PROCEEDINGS OF THE SIXTEENTH MEETING
At the invitation of the Government of Orissa, the Central Advisory Board of Education held its Sixteenth Meeting at Cuttack on the 8th and 9th January, 1950. The Standing Committees of the Board met on January 6 and 7, 1950. The following members were present:-
CHAIRMAN.
1. The Hon'ble Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,
Minister for Education, Government of India.
EX-OFFICIO
2. Dr. Tara Chand,
Educational Adviser to the Government of India.
NOMINATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA3. Shri E. W. Aryanayakam.
4. Mrs. Zarina Currimbhoy.
5. Prof. Humayun Kabir.
6. Shrimati Hannah Sen.
7. Major-General Mahadeo Singh.
8. Justice Teja Singh.
9. Shrimati Ammu Swaminadhan.
ELECTED BY THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA
(LEGISLATIVE) 10. Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra.
NOMINATED BY THE INTER-UNIVERSITY BOARD 11. Prof. N. K. Sidhanta.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS. Assam
12. Shri Mohendramohan Chowdhury,
Parliamentary Secretary for Education.
Adviser :
Shri Umakanta Goswami,
Director of Public Instruction.
West Bengal
13. Hon'ble Rai Shri Harendra Nath Chowdhury,
Minister for Education.
Advisers :
Dr. D. M. Sen,
Secretary, Education Department,
Dr. Snehamoy Dutt.
Director of Public Instruction
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Bihar
14. Shri Gorakhnath Sinha,
Director of Public Instruction.
Adviser :
Shri Ram Saran Upadhyaya,
Secretary, Basic Education Board.
Bombay
15. Mr. K G. Saiyidain,
Educational Adviser.
Adviser :
Shri D. C. Pavate,
Director of Public Instruction.
Central Provinces and Berar.
16. Hon'ble Shri P. K. Deshmukh,
Minister for Education.
Advisers :
Dr. V. S. Jha,
Secretary, Education Department.
Mr. E. W. Franklin,
Director of Public Instruction.
Madras
17. Shri D. S. Reddi,
Director of Public Instruction.
Orissa
18. Hon'ble Pandit Lingaraj Misra.
Minister for Education.
Advisers :
Shri Nabakrishna Chaudhury,
Organiser, Basic Education.
Shri P. K. Tripathi,
Secretary, Education Department.
Shri M. C. Pradhan,
Director of Public Instruction.
East Punjab.
19. Hon'ble Sardar Narotam Singh,
Minister for Education.
Adviser :
Dr. K. C. Khanna.
Director of Public Instruction and Secretary to
Government, Education Depratment.
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United Provinces.
20. Shri S. K. Ghosh,
Director of Education.
Adviser :
Shri Rameshwar Sahai Sinha, M.L.A.,
Officer on Special Duty.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INDIAN STATES. 21. Hon'ble Col. Pir Mohd. Khan,
Education Minister, Jammu and Kashmir.
22. Hon'ble Shri Kalu Ram Virulkar,
Education Minister, Madhya Bharat.
23. Hon'ble Shri Prem Narain Mathur,
Education Minister, United States of Rajasthan.
24. Hon'ble Shri Balwant Raj G. Mehta,
Education Minister, United States of
Suarashtra.
25. Hon'ble Shri P. Govindan Menon.
Education Minister, Travancore and Cochin.
SECRETARY
26. Shri L. R. Sethi.
Deputy Secretary to the Government of India,
Ministry of Education.
The following members were unable to attend:-
1. Shri M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar.
2. Shri Rohini Kumar Chaudhury.
3. Dr. Zakir Husain.
4. Mirza Mohd. Ismail.
5. Pandit Govind Malaviya.
6. Dr. A. L. Mudaliar.
7. Dr. A. H. Pandya.
8. Principal Mata Prasad.
9. Dr. Raghuvira.
10. Mrs. Renuka Ray.
The following also attended the meeting as Observers :-
1. Shri A. N. Basu,
Principal, Central Institute of Education, Delhi.
2. Shri B. N. Jha, Director of Education, Madhya Bharat.
3. Shri N. B. Lal. Deputy Secretary, Government of Bihar.
4. Shri S. S. Mathur, Director of Education, Delhi.
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The Premier of Orissa was present during the inauguration of the Board's session.
