PROCEEDINGS
At the invitation of the Government of the United Provinces the Central Advisory Board of Education in India held their Eighth Meeting at Lucknow an Thursday and Friday, January the 14th and 15th, 1943. The Standing Committees of the Board met on January the 13th. The following members were present: -
Ex-officio The Hon'ble Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh, Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council, Department of Education, Health and Lands (Chairman)
Nominated by the Government of India. The Right Rev. the Bishop of Lahore.
Gaganvihari L. Mehta , Esq., M.A.
Srimati Renuka Ray B.Sc. (Econ.), (Lond.).
Sardar Bahadur Sardar Ujjal Singh, M.A.M.L.A. (Punjab).
Elected by the Council of State The Hon'ble Diwan Bahadur Sir K. Ramunni Menon, M.A. (Cantab.), LL. D. (Hony.).
Elected by the Legislative Assembly. Dr. Sir Zia-ud-Din Ahmad, C.I.E.,Ph.D., D.Sc., M.L.A., Vice- Chancellor. Aligarh Muslim University.
Dr. P. N. Banerjea, M.A., D.Sc. (Lond.), Barrister-at-Law, M.L.A.
Nominated by the Inter-University Board India. Rajyasevapravina C. V. Chandrasekharan, M.A. (Oxon.), F.R.H.S.,
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Travancore.
Representatives of Provincial Governments. The Hon'ble Khan Bahadur Sayidur Rahman, Minister of Education, Assam.
S.C. Roy , Esq., M.A. (Lond.),I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Assam
J. M. Bottomley, Esq., C.I.E., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Bengal.
A.S. Khan, Esq., M.Sc., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Bihar.
S. N Moos, Esq., C.I.E., M.A.(Cantab.),I.E.S.,Director of Public Instruction, Bombay.
J. N. W.Paul, Esq., M.A., F.R.H.S., M.R.S., Deputy,Director of Public Instruction, Central Provinces.
Sir Meverel Statham, C.I.E., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Madras.
Khan Sahib Khan Shah Alam Khan, M.A., LL.B., Director of Public Instruction, N.W. F. Province.
S. C. Tripathi, Esq., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Orissa.
W. H. F. Armstrong, Esq., M.A,, I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Punjab.
The Hon'ble Mr. Illahi Bakhsh Nawazali Pir, Minister of Education, Sind,
Shamsui-Ulema Dr. U.M. Daudpota, M.A., Ph.D., Director of, Public Instruction, Sind.
Dr. Panna Lall, C.S.I., C.I.E., D.Litt., I.C.S., Adviser to H. E. the Governor of the United Provinces.
A. N. Sapru, Esq., I.C.S.,Secretary to the Government of the United Provinces, Education Department.
J.C. Powell- Price, Esq., C.I.E., I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction United Provinces.
Dr. D. M. Sen, M.A., Ph.D.(Lond.), Secretary, Central Advisory Board of Education in India.
The Chairman of the Board, the Hon'ble Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh,`Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council in charge of the Department of Education. Health and Lands,presided.
The following members were unable to be present owing to illness or other reasons: -
The Hon'ble Sir Maurice Gwyer, K.C.B., K C.S.I., Chief Justice of India.
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Khan Bahadur Mian M. Afzal Husain, M.A (Cantab), M.Sc., I.A.S., Vice-Chancellor, University of the Punjab.
Sir Mirza Mohammad Ismail, K.C.I.E., O.B.E., Prime Minister, Jaipur.
Rao Bahadur Sir V. T. Krishnamachari, K.C.I.E., Dewan of Baroda.
Dr. Sir A. Fazlur Rahman, B.A.(Oxon.), LL.D., Jalpaiguri, Bengal.
Dr. Sir C. Ramalinga Reddy, M.A (cantab.) D. Litt, M.L.C., Vice- Chancellor, Andhra University.
