APPENDIX `B'
MEMORANDUM ON ITEM 4 :
EDUCATION AND NATIONAL
 EMERGENCY.
 

In the present national emergency, the activities in all sectors of national life have to be focussed on the supreme objective namely to defend the motherland and to repulse the enemy. The Chinese aggression has necessitated reassessment of values and rephasing of our educational programmes to relate them more directly to the needs of national defence without, of course losing sight of the basic objectives of education. The role of education in the context of a total defence effort is fundamental because among other things, (a) only education can develop knowledge, discipline and loyalty which will maintain and strengthen our ideals and social cohesion in times of emergency; (b) education evens out Inequality of opportunities and essential process for high morale; (c) education is needed to remove critical deficiencies in manpower, particularly skilled manpower, as it is the basic substratum for technical, medical and other services; (d) education can consolidate and strengthen the spirit of national unity the emergency has evoked.

In order to ensure that education makes the fullest contribution to defence efforts, all sectors of education are being surveyed comprehensively by the Ministry of Education and State Governments and programmes reorientated to the extent necessary to meet the country's immediate and vital needs. At the same time the fundamental importance of long range educational development is not being lost sight of as education, even in fields which have no direct connection in the defence effort, is essential for social, cultural and technological progress from which ultimately the country will draw the strength to defend itself. The policy being adopted by the Government of India is based on Education Minister's note (Annexure II) which was forwarded to all State Governments on 12th November, 62 with the request that it may be made the basis for developing their detailed programme. An account of the work done to recast, expand or modify educational programmes in the context of the Emergency is given below:

(A) PRIMARY EDUCATION

Since the national resources have to satisfy the new demands created by the all-out effort to mobilise the country's defence, it is important to achieve the utmost economy in operational costs. This will also necessitate readjustment of allocation of funds. The expenditure on such schemes as science education, technical training, N. C. C. etc. has to be increased, and therefore, the resources being limited, a reduction in the funds earmarked for primary education is inevitable. The enrolment in the primary classes during the first two years of the Plan has exceeded all expectations. The original target for the Third Five Year Plan was to increase the enrolment at the primary stage from 343.4 lakhs in 1960-61 to 496.4 lakhs

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in 1965-66 i.e. to enrol 153 lakhs, of additional children during the quinquennium or 30 lakhs additional children per annum. Since 71 lakhs of additional children have been enrolled during the first two years of the Third Plan, according to the figures supplied by State Governments, the target has been exceeded. It is now estimated that there will be a shortfall of Rs. 20 to 30 crores (10% to 15% of the total provision) in the funds allotted for elementary education in the Third Plan. In order to prevent this reduction in resources from adversely influencing the growth of primary education, it will be necessary to

(i) increase the pupil-teacher ratio,

(ii) adopt double shift system for lower classes, and

(iii) encourage voluntary efforts to open and maintain new schools and develop existing ones. The State Governments have been advised accordingly.

(B) SECONDARY EDUCATION

(a) The Government of India in two letters addressed to the States--one by the Union Education Minister to the Chief Ministers and the State Education Ministers and the other by the Union Education Secretary to the State Education Secretaries--suggested the following measures for the re-orientation of secondary education

(i) the conversion of double-shift schools into. `single-shift' schools should be slowed down,

(ii) the resources of the small enrolment `uneconomic' schools should be utilised to better advantage else- where,

(iii) the enthusiasm of the youth may be mobilised into constructive channels focussed on concrete and meaningful tasks in schools and outside,

(iv) the content of education in terms of specific objectives of the syllabuses and the class-room approach to them should be reorientated to mean more exacting and systematic work in the schools and longer school time for pupils and teachers,

(v) the age of retirement for science teachers should be increased and, till this is done, liberal extensions should be given.

(vi) short-term courses for the training of science teachers

(vii) should be organised, for a quick expansion of scientific facilities in the schools the requirement of laboratory equipment etc. should be reviewed and simplified,

(viii) in towns central laboratories should be organised which can serve the students of more than one school,

(ix) existing facilities for science education should be expanded,

(x) school programmes relating to crafts, technical subjects, culture, commerce and home science should be organised, strengthened and expanded,

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(xi) productive work and vocational element in general education at the secondary stage should be strengthened.

(xii) a broad industrial and scientific base for education should be created.

A scheme for the training of craftsmen in the multipurpose schools by utilising the equipment etc. at these schools for meeting the requirements of national emergency has also been formulated and recommended to the State Governments for implementation.

