WELFARE DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

Introduction.

THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN THE DISTRICT are in keeping with the general educational pattern in the country. The gradual increase in the number of literates from 52, 325 in 1911 to 2,79,233 in 1951, is a sufficient testimony to the fact that in the recent past, conscious effort, was being made by the State Government and some voluntary organisations for the spread of literacy and education. The percentage of literates to the total population came to 17.70 in 1957-58. However, as compared to some other districts of the State, Ratnagiri district has a comparatively smaller number of educational institutions. There were in 1957-58, the following educational institutions in the district: one for higher education, (viz., Gogate College for Arts and Science, Ratnagiri), 56 for secondary education, 2,479 for primary education and 640 other educational institutions. The students have, therefore, to migrate to other districts for specialised education in other fields. The following figures give an idea of the level of literacy and education of the people of the district:-

Primary and Secondary Education in Ratnagiri District is under the control of the district Educational Inspector. This officer belongs to Class I of the Maharashtra Educational Service and is directly under the control of the Director of Education. He is responsible in his district for-

(i) the supervision of primary education;

(ii) the administrative control of all Government primary schools, secondary schools and training institutions under the control of the Education department; and

(iii) the control and inspection of all secondary schools including English teaching schools, vocational high schools (i.e. agricultural, commercial and technical high schools), training institutions of primary teachers, and such special schools as are under the control of the Education Department.

As regards girls' schools and institutions for women, the Inspectress of Girls' Schools, Poona (M.E.S., Class I), performs the functions and duties of the District Educational Inspector in respect of-

(a) the inspection of girls' secondary and special schools in the district,

(b) visiting girls' primary schools in the district and making suggestions for improvement.

In carrying out his duties of inspection and control, the Educational Inspector is assisted by an inspecting staff consisting of one Deputy Educational Inspectors (M.E.S., Class II) and 44 Assistant Deputy Educational Inspectors (M.E.S., Class III) who are directly responsible to him for the supervision and inspection of primary schools in the district under section 48 of the Bombay Primary Education Act (LXI of 1947).

There are separate Inspectors, directly under the Director of Education and having jurisdiction over the whole State, for physical education, visual education, drawing and craft work and commercial schools, who are responsible for organisation and inspection in their respective spheres.

The Deputy Educational Inspector, Ratnagiri, is the chief Government inspecting officer of the district so far as primary schools are concerned. Under the rules framed under the Bombay Primary Education Act, he decides the question of recognition of private primary schools. He has to keep close touch with the working of primary schools maintained or approved by school boards, adult education classes and village libraries. He has to report regarding the housing arrangement, equipment, staff, efficiency of instruction etc., of the primary schools so that the department may be in a position to determine whether the school board is conducting its schools satisfactorily. All schools aided by Government are inspected by him or by the inspecting staff under him. He also assists the. Educational Inspector in the inspection of secondary schools and reports on any specific points about them whenever he is required to do so by the Educational Inspector.

Primary Education.

District School Board.

PRIMARY EDUCATION: It is the declared policy of Government that universal, free and compulsory primary education should be reached by a definite programme of progressive expansion, and, under the Bombay Primary Education Act (LXI of 1947), the State Government has undertaken the duty of securing the development and expansion of primary education in the State. The object aimed at is to have a minimum course of seven years' education for every child. The agencies employed for discharging this duty are the district school boards and authorised municipalities. In Ratnagiri district the District School Board is entrusted with this work.

Working of Primary Education Act.

Under the Primary Education Act and the Rules thereunder, all the district school boards and authorised municipalities have to maintain an adequate number of primary schools in which instruction is given through the medium of the local regional language. For children whose mother-tongue is other than the regional language of the area, school boards have been instructed to open schools in their language if the number of such children is not less than 40 in the first four standards and 20 in the upper standards. The teaching of the regional language of the area is also compulsory in such schools from standard III onwards. An authorised municipality has to make such provision in its budget as will enable approved schools in its area to receive grants at the rates authorised by Government. Responsibility is laid on the District School Board and the school boards of the authorised municipalities to maintain a schedule of staff of Assistant Administrative Officers or Supervisors, primary teachers, clerks, inferior servants and other staff, sanctioned by Government, setting forth the designation, grades, pay and nature or appointment of different members. The members of this staff are servants of the schools board concerned and receive their pay, allowances, etc.; from the Primary Education Fund maintained by the school boards. No change or alteration can be made in the schedule of staff without the previous sanction of Government.

