 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BY DR. K. L.
SHRIMALI, UNION EDUCATION MINISTER
AND CHAIRMAN, CENTRAL ADVISORY
BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The Chairman, Central Advisory Board of Education, then delivered the following Presidential Address:

"Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the thirtieth session of the Central Advisory Board of Education. You would recall that when we met at Jaipur last year, we had decided to accept the invitation of the Government of Kerala to hold the session in Trivandrum. Ordinarily the session would have been convened in December or January, but due to, the national emergency, the normal schedule had to be altered. On behalf of the Board and on my own behalf, I should like to express our gratitude to the Government of Madhya Pradesh and the State Department of Education for their invitation to hold the conference in the beautiful town of Pachmarhi and our appreciation of the excellent arrangements that have been made for the work of the conference.

For the last few months our life and thoughts have been dominated by the national emergency created by the perfidious aggression on our soil of the Chinese armed forces. Our people have demonstrated their united will and have resolved to meet the challenge to our freedom, whatever the price may be and however exacting the sacrifices. Education has a crucial contribution to make in the building up of the nation's defensive strength. The spontaneous response of the people to the national emergency has shown that the heart of India is sound and the people can rise as one man in time of crisis. This should not, however, lead to any sense of complacency since fissiparous tendencies are continuously eroding our national unity. The threat of China to our way of life and to our political and social institutions will remain for some time since the Communist China does not believe in the coexistence of different political and social systems. It poses a serious challenge to our institutions, values, and our very survival. It will be a great mistake to underestimate the danger which confronts us.

In the years of crisis to follow, education has to play a vital role. It must strengthen and enrich our national unity. We cannot take it for granted. It must develop strong and abiding faith in all those moral and spiritual values which are the foundations of our social democracy. We cannot be neutral towards them. It must give a sense of purpose and direction to our youth so that they may learn to subordinate narrow and selfish interests to the broader and higher interests of the nation. We cannot follow a policy of drift in education. It is only thus that we shall be able to meet this grave challenge to our freedom.

You are aware of some of the measures which we have already taken. The National Discipline Scheme and the National Cadet Corps at the secondary and university stages are being expanded to cover all the school children and the university students. A scheme of School Defence Corps Programme has been, circulated to you and I hope it will be implemented from the next session. I shall not repeat here several other measures which we have taken such as the

National Loan Scholarship Scheme, Establishment of Advanced Schools of Studies, Production of Textbooks, Establishment of Regional Training Colleges for the training of science and craft teachers and further expansion of extension services for training colleges which are bound to bring about qualitative improvement in our educational system.

The biggest programme of school education in the Third Plan is the expansion of educational facilities at the elementary stage. Unfortunately, on account of emergency the programme has suffered a setback in a few States because adequate resources have not been allocated for it during the current year.' This has resulted in diminishing the tempo of expansion as well as over crowding in classes due to shortage of teachers. The Ministry has taken up the matter with the Planning Commission and has urged that additional funds should be made available for elementary education so that the tempo of expansion is not slackened. I do not know to what extent we shall succeed. I would, however, urge upon you in the meantime to adopt all possible measures such as the double-shift system, curtailment of holidays, increasing the working load of teachers etc., and on no account to check the expansion of enrolment at the primary stage. We cannot allow the whole generation to remain uneducated without grave risks to our future. Education is of vital importance even from the point of view of strengthening our defence and should not be neglected even during emergency.

The tempo of development that has been gathering momentum in recent years is evident from the striking increases registered in the enrolment at all stages. The number of high and higher secondary schools in the country was 17,247 at the end of the Second Plan period. Last year it rose to 19,284 and it is estimated that this figure will rise to about 22,000 at the end of the Third Plan. The enrolment of children at the high/higher secondary stage at the end of the Second Plan was 28:43 lakhs. It rose last year to 30:50 lakhs and is estimated to increase to 45:56 lakhs at the end of the Third Plan. This large increase is the result of the extension of facilities for education at the primary stage and the new urge for more and more education.

The total enrolment at the university stage at the end of the Second Plan period (1960-61) was 8,83,000. The total student enrolment in our universities and colleges during the year 1961-62 was 11,55,380, an increase of 1,07,532 over the previous year. This represents an increase of 11 per cent in the year as against 5 per cent increase in the previous year. The over-all increase of nearly 11 per cent in the total number of students during the year is shared by all the faculties. The highest increase has been in the faculty of agriculture followed by engineering, medicine and education.