(b) Educational Concessions in Union Territories to the Children of Defence Personnel During the Present Emergency.--The Administrations of all Union Territories were asked to provide the following educational concessions to the children of service personnel (Combatant Commissioned Officers and other Ranks in the Army and equivalent cadres in the Air Force and Navy) during the present emergency

(i) Free education should be given to the children of all persons, killed or disabled while in action on the front.

(ii) In case of the children of Commissioned Officers in the Army, Navy and Air-Force, the payment of fees may. be postponed if the families experience delay in getting remittances from the Officers.

(iii) Free education should be given to the children of Service personnel studying in Government and, aided schools and colleges.

(iv) The concessions granted above may be extended to the children of the personnel of Assam Rifles and of such police battalions as may be deployed on the Indo- Tibetan borders during the present emergency.

The various State Governments have also, on the advice of the Union Education Ministry, given similar concessions.

(c) Scheme of Central Schools.-The Second Central Pay Commission had recommended that Central Government should encourage the growth of higher secondary schools with a common syllabus and medium of instruction for the benefit of the children of employees liable to frequent transfers as well as of other floating population in the country. The Government of India recognised the importance of this recommendation which would help thousands of such Central Government employees all over the country who were experiencing difficulties in educating their children owing to differences in syllabus and medium of instruction in different linguistic areas. They, therefore, formulated a scheme to establish about 100 higher secondary schools at different places in the country in a phased manner during the next seven years.

In view of the conditions created by the present emergency the need to provide the proposed facilities first to the large numbers of Defence personnel who needed them was felt to be paramount; and it was accordingly decided to set up on priority basis 30 central schools at places selected by the Ministry of Defence for the largest

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concentration of defence personnel therein, Regimental schools are already being run at these places by the Defence authorities, some with primary classes only and some with secondary or higher classes also, but they are all affiliated to the relevant State Boards of Secondary Education and conduct the courses according to their syllabus. These schools will be taken over and developed as central schools of the all-India pattern. Similar schools will be developed at other places of concentration of Defence and other Central Gov- ernment personnel later. Tuition will be free in these schools for the children of Jawans, e.g. JCOs. NCOs. ORs. and corresponding ranks in the Navy and Air Force during the emergency, and boarding expenses will be subsidised. Implementation of the scheme is under way.

(d) National Council of Educational Research and Training.The National Council of Educational Research and Training has brought out 34 pamphlets for the use of schools and teachers on the various aspects of the national emergency. These pamphlets have been distributed to the schools through the State Governments. Some more pamphlets are in press or under preparation. The Council has also initiated a comprehensive programme known as "The schools Defence Corps" for systematising and integrating the extra curricular work in the schools. The programme aims at preparing Youth for national defence, and has already been communicated to State Education departments for implementation in a suitable manner, i.e. according to the resources of the various schools.

(C) UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

On the 9th November, 1962 the Chairman U. G. C. addressed a letter to all the Vice-chancellors of universities and heads of institutions deemed to be universities regarding the role of the universities in national emergency. The Chairman enclosed a copy of the note sent by this Ministry to the Commission on possible action by the Ministry of Education in the national emergency and requested the universities to implement the steps underlined therein. The sug- gestions made in the Chairman's letter of 9-11-1962 to the vice- chancellors included inter alia (i) pruning of schemes, involving foreign exchange, (ii) postponement or severe curtailment of pro- grammes for building construction, (iii) raising the level of pro- fessional competence, specially in the fields of science and technology, (iv) expansion of the activities of N. C. C. and the N. C. C. Rifles, (v) making the fullest use of existing resources in terms of officers and equipment and (vi) assistance by the universities and colleges to authorities in the maintenance of law and order and raising of funds, etc.

The matter was considered further at the meeting of the U. G. C. held on 5th December, 1962. The Commission accepted the suggestion that in the context of the national emergency it is desirable and appropriate that universities should have a uniform policy for the students joining active service with regard to granting of degrees and or continuance of their studies after the cessation of hostilities. It was suggested that in view of the emergency the examination procedure may be somewhat modified to economise time and expenditure for example, the number of external examination may be substantially reduced especially in the case of science practicals.

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The Commission was generally of the view that all possible concession should be given to the students to enable them to parti- cipate in the national effort without seriously affecting the standard of education, particularly in the technical and professional courses. The Commission noted with regret that the Gauhati university had to close down temporarily owing to the emergency in Assam. The Commission desired that all possible assistance be given to Gauhati university to enable at least its postgraduate students to prosecute their studies with the help of the other universities and also, if necessary, for taking their annual examinations.