The annual budgets of the school boards have to be submitted to the Director of Education for sanction. The District School Board derives its income mainly from Government grants, which form nearly 96 per cent, of its total income. It also receives from the District Local Board a contribution equal to such portion of its income from the cess on land revenue and water rates as may be fixed by Government from time to time, and from non-authorised municipalities whose schools are under its control, such proportion of the rateable value of properties in the area of the respective municipalities as may be fixed by Government from time to time. The District Local Board, Ratnagiri, has, under the present rules, to contribute 15 pies of the three anna cess on land revenue and water rates that it is allowed to levy. The amount to be paid by non-authorised municipalities has been fixed by Government as 5 per cent, of the rateable value of properties in their respective areas.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ratnagiri District School Board is its Administrative Officer. This officer is appointed and paid by the State Government. Under the Administrative Officer are Assistant Administrative Officers or Supervisors, primary school teachers, clerks and other staff under, the employ of the District School Board. The Administrative Officer is responsible for the general administration of all primary schools maintained by the school board. He is responsible for carrying out the suggestions made from time to time by Government officers. It is his duty to advise the school board on all matters connected with primary education. He is also a member and secretary of the Staff Selection Committee. This is a committee composed, besides himself, of the chairman of the school board and the Educational Inspector of the district. Its duty is to select candidates for appointment as Assistant Administrative Officers or Supervisors and teachers. The committee selects also the teachers to be deputed for training. The District School Board, or its Administrative Officer has to make appointments of candidates in accordance with the directions given by the committee. The selection of candidates and teachers is made in accordance with the instructions issued by the Government. The Administrative Officer has power, subject to the general instructions issued by the Director of Education, to promote, transfer and take all disciplinary action, including removal or dismissal, against the staff. His orders, however, are subject to appeal to a tribunal consisting of the chairman of the school board and the Educational Inspector, of the district. A primary school teacher who was a guaranteed teacher on the date the Primary Education Act came into force has, however, a right of further appeal to the State Government against any order of his removal or dismissal.

Statistics. (1957-58).

Statistics.-There were 2,479 primary schools (both lower primary, i.e., teaching standards I-IV and upper primary, i.e., teaching standards V-VII) of which 22 were exclusively for girls. The distribution of the schools by management was as follows:-

There were 1,17,090 boys and 82,305 girls in the lower primary stage (i.e., standards I-IV) and 30,044 boys and 9,613 girls in the upper primary stage (ie., standards V-VII) or a total of 2,39,052 pupils in all primary schools. The percentage of school-going children to the population was 15.3.

The number of teachers in primary schools was 6,089 of whom 5,184 were men and 905 women. This works out roughly at 39 pupils per teacher. Only 2,008 of the men-teachers and 433 of the women teachers were trained.

There were four training institutions, three for men (1 Government and 2 non-Government) and one for women.

There were four practising schools, one private and three conducted by the District School Board. They were attached to the Government Teacher's College for Men and Women respectively.

Expenditure.-The total expenditure on primary schools was Rs. 57,17,014 and it was met from the following sources:-

The average cost of educating a pupil in District School Board's school was Rs. 26.81 per annum, of which Government's contribution was Rs. 24.98.

The District School Board, Ratnagiri, introduced compulsory education for the first time at Murdi, Dapoli taluka, from 1st March 1938. This scheme was applied to children between 6 and 11 years of age. The total number of children of the age groups under compulsion was 1,48,330 and the total number enrolled was 1,28,078. In all 1,441 villages were brought under compulsory education scheme.

