INTRODUCTION
1.1 Importance 1.1.1 Formulation of educational policies, the planning of educational facilities, improvement of educational system, and management of educational services require a strong data base. Periodic surveys conducted for collecting the bench-mark data provide the statistics on points relevant to these issues. Our country had inherited an educational base meant for catering to the administrative needs of the colonial rule. With Independence, resources started being invested for shifting this emphasis from the elite few to the teeming millions. The ambitions and aspirations of the country in this regard have found an unambiguous expression in the Directive Principles of the State Policy enshrined in our Constitution. As a consequence of the adoption of the Constitution in 1950, elementary education received the required focus through the constitutional commitment of providing free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of 14 years. Quantitative expansion took place by way of creation of additional schooling facilities, particularly in the rural areas. This came to assume the. first position among planning priorities and implementation strategies. The opening of teacher- training institutions for creating a cadre of qualified and professionally competent teachers was an important corollary of this effort. To add to these, a number of incentive schemes of offering scholarships, midday meals, free textbooks, free school uniforms, etc., were launched to help the economically deprived sections of the society in our country in overcoming the social and financial handicaps they faced in sending their children to school.
1.1.2 However, universal education presupposes universal provision and universal attendance. Among the diverse facets of universal education the salient ones are enrolment, retention, and achievement (ERA) of pupils in schools, besides, of course, the availability of physical facilities and teachers. The Union Ministry of Education has been periodically attempting to assess the degree of success of our plans and programmes in the realization of the Directive Principle of the State Policy through All-India Educational Surveys. These surveys have basically concentrated on the extent of the availability of educational facilities, particularly in rural areas, the enrolment of pupils, the workforce of teachers, etc.
1.2 Educational Surveys 1.2.1 A series of five All-India Educational Surveys has been conducted during the last 33 years beginning with the First All India Educational Survey conducted by the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in 1957. The subsequent four All-India Surveys in 1965, 1973, 1978, and 1986 were conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). All these surveys, except the third one in 1973, focussed on school education. The scope of the Third All-India Educational Survey was extended to cover almost the whole gamut of the country's education, right from the pre-primary to the university stage, including unrecognized institutions at some levels of the educational system, technical and vocational education, and educational administration and inspection. This was by far the most comprehensive of the educational surveys ever conducted in the country. The levels of education and educational aspects covered being varied, the survey had to be conducted in collaboration with the University Grants Commission for higher education, the Institute of Applied Manpower Research for technical and vocational education at the pre-degree level, the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration for educational administration and inspection, But, in spite of this coverage, the major part of the Third Survey dealt with education at the school level and its allied aspects which had come to be the responsibility of the National Council of Educational Research and Training.
1.2.2 One major objective of these surveys in the area of education was to identify the rural habitations with and without schooling facilities at various levels of education and the different types of schools existing on the reference date of the surveys. Being census surveys and not just sample surveys all the five surveys were thus conducted by a complete enumeration of all habitations failing under different population slabs with and without schooling facilities and also of all the schools existing at that time. With a view to identifying specific areas that needed support and also for fixing priorities, the objectives were continually widened from one survey to another for helping the formulation of policy on the contemporary problems through comprehensive statistical support.
1.2.3 The entire processing of data in all these surveys, except in the third one (1973), was done manually. Since a plethora of data was thrown out because of the widened scope of the Third Survey, the processing of data was partly manual and partly mechanical. The units of data compilation were blocks, districts, and States. Therefore, the manual processing of data in the States was
2 FIFTH ALL-INDIA EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
undertaken at all these levels. The State tables were finally consolidated for the national report.
1.2.4 The findings of these surveys have been comprehensively utilized in educational planning and administration by providing bench-mark data on different aspects of school education.
1.3 Objectives 1.3.1 As pointed out earlier, the objectives and the scope of these surveys have not remained static though the main thrust has been on school education, which is a common feature, of all the surveys. The objectives of these surveys were enlarged to cover the emergent problems at hand that needed immediate attention. It will not perhaps be out of place here to recount the objectives of the first four surveys to present a glimpse of their continued modification for meeting the challenges of the problems cropping up.
1.3.2 This report deals with the Fifth All-India Educational Survey. Its objectives and organization will be discussed in a subsequent chapter in greater detail.
1.3.3 Besides modifications in the objectives and the scope of different surveys, there were also changes in the dates of reference of these surveys. Initially the closing date of a financial year was considered the most appropriate date. But this had to be given up in favour of a date on which the enrolment could be considered to be more stable because this information formed the basis of assessing the progress made in the achievement of universal education.
1.3.4 The developments in this direction are discussed below in respect of the first four surveys.
First All-India Educational Survey (1957) The year 1960 was set by the Constitution as the target date for the achievement of universalization of education up to the age of 14 years but its fulfilment did not appear to be in sight. Therefore, the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare launched the First All India Educational Survey in 1957 with 31 March 1957 as the date, of reference.
The main objectives of-this survey were as under:
(i) Identification and enumeration of each and every habitation and elementary school.
(ii) Delimitation of the areas served by the existing schools.
(iii) Identification of the location of new schools and areas to be served by the proposed schools by suitably grouping habitations that would serve as their catchment areas.
(vi) Mapping the location of schools.
Three schedules were canvassed. to collect data relating to habitations, schools, enrolment, teachers, and availability of buildings with the schools. The problem of opening new schools was more acute in rural areas. Therefore, the survey was essentially focussed on these areas. But in order to obtain a complete picture of the country, as far as possible, information about enrolment etc. was collected from urban areas as well.
For the planning of new schools and delimitation of their catchment areas and also for the upgrading of the existing schools by earmarking the areas they were expected to cater to, separate population and distance criteria were adopted. The most significant feature of this survey was the delimitation of school areas.
The survey was completed in 1957. Some areas of the country, however, could not be covered by this survey. Notable among the States was West Bengal which had completed a survey on the same lines just then and expressed its reluctance to repeat the same operation after such a short interval.
Goa, Daman, and Diu and Pondicherry were respectively under the Portuguese and the French domination at that time and thus could not be covered. Geographically inaccessible areas like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA), Nagaland, Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands (now Lakshadweep), and Lahaul and Spiti regions of erstwhile Punjab State also got excluded in this exercise.
Second All-India Educational Survey (1965) By the time this survey was initiated, some rethinking about the fixing of the date of reference had already taken place. It was then decided to fix it as 31 December 1965 for the Second Survey. As a result of interventionist measure taken during the intervening eight years significant developments had also by then taken place as an outcome of the inputs in the area of school education.
The following were the major objectives of this survey:
(i) Identification of habitations in each and every district with and without schooling facilities at different stages of school education.
(ii) Identification of every existing school, primary, middle, and secondary.
(iii) Study of the distance at which educational facilities at the various stages of school education were available to habitations without schools of any type.
(iv) Study of the enrolment and qualifications of teachers.
Data on items relevant to the preparation of District Development Plans of Education were also collected. A number of States and Union Territories prepared such District Plans for educational development. Besides, data were also collected on the sizes of sections of different classes at various school stages, problems of disproportionate size, incomplete sections, etc.
The survey identified a number of crucial problems which merited immediate attention. These were: multiple class teaching, single teacher schools, and qualification of science teachers.
It is well worth mentioning that this survey was conduced in two phases. The first phase covered school education in fulfilment of the objective of compulsory elementary education up to the age of 14 years. The second phase covered the following special types of institutions:
(i) Junior Technical Schools.
(ii) Colleges and institutions of physical education.
INTRODUCTION 3
(iii) Institutions for the physically handicapped-blind, deaf, and dumb.
(iv) Higher secondary and multipurpose schools offering agriculture and technical subjects under elective or optional streams.
Apart from this, an intensive study of four Community Development Blocks in four different States was also taken up under the second phase.
Third All-India Educational Survey (1973) The Advisory Committee on the Second All-India, Educational Survey had recommended that such surveys should be conducted. every five years and that they should be so timed that the data emanating from them were available at the appropriate time for the formulation of policies on educational development. It was also indicated that these surveys might offer indicators for fixing priority areas for planning and providing the required inputs in the areas that needed them. This recommendation could not be translated into action and instead of 1970 under the above stipulation this survey could be initiated only in late 1973 with the reference date as 31 December 1973.
This is, by far, the most comprehensive survey of its kind ever conducted in any part of the world. As pointed out earlier, a number of agencies with specific expertise and competence were associated with the survey for shouldering the responsibility of conducting the survey in their areas of operation. The National Council of Educational Research and Training was entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the work of these agencies.
It may not be out of place to mention here that the terms of reference of this survey made it the most comprehensive one not only in degree but also in kind. It extended right from the pre-primary to university stage, from general to vocational education, from educational administration to educational planning. However, since the specific objectives of the previous surveys constituted the main plank, it also helped in updating the data on the basic school characteristics studied in the earlier surveys.
The major objectives of this survey included, inter alia, the following:
(i) To update the data relating to the population size of habitations and availability of schooling facilities in them. An attempt was also made to delimit the catchment areas of existing primary, middle, and secondary schools and those proposed to be opened. Thus, these became the basis for the formulation of District Development Plans.
(ii) To intensively study some selected aspects of the school plant and equipment like libraries, laboratories, audio- visual aids, etc. An attempt was also made to enumerate the unrecognized schools of the country for the first time. Again, it was a stupendous task to cover all the teacher training institutions at the pre-primary, the elementary, and the secondary levels. The task became all the more tedious because the academic and professional profile of teacher-educators working in the latter two types of institutions was also required to be studied. A variety of institutions like Sanskrit Pathshalas, Persian and Arabic schools (maktabas and madrassas), coaching institutions, institutes of physical education, and institutions for the physically handicapped were also covered by the study. As in the case of teacher-educators, detailed information about teachers and headmasters was also collected. Nonformal education had also by then started emerging as an important alternative to the formal system. Therefore, non-formal education as "education outside school" was also covered. Furthermore, to improve the accessibility of education to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, a number of hostels had also been started for them under various schemes. A study of these hostels was also undertaken.
The inventory of the items covered does not end here. An attempt was made to collect data on the financing of education at the State level and the financing of private schools. As an exercise in assessing the in take and out-turn, a study of external examinations at the district level was also included in the survey. The quality of data on these aspects being far from satisfactory, the data were dropped from the report.
To elicit this comprehensive and multidimensional information, 26 detailed questionnaires were prepared on all these aspects. In the case of schools, the integrated focus was on school campus as a whole which included buildings, playgrounds, libraries, laboratories, and the expansion potential of the schools. A novel feature of this survey was the collection of information about availability of educational facilities to the weaker sections of society like the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in the habitations predominantly populated by them.
Since the scope of the survey was extensively widened, the data had to be processed both manually and on the computer. An unusually large number of questionnaires took considerable time for analysis, delaying the report which could be brought out only in late 1977, though the data on school education relevant to educational planning were released a year earlier.
A series of general and theme-oriented reports, including a summary of the findings, were published. In all, 19 reports (out of which eight were theme-oriented) relating to school education and the allied aspects were prepared. Other organizations also brought out reports on their respective fields of operation.
Fourth All-India Educational Survey (1978) The third survey had just been completed releasing a plethora of data which had still to be utilized in the planning process. But greater emphasis soon started being given to universalization of elementary education, a goal which was stipulated to be achieved by 1985. The concept of the rolling plan also got evolved about this very time, envisaging an annual reviews of performance and modification in the priorities on the basis of such reviews. The third survey being extensively comprehensive it was decided to collect information on a limited number of items crucial for the
4 FIFTH ALL-INDIA EDUCATIONAL SURVEY
universalization of elementary education. It was what has come to be known as a "mini survey" restricted mainly to enumeration of recognized schools with the following major objectives:
(i) To assess the position of the availability of educational facilities at various school stages in the habitations themselves and the distance at which these facilities were available to the school-less habitations and also to the habitations predominantly populated by the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
(ii) To assess the availability of minimum basic facilities like buildings, furniture, libraries, laboratories, playgrounds, etc., in the schools.
(iii) To assess the extent of enrolment of children belonging to the weaker sections of society as also the enrolment of girls in relation to the total enrolment.
(iv) Qualifications of teachers in general and of the teachers belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
In view of the limited terms of reference of this survey, only two questionnaires were floated. Though the printed report was out only in 1980, the data were supplied to the Government much earlier as it was required for the formulation of the Sixth Five Year Plan.
1.4 Operational Organization 1.4.1 All the All-India Educational Surveys were sponsored and financed by the Union Ministry of Education.
Infrastructural facilities were created at the Central, State, District and Block levels. A separate survey unit was established in the Ministry of Education for organizing the first survey in 1957. When the second survey was entrusted to the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) in 1965 the erstwhile Educational Survey Unit as a separate constituent was created within the NCERT to organize the survey. This unit carried out the subsequent two surveys. With the reorganization of the NCERT, the Survey Unit merged with the Department of Measurement, Evaluation, Survey, and Data Processing in 1984. The Fifth All India Educational Survey thus came to be the responsibility of this Department.
1.4.2 Survey units were also established at the State level under the Honorary Directorship of the Directors of Education/Directors of Public Instruction who were assisted by a State Survey Officer and a team of Assistant State Survey Officers. In bigger States, for every 10 districts or part thereof, one Assistant State Survey Officer was provided in addition. In the case of smaller States and Union Territories, however, no Assistant State Survey Officer was provided.
At the District level, the position of the District Survey Officer was created to look after the survey work. Lower down, at the Block level, the responsibility of collection, scrutiny, and compilation of data was entrusted to the Block Education Officers.
