 PROCEEDINGS OF THE TWENTY FIRST
 MEETING

The Central Advisory Board of Education held its Twentyfirst Meeting at New Delhi on the 7th, 8th and 9th February, 1954. The Standing Committees of the Board met on the 6th February, 1954. The following were present:

Chairman

1. Prof. N. K. Sidhanta

Ex-officio

2. Prof. Humayun Kabir, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Education.

Nominated by the Government of India

3. Smt. Hansa Mehta

4. Dr. K. L. Shrimali

5. Smt. Hannah Sen

6. Smt. Zarina Currimbhoy.

7. Major General E. Habibullah

8. Shri E. W. Aryanayakam

9. Shri Justice Teja Singh

10. Shri J. A. K. Martyn

11. Dr. J. C. Ghosh

Elected by the Parliament of India

12. Smt. Mona Hensman, M.P.

13. Shri Ram Chandra Gupta, M.P.

14. Shri Venkatesh Narain Tiwari, M.P.

Nominated by the Inter-University Board

15. Dr. B. L. Manjunath

Nominated by the All India Council for Technical Education

16. Dr. S. P. Sen Gupta

Nominated by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research

17. Dr. B. P. Pal

Representatives of States

PART 'A'

Andhra

1. Shri S. B. Pattabhirama Rao-Minister

2. Shri S. Govindarajulu Naidu-D.P.I.

Assam

3. Shri Omeo Kumar Das-Minister

4. Shri D. Goswami-D.P.I.

Bihar

5. Shri J. C. Mathur-Secretary

6. Shri K. P. Sinha-D.P.I.

Bombay

7. Shri D. C. Pavate-D.P.I.

8. Shri Taraporevala-Director, Technical Education

Madhya Pradesh

9. Shri P. K. Deshmukh-Minister

10. Shri R. P. Naik-Secretary

Dr. M. S. Modak-D.P.I.

Madras

11. Shri C. Subramaniam-Minister

12. Shri G. Rama Chandran-Educational Adviser

13. Smt. O. C. Srinivasan-D.P.I.

Punjab

14. Dr. Trilochan Singh-Secretary

Uttar Pradesh

15. Shri B. N. Jha-D.E.

16. Shri S. R. Singh-Secretary

West Bengal

17. Dr. D. M. Sen-Secretary

18. Dr. P. Roy-D.P.L

19. Shri A. K. Chanda-President, Secondary Education Board

(Observer by special invitation)

PART 'B'

Hyderabad

20. Shri Gopalrao Ekbote-Minister

21. Shri P. Sethu Madhav Rao-D.P.I.

Jammu and Kashmir

22. Shri A. Kazmi-D.E.

Madhya Bharat

23. Shri Narsingh Rao Dixit-Minister

24. Dr. Bool Chand-Secretary

25. Shri S. N. Chaturvedi-D.E.

Mysore

26. Shri A. G. Ramachandra Rao-Minister

Pepsu

27. Shri B. R. Tandan-Joint Adviser

28. Shri C. L. Kapur-D.P.I.

Rajasthan

29. Shri Bhola Nath-Minister

30. Shri Jagan Nath Purohit-Secretary

31. Shri K. Gajraj Singh-D.E.

Saurashtra

32. Shri J. K. Modi-Minister

33. Shri D. L. Sharma-D.E.

Travancore-Cochin

34. Shri Sundararaja Naidu-D.P.I.

PART 'C'

Ajmer

35. Shri Brij Mohan Lal Sharma-Minister

36. Shri V. N. Bhatia-D.S.

37. Shri V. V. John-D.E.

Bhopal

38. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma-Minister

39. Shri Abdul Alim-Secretary.

40. Shri D. L Lal-D.E.

Delhi

41. Kumari Shanta Vasisht-Dy. Minister

42. Dr. A. N. Banerjee-D.E.

Himachal Pradesh

43. Pt. Padam Dev-Minister

44. Shri M. L. Saraswati-Dy. D.E.

Kutch

45. Shri J. G. Vaidya-Education Adviser Manipur

46. Shri Dwijamani Dev Sharma-Education Adviser

Tripura

47. Dr. J. C. Das Gupta-D.E.

Vindhya Pradesh

48. Dr. A. P. Mathur-D.E.

Secretary

Shri K. G. Saiyidain, Joint Educational Adviser to the Government of India.

