17. Assam

: There are 31,471 rural habitations with a population of 1,20,55,155. Of these habitations, 76.23 per cent, accounting for 39.75 per cent of the population, are in the slab 'below 500'. These include 20.09 per cent of the habitations with a population of 'below 100'. In this State the number of small habitations is very large. On 31 March, 1957, 82.91 per cent of the population were served by primary sections and the target under the First Survey was 98.09 per cent. According to the present data, 93.33 per cent of the population are served by primary sections, and 4,998 habitations are without primary education facilities. These include 678 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each, which account for only 2.93 per cent of the total rural population of the State. It appears that in order to raise the index of primary education facilities in Assam, special efforts will have to be made for schooling facilities for small habitations.

18. Bihar

: Bihar also abounds in small habitations, of which 75.03 per cent are in the slab 'below 500', accounting for 36 per cent of the total population in rural areas in the State. According to the First Survey, 85.90 per cent of the population were served by primary sections and the target under the First Survey was 99.87 per cent. According to the present data, 97.13 per cent of the population are served by primary sections which includes 67.13 per cent served by primary sections in their own habitations. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 8,582. Of these, 1,114 have a population of '300 or above' each and they account for 1.10 per cent of the total population in rural areas. If primary sections are found feasible in ail or most of these 1,114 habitations, then with the opening of 1,114 schools, at least 1.10 per cent additional popu- lation will be served by primary sections. Assuming that some additional percentage will also be served by these, only a small gap will remain to be covered subsequently.

19. Gujarat

: There are 24,273 habitations with a population of 1,71,19,806. The proportion of small habitations in this State is relatively low. Only 53.96 per cent of the habitations accounting for only 18.47 per cent of the rural population in the State have a population of 'below 500'. The data of the First Survey are not available for Gujarat separately. In the erstwhile State of Bombay, 91.58 per cent of the population were served by primary sections on 31 March.

PRIMARY EDUCATION 21

1957. The target for the erstwhile Bombay State under the First Survey was 99.22 per cent. According to the present Survey, 97.70 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 2,055. These include 381 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each and they account for 1.08 per cent of the total population in rural areas in the State. It appears that the stage of universal provision of educational facilities in Gujarat can be attained without much additional effort.

20. Jammu & Kashmir

The number of rural habitations is 12,439 with a population of 33,51,080. Of these, 86.34 per cent habitations and 53.24 per cent of the population are in the slab 'below 500'. On 31 March, 1957, 75.14 per cent of the population were served by primary sections and the target under the First Survey was 97.18 per cent. According to the present data, 87.06 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 3,107. These include 294 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each which account for 3.94 per cent of the total rural population. Thus, the bulk of the rural habitations not served consists of habitations with a population of 'below 300' each. In this State the programme of additional schooling facilities will, therefore, have to be devoted mainly to habitations in the lower population slabs.

21. Kerala

: There are 10,124 rural habitations with a population of 1,56,35,681. Only 20.06 per cent of the habitations accounting for 3.71 per cent of the population are in habitations with a population of 'below 500'. Thus, in this State the habitations tend to be larger and the population is more or less distributed among larger habitations. On 31 March, 1957, 90.49 per cent of the population were served by primary sections and the target under the First Survey was 99.93 per cent. According to the present data, 92.57 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Thus, the percentage of' population served by primary sections has not increased significantly during the intervening period in this State. There are only 1,357 habitations which are not served by primary sections at present. These include 989 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each and they account for 7.04 per cent of the rural population. There are 4 habitations with a population of '5000 or above' each which do not have primary sections even within one mile. Similarly, 125 habitations in the slab '2000-4999' do not have primary sections even within one mile. On enquiry it was reported by the State Government that this was owing to the fact that nearly one-third of the area of the State consisted of mountainous regions and hilly tracts where transportation was difficult and the population thinly scattered. In the midlands and the lowlands, however, habitations without primary school facilities are rare.

22. Madhya Pradesh

: There are 91,383 rural habitations with a population of 3,06,39,212. Madhya Pradesh is the biggest State in India in terms of area. Of the habitations, 80.46 per cent have a population of 'below 500' each and account for 46.86 per cent of the rural population. The number of small habitations in this State is, therefore, very large. Only 67.78 per cent of the population were served by primary sections on 31 March, 1957. Compared to other States, this percentage was very low. The target under the First Survey was 98.67 per cent. According to the present Survey, 87.88 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Though there has been an increase of about 20 per cent in the population served by primary sections during the intervening period, a wide gap still remains to be covered before the goal of universal provision of schooling facilities can be reached. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 22,960. Only 2,892 habitations out of these have a population of '300 or above' each and they account for 3.63 per cent of the rural population.

