EXTRACT FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHTEENTH MEETING OF THE CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE ALL- INDIA COUNCIL FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION HELD AT NEW DELHI ON THE 15TH JANUARY, 1954.

Item No. 11.-Technical Education at Secondary stage: Recommendations of the Secondary Education Commission.

The Committee strongly supported the recommendation that diversified courses should be introduced at the Secondary stage and suggested that about ten per cent. of the Schools in the country should be converted into multi-purpose schools over the next five year period.

The Committee considered it equally important that for the bene- fit of those who are either unfit to pursue a full course of Secondary education or who leave schools for economic reasons and find it necessary to earn a living as early as possible, there should be large-scale expansion in the provision of Trade Schools or Schools of Industry. In these schools, the boys and girls should receive train- ing in the use of basic tools and later initiated into the shop practices relating to their respective trades. Provision should also be made in these schools for related elementary theoretical training.

The Committee recommended that special steps should be taken to organise apprenticeship training in the various trades,. in collabo- ration with industry and to establish Technical schools at the same level as the normal Secondary schools, with the object of providing the apprentices with the required amount of Technical education in the special trades as well as general education on a part-time basis. The Committee was of the view that the period of apprentice-cum-technical school training should be five years.

The Committee laid particular stress on the provision of facilities for part-time courses at all levels and suggested that the Government should give special aid to institutions which provide such facilities.

The Committee endorsed wholeheartedly the recommendation of the Commission that representatives of commerce and industry should be closely associated in the planning and direction of Technical education and in the maintenance of proper standards.

The Committee took note of the fact that the Commission has also. recommended the levy of a small cess to be called the Industrial Education Cess' on industry for the purpose of furthering technical education. The Council had made a similar suggestion some years ago.

The Committee accepted the suggestion that, in the interest of evolving a suitable pattern of Technical courses at the Secondary level, the All-India Boards of Technical Studies of the Council should co-opt persons connected with Secondary education. The Boards of Technical Studies should advise on the content of the courses at the

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Secondary level generally in so far as Technical subjects are con- cerned. The Regional Committees of the Council should help in establishing the necessary contacts with industry and work out apprenticeship training programmes. As a first step however, the Committee decided that the detailed schemes for the various types of schools should be worked out by the small committee on Technical High Schools previously appointed by the Council with the addition of Prof. M. P. Gandhi. The Committee will thus consist of:-

1. Dr. S. R. Sen Gupta.

2. Mr. J. A. Taraporevala.

3. Mr. D. S. Venkanna.

4. Prof. M. P. Gandhi.

Subsequent work in connection with the syllabus etc., may be taken in hand by the relevant Board of studies.

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