APPENDIX M-- PROGRESS OF FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION IN THE COUNTRY AND SPECIAL MEASURES TO BE DEVISED TO ACHIEVE THE TARGET OF PROVIDING COMPULSORY AND FREE PRIMARY EDUCATION BY 1960 AS PROVIDED IN ARTICLE 45 OF THE CONSTITUTION
Under Article 45 of the Directive Principles of the Constitution of India, the State Governments have been asked to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution, that is, by 1960 for free and compulsory education for all children till they complete the age of 14 years. Although most of the States are progressing towards achieving this objective, in none of the States is the rate of progress satisfactory and in accordance with the target desired to be achieved under the Constitution.
Calculating on the basis of averages the number of children in this age group, that is, between six and 14, over 12 per cent. of the, population will fall into this group. Out of the total school-going population in this age group at present the average percentage of children going to schools in the whole country, is only 30 per cent. This means that 70 per cent. of the children of the age group stipu- lated in the Constitution are still outside schools. The average of some of the more progressive States is probably higher and again the percentage in the urban areas is slightly more than in rural ones, but no State is probably providing educational facilities for more than 50 per cent of the child population between the age group of six to 14. Thus it will appear that although we have completed three oat of the ten year period mentioned in the Constitution there is a great leeway to be made. This huge task is before us when we consider the number of children alone.
From the viewpoint of financial implications the situation is still more formidable. Most of the States are spending on education as much as they can possibly do. Here again there are differences be- tween State and State. In some of the progressive States the per- centage of expenditure on education is nearly 20 per cent. of the total revenue and in others it is as low as eight per cent. In cases where the percentage is very low the income is also small with the result that the total expenditure is small and can provide facilities for a very small number of children. If yearly increases on educa- tional expenditure during the last five years in different States is ,examined, it will be clear that even in the most progressive States the increase in percentage is very small. In fact in the more pro- gressive States the increase is less now because they have already reached their capacity limit. The result is that it will be difficult it the present rate to increase the expenditure on education so as to provide educational facilities for children in the age group of six to 14 within the next seven years.
It is, therefore, requested that the Government of India and the Central Advisory Board of Education may take steps to solve this Problem and to evolve a plan to achieve the target within the stipu-
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lated time if the provision of the Constitution is to be fulfilled. Such a step on the part of the Central Advisory Board is all the more necessary because in most, if not all, of the States there is a feeling of frustration at the immensity of the task before them and the meagreness of their resources. Unless a drive to achieve the objective as well as to find means to do so is undertaken, the present feeling of frustration will properly defeat our constitutional requirements.
If this question is taken up at the level of the Central Advisory Board of Education it is possible that all the States may receive fresh initiative and enthusiasm in it. In addition to the need of providing necessary push and drive in this direction, it is also necessary that less expenditure means of education must be found for implementing the programme of compulsion. If need be, special means for raising funds may be considered for the ensuing seven years. Private munificence should be encouraged and tapped on an all-India basis.
There are many other problems connected with this task, even if the financial difficulties are solved. For instance, in a large num- ber of States much population is so widely scattered that it is not economical to send even one teacher to a village. There is a large number of such villages where expenditure of even one teacher cannot be justified. Some special method, will, therefore, have to be evolved to educate children who are scattered in such distant places. Arrangements have been evolved for educating the scattered population in many other countries and it should also be possible for us to do so. The question of the education of nomadic tribes, hill tribes and backward classes will have to be tackled differently.
Further, there is so much backwardness as regards accepting the need of education for girls that a special drive for social awakening will have to be undertaken in order that girls may be kept at schools till the age of 14. Similarly the question of children at home being economic assets to parents as they advance in age is also to be examined. Even if parents may very much wish their children to go to schools, they cannot afford to do so, even if the education is free, because a child staying at home is an earning member, which many parents can hardly afford to give up.
It is a matter of common experience that if for achieving a target, a countrywide drive, a programme, a project is taken up it is more likely to succeed than individual efforts.
It is, with this object in view that the Central Advisory Board of Education is requested to appoint a small committee for examining the details and submit a programme for the next seven years for the whole nation. It may be mentioned here that as a result of the Five- Year Plan and the Community Project work, a new spirit, a new enthusiasm and a new hope have been created and it may be hoped that much will be achieved through these national programmes. As is well known, education unfortunately has not received the attention it deserves in these projects, therefore, it is necessary that a separate project for educational development for the next seven years be prepared to achieve the objective of free and compulsory education.
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