PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTEENTH MEETING
Held at New Delhi on 13th, 14th and 15th January, 1948.
1. The fourteenth meeting of the Central advisory Board of Education was held at New Delhi, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, January, 13th, 14th and 15th, 1948. The Standing Committees of the Board met on January, 12th. The following members were present:-
CHAIRMAN The Hon'ble Maulana, Abul Kalam Azad, Education Minister.
EX-OFFICIO. Sir Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, O.B.E., F.R.S., Education at Adviser to the Government of India.
NOMINATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. The Right Rev. G.D. Barne, C.T.E., D.D., V.D., Bishop of Lahore.
The Hon'ble Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Minister for Health, Government of India.
Dr. A. H. Pandya, D.Sc., A.M.I., C.E., M.I., Strut, E.M.I.E.
Dr. Zakir Husain, M.A., Ph.D.
Mrs. Ranuka Ray, B.Sc., Econ. (London).
Mrs. Hannah Son, M.A.
Sardar Ujjal Singh, M.A.
Principal Mata Prasad.
ELECTED BY THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY (LEGISLATIVE) Shri M. Ananthasayanam Ayyangar.
Shri Mohan Lal Saksena.
Pandit Lakshmi Kanta Maitra.
NOMINATED BY THE INTER-UNIVERSITY BOARD, INDIA Prof. N. K. Sidhanta, M.A. (Cantab).
Lucknow University, Lucknow.
M. Ruthnaswamy, Esqr., C.I.E., M.A., Bar-at-Law, Vice-Chancellor Annamalai University, Annamalainagar.
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS. Assam.
P. C. Sanyal Esqr., M.A., M.B.E., Director of Public Instruction.
Wed Bengal.
Dr. Snehamoy Dutta, M.Sc. (Cal) D. So., (London) D.I.C., F.N.I., Director of Public Instruction.
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Bihar.
The Hon'ble Acharya Badri Nath Verma,
Minister for Education
Kamta Prasad, Esqr., B.A., (Cantab), O.B.E.,
Director of Public Instruction.
Rai Bahadur Ram Saran Upadhyaya, Secretary, Basic Education Board.
Bombay.
D. C. Pavate, Esqr., M.A., (Cantab), Director of Public Instruction.
K. G. Saiyidain, Esqr., M. Ed. (Leeds), Educational Adviser.
Central Provinces and Berar.
The Hon'ble Mr. S. V. Gokhale, Minister for Education.
Dr. V. S. Ph.D., Director of Public Instruction.
Madras.
The Hon'ble Sri T. S. Avinasilingam Chettiar, Minister for Education.
Sri D. S. Reddi, M.A. (Oxon) M.B.E., Director of Public Instruction.
Orissa
The Hon'ble Pandit Lingaraj Misra, M.A., Minister for Education. S. C. Tripathi, Esqr., O.B.E., M.A., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction.
East Punjab.
G. C. Chatterji, Esqr., M.A., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction.
United Provinces.
Rai Bahadur Chuni Lal Sahney, M.Sc., Director of Public Instruc tion.
Representatives of the Indian States.
Sardar K.M. Pannikar, Prime Minister of Bikaner.
Rao Bahadur Sir V. T. Krishnamachari, K.C.I.E. Prime Minister, Jaipur State.
G. P. Pillai, Esqr., Travancore State.
A. P. Pattani, Esqr., Bhavanagar State.
Saiyd B. H. Zaidi, Esqr., C.T.E., Chief Minister, Rampur State.
Secretary.
Dr. D. M. Sen, O.B.E., M.A., Ph.D., (Lond), Deputy Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Education.
The following members wore -unable to be present owing to illness or other reasons
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1. the Hon'ble Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, Ph.D., D.Sc., Bar-at-Law Minister for Law, Government of India.
2. The Hon'ble Dr. Gopi Chand Bhargava.
3. The Hon'ble Srijut Gopinath Bordoloi.
4. Shri Rohini Kumar Chaudhowry.
5. Mrs. Zarina Currimbhoy.
6. The Hon'ble Dr. P. C. Ghosh.
7. Sir Mirza Mohd., Ismail, K.C.I.E., O.B.E.
8. The Hon'ble Mr. B . G. Kher.
9. Pandit Govind Malaviya.
10. Dewan Bahadur Sir A. L. Mudaliar, B.A., M.D., F.R.C.O.G., F.A.C.S.
11. The Hon'ble Sri Sampurnand.
2. The Hon'ble Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the ovening sesions of the Board. The following is all English summary of his speech in Hindustani:-
The Hon'ble Prime Minister said that whenever conferences were called to form a plan for education in India the tendency, as a rule, was to maintain the existing system with Slight modifications. This he said, must not happen now. Great changes had taken place in the country and the education system must also be in keeping with them.
The entire basis of education must be revolutionized. The present system might have been suited to the past situation, but maintaining the status quo in the field of education under present circumstances would do nothing but harm to the country. The state of mind created by the system of education was absolutely out-of-date and ineffective.
India, the Prime Minister continued, had lost five precious months in unconstructive activities. Big plans were prepared for the cultural, social and economic reconstruction of the country, but unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances had diverted their attention from them.
In the plans for rebuilding the nation, education had an important Place, because that was the basis fir all other activities. India's misfortunes, the Prime Minister added, were not completely over but still they could not be allowed to put the question of education in the back ground. Practical steps must be taken immediately to implement their plans for improving the country's education.
Rehabilitation of refugees was at present engaging the attention of the Government, he said. But there, also, the question of education was not absent. The Advisory Board had to suggest arrangements for the education of a large number of young boys and girls whose education had been rudely terminated by the disturbances. The Government must resettle them in educational life.
OUR FUTURE HOPE "The younger generation is our future hope. The way their faculties were developed and minds, moulded would make or mar India's destiny and their proper education must be given top priority", said the Prime Minister.
These young displaced neb were a matter of concern, because they affected the future plans materially. Again, the younger generation in general was showing signs of having been educated on lines not suited to the changed times. It was lacking in discipline and the Board must advise the Government how to create a sense of restraint and discipline among young men. Pandit Nehru said : "In moulding their minds I do not advocate the use of any kind of force or complusion, but I feel that a certain amount of guidance and direction is essential."
Another task before the Board, said the Prime Minister, was to advise the Government on the implementation of reports like the one from the Scientific Manpower Committee. For a proper planning it was necessary for the Government to know what talent it had at its disposal and how it must train its men to take up essential jobs. India was not lacking in tale scientific or otherwise, but it was not properly employed. "There are so many tasks ly undone because we feel we do not have the men for them, and yet there are men in the c-ry who have the necessary qualifications and are not employed."
So many reports had been submitted by various committees on different subjects and work was being done on them but it was a pity that it was being done so slowly. The Prime Minister urged acceleration of work of this nature.
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"Our system of education must not be formed in isolation from our social and economic life of tomorrow. Different sides of our life and activities must be correlated. The Primary aim of any system is to create balanced minds, which cannot be misled. We have just seen the phenomenon of millions of our people being migled. We must be strong mentally before We can think of building a nation," he concluded.
3. The Chairman of the Board, the Hon'ble Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Minister for Education their addressed the meeting as follows Friends,
On the occasion of this fourteenth session of the Central Advisory Board of Education I accord my sincere welcome to you. Historically speaking it is the fourteenth session as thirteen have already been held. But to be more accurate, I think we should call it the Inaugural session of the Board, since the first thirteen took place in the Indian Empire which on 15th August 1947 came to and end and with it a long chapter of Indian History. To-day we are assembled in a Now India which has yet to make its history.
I believe it will not be out of place to mention that the change in the political situation has greatly affected the temper and nature of the work which we have undertaken. The scales in which the educational problem were weighed by this Board uptill now have grown out of date. Now scales with new weights will have to be substituted. The dimensions of the national problems of the day cannot be judged by the measurements which have been employed so far. The new aspirations of New India will require fresh outlook and new measures to tackle its problems.
With whatever depth of vision and sympathetic imagination the Board might have tackled the educational problems in the past, it could not escape the fact that there was no free National Government to support it. In spite of its desire to have the fullest scope it had to keep itself somewhat in restraint. Now things have changed, The nation, about the educational problems of which you are going to deliberate, has its own government at your entire disposal. The Government in its turn expect that you, too, offer your deliberations with the same tenacity of purpose and breadth of vision as are guiding the administration today.
But if we want to adopt new measures with fresh determination and redoubled efforts, it should not mean that we do not acknowledge the past services of the Board. Its lengthy reports covering thousands of pages are a record of the zeal and ability with which the task was handled in the past thirteen years and the present day educational activities of the country bear testimony to it. Probably the most valuable service rendered by the Board was the preparation of the scheme of Basic Education in 1944. It was the first occasion in the history of British India when the problem of elementary education was presented in its true aspect. a scheme was then promulgated which contained the elements of broad outlook and bold action, the two things which were least expected in the then prevailing circumstances. The name of Sir John Sargent who was our Educational Adviser is intimately connected with the scheme because of the prominent part he took in framing it. I am glad that he will continue to remain in our country though at the moment be is away and unable to the present at this session.