John Sargent, Esq., C.L.E, M.A., Educational Adviser to the Government of India.
P. F. S. Warren, Esq., B.A.(Cantab.), A.M.I.C.E., M.I.E. (Ind), Messrs. Jessop and Co., Calcutta.
2. At the opening of the session His Excellency Sir Maurice Hallett, G.C.I.E., K.C.S.I., I.C.S., Governor of the United Provinces, was present to welcome the members of the Board His Excellency said:-
"This is the first time that Lucknow has had the privilege of being chosen as the venue of a meeting of the of the Central Advisory Board of Education, and I am very glad to be able to welcome such a distinguished gathering to this Province. Lucknow is, or was, a centre of culture, find is the de facto capital of a province in which educational problems loom large. Here in Lucknow, apart from %be University and other educational institutions, we have the Marris, School of Music and a School of Arts, which make some contribution to the culture of the Province and, I hope, of India. In these days of war we may not be able to do much to promote culture, in its widest sense but we must not lose, sight of its importance, merely because at present we have to devote attention to more utilitarian forms of education. Lucknow is thus a suitable centre for this session and we are all very glad to see you here, and we hope to secure particular advantages from your counsels. I am afraid that many of you have had long and uncomfortable journeys here. Travelling is not easy nowadays, though the inconveniences which,we have to undergo are very mild compared with the tribulations which so many others are suffering in other countries. I fear too that, Lucknow, being as crowded as most other big cities, some of, you, have failed to find entirely suitable I accommodation. But I hope that in spite of these difficulties you,will enjoy your stay here, and will return home-with memories of a pleasant and fruitful visit.
"I need not review the past history of the Board of which you are all fully acquainted. Since its revival in 1935, its scope and significance has been enlarged, and it has consistently and worthily tried to perform its function of a clearing house of ideas and a reservoir of information. The proper sphere of a central body such as this, concerned,with an aspect of administration which the Constitution has allotted entirely to the provinces, is not very easy to define Provinces are jealous ago rightly so, of their autonomy and I, as long as I am Governor of an autonomous provinces will always a oppose, any attempt to encroach upon that autonomy, even though I have not now got a ministry to help me in flat task. But there is, I believe, a more valid reason for care in making that definition. Rationalization is the modern trend in industry thought and social organization. But we must guard against a tendency towards over- simplification . While there are board principles which should be generally applied, it is essential to recognize the great differences which exist between one country and another and, in India, between one province and another, differences which often necessitate a varied application of principle to the details of administration.
"Nevertheless,I believe that education in India does require, a central body of experts, drawn from all provinces, capable of taking a wider view of educational problems and examining them with detachment and in the light of the most modern knowledge available. The Board's function may be summed up in the worlds-to advise, to warn and to encourage'. Co-ordination is essential, and co-ordination can only be accomplished through the pooling of experience gained in different parts and in different conditions. Educational theory must be kept up-to-date, tire educational system must be continuously adapted to
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rapidly changing conditions, in India and in the world; and this can only be achieve by pooling experience and ideas.
"Here in this Province we have,I believe, profited much from the advice received from your Board and from the reports of the various committees which you have established to study peculiar problems. The Education Department is in particular proud of the progress made in the establishment slid extension. of basic education slid the province should feel grateful to the officers of the department for the enthusiasm and efficient manner in which, under the able leadership of Mr. Powell-Price, they have introduced- this new system. We also owe much to the report made oil the subject by a committee of your Board. This experiment has become the basis of our primary education system, and is an experiment no longer. We have no doubt that the new method in teaching has instilled new life and interest into our primary schools.
