban areas. it was observed that so, far Basic Education had nested itself only in the rural areas and it was felt that an inferior type of education was being sponsored for the villages. In order to remove any cause for such misapprehension, it was necessary to promote Basic Education in the cities after finding suitable urban crafts.
(b) Finding out crafts which were being practised in specific areas and which could be taken up as Basic craft for schools in these areas. For example, fishing and coir-making were mentioned in some areas in the south.
(c) Finding, out the optimum time which may be allowed in the curriculum to various crafts.
(d) Research into factors involved in re-constituting schools on the Basic pattern.
The meeting recommended that though the National Institute of Basic Education will obviously receive special consideration of the Government, the latter should encourage research into Basic Education in other recognised centres as well. This would be advantageous, because certain areas are more favoured for research in specific problems, such as the problems relating to local crafts, etc.
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The following modifications were suggested in the para of the memorandum to the agenda relating to item No. 1:-
(a) After "(iv) Production of literature for children and teachers" and "including guide books for teachers."
(b) In the next para, the last four works-"Central and State Governments" should be substituted by "various Governments and institutions."
It was observed that as far as possible, the instructors at the Centre should have knowledge of the techniques of different crafts.
(B) Regarding Item No. 2-Finalization of the terms of reference of the Assessment Committee-the meeting approved the terms of reference as given in Appendix I to the memorandum on the agenda, with the following additions and alternations :-
(i) Clause I may be modified to read--"to examine the concept and curriculum of Basic Education."
(ii) And the following terms of references :--
"To evaluate the scholastic and other attainments of students passing out of Basic schools and compare them with corresponding attainments of pupils passing out of other Elementary schools."
The meeting observed that Members were welcome to send any further suggestions for inclusion in the terms of reference of the Committee.
It was desired that the Assessment Committee should submit its final report before the present year 1955.
(C) In considering item No. 3--Aspects of Basic Education which could be introduced in non-Basic schools-the meeting appointed the following sub-committee to draw up a list of activities which could be introduced in non-Basic schools.
(i) Shri E. W. Aryanayakam
(ii) Shri T. S. Avinashalingam Chettiar ; and
(iii) Dr. P. D. Shukla (Convener)
The recommendations of the sub-committee should be finalized in consultation with the Chairman (Shri S. N. Agarwal) and submitted to the Ministry in about a fortnight's time. The recommendations will then be discussed in the meeting of the Education Secretaries scheduled for 6th and 7th April, 1955.
Apart from their general recommendations, the sub-committee was asked to give a distinct consideration to activities which could be introduced in urban schools.
The meeting also offered the following suggestions regarding activities which could be introduced in non-Basic schools for the consideration of the sub-committee-Kitchen-gardening, personal and environmental cleanliness (including making of the tools used in such work), educational tours, schoolmeals, community life and physical culture.
It was suggested that teachers' camps of about a month's duration could be held to impart to the teachers a few useful Basic educational skills and techniques which could be easily passed on by them to their pupils.
The meeting recommended that the State Governments should ask the inspecting staff to note particularly the introduction of the recommended Basic educational activities in non-Basic schools and also to note at every visit the progress a school might have made in the matter since his last visit.'
The Standing Committee expressed great concern over the question of nutrition of school-children and resolved as follows:-
"This meeting of the Standing Committee draws the attention of State Governments to the Central Advisary Board of Education
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Resolution passed at their 21st meeting held in January, 1954, and regrets to note that income from the work of pupils and teachers in the Basic schools continues to be credited to Government funds. It reiterates that such income should not be credited to Government funds and instead should be utilized in providing mid-day meals for the pupils and if any surplus is left after that, it' should be used to provide khadi uniforms to the pupils. Proper accounts must always be kept of such transactions."
The Committee further resolved that in non-Basic schools also, every effort should be made to provide meals and uniforms by similarly introducing productive work by pupils.