14.3 The staff for the survey was usually drawn from the Directorates of Education or Directorates of Public Instruction. The State Survey Officer was an officer of the status of a Deputy Director. Besides a team of Assistant State Survey Officers, the staff kept at his disposal included two Statistical Assistants and two administrative or clerical personnel. The staff at the State level was generally on a full-time basis for a period of one year while the District Survey Officer was appointed for a term of six months.
Operational strategy remained almost the same in all the surveys with slight modifications introduced from time to time to suit the prevalent conditions.
1.5 Role of NCERT 1.5.1 Except in the case of the First All-India Educational Survey, the NCERT was responsible for working out the planning strategy for executing the surveys with the following pivotal roles:
(i) To coordinate the work of the survey with other State and Central agencies including the Ministry of Education at the Centre.
(ii) To develop tools for data collection.
(iii) To prepare guidelines for the officers responsible for the survey work at the State, District, and Block levels.
(iv) To develop analysis plans and scrutiny checks for the data collected.
(v) To conduct training programmes for the State Survey Officers and help the States in conducting training programmes for the District Survey Officers.
(vi) To prepare guidelines for the writing of State and District reports.
(vii) To guide the States in conducting the survey and help them solve the problems that confront them.
(viii) To prepare the national report.
1.5.2 Before giving out the tools for data collection for translation into regional languages, a ten-day national training-cum- orientation seminar of the State Survey Officers was usually held. The survey faculty would explain all the aspects of the survey including the terminology used. Copies of the questionnaires finalized in this seminar were supplied to the State governments for translation and printing. The English versions of the questionnaires were supplied to the States by the NCERT. Only printed English versions of the guidelines were supplied to the States for use and reference of officers at various levels.
1.5.3 The Survey faculty also developed the analysis plan and scrutiny checks to ensure consistency in tabulation. Another national seminar of about a week's duration was generally held while the data collection was midway to discuss these aspects of the surveys for finalizing the analysis plan. An adequate number of printed Block and District tables were supplied to the States. Since only a limited number of copies of State tables were required, mimeographed copies of these tables were provided to them.
INTRODUCTION 5
1.5.4 Two similar seminars, one to discuss the survey tools and to explain the other organizational aspects and another to explain analysis plans were organized for the District Survey Officers by the States, generally at the State headquarters. The survey faculty of the NCERT trained officers in these seminars. Each of the two orientation-cum-training programmes was about a week's duration. As is obvious, in such a gigantic operation, difficulties in various aspects were bound to arise. The Central staff visited the States to help and guide them. The basic unit of tabulation was the Block. To ensure correct and consistent tabulation, the faculty members checked the Block tables at the rate of one from each District to guide them in maintaining uniformity and consistency in case of the other Blocks. A similar exercise was done in the case of District and State tables also.
The National tables were consolidated with the help of the State tables and the final report along with the National tables was prepared and published by the NCERT.
1.6 Role of States and Union Territories
1.6.1 State Survey Officer The Director of Education or the Director of Public Instruction of a State was appointed as the ex-officio director of the survey. However, for day-to-day work he was assisted by the State Survey Officer who played the following main roles:
(i) To coordinate the work of the survey with the NCERT and the Ministry of Education, on the one hand, and with the District Survey Officers, on the other.
(ii) To translate the tools for data collection into regional languages and to supply them in adequate quantities to the District Survey Officers.
(iii) To train the District Survey Officers in all aspects of the survey including collection of data and their analysis.
(iv) To guide the District Survey Officers and help them solve the operational problems.
(v) To prepare the State Tables and the State report.
1.6.2 District Survey Officer The District Survey Officer was the link between the District and the State Survey Officer for which his duties included inter alia the following:
(i) To train the Block Education Officers and guide and supervise their work.
(ii) To prepare two copies of the District tables and submit one copy to the State Survey Officer.
(iii) To check the Block tables for complete and consistent information.
(iv) To prepare the District reports.
1.6.3 Block Education Officer At the Block level, there was no separate functionary. Instead, the survey work was entrusted to the Block Education Officer for his area of jurisdiction with the following duties :
(i) To orient the teachers in the collection of data and guide and supervise their work.
(ii) To collect data from schools, villages, and urban areas and scrutinize them for correct, complete, and consistent information.
(iii) To prepare two copies of the Block tables and submit one copy to the District Survey Officer.
The lowest administrative unit at which tabulation was done was a Block, Taluka, or Tehsil, according to the administrative setup in a State. These units have been retained by the States in all the surveys' However, in the case of the Fifth Survey, the State of Andhra Pradesh has taken a Mandal into consideration for this purpose.
1.7 Conclusion It is obvious that no uniform operational strategy and organizational pattern could be adopted for all these surveys. These had to be modified not only from survey to survey but also from State to State in the same survey in order to expedite the work. However, the general organizational pattern remained almost the same.