There has also been an increase in the enrolment at the post, graduate and research levels.

The number of students engaged in post-graduate studies and research was 72,859 in 1961-62 as against 63,000-in 1960-61. It is expected that at the end of the Third Plan period (1965-66) the enrolment at the university stage will rise to about 14,70,000.

It should be a matter of immense satisfaction to us that the educational expansion is taking place at a rapid pace There are, however, certain weaknesses in our educational system which must be removed if we are to make the maximum use of our limited resources. As you are aware, the all-India pass percentage at the end of high and higher secondary stages of education generally ranges between 50 to 60 per cent. This means that there is a wastage of 40 to 50 per cent of our resources in both men and money which are spent or, the education of children. This wastage, of course, varies from State to State, but in one or two States it is as high as 65 to 70 per cent. If in our calculations of the expenditure incurred on educating a pupil up to the end of the secondary stage we take into account the partly infructuous expenditure on the failures, we would find that the per capita expenditure is raised by a factor of at least four. Since wastage is also a disconcerting feature of higher education, in the universities as well as in technical institutions, the per capita expenditure on the education of a graduate is raised by at least a factor of eight.

At every stage of examination there are large number of failures resulting in tragic waste of human resources at a time when we need them most for our nation-building activities. In my opinion this wastage in education is inexcusable and it is high time that we take adequate measures to eliminate it. The major responsibility for this waste must be put squarely on the teaching staff of schools, colleges and universities. The conscience of those who are in charge of the Education Departments as well as the universities must also be aroused and their cooperation must be sought to eliminate this national waste. If the examination system is defective, bold steps must be taken to replace it by a better one. We have enough data, material and trained personnel in our country now to reconstruct the examination system if there is a will to do it. The primary duty of teachers is to teach and when there is such large percentage of failures they must recognise this as their own failure. With firm determination we must root out the rot which has set in our educational system.

In this connection I should like to invite your attention to a proposal for increasing the number of working days in our schools and colleges. The traditional syllabus has to be considerably strengthened if wastage is to be reduced and the schools and colleges are to meet the exacting demands of a developing society and a rapidly expanding body of knowledge. `Soft' pedagogy cannot do this. The emergency has highlighted the need for greater attention to physical education, the teaching of science, development of technical and Productive skills, and the general upgrading of standards. The schools and colleges must have time to do this. I feel that the way our academic year and working days are organised leaves much room have to give renewed emphasis to hard and systematic work in for improvement. It puts a premium on less and less work. We schools and colleges.

Another problem of great urgency which needs your careful attention is the relation between the output of schools and the capacity of the economy to absorb them in productive work. As the output of secondary schools increase, it is of vital importance to ensure that the

organisation and purpose of secondary education are brought in line with the needs of our developing economy. A situation of utmost gravity is likely to be created if intellectual unemployment or under- employment is allowed to taken place on a large scale. I believe that, in terms of numbers, what the schools produce is not in excess of what a rapidly developing economy needs--if anything, it is substantially less. The imbalance--and it is a serious imbalance--lies between the skills needed by, the national economy and what our schools and other institutions are producing. In our educational structure, as it is at present, a large number of pupils discontinue their studies at various stages i.e. at 11+, 14 +, and 17 +. Even, those who continue their studies beyond the secondary stage may not like to proceed to institutions of higher learning if we make suitable provision for training in suitable trades and vocations. The real remedy of overcrowding in our universities is not to put restrictions to students' admission to universities but to siphon them into trades and vocations through proper training programmes. It is a well-known fact that in an economy that has developed beyond the first rudimentary phase, the greatest shortage is experienced in regard to the middle grade of skills, both in the industrial and the agricultural sectors. One of the important functions of secondary education is to provide for these middle groups of skills. We should, therefore, give particular attention to promoting vocational education for different categories of pupils at the post-primary stage. Some of these courses in vocational education would necessarily have to be organised in separate institutions but quite a few courses, particularly at the secondary stage, can and should be Provided in secondary schools. It means less cost and also greater interaction between general education and vocational education. It is, however, necessary to ensure that vocational education, acquisition of marketable skills.