23. Madras

: There are 52,011 rural habitations with a total population of 2,59,13,131. Of these habitations, 68.01 per cent, accounting for 29.60 per cent of the rural population, have populations of 'below 500' each. On 31 March, 1957, 94.65 per cent of the population were served by primary sections. This was the highest percentage figure among all the States and the Union Territories. The target under the First Survey was 99.63 per cent. According to the present position, 97.23 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served at present is 3,822. These include 614 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each which account for 1.17 per cent of the rural population.

24. Maharashtra

: The number of rural habitations is 65,195 with a population of 3,15,02,996. Of these habitions, 70.44 per cent have a population of 'below 500' each and they acount for 27.98 per cent of the rural population. Though a large percentage of population are in bigger habitations, the number of smaller habitations is very large. In the erstwhile Bombay State, 91.58 per cent of the population were served by primary sections on 31 March, 1957, while the target was 99.22 per cent. According to the present position, 97.47 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 6,336. These include only 346 habitations

22 SECOND ALL-INDIA EDUCATIONAL SURVEY

with a population of '300 or above' each. Thus, in this State, almost all habitations with a population of '300 or above' are served by primary sections and the problem of providing additional schooling facilities centres around habitations with populations 'less than 300.'

25. Mysore

: There are 40,105 rural habitations with a population of 2,11,51,531. Of these, 66.8 5 per cent habitations, accounting for 26.23 per cent of the rural population, are in the slab 'below 500'. On 31 March, 1957, 91.75 per cent of the population in this State were served by primary sections. Compared to the corresponding data for the other States, this was a very high percentage. The target under the First Survey was 99.80 per cent. According to the present position, 97.30 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served is 3,947, including only 422 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each. Thus, the bulk of habitations yet to be provided with schooling facilities consists of habitations with populations 'below 300'.

26. Orissa

: This State has 68,369 rural habitations with a population of 1,84,94,866. Of these, 85.32 per cent habitations, accounting for 52.61 per cent of the rural population in the State, are in the slab 'below 500'. Thus, this State abounds in small habitations. On 31 March, 1957, 87.41 per cent of the population were served by primary sections while the target under the First Survey was 98.55 per cent. According to the data of the present Survey, 91.61 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Though a big gap had to be covered after the First Survey, the gain in percentage of population served by primary sections has not been very much and a wide gap has yet to be covered. The total number of habitations not served by primary sections is 13,230, including 955 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each. The latter account for 2.18 per cent of the rural population in the State. The bulk of the habitations without schooling facilities at present consists of habitations with populations of 'below 300', their number being 12,275.

27. Punjab

: As mentioned earlier, the data of this State had been collected before its reorganization on 1 November, 1966. There are 28,643 rural habitations with a population of 1,83,99,852. Of these habitations, 60.57 per cent, accounting for 18.58 per cent of the population, are in the slab 'below 500'. Thus, in this State the population is distributed largely in bigger habitations. To that extent the problem of providing schooling facilities appears to be simple. On 31 March, 1957, 93.82 per cent of the population were served by primary sections. This was a very high percentage as compared to the corresponding figure for other States. After Madras, Punjab had the largest percentage of population served by primary sections on 31 March, 1957. The target under the First Survey was 99.54 per cent. According to the present Survey, 96.54 per cent of the population in the State are served by primary sections. The total number of habitations not served at present is 4,108, including, 533 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each. The latter account for 1.44 per cent of the rural population.

28. Rajasthan

: There are 50,533 rural habitations with a population of 1,93,53,527. Of these habitations, 77.51 per cent, accounting for 36.32 per cent of the rural population, are in the slab 'below 500'. Thus, a fairly large percentage of population in the State are in relatively smaller habitations. On 31 March, 1957, 66.40 per cent of the population were served by primary sections. This was the lowest figure among all the States. The target under the First Survey was 99.40 per cent. According to the data of the present Survey, 89.86 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Considerable progress has been made during the intervening period and the percentage of population served by primary sections has been raised by 23.46. Nevertheless, there is still a wide gap to be covered in order to achieve the target of universal provision of educational facilities at the primary stage in the State. The total number of habitations not served at present is 11,535, including 1,808 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each. The latter account for 4.01 per cent of the population in rural areas in the State. The problem of providing additional schooling facilities will, therefore, be predominantly a problem of covering smaller habitations.

