I will, in fact, go further and say that such unrest of the students strikes at the root of our national future. The student of today is the potential leader of tomorrow. He will have to sustain the social, political and economic activities of the community. If he is not properly trained and does not develop the necessary resources of character and knowledge, he cannot supply the leadership which the nation will need. We must therefore adopt measures which will eradicate the causes of student unrest and make the Universities creative centres of learning and leadership.
4. The Board then considered the Agenda (Annexure 'B'):
Item I.-The Chairman welcomed the new members of the Board, and expressed his appreciation of the services of those members who have since retired. (Annexure 'A').
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Item II.-It was reported that we proceedings of the 20th Meeting of the C.A.B.E., held at New Delhi in November 1953 were confirmed by the members.
Item III(a).-The Board recorded the report on the progress made in the field of Technical education.
Item III(b).-The Board recorded the report of the Government of India's Scheme of Scholarships to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward Classes and expressed its appreciation of the progress achieved.
Item III(c).-The Board recorded the Report on the work of Rehabilitation of Students and Teachers Displaced from West Pakistan and expressed the view that in the work of rehabilitation, greater emphasis should be placed on the rehabilitation of institutions and the provision of buildings and , equipment etc. where necessary; that this should be accomplished by grant of loans. The Board further resolved that, in order to assess the position correctly, the governments of the Punjab and Pepsu should make a joint survey of the number of institutions that remain to be rehabilitated and report to the Ministry of Education.
Item III(d).-The Board recorded the report of the Department of Anthropology.
Item IV.-The Board passed the following Resolution:
"The Central Advisory Board of Education has given careful consideration to the Modified Scheme of Elementary Edu- cation formulated by the Madras Government. It is of the opinion that the Scheme represents a welcome attempt to bring education within the reach of a large majority of children and thus help in the achievement of the constitutional directive about the provision of universal Primary Education. The Board is also satisfied that the reduction of school hours from five to three will not necessarily affect the education of children adversely, provided the out-of-school activi- ties which are an integral part of the education of children are implemented under controlled conditions. 'The Board also appreciates the attempt made in the Scheme for bringing education into closer contact with the life of the community and this gives it a practical bias which is at present lacking in ordinary Primary Schools.
"The Board would, however, like to point out that the arrangements made for the out-of-school activities of the children need to be carefully supervised on the lines suggested by the Parulekar Committee and their success critically assessed from time to time. Further, the Board would like to place on record its definite opinion that this Scheme is valuable as an interim measure only, because, sufficient funds are not at present available for providing education to all the children and that the proper pattern of education for the country is Basic Education which would offer full- time co-related- education to children in which teaching of craft as well as of other school subjects will be provided
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under proper educative conditions in the school itself, which will serve as a community centre where the school and the community are brought into an organic relation- ship.
"The Board would also recommend that other States may conduct similar experiments under controlled conditions. (The Madras Government have since intimated their decision to discontinue their modified scheme of Elementary Education)."
Item V.-The Board passed the following Resolution:
"The Board approves generally the Report of the Secondary Education Commission with the following specifications and endorses the priorities in the field of Secondary Education listed by the Implementation Committee in. their report. (Annexure 'D').
"The Board expresses the hope that the Government of India and the State Governments will adjust the Plan for the remaining two years of the present Plan, so as to make an adequate provision for the implementation of some of the urgent reforms in the field of Secondary Education, as recommended by the Implementation Committee, and will make suitable provision for the purpose in the Second Five Year Plan. The Board further hopes that the programme for the reconstruction of Secondary Schools as formulated by the Committee, will be treated as the minimum and that it may be possible, for at least some of the States, to accelerate the tempo, as envisaged by the President of the Board in his Inaugural Address."