" I do not presume to give my views on the subjects which you will discuss. It would indeed be presumptuous of me to do so. But there are two subjects which if you will permit me, I would like to mention before I end this inaugural speech. The first is post war reconstruction. There is much to be said for the view that we have a long way to go yet, that we have to spend much 'blood, toil, tears and sweat' before we can hope for final victory and that all our effort should be directed to securing that victory rather than that we should try to count chickens before they are hatched. But it is clear that men's minds are turning more and more to social conditions after the war; that men are realizing even more clearly the vast social and economic dislocation which the war has caused, and the necessity of planing if post-war condition are to be an improvement on the world of 1939
"Education must play a big part in that reconstruction. The building up of the education system of a country on the right lines is not merely included in the term 'social reconstruction but is a most fundamental part of the problem of social reconstruction. We must, begin to search for a new and more satisfactory type of education to fit new social conditions. Much hard thinking is being done on the problems of reconstruction after the war in Britain and America. We must similarly study and reflect upon these problems in India and prepare our plans for the future. Reconstruction is a particularly difficult task in India because the claims of modem knowledge and the modern scientific outlook must be reconciled with attachment to old culture, old traditions, and the existence of an outlook on life which eagerly welcomes the new but does not wish to loosen its grip upon the old.
"The second matter which I would like to mention to you today is one also of great importance though in a somewhat different sphere. the matter of discipline in schools, colleges and universities. I refer to this problem mainly because of the part played by some students in the movement which the Congress party attempted to start in August last, a movement designed to interfere very seriously with the war effort of India and the administration of the country, partly by interference with, and acts of sabotage on important lines of communication; partly by attacks on Government buildings and the Government staff in charge of them, post offices, police stations, tahsils and district-offices. The situation appeared to me at one time so serious that there appeared to be no alternative, but to close down one of the leading universities of this province and indeed of India. I was naturally reluctant to take any such drastic step, for that would have meant punishing the innocent with the guilty. I felt too that the prevention of students from taking part in these very subversive activities was the primary duty of the authorities in charge of this educational institution. I promised them my full support in any measures they took, I told them also that if for any reason they were unable to take the necessary action, I and my Govern- ment would without hesitation use our powers to prevent educational institutions becoming centres of subversive or rebellious activity. I am glad to say that in this policy I have received full co-operation from the authorities in charge of this institution and I take this opportunity of acknowledging publicly the full support
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which I have received from His Highness the Chancellor of the Benares Hindu University and the Vice-Chancellor. They have taken steps to set their own house in order and have been successful at least up to the present. Similar action has been taken in other universities and colleges. But we must be certain that these pernicious activities in which Students have participated in recent months do not recur. A part from these very serious incidents there have been in recent years other incidents of perhaps comparatively minor importance in which students have endeavoured to assert their views and by means of that so-called non-violent weapon, hartal or Satyagraha, to coerce some responsible I authority to agree their views. We have heard of serious disputes about the hoisting of a flag-on a school, college or university, disputes which appear to overlook the fact that. there is no agreement as to what that flag should be have heard too of incidents in which the students of one school or college have interfered with other educational institutions and have tried to persuade or coerce the students by fair means or foul to participate in a hartal or other demonstration. When such incidents occur some blame must attach to the staff of these institutions who should have used their influence to deter the students under their charge from indulging in these activities and should, if their personal influence proved ineffective, have exercised more fully their powers of punish- ment. But that is only a minor point. The main point is that public opinion should condemn these activities by boys and girls strongly,and effectively. What do I mean by public opinion? it is, I admit one of those vague terms which are too frequently used. But I mean that students in schools and colleges should realize that to indulge in demonstrations or hartals, in particular if they involve interference with other students, is not-playing the game, is not, to use an English expression, cricket. I mean also that the staff of any education institution should do all they can to deter their pupils from these activities. mean too that the parents of boys and girls in any educational Institution, that the general public , and in particular the educated public in any town where there are schools and colleges, should show that they disapprove of these outbreaks of indiscipline. Unfortunately there is in this country one, political party which has encouraged students to take part in these objectionable activities and to make use of slogans without considering what they mean; and which has advocates the direct participation by students in political movements. Surely all interested in the education of the rising generation must condemn any such policy and I am sure all here today do so. I want to make my position clear. I do not want for a moment to suggest that problems, social, political and economic should not be considered in our universities. I welcome such consideration in the calm atmosphere of the universities . Let the students and their tutors consider and study political problems let them read the works of all political thinkers, from Plato and Aristotle to Karl Marx and H.G. Wells; let them fit themselves by this study to give valuable opinion on the problem of post-war reconstruction. But do not let them be guided merely by slogans, merely by the cut and dried opinions of some political leaders, still less by the articles written at short notice by those unfortunate people, the editors and leader writers of our newspapers. Let them get down to facts, discuss them in their classes and in their debating societies and form their own opinions, without accepting as gospel truth the opinions which others give. I regard it as desirable that the future of the world, the problems of post-war reconstruction should be decided by the rising, generation, by the young men who have taken a part in this world war. We , older men, can guide them, we can give them the benefit of our experience but we must not dictate to them; we must not, ask them to carry out our ideas which they be but of date.
