 APPENDIX E-
SETTING UP OF ALL-INDIA
 EDUCATIONAL SERVICE

With the transfer of education to the then Provincial Governments after the year 1921, the old 'Indian Educational Service ' ceased to function and Provincial Governments introduced their own services- Class I Service being the substitute for the old Indian Educational Service. The question of replacing the old Indian Educational Service by an All-India Educational Service was discussed by the Central Advisory Board of Education in their report on the Post War Educational Development in India, of January, 1944, generally known as Sargent Report.

It appears inevitable that for geographical, historical and other reasons, the States must remain the main units for administrative purposes. It is also clear that the establishment of a National system on the scale contemplated will involve much closer co-operation between the Central and State Governments. In this respect there can be little doubt as to the necessity of an All-India system of educa- tion being planned on an All-India basis and this for economic and other reasons will involve close co-operation between the Centre and the States. Once a consciousness of identity of interests has been established there is no reason why a substantial degree of cordial co- operation should not be achieved. The prospects of this will be substantially enhanced, if arrangements can be made for the inter- change of administrative officers on the lines envisaged by the Board in their report on the Recruitment of Education Officers, 1943.

Whatever the precise form of the administrative arrangements which State Governments may regard as essential, in order that a national system of education may be established and maintained on efficient lines, it is obvious that its success must very largely depend on the calibre of the paid administrative service.

A few years ago the Bengal Government called the attention of the Central Advisory Board to the serious deterioration in the standard of the educational administrative service. They ascribed this, partly to the gradual dying out of the Indian Educational Service, but mainly to the deliberate depression in the status and emoluments of Education Officers, in comparison with those of officers of other All-India and State Services and to the prevailing practise of filling vacancies in the higher grades by promoting from the lower grades and thus precluding the recruitment of candidates with first-class qualifications who would not be prepared to apply for entry to the lower grades. All other State representatives on the Board echoed Bengal's concern and a Committee was appointed to examine the question

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of the recruitment of Education Officers. The report of this Committee was unanimously adopted by the Board at their meeting in January, 1943. While the Board, however, accepted the view of their Committee that as things then were, the establishment of an All-India Educational Service, in succession to the Indian Educational Service was impracticable, they emphasised the need for arrangements for the interchange of administrative officers between the States and the Centre and between one State and another.

The administrative problem raised by the introduction of a national system of education are so vast and complicated that they now necessitate further consideration of this matter. A possible solution may be that there should be one senior educational service for the whole of India but in order to ensure a fair amount of representation to individual provinces some posts might be filled through the Union and others through State Public Service Commissions, the number in each case to be determined according to the ratio which the approved establishment of such posts in the Central or State Service, as the case may be, bears to the approved establishment for the whole country. Officers appointed through either channel should be regarded as equal in status and equally eligible for promotion or for transfer. It need hardly be added that the remuneration and general conditions applicable for this proposed service must be such as to make it not less attractive than other senior Government Services.

2. A proposal for the setting up of an All-India Educational Service in place of the Old Indian Educational Service was referred to the State Governments (Parts A, B, and C) for their comments vide Ministry of Education's letter No. F. 29-1/50-A. 3., dated the 20th July, 1950, a copy of which is attached (Annexure I). A summary of the replies received from the State Governments is given in the Annexure II. As will be seen therefrom, the response from the States is not very encouraging. Nevertheless, the following reasons still appear to hold good in favour of establishing an All-India Educational Service:-

(i) All development plans and activities of the Central and State Governments in the realm of education cannot achieve full maturity unless a proper administrative Organisation is established in such a way as to make for an exchange of officers between the Central and the States and be- tween one State and another.

(ii) Deterioration in the status and calibre of the educational administrative service could only be averted if conditions of service for education officers in all states and at the centre are uniform and comparable with conditions of senior services like the Indian Administrative service or Indian Police Service.

(iii) Exchange of officers between the Centre and the States and between one State and another will in effect mean that the experience of one kind of work is not isolated and all workers in the field of educational ad. ministration become sharers of a certain progressive philosophy of education.