The following members were unable to attend:

1. Dr. Zakir Husain

2. Dr. S. S. Bhatnagar

3. Smt. Ammu Swaminathan

4. Dr. Meghnad Saha, M.P.

5. Dr. Amarnath Jha

6. Shri T. Madiah Gowda, M.P.

7. Shri Frank Anthony, M.P.

8. Dr. A. L. Mudaliar

9. Dr. H. J. Bhabha

The following attended the meeting as Observers:

1. Dr. M. M. Das, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Educa- tion.

2. Shri A. N. Basu

3. Dr. J. D. N. Versluys

4. Dr. (Kumari) Shakuntala Nihalchand

5. Shri A. Ghosh

6. Shri D. R. Kalia

7. Dr. B. A. Saletore

8. Shri D. P. Nayyar

9. Shri S. N. Saraf

10. Shri D. K. Ghosh

11. Col. Virendra Singh

2. Prof. Humayun Kabir, Secretary, Ministry of Education, conveyed to the Board the great regret of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Minister for Education, at his inability to attend the meeting. At his suggestion, the Board elected Prof, N. K. Sidhanta to preside over the meetings of the session.

3. The Inaugural Address of the Chairman of the Board was read by Prof. Humayun Kabir as below:

FRIENDS

I expressed my regret at the last meeting that the Central Advisory Board of Education could not hold its annual session till November but this has also had one advantage, that we are meeting within three months to consider measures for the reconstruction of education in India. In the last meeting of the Board I drew your attention to some of our most important and pressing problems. What I would like the Board to do at the present meeting is to draw up a programme of reform and suggest measures which will bring them into effect without delay.

2. I think you will agree that reform has become urgent in 'two spheres of education in India. The first is the field of university education and the other of school education. So far as the reform of university education is concerned, we will have to depend mainly on the activities of the University Grants Commission which, as you know, has been functioning since December last. The Commission will be the agency through which we propose to carry out all our programmes of university reform. It consists of well known and experienced educationists and is fully aware both of the problems universities have to face and of its own responsibility in "he matter. I am glad that the Commission has at its very inception, started its work with 'despatch and taken one decision which I consider to be of basic importance.

3. You will agree that there can be no adequate improvement of university education till there are better qualified and satisfied professors. Till university teachers are recognised for their standard of scholarship and character, they cannot offer to the students the leadership which we expect from them. No real improvement of university education is possible nor can universities give 'What we expect from them till this condition is satisfied. The Commission has, therefore, taken up as its very first task the question of improving the conditions of service of university teachers, and I have accepted its recommendations in this behalf.

4. In the last meeting of the Board it was pointed out that though the Board had accepted generally the recommendations of the University Education Commission nearly four years ago, hardly any steps had been taken for their implementation except in the case of the Central Universities. The Board, therefore, decided to appoint a Committee to survey the position and suggest measures for speedy implementation of these recommendations. This Committee has submitted its report which will be one of the items for your discussion. Briefly, the Committee has recommended that immediate steps must be taken to amend various University Acts in order to reconstitute University Senates, Syndicates and Academic Councils so as to free them from intrigues and political influence. The Committee has, in this connection, placed the greatest emphasis on the method of appointment of the Vice-Chancellor and suggested that immediate steps be taken to adopt a procedure more or less in conformity with that followed by the Delhi University. The Committee has also recommended (a) improvement in the scales of salaries of university teachers, (b) the provision of Government loans to enable" universities to build students' hostels and teachers quarters, (c) a greater emphasis on tutorial, as opposed to the lecture, method of instruction, and (d) the provision of merit scholarships to enable poor but deserving students to pursue their studies. After the Board has considered the report and made its recommendations, they will be forwarded to the University Grants Commission for necessary action.

5. The reform of university education is important and urgent, but from the point of view of the present needs of the country, reform of school education is even more important and urgent. Till schools have been improved, university education itself must remain unsatisfactory. Of the various stages of school education, the one which is in most urgent need of reform is that of secondary education. You will remember that the Secondary Education Commission has already surveyed this field, and you have appointed a Committee to study its recommendations and select those which ought to be put into effect immediately. The Committee has submitted its report, and it is for you to approve it with such modifications as you may consider necessary. Since the Board is the highest educational body in the country and includes among its members representatives of both the Central and the State Governments, I am confident that any recommendations you may make will be implemented without delay. In so far as it concerns the Government of India, I can assure you that we will take immediate steps for their implementation.

6. As I told you at the last meeting of the Board, secondary education cannot meet the needs of the country till it is reorganised. In this connection, three things appear to me to be of great importance.

(i) Secondary education must be so fashioned that it will be the completion of education for the majority of the people. It must not be a mere entrance to the univer- sity but be a stage complete in itself.

(ii) Its pattern and content should be such that it may serve the needs of different groups of people with different aptitudes. It must not be cast in a rigid and cast-iron frame.

(iii) We have accepted basic education as the pattern of education at the elementary level. Secondary education should be so modelled as to complete the process of instruction initiated at the elementary stage and train up citizens who are able to discharge their responsibilities of citizenship. The emphasis on some one craft in the Secondary Education Commission's report appears to me to be valuable from this point of view.

I am glad that the Secondary Education Commission has paid due attention to these points and they have been stressed by the Committee you appointed. I am sure that you will also consider them with the care that they deserve.