"Gentlemen, I apologize for spreading myself on this subject; my remarks would, I admit, be more appropriately addressed to a gathering of students. They are inappropriate to a gathering of educational experts, but it is possible that with your aid, my suggestion, if you agree with them, may reach a wider audience and possibly my apology is unnecessary.
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"We in the United Provinces have faithfully and gladly co- operated with your Board and will continue to do so. We are grateful to you for your advice and look to you for a lead and encouragement in the future. You have, I know, a heavy programme and a long agenda, and I do not propose therefore to take up more of your time. With all sincerity I wish your deliberations success, and I hope that you will enjoy your visit here as much as we enjoy your company among us
3. The Chairman of the Board, the Hon'ble Sir Jogendra Singh, said in reply: -
"Before I pass on, may I offer Your Excellency my warm thanks on behalf of the Central Advisory Board of Education and myself for your warm hospitality and your interest in our work. The representative nature of this gathering is evidence of India's unity, and I trust that as this Board gathers its power of usefulness, the sense of unity will continue to grow, from strength to strength. I wish also to offer a word of welcome to our new Members- Mr.Gaganvihari L. Mehta, Sir Mirza Mohammad Ismail and Sardar Bahadur Sardar Ujjal Singh. my congratulations to Sir Meverel Statham, Dr. Panna Lall and Mr. S. N. Moos for the honours that His Majesty the King Emperor has been pleased to bestow upon them. I am disappointed that Dr. Sir C. Ramalinga Reddy, Khan Bahadur Mian M. Afzal Husain, Sir Mirza Mohammad Ismail, Sir V. T. Krishnamachari, Sir Fazlur Rahman and Mr. R. F. S. Warren are unavoidably absent I must say that we cannot afford to do without the advice and assistance of some of our noblest and wisest members.
"Last but not the least our Educational Adviser, Mr. John Sargent, and Sir Maurice Gwyer who takes keen interest in our educational activities, have been kept away by illness; these inspiring personalities would have greatly helped in the work on which this, Board is engaged.
"I consider it a privilege to be a member of the Central Advisory Board of Education to welcome you here today. T could not miss the opportunity of meeting you who are handling the destinies of future generations. I have come to learn and to help in my small way the good and great cause of which you are the a custodians.
"I may begin by confessing that my experience of educational administration generally is limited, and that I have absolutely no experience of Universities and their administration. My education began and ended at my father's farms and fields, riding, hawking and hunting-a pursuit which I gave up nearly 40 years ago after reading Edwin Arnold's Light of Asia.
"I have been, however, watching the trend of our educational system and its effect oil the minds of men both in the villages and in the towns. It is. difficult to speak for the whole of India. I am only acquainted with the United Provinces and Oudh, where I spent my early years and the Punjab, my native land, which called me back nearly 32 years ago and never allowed Me to return to this garden of India which was the love of my youth.