APPENDIX C(a)-
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE
 PROMOTION OF YOUTH MOVEMENT IN
 INDIA
 

At its 18th meeting held at Trivandrum in January, 1951 the Central Advisory Board of Education considered the question of how best to promote a well organised Youth Movement which will provide useful and constructive activities for the youth (Item No. IX) and resolved that "an expert committee should be appointed by the Chairman to consider the desirability and feasibility of such an Organisation".

144

Accordingly the Hon'ble Minister appointed a Committee consiting of the following members:-

(1) Mr. P. M. Joseph, Principal, Physical Training College, Kandivili.

(2) Mr. S. M. Hadi, Director of Physical Culture and Deputy Director, Public Instruction, Hyderabad.

(3) Mr. G. D. Sondhi, President, Amateur Athletic Federation of India.

(4) Mr. P. N. Mathur, Director of Social Services, U.P.

(5) Mr. S. R. Bajpai, National Organising Commissioner, Bharat Scouts and Guides, Allahabad.

(6) Mrs. H. C. Captain, Commissioner Girl Guides Association, Bombay.

(7) Mr. M. N. Natu, M.L.A., Poona*

(8) Director of the National Cadet Corps.

(9) Repesentative from the Youth Hostel Movement, Mysore.

(10) Representative from Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal, Amraoti.

(11) Mrs. Kamla Devi Chattopadhyaya.

The meeting of the committee was hold on 23rd November, 1951 immediately after the U.N. Youth Welfare Seminar at Simla. The proceedings of the meeting are attached as annexure I.

In anticipation of the decision of the Cetral Advisory Board of Education the Ministry of Education has already taken action on the following two items contained in the report:

(1) State Governments and Youth Organisations have been requested to supply the Ministry of Education material for a survey of organisations doing youth welfare work at the All-India and State levels (para. 5 of the minutes).

(2) State Governments have been requested to implement as far as possible. the programme of youth welfare chalked out by the Programme Committee of the U. N. Youth welfare Seminar held in November, 1951. (para. 12 of the, minutes)

(Report of the Programme Committee of the United Nations Youth Welfare Seminar, Simla, 1951 as amended by the meeting of the Central Advisory Board of the Education Committee on youth Welfare is contained in Annexure II and letter to State Governments requesting them to implement the recommendations of the Programmes Committee is in Annexure III).

ANNEXURE I

The meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education Committee on Youth Welfare was held in Room No. 61 North Block, Central Secretariat at 11 A. M. On 23rd November, 1951. The following were present :-

(1) Mr. K. G. Saiyidain, Joint Secretary, Mini-try of Education (in the Chair)

(2) Shri S. P. Bajpai, National Organising Commissioner, Bharat Scouts and Guides.

(3) Mr. B. J. Bansod, Secretary, Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal.

(4) Mrs. R. C. Captain, National Organisation Commissioner, Bharat Scouts and Guides.

(5) Mrs. Kamala Devi Chattopadhyaya, President, Indian Co-operative Union, Delhi.

145

(6) Mr. S. M. Hadi, Deputy Director of Public Instruction and Principa Physical Education College, Hyderabad.

(7) Mr. P. M. Joseph, Principal, Government School of Physical Training. Kandivili, Bombay.

(8) Dr. M. N. Natu, Treasurer, National Association of Physical Education and Recreation.

(9) Mr. R. G. Padki, Secretary, Youth Hostel Association.

(10) Col. Virendra Singh, Director, National Cadet Corps.

(11) Mr. G. D. Sondhi, President, All India Athletic Federation.

Prof Humayun Kabir, Joint Secretary, Mr. K. L. Joshi, Assistant Educational Adviser, and S. Sohan Singh, Education Officer of the Ministry of Education also attended the meeting.

2. The Chairman, welcoming the members of the committee, said it was fortunate that they had met after the U. N. Welfare Seminar which had studied carefully the problems which are to be considered by the Committee. The Indian delegation to the Seminar had played a significant part in drawing up the report of "Committee VII" of the Seminar which had to deal with the programme of the action and it had consciously and otherwise kept in mind the conditions in India while working out the short-range and longs-term programmes. The report contained many useful points which might well be made the basis of discussions by the Committee.

3. In accordance with the terms of reference contained in the resolution of the Central Advisory Board of Education the Committee had to consider the desirability and feasibility of an Organisation for youth. The Committee was unanimously of the view that it was not only desirable and feasible but urgently necessary to take steps to set up such an organisation.