At their meeting held on the 5th February, 1963 the U. G. C. considered the report (which was circulated to universities) of the Committee appointed by Dr. A. C. Joshi of the Punjab university to examine ways in which students enrolling in the armed forces before completing their courses of studies, could be enabled to complete their courses on their return. They also considered the reference from this Ministry as to whether the universities may be advised to lower the minimum eligibility requirement for admission to enable students to migrate from the university to another when their parents join field service and the students have to shift on that account from one place to another.

The Commission noted the proposals made by various universities with regard to facilities for students entering the armed forces during the national emergency and agreed that short of awarding degrees without their taking the university examinations, every facility should be provided to such students to complete their courses and take their examination on their return.

With regard to any request for migration arising directly out of parents joining the armed forces, the Commission agreed that universities be requested to give sympathetic consideration to de- serving cases with a view to avoiding undue hardship. The Commission also accepted the recommendations of the Technical Manpower Committee to the effect that the post-graduate trainees in technical and professional subjects who join the Defence Services during the present emergency, before the completion of the course should be permitted to count the period already spent by them, on postgraduate training if they wish to complete their postgraduate training after demobilisation.

The Ministry of Education has requested all central universities to consider favourably the suggestion, approved in principle by the National Development Council, to provide free education to the children of the service personnel during the present emergency.

(D) SOCIAL EDUCATION

Social education has a very important part to play in the present national emergency. The community centres can become the focus for strengthening defence efforts. Adult literacy has to be speeded up. People can be informed about the present situation and the duties of every citizen in the national emergency through

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the medium of adult literary classes. Informal methods like group discussions will be arranged in these classes on such subjects as formation of Gram Raksha Dal (Village Guards) and various other groups like the Youth Groups, Women's Groups etc.

One of the programmes of social education is to have cultural squads for staging folk dramas and singing of folk songs. In the present emergency skits having a bearing on the various topics connected with the defence effort can be written and staged. There are many community centres which have been established under the social education programmes. These community centres can become the focus of activities for strengthening the defence effort. Morale of the people can be built up by holding group discussions, meetings and by organising film shows, lectures, talks etc. There are programmes like establishing Village Volunteer Force, Labour Bank etc. These programme can yield better results if they are founded on the basis of social education of the people. The Ministry of Education has already addressed communications to the State Governments and Union Territories in this respect.

(E) SOCIAL WELFARE

(a) In order to provide rehabilitation services for the service- men disabled as a result of the enemy action, this Ministry in con- sultation with the Directorate General of Resettlement Ministry of Defence has decided to take the following measures:

(1) Those rendered blind or deaf as a result of the war will be admitted into training centres for the Adult blind and the Adult Deaf at Dehra Dun and Hyderabad respectively. The centres will be expanded, if necessary.

(2) The ILO expert, at present working in the Training Centre for the Adult Blind at Dehra Dun will assist the Ministry of Defence to develop facilities for training in light engineering in the Queen Mary Technical School, Poona for the war disabled.

(3) Suitable instructions have been issued to the Special Em- ployment Officer incharge of the Special Employment Exchange for the Handicapped, Bombay, to visit Poona frequently in order to register the war disabled for employment. It is also proposed to issue instructions to all the Special Employment Exchanges for the Handicapped to register the war disabled without restriction of territorial jurisdiction.

(4) It is proposed to publish shortly a pamphlets explaining the meaning of rehabilitation and the facilities to the provided for the war disabled. The pamphlet will be supplied to all the military hospitals so that they could ascertain from disabled persons whether they would be interested in taking advantage of rehabilitation facilities.

(5) It is also proposed to set up a Central Rehabilitation Centre which will provide facilities both for war disabled and other starting from their education/training and ending with remunerative employment.

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(b) Central Social Welfare Board.-The Board has re-oriented its schemes to meet the present emergency.

A sum of Rs. two lakhs has been placed at the disposal of the Board to enable it to buy wool at ex-mill rates and sell it to volun- tary organisations and Women's Committees who knit garments in accordance with the specifications given by the Ministry of Defence.

With its net work of organisations in urban and rural areas, the Board is assisting the Army authorities in looking after the welfare of the families of serving personnel.

The Ministry of Defence have been requested to utilise the After Care Homes and Night Shelters of the Board as well as the Homes and Infirmaries for displaced persons in the various states either as transit camps for service personnel or as hospitals,