Now we have to think how far this scheme can be adapted to suit the changed circumstances and how soon obstacles in our way can be removed. But I will not discuss this question at this time as an educational conference which is to tackle such problems has been called to meet here as soon as this session is over. We shall have ample opportunity of taking up these questions there.
But there is a particular aspect of the question to which I shall invite your attention. In connection with the scheme of the Basic Education the question of religious instruction had cropped up at the time. Two committees of the Board pondered ove it but they could come to no agreed decision. I should like that this question may be reconsidered in the light of the changed circumstances. For our country this question has a special importance.
It is already known to you that the nineteenth century liberal point of view concerning the imparting of religious education has already lost weight. Even after the first Great War a new approach had begun to assert itself and the Intellectual Revolution brought about in the wake of the second great war has given it a decieve shape. At first it was considered that religions would stand in the way of the free intellectual development of a child but now it has been admitted that religious education cannot be altogether dispensed with. If national education was devoid of this element, there would be no appreciation of moral values or moulding of character on human lines. It must be known to you that Russia bad to give up its ideology during the last world war. The British Government in England bad also to amend its educational system in 1944.
So far as India is concerned, the problem presents itself in an entirely different shape. Europe and America felt the need of religious education as it was observed that without religious influences people became over-rationalistic. But in so far as they are working in Indian life we have to face the other side of the medal. We have no fear that people will become ultrationalists.e On the other hand we are surrounded by over-religiosity. Our present difficulties those of Europe, are not creations of materialistic zealots but of religious fanatics
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it We Want to overcome them, the solution lies not in rejecting religious instruction in elementary stages but in imparting sound and healthy religious education under our direct supervision so that misguided credulism may not affect the children in their plastic stage.
It is obvious that millions of Indians are not prepared to see that their children are brought up in an i religious atmosphere and, I am sure, you, too, will agree with them. What will be the consequence if the Government undertake to impart purely secular education? Naturally people will try to provide religious education to their children through private sources. How these private sources are working today or are likely to work in future is already known to you. I know something about it and can say that not only in village$ but even in cities the imparting of religious education is entrusted to teachers who though literate are not educated. To them religion means nothing but bigotry. The method of education, too, is such in which there is no scope for broad and liberal outlook. It is quite plain, then, that the children will not be able to drive out the ideas infused into them, in their early stage, whatever modern education may be given to them at a later stage. If we want to safeguard the intellectual life of our country against this danger, it becomes all the more necessary for us not to leave the imparting of ealry religious education to private sources. We should take it rather under our direct care and supervision. No doubt, a foreign Government had to keep itself away from religious education. But a National Government cannot divest itself of undertaking this responsibility. To mould the growing mind of the nation on right lines is its primary duty. In India, we cannot have an intellectual mould without religion.
But if religious instruction is to be a part of Basic Education, what will be its proportion ? How is it to be managed ? These are questions which are to be thoroughly considered. In deed, there will be difficulties in the way. A solution will have to be found. But I need not go into details. If the main issue is settled, details can be tackled later on. In any case I request you to appoint a committee to go into the question ab novo. It may be authorised to send its recommendations directly to the Government.
There is another problem on which you have to take a final decision now. What is to be the medium of instruction in our educational institution? I am sure there are two things with which you will agree. First that in future English cannot remain the medium of instructioun Secondly whatever the change may be in this direction, it should not be sudden but gradual In my opinion so far as Higher Education is concerned we should come to the decision that the status quo may be preserved for five years. But along with it provision may be made by the universities for the coming change. I should like you to make your suggestions to the Government after due deliberation.
But in this connection a fundamental question arises with regard to Indian language. How is the change to be brought about ? Is University education to be imparted through a common Indian language or Provinces may be given an opportunity to have their own regional languages for University teaching ? English was a foreign language. We were greatly handicapped by having it as our medium of instruction. But we were also greatly benfited in one way that If the educated people in the country thought and expressed themselves in the same language. It cemented the national unity. It was such a great boon to us that I should have advocated its retention as the medium of instruction had it not been fundamentally wrong to impart education through a foreign language. But obviously I should desist from offering this advice. put it to you if only till recently a Madrasi or a Punjabi or a Bengali felt no difficulty in receiving education through a foreign language, why should he be handicapped if he were to be educated through one of the Indian languages. We shall certainly be able to retain the same intellectual unity which was created for as by the English language. But if we fail to substitute an Indian language for English, our intellectual unity will certainly be affected.
The alternative course before us is to have regional languages for university teaching and one common compulsory language for Central Government and for inter-Provincial communication. Anyhow it is but necessary that you should come to a final decision on this point after discussion and deliberation.
The agenda before you is fairly heavy: it is to be attended to. I shall not keep your attention to myself any more. Welcoming you again I finish my speech here."