Item VI.-The Board accepted generally the report of the Committee on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the University Education Commission and resolved that:
(a) Measures should be taken for the reconstruction of University Senates, Syndicates and Academic Councils generally in terms of the recommendations of the Radha- krishnan Commission;
(b) It may be left to the discretion of the State Governments to decide whether or not, the Head of the State should be an Ex-officio Chancellor of the University/Universities within their jurisdiction;
(c) The Vice-Chancellor should be appointed by the Chancel- lor out of a panel of names selected in accordance with the practice in vogue in the Delhi University;
(d) As an interim measure, that is, before Secondary Schools can be upgraded to provide the extra year's schooling having teachers with the necessary qualifications, the first year of the four years degree course (two years Intermediate and two years B.A.) should be replaced by one year Pre-University and three years Degree Course. The Pre-University Course should be designed to improve the students' general education and to give them such intensive training in English as will help them to follow lectures in it, so long as it is the medium of instruction in the University;
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(e) In teaching work, great emphasis should be placed on the tutorial classes so that the number of hours devoted to tutorial classes is at least the same as that devoted to lectures. A tutorial class should not have more than 10 students;
(f) The salary grades of teachers should be improved on the lines proposed in the Report;
(g) The Government should give interest-free loans for students' hostels and loans on a low rate of interest for teachers' quarters;
(h) Each University should offer at least 100 scholarships to be awarded each year, or scholarships equivalent to 1 per cent of its student strength-whichever is greater- for poor but meritorious students;
(i) Universities should appoint examiners from a permanent panel, with a fixed duration for the period of examiner- ship, more or less on the lines of the procedure followed in Madras and Baroda Universities;
(j) In order to attract better teachers, steps should be taken to provide suitable facilities for insurance, housing and children's education to teachers in Universities and Colleges;
(k) The Central and State Governments should give grants to Universities in the form of non-lapsable block grants which may be reviewed every five years.
Item VII.-The Board approved generally the note on Girls' edu- cation in rural areas prepared by the Secretary, Ministry of Educa- tion, and drew special attention to the following recommendations:
(a) In all rural schools, wherever possible, posts of school-mothers should be created and the school-teach- ers' wives (or other suitable women, if necessary) should be appointed to these posts on a remuneration of about Rs. 10 per month;
(b) Wherever possible, rent-free accommodation should be provided for teachers within the school precincts, and the expenditure on this should be treated as part of approved expenditure;
(c) The maximum age of recruitment for women teachers should be raised to 40-45. Special refresher courses should be provided, where necessary, for women who had finished their schooling more than five years before their appointment. These short-term courses should be considered as equivalent to regular courses for purposes of service in the schools;
(d) For the next five years the educational qualifications essential for women teachers should be suitably relaxed at the discretion of the Education Departments concerned, which should also take other suitable steps to attract more women teachers-e.g., provision of part- time work, reduced hours of work and suitable adjustment in the time-table of girls' schools/classes so as to enable married women to combine teaching work with household duties;
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(e) Girl students, who are willing to take up teaching as a profession after their schooling, should not be charged tuition fees in classes VII and VIII and should, in addition, be given, on as large a scale as possible, stipends in the higher classes and during the training course.
Item VIII(a).-The Board considered the note on Student Indis- cipline prepared by the Secretary, Education Ministry, and generally agreed with the analysis of the students' unrest made therein and approved the various suggestions contained in it. In particular, the Board recommended that:
(a) Special teachers' constituencies in State Legislatures should be abolished (Minister of Education, Mysore recorded his dissent to this);
(b) A survey should be made of the living conditions of students in metropolitan cities and the State Governments should prepare programmes for constructing school and college hostels in these areas in accordance with the needs revealed by the survey;
(c) The Central Government should give loans on easy terms to State Governments for improving facilities like hostels and playgrounds. The State Governments should similarly float loans for the purpose;
(d) It is essential that salary scales of teachers at all levels should be improved. In the case of university and college teachers, the scales recommended by the Committee on the implementation of the recommendations of the University Education Commission should be accepted as a first step, In respect of salaries of teachers in Secondary and Elementary schools, the matter should be considered in the light of the recommendations of the Implementation Committee as mentioned in Para 7 (a);
(e) the Government of India should take early steps to institute National Professorships at each University;
(f) Suitable facilities should be provided for teachers within the age range of 25 to 35 for higher specialised study abroad;
(g) Refresher courses and such amenities as holiday camps, convalescent homes and residential quarters etc., should be provided for teachers of all grades;
(h) Better amenities in schools and colleges should be provided by utilising student labour as much as possible, thereby helping poorer students to earn some money to maintain themselves during their student life;
(i) Students in Secondary Schools and Colleges should be given greater opportunities for participating in such cocurricular activities as the National Cadet Corps, Manual and Social Service and Scouting and Guiding.