Medium of Instruction.

Medium of Instruction.-According to the medium of instruction, in 1957-58 the schools were distributed as follows:-

 In 1957-58, of 2,919 buildings in which the District Local Board schools were housed, 537 were owned by the Board, 241 rented and the remaining were housed in temples, dharmashalas and other places.

Basic and Craft Schools.

Basic and Craft Schools.-A new ideology has been influencing the educational activities of the State since 1937-38. It is recognised that education must include some form of practical training. There were in all 218 craft schools of which 94 had spinning; 53 spinning and weaving; 25 agriculture and 46 carpentry as crafts.

Secondary Education.

SECONDARY EDUCATION: Secondary education is now under the general regulations of Government, and Government control is exercised by means of conditions for receipt of grant-in-aid. At the end of the high school course an examination is conducted by the Secondary School Certificate Examination Board, and the students who pass are awarded the Secondary School Certificates. The office of the Secondary School Certificate Examination Board is located in Poona. The first examination was held in 1949. The examination provides optional courses for pupils with varied interest and aptitudes. Each university, however lays down the subjects which candidates must take for entrance to its courses.

Statistics. (1957-58).

There were 56 secondary schools in the district, with a total of 12,059 pupils (9,478 boys and 2,581 girls). Three schools were exclusively for girls. The number of girls in the schools exclusively meant for girls was 655. There is a technical high school under the control of the Director of Technical Education. The grants paid to non-Government secondary schools in 1957-58, amounted to Rs. 4,96,228 for boys' schools and Rs. 28,182 for girls' schools.

The number of private aided schools was 56 and the number of pupils in them was 12,059.

Secondary education was imparted mainly by private agencies aided by Government grants.

There were 545 teachers in secondary schools, of whom 483 were men (211 trained and 272 untrained) and 62 women (38 trained and 24 untrained).

The total expenditure on secondary education was Rs. 13,27,480. Of this Rs. 5,24,910 was met by the State Government.

The total annual average cost per pupil in secondary schools was Rs. 110.08.

Special Schools.

SPECIAL SCHOOLS: There were 14 special schools having 1,144 pupils as per details given below:-

Physical Education.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: Two trained Assistant Deputy Educational Inspectors look after the physical activities in the district. They visit secondary, full primary and training institutions and give suggestions and guidance to further the cause of physical education. They also inspect the vyayam shalas run by private bodies and recommend grants. They often conduct short-term courses for primary teachers for training in physical education.

Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and Auxiliary Cadet Corps.

BOY SCOUTS, GIRL GUIDES AND AUXILIARY CADET CORPS.―In 1957-58, there were 12 troops for boys and 2 for girls, in which 299 boy scouts and 24 girl guides participated. The high schools had 40 Auxiliary Cadet Corps.

Medical Inspection.

MEDICAL INSPECTION: There is arrangement for medical inspection of high school and training college students.

School Broadcast and Visual Education.

SCHOOL BROADCAST AND VISUAL EDUCATION: Most of the well-established schools in this district have radio sets. Some schools own 16 m.m. and 35 m.m. projectors in order to cater to the needs of visual education.

Social Education.

SOCIAL EDUCATION: The work of social education in this district is looked after by the Social Education Committee for Ratnagiri. During 1957-58, 345 social education classes were conducted in the district. The expenditure on account of social education amounted to Rs. 9,705.

Village Libraries.

VILLAGE LIBRARIES: During 1957-58, there were 350 village libraries in this district. The expenditure on them as well as on reading rooms was Rs. 10,478.

Affiliated College.

R.P. GOGATE COLLEGE, RATNAGIRI (1945): The College provides for teaching courses of study leading up to a (a) the B.A. (General Examination in Ardha-Magadhi, Persian, Urdu, History and Philosophy, and the B.A. (General) and B.A. (Honours) examinations in English, Sanskrit, Marathi and Economics; (b) the B.Sc, Examination in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology; and (c) the T.D., Examination. The college is affiliated to the University of Poona.

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