REPORT OF THE ADULT EDUCATION - COMMENTS OF THE CABE, 1939

 REPORT OF THE ADULT EDUCATION
 COMMITTEE OF THE CENTRAL
 ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION,
 1939.

At its annual meeting held in December 1938, the Central Advisory Board of Education considered the question of adult education both generally and with special reference to the removal of illiteracy and the provision of village libraries. The Board, while aware that active steps were being taken in some provinces to combat illiteracy, felt that this most important problem should be examined on an all- India basis. It accordingly appointed a Committee consisting of the following members, with powers to co-opt, to examine this problem and to report to the Board:-

1. The Hon'ble Dr. Syed Mahmud, Minister of Education, Government of Bihar Chairman.

2. The Hon'ble Mr. Sampurnanand, Minister of Education, Government of the United Provinces.

3. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur.

4. Mr. W. H. F. Armstrong, Director of Public Instruction Punjab.

5. The Educational Commissioner with the Government of India.

2. In accordance with the powers conferred on the Committee by the Board, the following were co-opted as additional members:-

1. The Hon'ble Mr. C. J. Varkey, Minister of Education, Government of Madras.

2. Mr. S. R. Bhagwat, L.C.E., Chairman, Provincial Board of Adult Education, Bombay.

3. Dr. W. A. Jenkins, I.E.S., Director of Public Instruction, Bengal.

4. Mr. J. J. Ghandy, Manager, Tata Iron and Steel Company, Ltd., Jamshedpur.

5. Mr. K. G. Saiyidain, Director of Public Instruction, Kashmir State.

6. Prof. J. B. Raju, Vice-President, Indian Adult Education Conference.

3. The Committee, as finally constituted, met in Simla on the 17th, 18th and 19th July 1939. The Hon'ble Mr. Sampurnanand, who regretted his inability to attend the meeting, deputed his Parliamentary Secretary Sri Karan Singh Kane, B.A., M.L.A., to attend it. Rai Sahib Pandit S. N. Chaturvedi, M.A., Education Expansion Officer, United Provinces, accompanied him. The Hon'ble Mr. Varkey and Mr. Ghandy, were also unavoidably prevented from attending the meeting. Mr. Ali Akbar Kazmi, M.A., Inspector of Schools, Chhota Nagpur Division, Bihar, And Prof. B. B. Mukherjee, M.A., Secretary, Mass Literacy Committee, Bihar, were present at the meeting and participated in the deliberations of the Committee.

4. The agenda and a note showing the measures taken by the Provincial Governments and certain Indian States for the removal of adult illiteracy are set out in Appendices I and II respectively.

In addition to the agenda, a copy of the following papers was circulated to the members:-

1. Memorandum by the Educational Commissioner.

2. Report of the Adult Education Committee, Bombay, 1938.

3. Report of the 1st Session of the Indian Adult Education Conference in Delhi on March 11th and 12th, 1938.

4. Report of the Indian Adult Education Conference Committee.

5. Report of the 1st year's work of the Bihar Mass Literacy Campaign, 1938-39.

5. Before the proceedings began, the Educational Commissioner informed the Committee of the serious loss the Board had sustained at the beginning of the month by the death of Mr. Abdus Salam, their late Secretary. This news was received with much regret by the members present.

6. The Chairman opened the proceedings with a speech which is reproduced in full in Appendix III. He emphasized the importance of adult education as a foundation on which the development of the social economic and political. life of the country, must be based. He also laid stress on the relation in which adult education must stand to the expansion of primary education and illustrated many aspects of the problem in the light of the work done and the experience gained from the campaign in Bihar during the past year. The Committee then discussed the problem in its general aspects. It was agreed that to achieve success the movement must be carried on as a mass movement and the active assistance and support of all sections of public opinion must be enlisted. While literacy should always be regarded rather as a first step towards further education than as an end in itself and while its promotion is only one among many aspects of the adult education movement, nevertheless in view of the present situation in India, where it is estimated that approximately 90 per cent. of the adult population is illiterate, it is beyond doubt that aspect to which the greatest share of attention must in the beginning be devoted. The abolition of crime and disease, the establishment of higher standards of life and the development of democracy in the fullest sense can only be achieved by the diffusion of education throughout all sections of the community.

I. The sphere of adult education in the general system of education.

The Committee feel it necessary to preface their report by stating their conviction that whatever may be achieved by the adult education movement the early and general establishment of a compulsory system of primary education is the only effective and permanent solution of the problem of illiteracy, so far as the great bulk of the population is concerned. When this is in full operation, the problem in the case of the educable will be confined to those who relapse into illiteracy after their school days are over.