(D) Regarding Item No. 4:- Admission of post-Basic students into Universities and institutions of corresponding standard-the meeting set up the following sub-committee to go into question by analysing the various aspects of achievement of Basic and non-Basic students and thereby convince the Universities that the achievements of post-Basic students were entirely comparable to those of the students from ordinary schools :--
(i) Shri T. S. Avinashalingam Chettiar;
(ii) Shri E. W. Aryanayakam;
(iii) Shri J. K. Mody; and
(iv) Shri A. N. Basu (Convener).
MINUTES OF THE EMERGENT MEETING OF THE STANDING
COMMITTEE OF THE C.A.B.E. ON BASIC EDUCATION
HELD ON THE 7TH AND 8TH JUNE, 1955 An emergency meeting of the Standing Committee was held on the 7th and 8th June, 1955. The following were present:-
1. Acharya Badrinath Verma,
Education Minister, Bihar.
2. Shri J. K. Modi, Education
Minister, Saurashtra.
3. Shri Shriman Narayan.
4. Shri T. S. Avinashalingam. From the Standing
5. Shri Kakasaheb Kalelkar. Committee
6. Shri G. Ramachandran.
7. Miss S. Panandikar.
8. Mrs. P. Johri.
9. Shri G. L. Nanda, Union
Minister for Planning.
10. Dr. J. C. Ghosh, Member, From the Planning
Planning Commission. Commission
11. Shri D. P. Nayyar.
12. Shri Humayun Kabir.
13. Shri K. G. Saiyidain.
14. Shri Nauhria Ram. From the Ministry of
15. Shri Sohan Singh. Education.
16. Shri J. C. Bose.
2. Shri Shriman Narayan took the chair.
3. Welcoming the members Prof. Humayun Kabir said that as a result of what has come to be known as the Avadi resolution, Basic education has Been accepted as the future pattern of Primary education in India. The Ministry has already formulated a programme to convert all Primary schools into Basic schools, by the end of the third Five- Year Plan. The goal set, however, calls for clear thinking on some of the problems facing Basic education. He mentioned five points on which he asked the Committee to give their advice.
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The first three of these noted below were fundamental, while the other two may be considered as subsidiary:
(i) What are the criteria for Basic Schools ?
(ii) What steps should be taken to ensure an adequate supply of Basic trained teachers and to attract the right type of persons to this field ?
(iii) What would be a feasible programme for the expansion of Basic Education in the country ?
(iv) Measures for the co-ordination of Basic with Secondary Education, and
(v) The disposal of articles produced by the students of Basic Schools.
4. Regarding (i) above, while discussing the criteria and concept of Basic education, the Committee considered a note on the subject prepared by Shri K. G. Saiyidain. After the members had expressed their views on the subject, Shri K. G. Saiyidain was requested to revise the draft in the light of these views expressed and to finalise it in consultation with the chairman. This is attached as appendix A.
5. Regarding (ii) and (iii) in para 3 above, the Committee considered the schemes relating to Basic Education for the Second Five-Year Plan proposed by the Ministry of Education for consideration of the Planning Commission and generally endorsed the targets laid down. The following recommendations were made in this connection :-
(i) The Intensive Basic Education Scheme, need not be limited to National Extension Service Blocks only, but should be implemented in other areas also where favourable conditions exist.
(ii) The Committee endorsed the view of the Ministry that an improvement in the status and emoluments of teachers is inescapeable if Basic Education is to produce the desired results. It approved the minimum basic pay proposed by the Ministry, and expressed the view that the actual scales of pay and the rates of dearness allowance should be decided by each State Government according to local conditions.
(iii) Wherever the qualification of a teacher was mentioned as "Matriculation", it should be modified as "Post-Basic or Matriculation or its equivalent."
(iv) The Committee emphasised the necessity of accelerating the rate of progress during the third Five-Year Plan so that by the end of 1966, so far as possible, all schools for children of the age group six to 14 years may become Basic.
(v) The Committee recommended that the Governments should explore all the possibilities for securing local voluntary contribution for land; building and equipment for educational institutions. It was of the view that as far as possible locally available materials should be used for the buildings.