2. The Hon'ble Pandit Lingaraj Misra, Minister for Education, Orissa, welcoming the Chairman and members of the Central Advisory Board of Education, said :-
YOUR EXCELLENCY, HON'BLE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE CENTRAL
ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,It gives me the greatest pleasure to extend to you all a most hearty and cordial welcome here this morning. Cuttack is indeed lucky to have this opportunity of coming into contact with so many leading educationists of our country, dealing with varied aspects of the instruction of our boys and girls and men and women, and drawn from all parts of our motherland. Our Provincial Capital is specially thankful to you, Sir, the President of the Central Advisory Board, for the wish you expressed that the meeting should take place here rather than elsewhere in Orissa. Had the venue of this meeting been somewhere else, as was originally planned, so large and distinguished a gathering might not have been possible, and many would have felt disappointed.
Orissa became a separate province less than fourteen years ago, in 1936, and complete political integration of all the Oriyas occuping these areas did not take place till last year, 1949. Owing to a variety of reasons, Education in our country has never so long been given the importance and attention it deserves, and in this matter, the plight of our Province in 1936 was indeed sad. A population of 80 lakhs had to be satisfied with less than 8,700 educational institutions of all descriptions in which studied a little over 330,000 students. We had no University of our own, and just five colleges in the entire Province, only two of which taught their students upto a degree stage. The number of High Schools was 34, the rest of the 8,700 educational institutions being either primary, middle or special schools.
The percentage of female scholars to the female population in 1937 was 1.43, the corresponding percentage of male scholars to the male population being 7.06. The percentage of literacy was 13.1 in case of males and only .8 in case of females. There were no institutions for Fine Arts or Physical Training or Education of the defectives; no Technical Schools or Colleges, and hardly any attempt at Adult Education, if we except the work carried on by a few Christian Missions by means of peripatetic teachers. The total expenditure on Education by Government and local. bodies was a little over 39 lakhs of rupees.
These figures, which may bore this audience, and in any case are depressing, have been cited by me to give you an idea of the magnitude of the problems confronting us when our Province came into being. Ten years later, in 1946, things had become worse. The total percentage of scholars to population had dwindled from 4.12 to 3.5, the total number of institutions from about 8,700 to less than 7,800, and the total number of scholars from 330,000 to less than 301,000. Only higher education showed signs of
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improvement. Utkal University was founded in 1943, and in its wake came a number of new Colleges, and two of the older Intermediate Colleges were raised to the degree standard. Living, meanwhile, had become much more costly and the amount spent on education in 1946 was a little over 63 lakhs of rupees as against the 39 lakhs in 1936-37.
With the end of the War and the advent of the popular and national Government, our responsibilities have multiplied a hundred fold. Colleges and High Schools have increased and are increasing. Post-graduate teaching in certain subjects has been started in the Ravenshaw College, and many more subjects remain to be affiliated upto the highest degree. With the merger of the Orissa States, Government has had to take over not only the Colleges in these States but also the High Schools, the staffing and equipment of which has meant considerable additional expenditure. We are spending at present one crore and 26 lakhs of rupees on Education out of an estimated revenue of 13 1/2 crores of rupees.
More than this, there is a whole series of problems which have till now received but scant attention and the solution of which is an urgent necessity. I may summarise these under five heads :-
(i) The Hill Tribes and Scheduled Castes
(ii) Basic Education;
(iii) Female Education;
(iv) Social Education; and
(v) Technical Education.
I shall not dilate on these. Certain facts and figures should speak for themselves. With the merger of the States, the Hill Tribes, which constituted 13 per cent. of the population of British Orissa, now constitute 25 per cent. of the population of our Province. These do not include the Scheduled Castes. The number of Basic Schools including Training Schools is now 100, as against the 16, which were closed down after a year's trial in 1941. Government is spending 4 lakhs of rupees annually over these, and needless to say, this is only a very inadequate beginning. Primary education is free throughout the province, but compulsory only in two small areas-in Parlakimedi and Banki. With a view to encouraging the education of girls, no fees are charged from them at the Primary and Middle School stages, and nothing
even at the Secondary school and college stages if their parents income is too small to attract the notice of the Income-Tax Department. Girls whose parents do pay income-tax, pay only half their school and college fees. There is an officer in charge of Social Education and vigorous efforts are being made to educate our adults not only in literacy but in social education. 725 night schools with teachers trained in social education are now working in the Province, besides a number of centres run by voluntary efforts of public workers. The need of the hour, particularly in Orissa, is trained technicians, and much remains to be done in this direction; the opening of Technical-Schools, a Provincial Polytechnic, Engineering, Agricultural, Mining and other colleges.
