Progress of Education in India
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PROGRESS OF EDUCATION IN INDIA 1 9 4 7 — 1 9 ^ 2 By Humayun Kabir, M.A. (Oxon), M.A. (Cal), Educational Adviser to the Government of India MllNIISTRY OF EDUCATION GOVERNMENT OP INDIA Et)» 91 91 3,0000 )0 I'Z P PUBLICATION No. 143 ) or 4s. 2d. PRINTED IN INDIA BY THE MANAGER, GOVT. OF INDIA PRESS, NEW DELHI AND PUBLISHED BY THE MANAGER OP PUBLICATIONS, DELHI, 1954 PREFACE Readers of Progress of Education in India 1947— 52 will poerhaps be struck by the material difference in the form of thhe present Report. In the past, the Quinquennial Review was booth a survey of developments during the five years and a ddetailed report on the last year of the quinquennium. I have .foor some time felt that such an arrangement suffers from seeveral drawbacks. The combination of the annual and the qquinquennial report makes it impossible to keep the volume unniform with the Annual Reports of the other four years. It haas also invariably delayed the publication of the Quinquennial Rfieview. The Annual Reports contain a mass of detailed innformation on diverse topics whose collection cannot be coompleted till after a considerable interval. Thus the Annual R^eports have been issued only up to the year 1948-49. Besides, thae inclusion in the Quinquennial Report of detailed data cooncerning the last year of the Quinquennium tends to detract frcom its interest for the general reader without any compensat- ingg advantage to the educationist. When the question of preparing the Report for 1947— 52 caiime up before the meeting of the Directors of Education, I maade the suggestion that we may in future issue an Annual Reeport in the standard form for the fifth as for other years. Thhis would serve the needs of educationists and research schholars better as they would have a uniform series of Annual Reeports every year. It would also enable the Quinquennial Reevievv to be presented in a form which would make it more ik 11 readable and thus help to arouse interest in educatiionaH matters among a wider public- The Directors approve^d olf this suggestion and it was decided that the Review woulld in future be presented as a general account of educational pro gress in the country without burdening it with too rmuch statistical data and other miscellaneous information. In his Decennial Survey, Sir John Sargent referred t(0 thte fact that the period saw eight Hon’ble Members or Minissters. During the Quinquennium under report, the directiom oif education in the country was throughout in the hantds of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. His wide scholarship ancd imaginative handling of educational problems have been cof th^e greatest help and encouragement to all Educational Adwisers during this period. Sir John Sargent continued as Educational Adviser for a few months at the beginning of the Quinquennium and keft i.n 1947 after he had served for almost ten years. In the Decennial Survey he has mentioned that he held the office longer than any other individual. One may add thait few have held it with greater distinction. India will a.lways remember him for the part he played in framing ouir first integrated and comprehensive scheme of national education. Sir John Sargent was followed by Dr. S. S. Bhatnagair whio, during his four months’ tenure, helped in the establislhment of the Central Institute of Education and the implememtation of the interim recomendation of the Scientific Man-power Committee. Dr. Tara Chand, who succeeded him, was Ed_u- cational Adviser for the maJor part of the Quinquennium and relinquished charge only in December, 1951. The* most important developments during his tenure of office were the Report of the Universities Education Commission and the Ill estalblishment of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharag pur besides the formulation of a unified policy abo’it the medlium of instruction at all stages. The Quinquennial Review is predominantly factual ana based on compilation of data supplied bJ^ the Directorates. I hav(e, however, added an Introductory survey and also a Section at the beginning of each Chapter in which I have occa- sionially permitted myself the liberty of expressing an opinion. I miust make it clear that any opinions expressed in this Revdew are mine and do not in any way commit the Govern- menit of India- (Obviously a Survey like the present Report cannot be any one man’s work- It is the loyal cooperation of colleagues in the Ministry and of Directorates in the States which has enabled the completion of what is at any time a fairly arduous task and was rendered more difficult by the peculiar circumstances of tlhe Quinquennium. With the integration of the Princely States, this is the first Survey which seeks to cover the whole of India. This has not only increased the magnitude of the wor)k but added considerably to its difficulties. Areas are being coveered for the first time for which adequate records do not exis’it. I wish to express my appreciation of the unstinted co- operration and help I have received from the Directorates as well! as officers and staff of the Ministry. Last, but not least, I m ust thank the Government of India Press, New Delhi, for the despatch and care with which they have rushed the work through the Press. HUMAYUN KABIR, Educational Adviser to the Government of India. N e w D elh i : The’ 22nd December. 