In the meantime, however, the needs of those who have passed their school days, or what should have been their school days, must receive attention and the fact cannot be ignored that the existence of a large number of illiterate parents, who attach no value to literacy in others,

including their own children, will undoubtedly prove one, of the greatest obstacles to the introduction of a compulsory system of primary education. The problem, therefore, has to be approached from both ends, and this reason alone is sufficient to make the Committee regard the provision of facilities for adult education on the widest possible scale as a matter of extreme urgency. The function of adult education in the general system of education may be defined as follows:-

(a) to make grown-up people literate in the narrow sense;

(b) to encourage adults who are already literate or who become literate as a result of (a) to continue their education and to provide them with facilities for so doing;

Considered from this wider aspect there must always be a recognized place for adult education in any well-ordered system of public instruction.

In view of the widespread prevalence of illiteracy throughout India and particularly in certain classes of the population, both in rural and urban areas, the Committee regard (a) above as the objective towards the attainment of which the main effort should immediately be directed and they note with satisfaction the energetic steps which have already been taken in certain Provinces with this end in view. They hope, for the reasons given later in this report, that these official efforts may be supplemented with equal enthusiasm by all those voluntary agencies which are interested not only in education but also in the wider aspects of social amelioration.

In recommending, however, that priority be given to the attack on illiteracy the Committee have no intention of suggesting that attention to functions (b) and (c) above can be postponed until (a) has been fulfilled. In fact it is hardly necessary to point out that if a man or a village or a district is made literate and then through lack of stimulus or facilities is allowed to lapse into illiteracy, the effort and money expended is not merely wasted but the last state will almost certainly be worse than the first. A very essential part of any scheme, therefore, will be the arrangements for Reconsolidating the ground gained. The success of the literacy campaign in any area must depend in the Committee's opinion on the ability of those responsible

(i) to ascertain which members of the adult population are illiterate;

(ii) to bring such pressure as may be practicable on the illiterates to undergo instruction;

(iii) to provide instruction in such forms as may be most likely to awaken the interest of the adult student and create in him the, desire to continue his education;

(iv) to recruit an adequate supply of competent teachers for this purpose; and

(v) to provide facilities so that literacy may become permanent.

Many of the problems inherent in giving effect to the above will be discussed in greater detail in subsequent sections of this report. With regard to (i), however, the Committee are of opinion that the task of local authorities would be greatly facilitated if the information required, or a considerable part of it, could be obtained in connection with the official

census and recommend that the Census authorities should be asked too amend the form of return so as to include such,information as Provincial Governments might think desirable in this connection. It was decided to consult Provincial Governments at once on this matter.

With regard to (ii), while it was agreed that, in the beginning at any rate, every effort should be made to persuade illiterates voluntarily to undergo instruction, doubts were expressed as to whether a real measure of success could be achieved without sanctions of some kind. It was accordingly suggested that after due notice literacy might be made a condition of the franchise and/or of any employment under a public authority, that enlightened employers should be asked to adopt a similar attitude and that after a certain date thumb-impressions instead of signatures on legal documents should be made invalid. The Committee, while. recognizing the stimulus which the adoption of such measures would give to the movement and realizing the possibility that action on these or similar lines may ultimately become necessary, feel that their adoption in the early stages may provoke opposition in otherwise sympathetic quarters and bring the matter to the notice of the Board without making any specific recommendations. They are agreed, however, that continuous and effective propaganda of all kinds is essential.

With regard to (iii) many views were expressed as to the respective merits of individual and class tuition in the early stages, as to whether instruction should be limited to the 3 R's or whether subjects likely to attract the illiterate should be introduced concurrently and as to the order in which and the methods by which the 3 R's could be most effectively approached. The Committee believe that, in the beginning at any rate, the utmost freedom should be allowed to experiment, particularly in view of the varying aptitudes both of teachers and students and the very diverse conditions which obtain in a country as large as India. In so far however, as these matters involve questions of educational technique, the Committee recommend that a committee of experts be appointed to consider and report upon them and upon any cognate problem which may arise in connection with the Adult Education Movement. This committee should consist mainly of persons who are actually engaged in literacy work. Provincial Governments and other bodies concerned might be invited to submit matters for the consideration of this committee. On the general question the Committee are convinced that whether instruction is individual or given in class and whatever the subjects of instruction, it is essential that it should be made intelligible and interesting to the student by being closely related to his occupation, his personal interests and the social and economic conditions under which be, lives. It is further suggested that when new schools are built or existing ones altered the planning and equipment should be of such a character as will make them convenient and attractive for adults as well as for children.

