Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Launch National Skill Mission on
July 15
Anumakonda Jagadeesh Facebook 11 July 2015Better late than
never.I have had been suggesting OCCUPATIONAL PROMOTION CENTRES
since 70s.Here are Extract from My Monograph,'My Experiments in
Science: With Special Reference to Appropriate Technology'
published in 1978 along with Experts Comments:A Monograph onMy
Experiments in Science: With Special Reference to Appropriate
TechnologyByA. JAGADEESHCONVENORSociety of Science for the
PeopleNellore(AP)India1978Occupational Promotion CentresThe best
protection against unemployment is a solid training and constant
additions to it. That costs time and money things which must be
provided by the learner himself, industry and the state.
Investments made in this respect by industry and the State are by
no means gifts to unemployed persons. They are investments which
pay off, investments which increase productivity, quantitatively
and qualitatively. And, on the other hand an unemployed person who
does not possess the qualifications which make it possible to
reintegrate him into the labour process means expense with no
prospect of profit. Well trained young people have the best chances
on the labour market.We find lakhs of unemployed youths keeping
idle soon after they complete their studies and until they get
employment. As they lack proper facilities to receive some useful
training their energies are being diverted for wrong ends.
Occupational Promotion Centres can be established at district level
where they can get free training (part time) in occupations like
welding, radio mechanism, drilling, carpentry, glass blowing etc.,
on technical side, soil testing, water analysis, blood testing
etc., on scientific side. This training will go a long way in
equipping the trainees with some practical knowledge which will
help them to start an industry of their own or in getting some
gainful employment. We are having Industrial training Institutes,
Polytechnics etc., to give training in industrial and technical
subjects. But the above centres have a difference from these
institutes in that the centres operate on the principle Voluntary
Learning is more Effective than forced learning.People with real
interest for the training should only be admitted. I personally
know many people working as apprentices in private workshops and
radio shops to learn the techniques. These are people who are quite
new to the field though they have aptitude for that profession.
Recently a young high school student designed a microscope which
costs just a rupee, purely with limited material available. If such
students are permitted to avail the facilities of an established
workshop or laboratory, I am sure they can benefit much to improve
their inventive talents.There is a hobby centre in S.V. University
to give training to University students in fields like radio
mechanism, glass blowing etc., which is working very well at
Tirupati. The training is free to University students.I suggest the
Union Government with the active co-operation of the different
State Governments can chalk out a scheme to establish Occupational
Promotion Centres in Districts. All that these centres need is a
good workshop and a small laboratory with two or three well trained
instructors. The above centres will help unemployed youth for
gainful employment after training and go a long way in the national
reconstruction from grassroot level. At the end of the training, a
certificate can be given to the trainees. There should be
flexibility in the duration of the training depending on the
interest of the trainees.REACTIONS.. The central theme of your
proposal is well taken. We have only to find out the mechanism and
consider whether CSIR should be the focal point for doing this.
However, I shall get this proposal examined
further.Prof.Y.Nayudamma, Director GeneralCSIR New DelhiAMERICAN
ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICS TEACHERSStony Brook, New York, U.S.A.Dear
Mr. Jagadeesh,Thank you for sending your articles about
occupational promotion centers and post-graduate diploma courses.
Helping the unemployed to become better qualified for specific
kinds of employment is certainly a worthwhile cause. I think your
plans are both excellent, and I hope your government can find a way
to support a program such as that you have outlined.Until our
recent recession became serious, unemployment was not a serious
problem for most persons in the United States. There are, of
course, ghetto areas in our big cities where many people are
unemployed and poorly educated, and there are some depressed areas
in other locations in the United States where large factories or
mines that once employed many people have closed. In these cities
and areas, state, country, and city governments do set up
programmes that assist the unemployed to develop new skills that
would enable them to secure jobs. The variety of such programmes is
vast, and I am familiar with only a few. The one that I know best
and one that seems to be very effective is a program of courses on
technical subjects offered at very low cost by the country
government here on Long Island. It is also true that our two-year
community colleges here in the United States, colleges that are
largely supported through country budgets, offer programms in a
wide variety of technical and occupational fields. Since a number
of these colleges are very large, most students can live at home
while attending such a college and thereby keep costs very low.