4. The Committee recommended the establishment of a Central Youth Council to co-ordinate the activities, of the various organisations engaged in Youth Welfare and help such organisations in consolidating and expanding their activities. The Council should have a flexible membership of officials and non-officials and the youth 'must have a representation on it. The Council should try to stimulate youth activities where youth organisations exist and where they so not exist it should assist in the setting up of such organisations. It should have no connection with sectional and political organistions as such, but if any such organisations take up social, cultural and recreational activities for youth they should be eligible for financial and other help.

5. The Committee suggested that before the Council is set up it is necessary to make a survey of youth organisations having an All- India or State-wide status. The survey should be made by the Central Ministry of Education with the help of 'State Governments, well-known youth organisations like Bharat Scouts and Guides, National Cadet Corps, members of the present Committee and the Press. The Committee suggested that a suitable questionnaire should be sent to them for collecting the necessary information.

6. The Committee suggested that, as a preliminary to the setting up of a youth Council, a conference should be conveyed in Delhi about the end of April or the beginning of May on which various youth organisations of All-India status should be represented. This conference should be asked to prepare a constitution for the Youth Council and a tenative programme of the work to be done by it.

7. The Committee expressed the opinion that it would be desirable to set up an ad hoc committee for carrying on the work and drawing up the provisional agenda of the conference, pending the formation of the Council. The chairman suggested, and it was agreed, that the present Committee itself should carry on the functions of the proposed ad hoc committee with the co-operation of some members, if cessary.

146

8. Committee recommended that a Youth Welfare section should be, created in the Central Ministry, of Education to guide and co-ordinate all the various activities in the field.

9. With reference to finance, the Committee was of the opinion that there. was almost unlimited work that could be done in this field, because it covered a, large variety of activities and had to cater for all adolescents between the ages of It and 24. However, in order to make an effective beginning it was necessary that a sum of at least Rs. 10,00,000 should be placed at the disposal of the Ministry during the next year to assist in implementing the programme. The amount will be spent on :-

(a) giving aid to voluntary organisations,

(b) setting up of pilot projects for youth Welfare,

(c) meeting the T.A. of non-official members attending the meetings of the Committee and the conference and Council,

(d) carrying on the proposed survey work, and

(e) expenditure on the proposed section.

10. The Committee recommended to the State Governments to give due help. to voluntary organisations working in the field of youth welfare. It suggested that the State Governments should set apart a sum every year to be spent on such assistance and other expenditure connected with youth welfare. As State Governments were now finalizing their budgets for 1952-53, the Committee desired that a letter should be immediately sent by Government of India, requesting the State Governments to make provisions for youth welfare activities in their budgets.

11. The Committee was of the opinion that it was necessary to consider the question of changing the school terms and the time of school and University examinations in order to make use of some suitable part of, the year for recreational and cultural activities of the youth, which are now being seriously handicapped by the ill-timing of examinations. A suggestion was also made that two half days a week may be set apart in schools and colleges for carrying on Youth activities.

12. The Committee approved in general the report of Committee VII of the U.N. Youth Welfare Seminar on Programmes of Action (short- range and long-term) with the following modifications and specifications and commended it to the attention of the, Central Advisory Board of Education.

(i) In para. V "Personnel" after (b) add:

"short term courses in the form of Seminars should be held with the assistance of experts in order to train the higher personnel for doing youth welfare work".

(ii) After, VII, A, a, 1, add:

"State Governments should take all possible steps to find out and make available to youth organisations suitable plots of land to be used as playgrounds and camping grounds".

(iii) VII A(a), (4) to be reworded as follows:

"Organising gymnasias, akharas and swimming pools for encouraging sports, games and exercises. including indigenous games and exercises. It was desirable that so far as possible the gymnasias, akharas and swimming pools should be constructed by youth themselves or with their active help.

(iv) In VII A, (b), (1) between "Drama and Art" add:

"-for which construction of open air theatre may be encouraged".

After the whole para. add:

"The State Governments should help voluntary organisations in establishing Colleges for Centres as mentioned above".

147

(v) Para. VII C(d) (2) to be reworded follows:

"In order to enable the teachers to assist school students in their extracurricular activities the Training Colleges may consider the advisibility of including the following three subjects, one of which may be taken in place of one of the three ordinary school subjects selected by students for school practice.

(1) Scouting and physical education.

(2) Vocational guidance.

(3) Social service."

12. The Committee desired that the programme of action drawn up by it should be circulated to the State Governments, who should be requested to implement as much of it as possible.

13. The Committee desired that, while the whole report of their discussion should be placed before the next meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education for approval, action on paras. 59 and 12 above may be taken in anticipation of the decision of the Board.