29. Uttar Pradesh

: There are 2,40,169 rural habitations with a total population of 6,88,08,968. This State has the largest number of rural habitations. On 31 March, 1957, 71.18 per cent of the population were served by primary sections while the target under the First Survey was 99.47 per cent. According to the present Survey, 94.58 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Good progress can, therefore, be said to have been made during the intervening period, the percentage having been raised by 23.40. The total number of habitations not served at present is 20,919, including 3,545 habitations with a population of '300 or above' each. The latter account for 2.40 per cent of the rural population. In this State also the problem of providing additional schooling facilities in future is likely to be that of providing schools for smaller habitations.

30. West Bengal

: There are 67,703 rural habitations

PRIMARY EDUCATION 23

with a population of 3,00,80,544. Of these habitations, 72.72 per cent, accounting for 34.54 per cent of the rural population, are below 500'. Though the number of habitations in the lower slabs is large, it is presumed that on account of the very high density of population, the distances between them should be relatively smaller, or in other words they should be, by and large, relatively closer to one another. The First Survey was not conducted in West Bengal and, therefore, it is not possible to state the position as it obtained on 31 March, 1957. According to the present position, 97.55 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. This is the second highest figure amongst the States, next only to Gujarat. The number of habitations without schooling facilities is 2,764, including 870 habitations with populations of '300 or above' each. The latter account for 1.60 per cent of the rural population. The gap to be covered in this State is not big and it should not be difficult to reach the stage of universal provision of educational facilities with a little additional effort.

31. Union Territories

: The percentage of population served at the primary stage in all the Union Territories is very high except in Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura. Dadra & Nagar Haveli is a very small Union Territory with a total population of 61,671. Himachal Pradesh, however, invites special attention. The data for this Territory are as they existed before the reorganization of Punjab on 1 November, 1966. Of the rural habitations, 99.06 per cent, accounting for 91.45 per cent of the rural population, are in the slab 'below 500'. Thus, this Territory is a land of tiny habitations. On 34 March, 1957, 63.72 per cent of the population were served by primary sections while the target under the First Survey was 98.93 per cent. According to the present Survey, 73.93 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Thus, a very wide gap has yet to be covered in this area in order to achieve the target of universal primary school facilities. Here the problem will have to be tackled in a manner different from that in other States. 32. In Manipur, 84.88 per cent of the population were served by primary sections on 31 March, 1957, and the target under the First Survey was 95.05 per cent. According to the present data, 94.50 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. 33. In Tripura 84.44 per cent of the population were served by primary sections on 31 March, 1957, while the target under the First Survey was 98.23 per cent. According to the present data, 88 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. Thus in Tripura, the percentage has not been raised much during the intervening period in spite of the gap that remained to be covered.

34. The First Survey was not organized in Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Daman & Diu, Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands, and Pondicherry. In Goa, Daman & Diu, 94.40 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. In Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands, 100 per cent of the population are served by primary sections. The cor- responding figure for Pondicherry is 98.60 per cent. Thus, in all these three areas the schooling facilities at primary stage have been provided in a very good measure. In Dadra & Nagar Haveli, however, 82.22 per cent of the population are served.

PRIMARY SECTIONS

35. Primary sections in India include first four or five years of schooling according to the pattern of classes in a State or a Union Territory. In Gujarat, Kerala, Mysore, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Goa, Daman & Diu, Laccadive, Minicoy & Amindivi Islands, and Manipur the first four years of school constitute the primary stage. In Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Maha- rashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Pondicherry, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura the first five years constitute the primary stage. In all States and Union Territories, primary education starts with class I, except in the case of Assam, Manipur, NEFA and Nagaland. In Manipur and Nagaland classes A,B, I and II constitute the primary stage. In Assam and NEFA classes A, B, I, II and III constitute the primary stage. In the tables in this report, class A has been treated as class I, class B as class II, and so on.

36. The schools at the primary stage may be independent units, i.e. they may terminate at the final year of the primary stage or below, or, the primary classes may be part of schools extending up to the middle or secondary stages. The schools have, therefore, been divided into the following six categories : *

             i)  P schools      -schools having primary classes only
         
             ii) M schools      -schools having middle classes only
        
             iii) S schools     -schools having secondary classes only
         
             iv) PM schools     -schools having primary and middle classes  or
                                 primary and middle sections

* There are, however, 3 schools with primary and secondary sections only and have been given the symbol PS in Table 12.

24 SECOND ALL-INDIA EDUCATIONAL SURVEY

 
        
             v)   MS schools     -schools having middle and secondary sections      
                                  only
        
             vi)  PMS schools    -schools having primary, middle and secondary      
                                  sections.