Students who graduate with what is called an Associates degree with
a specialty in some occupational field are much in demand and
usually find it quite easy to secure employment. Many cities
operate craft centers particularly during the summer months where
students and other who are unemployed can learn a variety of manual
skills. I think these play much the same role as your hobby centers
would play.The American Association of Physics Teachers does
publish the Physics Teacher magazine, not the Science Teacher. The
Science Teacher is published by the National Science Teachers
Association; their address is 1201, 16th street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20036. I have enclosed one copy of a recent issue of The
Physics Teacher.Note that you can subscribe to this journal for
$15. You might also consider becoming a member of AAPT. The
membership fee for 1975 is $22. Each member has a choice of
receiving either The Physics Teacher or the American Journal of
Physics, and in addition he receives four issues of the AAPT
Announcer and a monthly journal called Physics Today published by
the American Institute of Physics. I have enclosed an application
blank in case you decide to join AAPT.Sincerely yours,Prof. A.A.
Strassenburg.. Kindly refer to your letter No.AJ/GC/2908/77-78
dated 13.03.1978 on the subject mentioned above addressed to
Honourable Minister of Industry enclosing a scheme on Occupational
Promotional Centres to be established in Districts. These schemes
are really useful.It may be mentioned that District Industries
Centres are being set up in the country where all assistance will
be provided to entrepreneurs under one roof. The training
programmes will also be provided to the entrepreneurs in various
trades which have got scope in respective areas. Thetrainees will
be provided stipend and all efforts will be made to settle them in
the trade after the completion of their training.Swarajya Prakash,
Director (DIC)Office of the Development Commissioner(Small Scale
Industries)Ministry of Industry, New Delhi.. While I am in entire
agreement with the idea of having such centres around the country,
I personally feel that the establishment of these centres would
come more appropriately under the purview of the Ministry of
Education. To be effective, the CSIR laboratories must confine
themselves to a limited set of activities.I suggest that you write
to the University Grants Commission in this connection. It should
be possible for them to ask and fund the universities in various
places to start the type of centres you have suggested. Such
centres could also function as parts of Science Museums more of
which, I hope, would be established in the country in the coming
years.Dr.P.M.Bhargava, Deputy DirectorR.R.laboratory, Hyderabad..
Your scheme for establishing Occupational Promotion Centres seems
to be a useful one but we are unable to give any assistance in view
of the fact that ICAR deals with only research and higher education
in agriculture. However, for your information I am enclosing a copy
of the Mehta Committee Report on establishing Krishi Vigyan Kendra
for the skill-oriented training of the farmers, farmers sons,
school-dropouts, school certificate holders and in service
extension workers. If you feel that such a Kendra could be a
feasible proposition for you to establish, we will be happy to
consider the same on its merit.With kind regards,Dr.N.K.Anant
RaoDeputy Director General (Education)ICAR, New Delhi
Reviving Period on CRAFT in Schools:
In Our School Days there used to be periods on Craft,Scouts and
Guides,Moral etc. These have to be revived both in Government and
Private Schools.
Science Museums in Districts
Science is now advancing at a rapid speed in our country. There
is acute need to take Science to the masses. WhenScience is
increasingly becoming an integral part of our life, it is hardly
necessary to emphasize the need for ScienceMuseums in towns. Its
importance in the education of our youth and in providing
incentives to scientific talent iswell known. When our country is
set to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of all essential
commodities bydeveloping industries, using indigenous materials and
talent, scientific education and growth of mind becomes anessential
pre-requisite. Though there are other ways of popularising science,
Science Museums can play animportant role as Seeing is Believing.To
establish Science Museums in Districts require enormous investment.
