EARLIER SURVEYS
As mentioned in the preceding chapter there have been three educational surveys at the national level in the post-Independence period where attempts were made to collect information about schooling facilities and enrolment from all States and Union Territories of the Republic. The objectives of these surveys were broadly the same but their scope was widened from one survey to another on the basis of the knowledge and experience gained from previous surveys.
2.1 First All-India Educational Survey This survey was undertaken in 1957 with the following main objectives :
(i) To identify and enumerate every distinct habi- tation and prepare registers giving relevant information about them;
(ii) To enumerate all the existing primary, middle and high schools and habitations served by them; and
(iii) To plan school areas for each primary, middle and high school in a rational manner so as to derive maximum benefit with the minimum of additional outlay from the existing schools and those to be opened or enlarged in future.
The date of reference for this survey was March 31, 1957 and the items of information collected for the purpose in respect of habitations and schools are
(a) Rural habitations under different population slabs served by primary schools, whether independent or otherwise, and the distance that the children had to walk in order to have access to the school;
(b) Rural habitations without educational facility at the primary stage under various population slabs;
(c) Rural habitations to be severed by proposed schools;
(d) Rural habitations and population without schooling facilities after planning on the basis of the survey;
(e) Enrolment in schools;
(f) Number and area of class rooms; and
(g) Number of teachers.
Thus it is observed that the objectives of this survey were very limited. The reason perhaps was that such a massive survey was being conducted for the first time in which all the habitations were being identified and enumerated for obtaining information on such items as population, availability of educational facilities and the distance that the children had to cover in order to reach the school. Another basic feature of this survey was the delimitation of school areas for the then existing schools and the planning of the areas to be catered by new schools.
2.2 Second All-India Educational Survey The First All-India Educational Survey was conducted at the beginning of the Second Five-Year Plan and on its basis recommendations were made to the States to delimit areas of the existing primary schools and to plan the locations of the new schools using the survey findings. Hence, the educational planners and administrators felt that the time was ripe to assess to what extent planning and location of the schools as recommended by the First Survey was carried out and also to revise the data of the First Survey. Accordingly, a decision was taken by the Government of India to launch the Second All-India Educational Survey in August, 1965. Its objectives were as follows :
(a) to revise the data of the First Educational Survey with reference to the distribution and size of the habitations and delimitation of school areas of the existing primary, middle and high schools and to provide data required
6 FORTH ALL-INDIA EDUCATION SURVEY
for the preparation of district development plans for education;
(b) to study intensively :
(i) the existing conditions of educational institu- tions-primary, middle and secondary schools, colleges, engineering institutions at the degree and diploma levels and other institutions (that may be decided later on) in respect of staff, their qualifications, experience and age, enrolment and wastage, physical facilities in the form of buildings, libraries, laboratories and equipment, etc.;
(ii) some special educational problems such as factors impeding opening of schools in backward areas, drop-outs at primary stage, single teacher schools, etc;
(c) to conduct studies in a few industrially develop- ing areas on manpower requirements and educational needs and demands and such other matters as pertain to human resource development and educational planning.
These studies were to be executed in a phased manner. In phase I, the school survey was to be conducted. The date of reference for this survey was 31 December 1965 and the following data were collected pertaining to habitations and schools in each State :
(i) Enumeration of every distinct habitation;
(ii) Enumeration of every primary, middle and high school;
(iii) Enumeration of habitations which have in them provision for educational facility at various school stages;
(iv) Enumeration of habitations without educational facilities at primary, middle and secondary stages;
(v) Distance at which educational facilities at the various stages are available for every habitation at
(iv) above, under various population slabs;
(vi) Distribution of primary, middle and secondary sections and enrolment in these sections according to number of teachers and enrolment in each section;
(vii) Distribution of primary, middle and secondary sections according to number of teachers and enrolment in each section;
(viii) Class-wise enrolment in schools with different sections;
(ix) Distances which children at primary, middle and secondary stages walk from their schoolless habitations to the schools in the neighbouring habitations;
(x) Distribution of teachers in primary, middle and secondary sections according to qualification;
(xi) Enrolment in different classes at primary, middle and secondary stages;
(xii) Distribution of untrained teachers according to their age and teaching experience;
(xiii) Schools according to their management and the nature of ownership of school buildings;
(xiv) Qualifications of teachers teaching science in secondary schools and laboratory facilities available in them for teaching science.
On the basis of the data collected for the Second Survey, District Development Plans for Education were developed in ten States and Union Territories under the guidance of NCERT. For this purpose a pilot study was conducted initially in Dhar Block in Madhya Pradesh.
Under Phase II the following studies were under- taken and completed :
(1) Survey of High/Higher Secondary/Multipurpose Schools offering Agriculture group/stream/subject under elective/optional/diversified course;
(2) Survey of High/Higher Secondary/Multipurpose Schools offering Technical (Engineering) group[stream/subject under elective/optional/ diversified course;
(3) Survey of Junior Technical Schools;
(4) Survey of Colleges and Institutes of Physical Education;
(5) Survey of the Institutions for the Physically Handicapped-Deaf, Mute and Dumb;
(6) Survey of the Institutions for the Physically Handicapped-Blind;
(7) Intensive study of Blocks with respect to Edu- cational Development;
(8) Survey of School Textbooks in India;
(9) Survey of Unrecognised Institutions offering Pre- School/Elementary Education;
(10) Parent-Teacher Associations in Indian Schools; and
(11) Survey of Women Teachers in Rural Areas.