14. The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the chair.

ANNEXURE II

U. N. YOUTH WELFARE SEMINAR

        Committee VII.                               Programmes of Action
                                                     (Short and Long Term)
        
             Chairman  Mr. K. G. SAIYIDAIN.
        
             Secretary Mr. P. D. Kulkarni.
        
             Recorder  Mr. S. N. Ranade.
        
        The following members were nominated to servo on the Committee:
        
        1. Mr. U Ba Kin.                    Representative   Burma
         
        2. Mr. U. Than Swe.                          "         "    
        
        3. Mr. D. K. G. desilva.                     "         "
        
        4. Mr. H. K. deslva.                         "         Ceylon
        
        5. Mrs. Kamla Devi Chattopadhyaya.           "         India
        
        6. Dr. M. N . Natu.                          "         "
        
        7. Mr. A. W. Frisby.                         "         Singapore
        
        8. Mr. A. M. Cherian.                        "         "
         
        9. Mr. Sujono Atmo.                          "         Indonesia,
        
        10. Mr. Abdul Gani.                          "         "
        
        11. Dr. S. S. Dhami.                         "         I. L. O.
        
        12. Miss. M. Luffman.                        "         Unesco
        
        13. Dr. C. W. Chang.                         "         F. A. O.
        
        14. Miss. D. Moses.                Full-time Expert
        
        15. Mr. H. Kabir.                            "         
        
        16. Mr. B. St. John Catchpool.               "
        
        17. Mr. Von Weissenberg.                     "
        
        18. Dr. B. H. Mehta.                         "
        
        19. Dr. N. S. Hardikar.                      "
        
        20. Mr. Predag Anastasijevic.      Part-time Expert
        
        21. Dr. Miss A. Ylirokanen.                  "                                 
        
                                          

148

Mr. U. Ba Kin, Mrs. Chattopadhyaya, Mr. Sujono Atmo and Dr. Hardikar were unable to attend the meetings of the Committee.

Others who attended the meetings of the Committee were

         
                  Mr. S. R. Sharma                   Observer-India
        
                  Mrs. A. W. Maclean                 Part-time Expert
             
                  Mr. V. S. Ratnasabhapatty          Observer-India
        
                  Mr. S. Dayal Chand                 Observer-India
        
                                          

The Committee which was originally to split up after initial discussion into two sub-Committees to chalk out short-term and long- term programmes decided to hold all its sessions jointly.

There were no papers contributed to this section but the reports of the other Committees were taken into consideration during the deliberations.

REPORT OF COMMITTEE VII

(PROGRAMMES OF ACTION)

I. Guiding Principles in the formulation of Programmes.

The Committee first discussed the general considerations which should direct the formulation of the programme and formulated the following principles in this connection :-

1. The programme to be, recommended should be practical, capable of being easily implemented and within the resources of finance and personnel available at each stage.

It should be varied so as to cater to the needs of youth in rural as well as urban areas and to appeal to persons with different temperaments and aptitudes.

3. It should be graduated programme indicating what items can be initiated straightway and what items can be taken up later.

4. It should be envisaged as a growing and elastic programme which will allow mew activities to develop on the basis of local needs, initiative and leadership.

5. Activities to be initiated in the first instance should be of immediate interest to youth and should be such as would capture their imagination and challenge their best efforts and energies. The securing of youth 3 spontaneous interest from the very outset is basic to the success of all youth movements.

6. It should indicate the general framework within which each country may develop specific programmes suited to its own special conditions and problems.

II. Initial steps to be taken by the State Governments.

The Committee then proceded to discuss the various steps that need to be taken by the Governments of various countries in order to make an immediate beginning with the organization of a vital youth movement :

1. Government should undertake to prepare, in consultation with appropriate bodies, a survey of the organisations in terms of their constitution, programme, personnel,resources and methods of training which are engaged in effective youth welfare activities. As a part of this survey, a Directory of experts working in the various youth organizations should also be prepared, so that their services might be utilized, when necessary for advice and assistance by existing organisations or any new organizations to be set up.

149

2. Governments should take steps to convene as early as possible a consultative conference of the representatives of youth organisations mentioned above and this conference should devote itself in particular to the following matters :-

(a) The question of the establishment of a suitable type of National Council, of Youth Welfare which should serve as a coordinating body for the work which is being done by various youth organizations and should work out an agreed policy and programme of youth welfare after mutual consultation and discussion.

(b) The question of the establishment of similar Councils at regional level for coordinating the work-being done by various regional agencies.