APPENDIX J- INTERIM REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON CURRICULUM OF BASIC (PRIMARY AND MIDDLE) SCHOOLS AND THE ORGANISATION OF TRAINING COLLEGES.
At their thirteenth meeting hold in Bombay in 1947 the Chairman of the Central Advisory Board of Education reported the appointment of a Committee with the personnel shown below :-
(a) to draw up a curriculum on broad lines for use in Basic Schools with suggestions for variation according to circumstances ;
(b) to prepare a handbook for teacher in Basic Schools; and
(c) to suggest lines on which institutions for the training of teachers for Basic Schools can organised.
Committee-
1. Sir John Sargent, C.I.E., M.A., D. Litt., educational
Adviser to the Government of India (Chairman).
2. Shrimati Asha Devi, Hindustani Talimi Sangh, Wardha.
3. Dr. Zakir Husain, M.A., Ph. D., Principal, Jamia Millia
Islamia, Delhi.
4. Mr. A. S. Khan, C.I.E., I.E.S., Director of Public
Instruction, Bihar*.
5. Mr. K. G. Saiyidain, M.Ed. (Leads), Educational Adviser,
Rampur.
6. The Director, Silpabhavan, Sriniketan, Visva Bharati.
7. An export in crafts preferably with knowledge and
experience in mechanical engineering,
8. An expert in Nursery and Kindergarten Education.
Shrimati Asha Devi declined membership of the Committee. Dr. V. S. Jha, Director of Public Instruction, C.P. and Berar, was appointed a member of the Committee in place of an expert in crafts and Dr. (Mrs.) Ellen Sharma, Principal Garden School, Mylapore, Madras, was appointed as an export in Nursery and Kindergarten Education.
The Committee met at Simla on the 25th and 26th June 1947. The following were present :-
1 . Sir John Sargent, M.A., D. Litt. (Chairman).
2. Mr. S. Bhanja, B.Sc. (Director, Silpabhavan,
Santiniketan).
3. Dr. Zakir Husain, M.A., Ph.D.
4. Dr. V. S. Jha, Ph.D.
5. Mr. A. S. Khan, C.I.E.
6. Mr. K. G. Saiyidain, M.Ed. (LEEDS).
Rai Bahadur Ram Saran Upadhyaya, Secretary to the Basic Education Board, Bihar, also attended the meeting as an adviser to Mr. A. S. Khan, Dr. (Mrs.) Sharma was unable to be present. Dr. Akhtar Husain and Dr. (Miss) Bina Ghosh, Assistant Educational Advisers to the Government of India, also attended the meetings.
2. The Agenda and other papers circulated to the members of the Committee are included as appendices to this Report. In addition, the Committee received one memorandum from Mr. Bhanja and another from Mr. Saiyidain. These are also appended to this Report. (The + Report of the Zakir Husain Committee on ]Basic National Education Wardha, 1939, and the Reports of the Central Advisory Board of Education on the Wardha Scheme and on Post-War Educational Development in India were also circulated to members but these are not printed with this Report).
* On leave.
+ Not printed here.
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3. To begin with the committee noted that the principle of the Wardha Scheme of Education, that is, learning through crafts, had already been accepted by the Central Advisory Board of Education and the Government of India. The Committee also noted that an impression had been created in certain quarters that the system of education contemplated by the Board was something different from the Wardha Scheme, though the only reservation made by the Board in accepting the Wardha Scheme was that craft work in Basic Schools might not and need not be expected to cover fully the cost of Basic Education.
At the same time, the Committee considered it desirable to define clearly the objectives of Basic Education at the senior and junior stages, in the light of further experience gained since the publication of Zakir Husain Committee's Report in 1939 and the Report of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Post-War Educational Development in India in 1944. The Committee accordingly proceeded to consider what should be the minimum Curriculum and reviewed the "Main out. lines of the 7 years' course of Basic Education" laid down by the Zakir Husain Comittee-page 16. The Committee agreed that the following subjects shall be included in the curriculum of Basic Education :-
(1) Craft Work.
(2) Mother tongue.
(3) Mathematics.
(4) Social Studies.
(5) General Science.