I have a novel scheme. Every year Districtand State Science Fairs
should be conducted throughout the country. The best exhibits from
these fairs can bepooled and placed in a college, high school or
District Central Library building. We can tap the young talent if
wecan put their names on the exhibits as this gives them a stimulus
to design new things. Simple apparatus showingbasic principles of
Science can be designed. If resources permit, in due course, these
Museums can be upgraded intomajor museums like those at Calcutta or
Bangalore.The main objectives are :To stimulate interest in science
and education so that more and more children may be attracted in
futuretowards research, engineering and teaching.To portray the
application of Science and Technology to Industry and contribution
to human welfare.To encourage the creative talent amongst the
younger generation.To popularize science in other ways.We are
planning to organise a Museum in our own District. Out Motto is
Science to Serve Society Society toSupport Science. Let us hope the
scheme will materialize and be a success.REACTIONS.. Kindly refer
to your letter No.AJ/GC/1009/74-75 dated 3rd February, 1975 on the
above subjectaddressed to Dr.Nayudamma, DGSIR. It will be a good
idea to put up a Science Museum at Tirupati to popularisescience
and Technology, since thousands of people visit Tirupati throughout
the year. CSIR Museums will bewilling to lend their expertise in
setting up such a science museum. If you think that TTD may be
willing to givefinancial support for such a project, why not
request the TTD Authorities to initiate the matter and approach
theCSIR along with the offer of funds?I thank you for your keen
interest in the establishment of science museums at Tirupati and
hope to hear from yousoon in this matter.A.BOSE, Director of
MuseumsCSIR - Calcutta.. There is already a proposal to establish
the Science and Art Museum at Tirupati. I am sure it willfructify
soon with the help of the State Government, the Centre and the
Devasthanam.C.Anna Rao, ChairmanTTD TirupatiNATIONAL SCIENCE
FOUNDATIONWASHINGTON, D.C. 20550Directorate for Science
EducationDivision of Science Education Development and ResearchDear
Mr. Jagadeesh,I received your letters dated August 9, August 14,
and August 24th. I will comment below on the issues youraised in
all three of these letters.Since museums play a very important role
in improving the science literacy of the public in the
UnitedStates. Every large city in the United States has a science
museum, and some of the smaller cities and largeuniversity campuses
do also. Among other roles they play, science museums help to keep
young children and adultsnot otherwise engaged in scientific
activities interested in and informed about progress that is being
made on thefrontiers of science. There is a new movement in this
country to make science museums an even more vital force inour
educational programs than they have been in the past. The basic
idea is to make it possible for museum goers tointeract with
scientific apparatus and to directly observe scientific phenomena
under controlled conditions ratherthan to passively observe static
displays. This style is perhaps best exemplified in the Palace of
Arts and SciencesMuseum in San Francisco, under the direction of
Dr.Frank Oppenheimer. By contacting Dr.Oppenheimer directly,you
could obtain more details concerning the objectives and display
techniques employed at his museum.Shortages of textbooks available
for student use is not a problem common to the students at colleges
anduniversities in the United States. I am somewhat familiar with
this problem as it exists in India, and I certainly agreethat it is
extremely important to adopt new strategies that make textbooks
more readily available to science students.In my view your plan to
create collections of textbooks in each district is very sound.
Libraries are very importantand heavily used resources in the
United States. Compared to the impact they have in improving the
education andgeneral literacy of the population, libraries are
inexpensive to establish and operate. As I understand your plan,
youpropose to create libraries that specialize in textbooks in use
in the schools of each district in India. By specialisingin the
content of the library in this way, you should be able to provide a
more efficient service to the students.Psychological counseling is
much in demand among students at colleges and universities in the
UnitedStates. Each college provides one or more appropriately
trained counselors, and these are heavily used by thestudents. If
it is impossible to provide such a counselor on each college campus
in India, then the provision ofcentrally located psychological
counseling services would seem to be extremely important. While I
know little aboutsuch matters, it is my opinion that it is
extremely important to select counselors that are trained to deal
with the kindof psychological problems that are characteristic of
young students. The only problem I see in the establishment
ofcentralised centers that serve large regions is the sensitive
nature of the service being provided. It is my impressionthat
students will only avail themselves of such services when they have
confidence that the counselor is likely tounderstand and be
sympathetic with the problems of the student, and when there is a
guarantee that the conferencesbetween counselor and student will be
kept confidential. It may take some special effort on your part to
persuade thestudents on campuses to avail themselves of a remote
psychological counseling service. However, I think it is
worthfurther study and a trial in one or two typical districts.I
hope these comments are helpful.Sincerely yours,Prof. A.A.