1953. CONTENTS P ages Introductory S urvey 1— 25 ^Chapter I Basic Education ' . ‘ . ' . ' . 26— 44 II Primary Education........................................ 45— 60 III Secondary Education .... 61— 88 IV The Training of Teachers . 89— 104 V Universities and Institutions of Higher Learning 105— 123 VI Technical and Professional Education . 124— 141 VII Social E d u c a t io n ........................................ 142— 156 VIII The Education of Girls and Women . 157— 171 IX Physical E d u cation ........................................ 172— 190 X Cultural Development and International A c t iv it ie s ................................................. 191— 210 XI The Education of Special Communities and Classes 211— 228 XII Anthropology, Archaeology, Archives and Library 229—238 XIII M i s c e l l a n e o u s .................................................. 239— 253 Appendix A West B e n g a l .................................................. 254-267 Appendix B Jammu and Kashmir .... 268—271 Appendix C K utch..................................................................... 272— 273 Appendix D Madhya Pradesh , : . , 274 INTRODUCTORY SURVEY (a) Impact of Political and Economic changes in Education Any report on the progress of education in India during 1947-52 must start from the recognition that there was a transformation of the Indian scene with the attainment of independence in August, 1947. The achievement of independence set before the people new objectives and imposed on them new reapojisibilities. The fact. that. India decided to be a Republic only served to underline the import . ance of education in the changed context. In crther forms of govern ment, leadership may be based on status, wealth or birth. A true I democracy must derive its leadership from the totality of the people. ' This it can do only if there is a national system of education which guarantees to all the oppc/rtunity of leadership. A democracy must, 1 therefore, offer boys and girls of the country the right to equality of opportunity inter se and with their coevals in other countries. On the attainment of independence, India was faced with the task of remodelling her system of education in the national interest. The provision of universal, free and compulsory elementary educa tion for all children of school-going age and of social education for all illiterate adults was the most urgent need. It was also necessary to reorganise secondary and higher education and make adequate ] provision for the expansicfti and advancement of scientific and techni cal education. Nor could the task of developing the cultural side of the nation be ignored. The princely order had helped to maintain many of the traditional forms of art, but with their disappearance and the withdrawal of the customary support given by propertied classes, there was a risk of losing long-standing traditions in drama, dance, music, literature, painting and other fine arts. Alter 1947, the State thus had to take the initiative in ensuring the continuance and development of various forms of art. It was also necessary to revive cultufal contacts with neighbouring countries in the East and the West as these relations had, after the advent of British power, : been greatly neglected. This involved a reorientation of the national outlook so that instead of being engrossed with contacts with Western Europe alone, India could develop a balanced outlook based on harmonious relations with all countries of the world. The Constitution of India laid down as a directive principle that universal, compulsory and free education must be provided for all children within ten years of its promulgation. This was a revolu tionary development in outlook and demands a gigantic effort on the part of the State and the people. The accomplishment of an in trinsically difficult task was made more difficult by the' serie% of events that have shaken India since the attainmeni off independence. Freedom brought with it the partition of the country which was unfortunately followed by the disruption of the li;fe of millions. There was a movement of population on an unpreicedented scale. An exchange of some ten million people took place between only the two Punjabs. A major portion of the entire :es;ources in men, money and material of India had to be diverted to the gigantic task of rehabilitation of millions of displaced people. Befoxe this problem could be fully solved, economic difficulties led to 1he devaluation of the Indian currency with attendant inflation and scarcity of goods The last five years have also been a period of great difficulty on account of the failure of the monsoon or the cnset of floods in different parts of the country.