APPENDIX `H' MEMORANDUM ON ITEM 10 : TO CONSIDER THE NEED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PATTERN CO-ORDINATED WITH THE NATIONAL EDUCATION STRUCTURE OF THE COUNTRY
The Second Joint Indo-American Team on Agricultural Education, Research and Extension set up by the Ministry of Food & Agriculture, while evaluating the progress in the field of agricultural education, research and extension in India inter-alia made the following recommendations:
"The Team recommends that an agricultural education pattern. with well defined objectives, be developed to encompass agricultural teaching from the vocational (Manjri) schools, the multipurpose high schools on through the college and university. At the college level three should be complete integration of research, teaching and extension."
At present agricultural education is imparted in Manjri type schools, agricultural schools, multipurpose schools, rural instituter. and ssome other similar institutions. The programme is, however,, not properly coordinated.
In order to develop an effective agricultural education pro- gramme, it will be necessary that all institutions in which agricul- cure is a part of curriculum be fitted into an educational pattern with definite objectives for each type.
The Team visualised an agricultural education pattern at three levels.
1. Students from Rural areas after VII standards shall enter Manjri type vocational schools for a two years' training and expect to return to the land, where they will form a nucleus band of trained progressive farmers who will do a better job of scientific farming than would be possible without this training. They may also advance to positions of leadership in their villages or districts and thus raise the level of agriculture in their community and State and finally in the country. Matriculates among the trained persons may take up jobs of Village Level Workers.
Training of this type should not, however, permanently prohibit students from taking additional training and qualifying for advanced positions. Indeed students of unusual ability should be encouraged and assisted to continue their education through college or university.
2. Students passing out of the Rural multipurpose higher secon- dary schools, taking agriculture group option from class IX, may be expected either to chose any one of the activities connected. with agriculture or to take higher education in agriculture. The
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agricultural background that the rural boys have, will be strengthened by the education in scientific agriculture as imparted in these high schools. Those who have ability and aptitude should be encouraged and assisted to continue their education at college or university level.
3. Education at the college or university level should like other spheres of agricultural education be oriented to meet the needs of the farming community. Colleges or agricultural universities are to become the foundations on which an improved agricultural programme should be built. Their products, the graduates will be qualified to provide the leadership to the students of vocational schools and multipurpose high schools as -instructors. At the university level there should be complete integration of research, teaching and extension.
These recommendations indeed envisage far reaching changes in the field of agricultural education. So far as the university education is concerned, both Planning Commission and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research have accepted the concept of Agricultural university.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Education at its sixth session held at Ranchi made the following recommendations on this subject :
"There should be a coherent pattern of agricultural education from school level to the university stage."
The under-noted pattern was recommended: 1. Manjri type of vocational schools to train cultivators and village leaders (VII standard onwards).
2. Multipurpose higher secondary schools to impart a background of scientific agriculture to boys at two levels i.e., preparatory and terminal. Some may pursue higher education at colleges and universities and some may offer optional agricultural group as a terminal course (upto higher secondary level, offering agriculture group from IX standards).
3. Colleges and universities to train technical personnel to become teachers, research workers, extension staff (Block Development Officers, subject-matter specialists, etc.), and assume leadership in agriculture college and university level).
Special mention was made about the urgent need to modify the present higher secondary syllabus so that it serves not only as a general course for those who take to jobs, or farming at that stage but may also serve as a pre-requisite to higher agricultural educa,- tion. The above recommendations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Education are placed before the Board for devising ways and meansfor their implementation in order to develop a comprehensive agricultural education pattern coordinated with the national educational structure.
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