StrassenburgProfessional Associate------------------Union HRD
Ministry and Styate Governments can take up this project.INNOVATION
FUND & INNOVATION CENTRES IN ENGINEERING COLLEGESIn a broader
sense, innovation is important to the advancement of society around
the world. New and innovative products can increase the standard of
living and provide people with opportunities to improve their
lives. Breakthroughs in medicine and technology have significantly
improved living standards around the world. Innovation has also
lead to significant improvements in the way businesses operate and
has closed the gaps between different markets.Innovation in
engineering:Innovation in engineering is much more than research
and development. It encompasses an end-to-end process, such that it
extracts value through implementation. Innovation involves:
creating or generating new activities, products, processes and
services seeing things from a different perspective moving outside
the existing paradigms improving existing processes and functions
disseminating new activities or ideas adopting things that have
been successfully tried elsewhereInnovation covers the area from
minor quality improvements to 'cutting edge' products and
services."If we can't find ways to inspire a generation of
engineers with varied skills, this is going to be a principle
obstacle for growth in our slowly recovering global economy" said
Lidia Brito, Director of the Division of Science Policy and
Capacity Building at UNESCO. "A recent UNESCO Engineering Report
shows a marked shortage of engineers in many countries. Although
the general number of engineering students is increasing worldwide,
the proportion who enroll in engineering, as compared to other
disciplines, is concernedly dropping. We need hands-on challenges
like Fly Your Ideas to motivate young innovators about the
potential of engineering in helping to find practical solutions to
issues the world may face in the near future."Such innovation may
be under threat from a skills gap that could be hitting the economy
hard. It will see high tech companies face a shortfall of 40
million of the skilled workers needed by 2020 and beyond, with
aerospace likely to suffer, along with motor and the medical
equipment sectors.Charles Champion, Executive Vice President
Engineering at Airbus and Fly Your Ideas Patron, says: "These
future-focused and disruptive concepts prove that engineering isn't
just about technical skills - it's about having an innovative
mindset and a creative approach. But for our industry to succeed in
making aviation carbon neutral by 2020, we need a constant source
of fresh and inventive ideas from the innovators of today and those
of tomorrow. Our future solutions are here right now - and through
projects like 'Fly Your Ideas', we are helping them to become a
reality for the future."Innovation is extremely important to a
country like India as it is closely related to productivity.
Although there are a number of avenues to increased productivity,
innovation is the most significant factor.Creativity is seeing what
everyone sees and thinking what no one else has thought
before,Invention is transforming those new thoughts into tangible
ideas Innovation goes even further, involving preparedness to mix
with the commercial world to turn novel ideas into products .The
expertise of the engineering profession is vital to convert
innovative ideas into reality for common use. Many of the comforts
humankind enjoys today have been the result of innovative
engineers. Examples include electrical appliances, transportation,
buildings, telecommunications and urban infrastructure. Innovation
and technology have become two inseparable words in the annals of
human history. Engineers drive technology and are therefore at the
forefront of innovation.In India there were efforts to harness the
talent and innovative spirit among people by organisations like
National Innovation Foundation(NIF),National Research Development
Corporation(NRDC),TePP etc. besides some private initiatives(Spark
the Rise) etc.In a vast country like ours these are piecemeal.I am
glad to read the news item in January 2013:Rs 5000 Crore Innovation
Fund in India"National Innovation Council Chairman Sam Pitroda
today said a Rs 5,000 crore fund to support innovations would be
launched soon."We have an innovation fund that we are launching...