At this juncture, both from the point increased productivity, it is essential that the problem of liquidating illiteracy is tackled urgnetly, made to teachers and to all educated persons to come forward to make vidyadan or gift of knowledge, to their fellow countrymen who have not had the good fortune to become literate. Social education has to be organised on a voluntary basis. If we depend on the Government for financial assistance, I am afraid, India will continue to remain largely illiterate for the whole of this century. Since all the available resources will be needed for school and college education, we should appeal to the colleges and universities to organise literacy campaigns on a systematic manner so that literacy many spread within the shortest time possible. In the Western countries the universities have played a significant role in organising adult education and it is my sincere hope that our universities will not lag behind in this matter. The Government of Maharashtra has already launched a movement which enrols voluntary service of students and teachers for this purpose and I hope other. States will emulate their example The last Conference of State Education Minister 5 had strongly recommended that, in order to step up the programme of social education, the responsibility for social education. should be that of the Education Departments of State Governments and Union Territories who should exercise the technical and administrative control over the whole programme. A letter has accordingly been addressed to the

Chief Ministers of State Governments and Heads of Union Territories. This is not merely a question of jurisdiction concerning the various departments of Government. It is essential to involve fully and directly the personnel of the Education Departments; and educational institutions, teachers as well as senior students, in a nation-wide campaign to wipe out illiteracy in the shortest possible time.

India is by no means an over-educated country and educational facilities must be expanded at all stages to provide necessary brain power and skill for the defence of our country as well as for increasing our production. A nation's real strength lies as much in natural resources as in the brain power and skill of its scientists and engineering, research workers and technicians, administrators and professional men and women. A stagnant educational system cannot sustain dynamic economy. We must, therefore, continue to expand our educational system at all stages and also improve it to meet the growing needs of our economy.

If we are to continue this process, as we must, it is obvious that we shall have to eliminate waste and duplication and will have to adopt some unconventional methods. In our country there seems to be a craze for putting up massive and expensive buildings. This tendency must be curbed if we are to conserve our resources for more useful purposes. The States should give with each other not in putting up more expensive buildings but in providing better salaries to our teachers and teaching aids and appliances for our educational institutions. We must also make maximum use of the buildings by providing double shifts. In rural areas the school buildings could serve a double purpose. It should be quite possible to provide hostel accommodation in a part of the school building with some minor adjustments. In this way the school buildings could be put to the maximum use. Similarly, the science laboratories and workshops which have to be equipped with expensive apparatus and tools could serve more than one school. These are just a few examples to show how we could expand education faster without sacrificing the quality.

Many reforms have been introduced in recent years in educational system of our country, in keeping with the requirements of the new social and economic order which is emerging in the wake of political freedom. It was thought necessary to take stock of the progress achieved so far, evaluate our past programmes and make realistic plans for the future in the light of the experience gained by us. With this object in view, we have reconstituted four Standing Committees of the Board to go into the different sectors of education and evolve a broad-based national educational programme for the coming years. The four Standing Committees have been at work throughout the year. We expect to receive their reports during the course of the current year, so that they may be considered in the next session of the Board. As you know, we have now to begin work in formulating the Fourth Five Year Plan and I have no doubt that the reports of the Standing Committees and the recommendations of the Board on them will be of very great value in providing the ground work for the Fourth Plan.

In the context of the national emergency it is particularly important that certain aspects of education should receive special attention. I should like to mention in this connection the improvement and expansion of science education at the school stage, introduction of productive and vocational work in general secondary education and raising the physical efficiency and well-being of our students.

I have tried to present a brief account of some of the problems we have to face in the coming years. The problems are immense and recent events have added to their enormity; but these great challenges are being met by satisfactory responses and the new trends and tempo are reassuring. We are on the brink of significant changes that may revolutionize our educational system and bring it closer to the needs of the times. At this moment all of us in the Government, at the Centre and in the States of the Union, and also those eminent educationists who work for non-Governmental organisations, have to pull together and to remain together to evolve a national system of education, worthy of our nation and equal to the mighty tasks, that are lying ahead.

It now only remains for me to thank you for your presence here and to express the hope that your deliberations will provide a bold and fruitful lead to the country. Education is at the cross-roads. The well-being of a whole generation of our youth depends on the guidance that you give and the cooperative effort that we put by ensure that they look forward with confidence to a bright future."

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BY DR. K. L. SHRIMALI, UNION EDUCATION MINISTER AND CHAIRMAN, CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION.