APPENDIX F : PROGRESS MADE IN SECURING THE CO-OPERATION OF UNIVERSITIES AND BOARDS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION IN INTRODUCING THE NEW PATTERN OF SECONDARY AND UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.
At its last meeting held in January, 1955 the Board inter-alia recommended that:-
(a) The first Degree Course should be of three years and 17 plus should be the minimum age for entry into universities.
(b) The end of the secondary Education at 17 plus should mark a terminal stage in education and prepare students for life. It should also be of a standard which would enable them to participate with profit in a three year Degree Course.
The recommendations of the Central Advisory Board of Education were duly brought to the notice of the Universities who had also been informed earlier about a similar resolution adopted at the Conference of Vice-Chancellors and Chairmen of Boards of Secondary Education held in January, 1955. The Inter-University, Board also discussed the matter at its last meeting held at Patna and passed a resolution to the effect that Universities should accept the new pattern as quickly as possible.
The Government of India feel concerned, however, that the Universities and Boards of Secondary Education have not acted as promptly in the matter as they were expected to. It is gathered that so far only the Madras, Annamalai Travancore-Cochin, Vishwa Bharati, Aligarh, Banaras, Andhra, Sagar Nagpur Universities have agreed to the proposal in principle. With regard to the Boards the information is equally disappointing for none excepting Ajmer and West Bengal have taken a decision in favour of the new pattern of Secondary education. Delay in the acceptance of pattern by the remaining Universities and Boards is creating all manner of difficulties. The State Governments have accepted the new pattern with regard to both the Secondary stage as well as the University stage, but as all the authorities have not yet decided in favour of the -proposals, the implementation of the Schemes initiated by the Government of India under the first Five-Year Plan has been considerably held up. It is feared that if the authorities concerned do not act promptly in the matter, the change- over may not be completed by the end of the Second Five-Year Plan as was originally envisaged.
The Board may like to suggest measures for introducing the new educational pattern as expeditiously as possible.
In this connexion it is stated that we have recently forwarded the following Draft Resolution to the Inter-University Board for its next meeting to be held at Aligarh.
"Resolved that the Universities in India should take immediate steps to ensure that the change-over to the new pattern of educational re-organisation
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i.e. a Higher Secondary school course continued up to the age of 17 to be followed by a three year integrated courses leading to a Bachelor's Degree is completed by 1961 at the latest. A practical programme for phasing the transition over the period 1956-61 is already available in para 3 on page 29 of the proceedings of the 30th Annual Meeting of the Board."