EDUCATION AND CULTURE

PRIMARY EDUCATION

There has been a steady growth in the number of primary schools in the district during the last ten years. The number rose from 725 in 1950-51 to 1,238 in 1961-62 including 56 for girls. It rose to 1,539 in 1967-68 [During 1972-73 there were 1,510 primary schools with 1,88,265 students, and 6,244 teachers.] including 117 schools for girl students thus showing a net increase of 20 per cent in the number of schools over that of 1961-62. The number of students in the year 1961-62 was put at 1,15,058 and 1,56,129 in 1965-66, which means an increase of 19.8 per cent over that in 1961-62. There were 4,137 teachers including 2.271 trained, during 1961-62. The number rose to 5,030 in 1967-68. Other indices of the progress of primary education in the district in 1962 compared with the State average are as follows.—

By March 1962, 9 towns and 1,066 villages in the district had primary schools and 342 villages had schooling facilities i. e., school situated within a mile from the village. 99 villages did not have any schooling facilities. In all 82 per cent of the villages have primary schools. 92 per cent of the villages without schools have population below 5,000 each.

In 1962, the Zilla Parishad managed 89.57 per cent of primary schools in the district. The State Government's share in the expenditure was 80.9 per cent of the total expenditure. This expenditure was incurred through grant-in-aid, building loans and management of training colleges. Similarly, wards of parents whose annual income does not exceed Rs. 1,800 and students from the backward class communities get free education. During the Third Five Year Plan period a total amount of Rs. 54.54 lakhs was spent on the expansion programme for primary education. The villages without schooling facilities in the district were covered by the general education programme under the Plan.

Basic Schools: The State Government's policy of converting primary schools into basic schools has made steady progress in the district. Upto the year 1954, there were only six Government senior basic schools one for each tahsil. In the year 1962 the total number of such basic schools stood at 72. The following statement shows the classification of such schools in 1961-62.

In 1967-68 there were 61 senior and 23 junior basic schools. The courses like spinning and weaving, agriculture, gardening, wood work, and such other basic crafts are taught in these schools.

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