2.3 Third All-India Educational Survey As already mentioned in the earlier chapter this was the most comprehensive survey of its kind which covered all areas of education involving various agencies having expertise in the concerned areas. The responsibility for organising this survey in the area of school education and allied aspects rested with NCERT. The main objective of this survey, which was launched in late 1973, with reference date as 31 December 1973 was to collect data and information which could be helpful for planning and policy making during the
EARLIER SURVEYS 7
Fifth Five Year Plan and for taking administrative decisions scientifically on important educational issue These data should also be useful in determining trend and relationships, gaps and imbalances and for making comparisons. With this background the specific objec- tives of the survey were :
(a) To up-date the data of the earlier surveys in terms of the distribution and size of habitation and determination of school areas of existing primary, middle and secondary schools and to collect data needed for developing District Development Plans ; and
(b) To study intensively the existing facilities on certain significant variables such as library, audio- visual aids, laboratories, age distribution, attrition rates and other qualitative aspects of education.
For this purpose the information collected could be broadly classified in three categories as follows
Category A (i) Village Information: Number of habitations with sex-wise distribution of population ; total population ; population of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes; number of children below the age of 17+; distance of each habitation from the nearest school ; other edu- cational facilities available in the village including special educational programmes, if any.
(ii) City/town Information : Sex-wise distribution of population; population of SC and ST; number of children of age below 17+; number of schools of various types including special institutions.
(iii) Institutional Information : Location ; management ; class-wise and sex-wise enrolment including that of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ; timings ; teachers with tenure and qualifications ; catchment area ; in case of special institutions courses run with duration of each.
Category B (i) Institutional Information : School buildings hostels; playgrounds ; equipment ; library ; laboratories ; workshops ; stipends ; scholarships ; free supply of textbooks ; clothings ; mid-day meals ; other incentives, if any ;programme of work experience ; crafts.
(ii) Teachers: Sex ; age qualifications (academic and professional) experience ; finances ; admission procedures ; intake and out turn in case of special institutions.
Category C Institutional Information : Detailed information on the aspect under study.
Apart from the above mentioned information and institutional information, detailed information was collected in the following areas connected with school education, using separate questionnaires for each :
(i) Information about pre-primary teacher training institutions as also pre-primary schools ;
(ii) Information about coaching institutes ;
(iii) Information about other institutions-Sanskrit Pathshala, Makhtabs, Madrasahs, etc. ;
(iv) Information about elementary teacher training institutions and teacher educators ;
(v) Information about secondary teacher training institutions and teacher educators ;
(vi) Information about Headmasters of schools and Principals of higher secondary schools as educational administrators ;
(vii) Hostel facilities for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ;
(viii) Information about colleges and institutes of physical education ;
(ix) Information about institutions for the physically handicapped ; and
(x) Information about education outside school.
Of these information at (vi) was collected on behalf of the National Staff College for Educational Planners and Administrators and at (vii) for the Tribal Welfare Department (Ministry of Home Affairs). This was done mainly to avoid duplication of work, when different agencies were engaged in organising the survey. A comparative picture of the findings of the earlier three surveys are as follows :
8 FOURTH ALL-INDIA EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
Item First Survey Second Survey Third Survey
Date of Reference 31.3.1957 31.12.1965 31.12.1973
1. Number of rural
habitations 8,40,033 9,82,251 9,53,734
2. Population of
rural habitations 27,95,50,946 39,65,80,123 46,53,67,369
Primary Education
3. Number of rural
habitations 2,29,023 3,73,086 4,22,766
served by primary
sections within them
4. Percentage of
these habitations 27.26 37.98 44.33
to the total
5. Population of
habitations served 16,70,44,295 28,34,81,088 35,42,23,069
by primary sections
within them
6. Percentage of
population served 59.75 71.48 76.12
by primary sections
within them
7. Rural habitations
served by 1,75,055 3,00,557 1,11,158
primary sections
not within them
but up to a
distance of 0.5
mile (0.5 km)
8. Percentage of
population of 14.63 14.85 5.74
habitations served
by primary (0.5 km)
sections not within them but up to
a distance of 0.5 mile
9. Rural habitations
served by primary 1,77,221 1,83,173 1.86,585
sections between
0.6 and 1 mile (0.6 to 1km)
10. Percentage of
population of
habitations 21.07 8.63 8.48
served by primary
sections between
0.6 and 1.0 mile (0.6 to 1 km)
Education at Middle Stage
1. Number of habit-
ations served by 26,267 69,424 80,837
middle sections
within them
2. Percentage of
habitations
served 3.13 7.07 8.69
by middle sections
within them
3. Number of habitations
served by 3,96,542 6,43,470 4,61,389
middle sections not within them (3 km)
but up to a distance of 3 miles
4. percentage of habitations
served 47.21 65.51 49.57
by middle sections not within them(3 km)
but up to a distance of 3 miles
Education at Secondary Stage
1. Number of habitations
served by 4,500 16,231 24,049
secondary sections
within them
2. Percentage of habitations
served by 0.54 1.65 2.85
secondary sections
within them
3. Number of habitations
served by 2,97,055 5,84,923 4,32,116
secondary sections (5 km)
not within them
but up to a distance
of 5 miles
4. Percentage of habitations
served by 35.90 59.55 51.80
secondary sections not
within them(5 km)
but up to a distance of
5 miles