In concluding their general observations on the function of Adult Education. as a part of the general educational system, the Committee reiterate their opinion that this cannot be confined to the promotion and maintenance of literacy. Every encouragement must also be given to the many adults, fully literate so far as the 3 R's are concerned, who will feel the need to continue their education, whether their object is to improve their efficiency as workers or citizens or simply to increase their capacity for intellectual enjoyment and recreation. Suitably graded part-time

courses or classes should be provided to suit their needs. Such classes will generally be held in the evening but the possibility of starting part-time day classes in urban areas, particularly for women, should receive consideration. In this connection every effort should be made to enlist the help of Universities through their extra-mural departments as well as the co-operation of industrialists.

II. The desirability or otherwise of distinguishing between adult education in the strict sense and other forms of part-time continuative education e.g., those of a vocational character.

Having outlined in the previous section what they regard as the main objectives of adult education, the Committee feel that the next step is to consider to what extent the existing circumstances of India make it advisable in pursuing these aims to distinguish between adult education and those other forms of part-time continuative education for adults which are primarily of a vocational character. They are aware that in Western countries it has been customary to draw a line between Adult Education in the strict sense and Technical, Commercial and Art Instruction. In recent years, however. the literary, aesthetic and recreative activities of adult education have been acquiring an increasingly important place in technical and similar institutions. The Committee welcome on general grounds this tendency to co-ordinate all forms of adult instruction place in believe that it is neither necessary nor expedient in India, and above all in the Indian village, to define too strictly the sphere of adult education. The main aim is to arouse the interest of the illiterate, whether a villager or a town dweller, and make him wish to learn. The best way of doing this may well be through activities closely associated with his daily work.Any form of instruction that will help him to improve his economic position may not only increase his respect for education but may also contribute indirectly towards securing a better education for his children. The worker for adult education should not be limited in his ways of approach by restrictions which may be valid under entirely different circumstances but are artificial as applied to India. The studies of the village adult centre, therefore, should be based on agriculture and the crafts related to it and instruction in literacy should be correlated therewith. Apart from vocational considerations and whatever the age of the student, the importance of learning by doing things in the earlier stages of education is almost universally recognized.

In large urban areas it may be expedient to organize separate institutions for adult education and for vocational instruction but even here the reasons should be administrative and economic rather than educational.

III. Attendance of pupils or students already undergoing full- time instruction at adult education classes.

The function and sphere of Adult Education having been described as above, it becomes important to define what is meant by an adult student.

In many provinces no lower age limits have been prescribed for adult education centres. Those responsible have hesitated to refuse children who applied for admission, particularly where they had no other opportunity of obtaining education. There are, however, obvious disadvantages in teaching boys and men together. The former tend to be a disturbing

element and many adults, who are conscious of their educational short- comings, are shy of exposing them in the presence of children. More important is the fact that grown-up people are capable of learning at a different rate from children. Furthermore there is a distinct technique for teaching adults.

The Committee are also conscious of the risk of young children being exploited, if parents instead of sending them to school in the day time can make them work during the day and attend school at night. After very careful consideration the Committee came to the following conclusions:-

(a) that a boy under the age of 12 should not be admitted to an adult centre under any circumstances;

(b) that a boy, so long as he is attending a full time day school, should not be encouraged to attend evening classes as well; and

(c) that subject to (b) above and wherever the numbers justify it, separate classes should be organized for boys between 12 and 16.

With regard to girls, the Committee are of opinion that the objections set out above to mixing boys and men do not apply with anything like the same force to the other sex. Moreover in view of the present limited facilities available for girls education, it would be unreasonable to raise obstacles against girls joining any adult classes for women from which they might benefit.

IV. To consider how far the problem of providing adequate facilities for adult education can be solved by using and developing existing agencies in (a) urban and (b) rural areas: in this connexion to consider the function of the University and the Technical, Commercial or Art College in relation to adult education.

In England and other countries much valuable work in the adult education field is being done by and through voluntary agencies. Some of these are entirely devoted either to? educational activities, e.g., the University Extension Movement and the Workers Educational Association or to the amelioration of social conditions generally like the Rural Committee Councils or the Women's Institutes, while others are primarily religious or political in their outlook. Classes run by these bodies are recognized by the Education Authorities provided that (a) they are open to inspection and comply with the regulations Rs to standards of work and attendance prescribed by these Authorities, (b) they abstain from propaganda which is not purely educational in its aim and (c) they are prepared to admit bona fide students who are not members of the bodies in question. The general experience has been that these conditions are loyally observed. Many of these classes are aided by the Education Authorities in the way either of direct money grants or of the free use of buildings and equipment.

REPORT OF THE ADULT EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE CENTRAL ADVISORY BOARD OF EDUCATION, 1939.

I. The sphere of adult education in the general system of education.

II. The desirability or otherwise of distinguishing between adult education in the strict sense and other forms of part-time continuative education e.g., those of a vocational character.

III. Attendance of pupils or students already undergoing full- time instruction at adult education classes.