(iv) With the introduction of an All-India Educational Service tendencies towards isolation could be eliminated and work in relation to co- ordinating policies and plans of education expedited.

(v) Education is an important service and if a unity is to be maintained in this service under the various administrative units of Republic of India, a senior educational administrative service is desirable.

3. The Central Advisory Board of Education may consider whether in view of the circumstances stated above, it is necessary to constitute an All-India Educational Service on the lines of the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, notwithstanding the first reactions of the State Governments as mentioned in the summary of their replies attached herewith.

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ANNEXURE I

No. F. 29-1/50-A. 3.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

FROM Prof. Humayun Kabir, M. A. (Oxon.),

Joint Secretary to Government of India.

All Parts A, B and C States.

New Delhi, the 20th July, 1950.

SUBJECT.-Proposal to set up an All-India Education Service.

SIR,

With the transfer of education to the Provincial Governments after the year 1921, the old 'Indian Educational Service' gradually ceased to function and in course of time the Provincial Governments introduced their own Class I services. With the inauguration of the, Republic of India, and in view of the urgency and importance of developing a national system of education for the country as a whole, it is considered desirable that an All-India corps of educationists and educational Administrators be formed whose services should be available to the States as well as the Centre.

2. The main objective behind this proposal is to develop a service, members of which will be exchangeable between one State and another and between the States and the Centre. This will ensure that educational experience gained in the context of work in one part of the country is made available for work in another. It will also help in the development of a harmonious and well-coordinated. educational policy throughout the country which is essential in maintaining the ideological unity of India.

3. Institution of such a Service would require that the conditions of service for education officers of this Service should be uniform in all States and at the Centre. It is of course not intended that all education officers of the State should belong to such a Service, nor that officers belonging to such a Service could be transferred from the Centre or from any other State as a matter of routine. What is intended is that there may be provision for filling up a proportion of posts both in the States and the Centre by deputation of such officers after consultation between the Centre and the States.

4. The Government of India would be grateful if the views of the States Governments are communicated to the Ministry of Education as early as possible on the advisability of constituting a senior educational service on an All-India basis, with conditions of service comparable to those in the Indian Administrative, Service or the Indian Police Service on the lines indicated above.

Yours faithfully,

HUMAYUN KABIR.

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ANNEXURE II

PROPOSAL TO SET up AN ALL INDIA EDUCATIONAL SERVICE

Summary of the replies received from the state Governments

(Part 'A ' States).

1. Bombay.-The Government of Bombay does not see any special advantage in constituting an All-India Educational Service, and is strongly opposed to the scheme. For the Collegiate Branch of the Educational Service, the Bombay Government require persons who have a record of research work of a high order and they should also continue to maintain interest in research activities after joining service. Experience has shown that usual conditions of service applicable to Government servants are not conducive to maintain interest in research activities. The Bombay Government have, therefore, decided to recruit to its Class I service Officers on five years' contract. The contract will be extended, only if the Public Service Commission certifies that the record of research work of the Government servant during the period of contract is such as to justify his continuance in the post. Under the new constitution recruitment to State Service is free from domicile restrictions and, therefore, the Government of Bombay should be able to secure good recruits of the All India, Services standard on the present scales of pay. On the administrative side the regional languages will continue to assume increasing importance and a high standard of knowledge in the regional language will be necessary for officers of the Educational Service, which the All-India Educational Service, will not be able to achieve.

2. Madras.-The Government do not favour the proposal. They have, however, no objection for the creation, if necessary, of a small cadre of " experts " with a strictly limited strength ; the services of such experts being made available to the State Governments by the Government of India.

3. Punjab.-The Government agree to the proposal.

4. Madhya Pradesh.-The Government do not favour the proposal due to the following reasons:-

(i) The proposal to constitute an All-India Educational Service would offend against Article 312 of the Constitution, which empowers the Government of India to create All-India Services, other than I. A. S. and I. P. S., only after a resolution by 2/3rds majority has been passed by the Council of States and Parliament has by law provided in that behalf. As long as the conditions laid down in Article 312 are not fulfilled, this service cannot be legally created even with the concurrence of the States and the Union.