(6) Art, including drawing, music and aesthetics generally.
(7) Games and Physical activities.
(8) Hindustani.
They also found themselves in substantial agreement with the conclusions of the Zakir Husain Committee in regard to the objectives under each subject, though it appeared in the light of recent experience that the following additions and alterations would be desirable.
1. Craft Work (of. Page 16 Zakir Husain Committee Report, Wardha, 1939 (Fourth Edition).]-The Committee agreed that the following would be suitable as main crafts for the Senior School :-
(i) Spinning and Weaving.
(ii) Agriculture including Gardening,
(iii) Carpentry.
(iv) Clay Work and Pottery.
(v) Metal Work.
(vi) Fruit and Vegetable Gardening.
(vii) Book-craft including Paper and Card-board work.
(viii) Leather Work.
(ix) Home Craft-Domestic Science including Cooking, Sewing,
Home management, Laundry work, etc.
All these crafts can be taken both by boys and girls though Home Craft wonld be particularly suitable for girls. It may, however, be desirable, whether public, opinion and parents want it, to permit boys to take this craft.
It was considered essential that all Junior Schools, as far as possible, should have Gardening in addition to appropriate "activities" leading to the craft or crafts in the Senior School. The Committee noted that Spinning loading to the craft of Spinning and Weaving, Paper Work and Card-board Modelling leading to the same craft
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and Clay Modelling leading to Pottery and Carpentry would all be suitable for Junior schools. At the same time, other duties such as keeping the school premises clean would be a part of their activities.
II. Mother tongue [of pages 7-18 of Zakir Husain Committee Report, Wardha, 1939 (Fourth Edition)].-The Committee thought that precis-writing should be included as one of the objectives under this subject. The Committee also considered it important that the student should be able to read books on crafts and acquire a mastery of the technical terms normally required.
III. Mathematics [of. pages 18-19 of Zakir Husain Committee Report, Wardha,1939 (Fourth Edition)].-The Committee considered it desirable to omit a separate reference to "Interest" from the objectives given in Zakir Husain Committee's Report and to include "Percentage" instead which covers the method of calculating interest. It was also suggested that `Business Practice' and 'Book-keeping' need not be specifically mentioned at the end of the first and second sub- paragraphs under this subject.
IV. Social Studies (of. pages 19-22 of the Zakir Husain Committee Report, Wardha 1939, (Fourth Edition)].-The Committee noted that the Project method would be particularly suitable for the teaching of this subject and this method may also be given full scope. The preparation and use of chronological charts should be a useful activity worth encouraging. The Committee decided that the sub- paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of Paragraph 3, page 22 of the above Report relating to nature-study may appropriately be included in the syllabus for General Science. It also suggested that the first portion of Item No. 3 of the objectives on Page 19 will be replaced by 'A study and understanding of the past'.
V. General Science [of. pages 22 to 26 of the Zakir Husain Committee Report, Wardha, 1939 (Fourth Edition)].-Physical culture which is included under this subject should appropriately be-under a separate heading "Games and Physical Activities". Item `G' on page 24 of the Report was reworded as-
"Elementary Physics and Chemistry with special reference to the study of air, water, acids, alkalies and salts and natural physical phenomena including heat light, electricity and magnetism".
VI. Art [of. pages 25-26 of the Zakir Husain Committee Report Wardha, 1939 Fourth Edition)].-The Committee considered that the items of drawing and music ( may be combined into one subject "Art". The first and fourth objectives were respectively modified as follows:-
"To train the eye in the observation and discrimination of forms and colours and to `develop tast."and
"To draw out the capacity for tasteful design and decoration and to encourage free expression through any artistic medium".
It was also decided that Model drawing should be discontinued and instru mental music wherever possible should be introduced.
VII Games and Physical Activities.-This may be a separate subject, distinct from Social Studies.
VIII. Hindustani.-The objectives of the Zakir Husain Committee were accepted. [of. pages 26-27 of Report, 1939 (Fourth Edition)].