All this means money, and that is my excuse, Your Excellency, Hon'ble President, ladies and gentlemen, for taking up so much of your time this morning, with this long speech. Orissa, the scientists assure us, is not really a poor province. It is rich in natural and mineral resources, and it has a
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bright indeed a dazzling future. But our gold is still underground, our electrical and other energies have still to be harnessed, and meanwhile our responsibilities are already upon us and we cannot wait. Within a few months, our men and women, whatever the percentage of their literacy or education, will be called upon to exercise their sovereign political rights. How can democracy function unless the people have been properly taught ? There can be neither good Government nor self-Government without adequate training and real education, and these things cost money. And in this Province, more perhaps than in any other, most educational institutions turn to Government for help even for day to day existence, and there are very few private educational enterprises.
The Central Government has in the past been very considerate and fairly liberal to us, and we have not been unmindful of our own obligations and responsibilities. I would plead with you earnestly that this country of ours is one, that the strength of a chain depends on its weakest link. In view of the magnitude of the problems with which this long neglected Province has to contend, the encouragement and help we have been receiving from the Centre should be continued and augmented. I can assure you that we shall spare no efforts to see that we spend wisely and economically whatever we receive.
I have no doubt that your presence here will greatly stimulate
not only the educated but also the lay public of our Province. I hope that your stay will be as pleasant to you as I am sure it will be profitable to us.-Jai Hind.
3. His Excellency Mr. M. Asaf Ali, Governor of Orissa inaugurated the session of the Board. He said :-
HON'BLE MAULANA SAHIB, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, It is an occasion of great pleasure for me to welcome you all to the old capital of Orissa. You may rest assured that this welcome comes to you not merely from me, but from my Government and the people of this Province, and it is as hearty as the warm-hearted people of Orissa can make it. Many distinguished and learned educationists and scholars have recently favoured Cuttack by holding their annual deliberations here, and since you have also chosen it as the venue of your 16th Session, we have cause to congratulate ourselves on having in our midst the architects of the country's educational and cultural fabric. I deeply appreciate the courtesy you have extended to me by inviting me to inaugurate your Session. I would not, however, presume to attempt an assessment of the great work you have accomplished and the greater tasks which you have before you. An evaluation of the issues you have gathered here to determine belongs to the province of far-seeing but practical idealists. But as a layman I venture to think that on the delineation and implementation of the long-range and immediate policies, which it is your privilege to consider and shape, will depend not merely the future of India, but also in due proportion according to India's reaction to international relationships that of the rest of the world. The future of the human race as a whole is subject to the evolution of a healthier and happier outlook and inter- dependent co-operation between the various peoples and powers of this globe.
Although our country is directly and primarily concerned with the destiny of one-sixth of the entire human race, its geographical position and
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economic potential and cultural heritage make it a pivotal region of the Eastern hemisphere. In my humble judgment the role which our people are to play in the human drama which is being rehearsed on this
earth very largely depends on the ideals no less than the realism of our educational experts to whom it is given to mould and fix the character and develop the mental and practical capacity of our rising and coming generations. What ideals should be set before human beings to fulfil their destiny, how their conduct and character should be shaped to secure peaceful progress in the world, and how their individual and collective self-confidence, initiative, inventive skill, keen intellectual curiosity and passion for ever higher achievements should be kindled into a self-consuming flame is a task, which, I venture to suggest, should be constantly on the agenda of educationists. While the world of today is daily becoming more and more complex in every field of human activity, the reduction of physical barriers between men and men to the minimum has brought the most distant part of this planet as close to one another as once upon a time were the closest neighbours of the ancient world. I may be excused for repeating what I said on this subject a little over a year ago before the American Academy of Political and Social Science at their 52nd Annual Meeting at Philadelphia. The subject assigned to me was " India's Role in One World ", and I began by saying :