7. One of the major recommendations of the Committee you appointed is that the educational structure in the country should eventually consist of 8 years' integrated Elementary (Basic) Edu- cation, 4 years of Secondary Education and 3 years of University Education. This will mean that normally a child will be in the Basic (Junior and Senior) school till he is fourteen, and will then have four years of high school followed by a three years' course at the university leading to the Bachelor's degree. The Committee has drawn special attention to the Commission's recommendation that languages, General Science, Social Studies and a craft should form the core- subjects of secondary education for all. In addition, the Committee has given the highest priority to the introduction of Diversified Courses. in the following main groups: -

(1) Humanities

(2) Sciences.

(3) Technical Subjects.

(4) Commercial Subjects.

(5) Agricultural Subjects.

(6) Fine Arts.

(7) Home Sciences.

The Committee has also reported that' there should be one examination at the end of the Secondary Course. Creater emphasis should, however, be placed on periodical tests and the regular progress report of students in the curricular and co-curricular activities.

Training Colleges should not charge any tuition fees and teachers under training should be given their full salaries or stipends that will meet their expenses. Finally, the Committee has reiterated the Commission's recommendation that the Higher Secondary Examination should be made the normal qualification for most Government services.

8. If we accept, as I hope you will, these recommendations, we must try to fix some targets, for without such targets our programmes of reform are bound to remain vague and indefinite. The Committee has reported that about 5 % of the existing secondary schools should be converted into multi-purpose schools in the course of the next two years and another 10 % in the next five years. To me it appears that this programme of reform is slow and must be accelerated.

9. I agree that in any measure of educational reform, progress is bound to be slow in the beginning. The pace must, however, steadily quickened and in the later stages we must achieve really rapid progress. I consider that the first task in the context is to define a target date for the complete reorganisation of secondary education. My own idea is that this task must be accomplished within ten years. I confess that even ten years appear to me too long and would be happy if the period could be still shortened. I hope the Board will consider the question carefully and saggest measures which may contribute to this end.

10. Once this general target has been set, we have to consider specific items. I have already said that I consider the target set by the Committee regarding the conversion of existing schools into multi- purpose ones to be slow. I am of the view that at least 25 % of the existing schools must be so converted as early as possible. The Board may consider the suggestion and define the period in which this should be done.

11. The Committee has drawn our attention to the difficulty of transforming existing schools to the new pattern, and rightly pointed out that it is bound to take time. This may be true in some respects, but there are some changes like those in the curriculum and reform in examinations, where the process of reform can begin without delay. Our programme, therefore, ought to be that during the next two years programmes for reconstruction of curricula and reform in examinations should be carried out on as wide a range a possible.

12. I would now like to draw your attention to another problem of the greatest importance to the future of our education. This is the problem of students' unrest. Since the attainment of independ- ence, there has been a marked deterioration in order and discipline among students. In the last two years, there has been one incident after another in which students have been involved. This has become a cause of national concern, and every one who has any sense of responsibility is troubled by these developments.

13. What worries me most is that the extent and magnitude of students' unrest is very often without any relation whatever to its supposed cause. In recent months we have witnessed ugly developments in Lucknow and Allahabad. The trouble arose out of a question as to whether membership of the University Union should be compulsory or voluntary. The University authorities were of the view that students should not be compelled to become members of the University Union. The students held the opposite view. The authorities at Lucknow later accepted the demand of the students, but there arose a new question about the constitution of the Union. I do not wish to enter here into the controversy as to the merits of the question. What grieves and surprises me is that there should be such turmoil over the question of the constitution of a students' union. It suddenly appeared as if it was not a matter between the authorities and students of a University but a conflict between two enemies who were ready to fight against one another on the slightest provocation. The students set up an Action Committee which drew up a programme of struggle. Procedures which belong to 'belligerents were thus imported into university affairs. What happened later is well known to you and cannot but be a cause of the greatest sorrow to everyone who has the welfare of the country at heart.

14. This issue of students' unrest has now reached a stage where the Board must pay the greatest attention to it, explore its causes and suggest measures of remedy. While these events were happening in Lucknow, I called a Conference which was attended by some eminent educationists and the Prime Minister. We considered the issue as carefully as we could, and the conclusion which we reached was later placed before the Congress Working Committee, which has passed a well- considered resolution in the matter. You are, no doubt, aware of this resolution but I want the Board to give further thought to it and consider it more in its educational implications. A note on the subject has been prepared by Mr. Humayun Kabir which is down for discussion in your agenda. I want you to consider this note in its different aspects and advise Governments at the Centre and the States on the steps which must be taken if we are to check growing indiscipline and unrest among our students. Unless this is done in time, it will threaten the foundations of our educational structure.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE TWENTY FIRST MEETING

FRIENDS