It was also suggested that those pupils whose mother-tongue was Hindustani might study this language upto a standard higher than that prescribed in the syllabus or might even learn some other language if the school could make the necessary
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The question of introducing classical language such as Sanskrit and Persian in the Senior School was considered. But it was decided that the students could not benefit much from studying the language for two or three years.
4. The Committee considered that the last sentence of page 27 of the Zakir Husain Committee Report (Fourth Edition) may be omitted from consideration n view of the recommendation under " I-Craft Work" in Paragraph 3 above.
5. In regard to the time to be allotted to craft work the Committee word of the opinion that if the objectives of the Basic Education were to be attained approximately half the school time should be devoted to craft work. The Committee thought that a school- day of 51/2 hours could roughly be divided on the following basis:-
Minutes
Physical activities 20
Mother - tongue 40
Social Studies and General Science 60
Art 40
Arithmetic 20
Craft work 2 1/2 hours.
This does not mean that the times shown above should be daily allotted to the respective subjects but this average should be aimed at for the week as a whole. For instance, for Social Studies and General Science 9 periods 40 minutes a week will give an average of 60 minutes per day. The time allotted to craft work should be devoted to planning and actually doing the work as will as to recording the results. Organised games may be arranged either within or out-of- school hours according to circumstances, in addition to the time provided for physical Training, which should take into consideration -the fatigue factor. Physical Training should, therefore, be in the early hours of the school. In some schools it may be possible to arrange a five-day week, remaining half-day being devoted to, projects and free activities e.g., excursions, hobbies, social work, etc.
6. In regard to any annual promotion the Committee wore of the opinion that it should be by age groups but a minimum percentage of attendance may also be required. In ease any pupil is to be detained for two years in the same clsss in the absence of the "attendance" qualification or on grounds of special retardation, this should be referred at the earliest opportunity by the Headmaster and the District Inspectors.
The Committee were also of the opinion that home work should be discouraged at the Junior Basic stage.
7. In regard to item No. 2 of the Agenda, the Committee agreed that it was essential prepare a handbook suitable for teachers in, Basic Schools. This handbook to should describe various craft activities and also the methods of correlating with them the appropriate subjects in the curriculum. It may also contain any other suggestions which will be helpful to the teachers. The Committee, therefor, made some of the members responsible for preparing graded syllabuses for certain crafts (as given below) with the assistance of such experts as they thought necessary.
Craft Member to whom allotted
1. Agriculture and Gardening Dr. V. S. Jha.
(including fruit and vegetable gardening).
2. Spinning and Weaving Rai Bahadur Upadhayaya.
3. Leather and Pottery Mr. Bhanja.
4. Home Craft, Dress Making and Noodle Mrs. Sharma.
Work.
5. Paper and Cardboard Wood and Metal Dr. Zakir Husain.
work
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It was further decided that Mr. X. G. Saiyidain should prepare the syllabus on " Social Studies ". The members were also asked to consider and forward all the important suggestions for teachers to be incorporated. into this handbook.
It was decided that after the detailed syllabuses, etc., had been worked out by these Sub-Committees, a meeting of the full Committee may be called sometime, in October 1947, to compile the handbook.
8. In regard to the Organisation of the Training Colleges the Committee con sidered that the suggestions given in the Report of the Central Advisory Board of Education on Post-War Educational Development and the Report of. the Zakir Husain Committee (Wardha) were very comprehensive. One point, however, was considered. Owing to the paucity of High Schools the required number of Matriculates; to be trained as teachers could not possibly be forthcoming for a few years. The Committee, therefore, recommended that, as an emergency measure students after completion of VIII standard should be admitted to the training schools for a tour year course of study that should envisage general education as well as special training for the profession. 9. The Committee then proceeded to consider the question of mechanical aids to education. They agreed that the use of mechanical 'aids, particularly films, was very important in Basic Education e.g., films showing different processes of craft work would be of great value.
10. The Committee were informed that books on Basic Education both for teachers and children were not available. Such books on General Science and Social Studies were especially in demand. The Committee considered it desirable that the Government of India should take suitable steps to produce the books, by appointing if necessary, a Board of Editors and giving financial subsidies. The Committee were of the opinion that the Provinces would appreciate this assistance and take advantage of it by translating the books in languages required by them.