(ii) The proposal is a retrograde step as recruitment to the All-India Service like I. M. S., I. E. S. and I. F. S. was discontinued long ago and the previous Government also did not feel the necessity of an All India Educational Service.

(iii) The methods and systems of Education differ with the circumstances in different states and therefore, the aim should be to maintain standards and not introduce drab uniformity.

(iv) A federal constitution like that of India can be worked only if the Centre does not try, too much, to encroach on the field assigned to the states by the Constitution and simultaneously the States also adopt an accommodative and helfpful attitude. Thus the proper role of the Centre is to organize Conferences of States and Universities from time to time so as to ensure that there is sufficient co-ordination and maintenance of high standards while leaving the educational policies and their implementation to states, a function in fact assigned to them by the Constitution.

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(v) The Central Government can continue to secure services of suitable officers from the States on deputation, as hitherto done.

5. Uttar Pradesh.-The Government think that the first ground which justifies the establishment of the proposed service, is the pressing need of developing a national system of Education. While admitting that the members of the Service would he helpful in promoting that system, that Government are doubtful of the Service of the type contemplated by the Government of India, being a primary requisite for that purpose. The U. P. Government are of the view that national system of education depends upon how much our education rests upon the aims and objectives consistent with our traditions and cultural heritage and so long as we have the right content of education and our teachers and Educational officers are inspired by the right ideals, it is not only possible but even easy for a state to achieve the end in view without establishing an administrative agency of an All India basis, as hitherto contemplated by the Government of India.

The other aspect of the scheme, viz. the exchangeability of service members between the States and between the States and the Centre, also is not a sufficient argument for the creation of an All- India Service. They are of the view that in practice it is only rare that one state needs the knowledge and special experience of officer of another state or of an officer of the Centre. The centre sometimes employs officers belonging to the States and it can continue to do so without the creation of an All-India Educational Service, as hitherto done.

In conclusion, the U. P. Government have stated that a harmonious and well coordinated Educational policy requires not the exchange of officers but the coordination of efforts in getting up the right type of the Educational machinery in adopting certain educational practices and experiment and even more in a concerted endeavour for the attainment of certain common ideals in the sphere of higher education.

6. Orissa.-The Government do not agree to the proposal for the following reasons :-

(i) The formation of the proposed Service on the analogy of the I. A. S. or the I. P. S. is unnecessary, due to the Conditions in the educational sphere being different from those on the Administrative or the Police side.

(ii) The question of changing the medium of instruction from English to the State or Regional language being under consideration it is doubtful whether the officers of the proposed Service who are not well versed in the State or the Regional Language would continue to be useful if either of the languages is adopted.

(iii) The Government have not yet experienced any difficulty ill securing suitable officers by advertisements on an All-India basis through the Public Service Commission.

7. Bihar.-The Government do not favour the proposal due to the following reasons :-

(i) The proposed Service would serve little purpose for the teaching posts in colleges and Universities. The Inter-Universities Board of Ministry of Education should arrange for the exchange of professors between Universities according to an agreed programme.

(ii) Similar is the case with high administrative posts e.g., Inspector of Schools and Officers in State's Hd. Qrs. The Superior State Service, staffed largely by direct recruits would serve the purpose.

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The existing Class I Service in the State may meet this requirement provided the method of recruitment to these services and the courses of training are formulated on a somewhat uniform basis for all the States with the association of the Government of India. The selected candidates from each state after the normal training should undergo further training at the Central Institute of Education. During this period, probationers, from various states would be living together and the Government of India should arrange for their visits to other parts of the country to acquire first hand knowledge of educational work. The Government of India should also help in arranging and financing short study tours in foreign countries for officers who have worked for some years.

(iii) The Ministry of Education may create a Central Pool for filling up important posts at Head Quarters' directly under the Ministry and recruitment to this pool may be made from the Superior Educational Services of the States and from any other services capable of supplying the required staff.

(iv) The states may enter into mutual exchanges of administrative officers for short period on agreed terms within themselves.