Item VIII (b).-With the permission of the Chairman, Col. Viren- dra Singh of the Ministry of Defence explained to the Board the need for extending the facilities for Auxiliary Cadet Corps training at the University and College level. The Board expressed their sympathy with the institution of the Auxiliary Cadet Corps and requested the Ministry of Education to take an interest in the development of the Corps in consultation with the Ministry of Defence.
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Item IX.-The Director of Education, Bombay, and Shri Aryanayakam from Wardha extended their invitation to the Board to hold its next meeting at Bombay and Wardha respectively. The Board left it to the Chairman, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, to decide the venue and date of the next meeting of the Board.
5. Shri Humayun Kabir, Secretary, Ministry of Education, in- formed the House that Shri K. S. Vaidya, Speaker, Hyderabad Legis- lative Assembly had suggested to the Minister of Education that Gan- dhian philosophy and way of life should be included in the curricula of High School and University stages. The Minister for Education in- tended to place this important matter before the Central Advisory Board of Education. It was, however, considered that this should be done after some preliminary work had been done on it. The item would, therefore, be put on the agenda of the 22nd meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education.
ANNEXURE C
List of New Members 1. Dr. K. L. Shrimali
2. Dr. S. S. Bhatnagar
3. Dr. J. C. Ghosh
List of Out-Going Members 1. Professor M. S. Thacker
2. Dr. Mata Prasad
3. Shri K. Zachariah
ANNEXURE D
AGENDA I. To record appreciation of the services rendered by those who have ceased to be members since the last meeting of the Board and to welcome new members.
II. To report that the Proceedings of the Twentieth Meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education held at New Delhi in November, 1953 were confirmed by circulation to members.
III. To consider the following reports:
(a) Report on the progress made in the field of Technical
Education.
Appendix S(a).
(b) Report on the Government of India Scheme of Scholarships
to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other Backward
Classes.
Appendix S(b).
(c) Report on the work of Rehabilitation of Students and
Teachers Displaced from Pakistan.
Appendix S(c).
(d) Report on the work of the Department of Anthropology.
Appendix S(d).
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IV. The Modified Scheme of Elementary Education,
Madras.
Appendix T.
V. Report of the Secondary Education Commission
together with:
Appendix U.
(a) The report of the Committee on the implementation of the
recommendations of the Commission.
Annexure I.
(b) Views expressed by the Post-Basic and Secondary
Education discussion group of the Ninth All India Nai
Talim. Conference, Assam, 1953.
Annexure II.
(c) A note by the Director-General, Resettlement and Employ-
ment (Ministry of Labour), on diversion of young persons
at the pre-Matriculation and Matriculation stages from
clerical and white-collar jobs to other types of work.
Annexure III.
VI. Report of the Committee on the implementation of the recom-
mendations of the University Education Commission.
Appendix V.
VII. A Note on the problem of Girls' Education in Rural
Areas, prepared by Secretary, Ministry of Education.
Appendix W.
VIII. A Note on Student Indiscipline, prepared by the
Secretary, Ministry of Education. Appendix X. IX. To fix the date and
venue of the next meeting of the Board.