a Rs 5,000 crore innovations fund with focus on affordability,
scalability and sustainability," Pitroda said on the sidelines of
an event here."The real innovation has to come from the bottom of
the pyramid," he added."The amount spent for innovation should help
to shape the beneficiaries as entrepreneurs. I have a
project:Innovation Centres in Engineering Colleges:Engineers are
best suited to innovate. Unfortunately most of the Engineering
Colleges like Infrastructure facilities(like Good Workshop,
Electronics Lab etc). A Project," INNOVATION CENTRES) in
Engineering Colleges can be started under the Rs 5000 Innovation
Fund. Selected Colleges can be provided to start a good workshop
and Electronics Lab. This way the Students can undertake innovative
projects and come out with good gadgets. Later they can patent them
and go for commercialization. This is the best way to spend
Innovation Fund so that there will be productivity and promotion of
Entrepreneurship.Creativity, Innovation and Invention are the
Pillars of Progress.Today in Industry, INNOVATE OR PERISH is the
MANTRA.:Occupational Promotion Centres:The best protection against
unemployment is a solid training and constant additions to it. That
costs time and money things which must be provided by the learner
himself, industry and the state. Investments made in this respect
by industry and the State are by no means gifts to unemployed
persons. They are investments which pay off, investments which
increase productivity, quantitatively and qualitatively. And, on
the other hand an unemployed person who does not possess the
qualifications which make it possible to reintegrate him into the
labour process means expense with no prospect of profit. Well
trained young people have the best chances on the labour
market.Occupational Promotion Centres:We find lakhs of unemployed
youths keeping idle soon after they complete their studies and
until they get employment. As they lack proper facilities to
receive some useful training their energies are being diverted for
wrong ends. 'Occupational Promotion Centres' can be established at
district level where they can get free training (part time) in
occupations like welding, radio mechanism, drilling, carpentry,
glass blowing etc., on technical side, soil testing, water
analysis, blood testing etc., on scientific side. This training
will go a long way in equipping the trainees with some practical
knowledge which will help them to start an industry of their own or
in getting some gainful employment. We are having 'Industrial
training Institutes', 'Polytechnics' etc., to give training in
industrial and technical subjects. But the above centres have a
difference from these institutes in that the centres operate on the
principle 'Voluntary Learning is more Effective than forced
learning'.People with real interest for the training should only be
admitted. I personally know many people working as apprentices in
private workshops and radio shops to learn the techniques. These
are people who are quite new to the field though they have aptitude
for that profession. Recently a young high school student designed
a microscope which costs just a rupee, purely with limited material
available. If such students are permitted to avail the facilities
of an established workshop or laboratory, I am sure they can
benefit much to improve their inventive talents.There is a hobby
centre in S.V. University to give training to University students
in fields like radio mechanism, glass blowing etc., which is
working very well at Tirupati. The training is free to University
students.I suggest the Union Government with the active
co-operation of the different State Governments can chalk out a
scheme to establish 'Occupational Promotion Centres' in Districts.
All that these centres need is a good workshop and a small
laboratory with two or three well trained instructors. The above
centres will help unemployed youth for gainful employment after
training and go a long way in the national reconstruction from
grassroot level. At the end of the training, a certificate can be
given to the trainees. There should be flexibility in the duration
of the training depending on the interest of the
trainees.Innovation, Invention and Creativity are the pillars of
any society. Why countries like US, Germany, South Korea and for
that matter China are advancing, because of innovations in every
field.In India recently an Innovation Fund of about 1000 Crores has
been set up. Already there are National Research Development
Corporation (NRDC), Techno Entrepreneur Propgramme (TePP)of
DSIR,National Innovation Foundation(NIF) are working to promote
INNOVATIONS and INVENTORS. These are piecemeal in a vast country
like ours.Innovative mind does not require higher education or
training. There are geniuses everywhere. We have to identify them
and nurture them. Often it is difficult to identify the right
problem then the solution will automatically follow.I have a novel
plan:The Government(Central) ,along with Industrialists and private
corporate giants like TATAs,Birlas,Mahindra,,Infosys etc., can
create a INNOVATIVE FUND. They can form a secretariat of experts in
different fields, NGOs,Scientists & Technologists etc.,. An
advertisement can be given in Newspapers, Electronic Media asking
people to suggest the problems they face. Huge number of problems
will be received from people. These can be shortlisted subject wise
and (about 50 to start with) can be identified and readvertised for
solutions. The solutions received can be evaluated scrupulously for
their innovative nature and the best solutions can be given awards.
The award should be of the value of Rs 1 Crore. To catch a fish the
bait should bite attractive enough.Is not Amitabh Bachan conducted
Kaun Banega Crorepati a roaring success? This programme sets in
motion a thought process among millions of people.Our Centre has
been involved in the DESIGN, DEMONSTRATION and DISSEMINATION of
Renewable Energy and Appropriate Technology Gadgets. We have not
taken any patents and are willing to share our experience and
expertise in promoting our Innovative Devices.
Glad to know about Launching of Skill India Mission by our Prime
Minister.Here is an Action Plan to achieve the Objectives:Skills
Based & Vocational EducationVocational, or skills-based,
education is becomingmore important today, with many employers
expecting new employees to have all the practical skills they need
to start work. Vocational courses are typically more practical
andskills-based than academic degrees, but they are often taught at
universities as well as colleges and technical institutes.If you
know exactly what you want to do in your career and it requires
practical skills, then vocational learning is important. It could
be hospitality and tourism, retail management, software development
or interior design. There are literally thousands of skillsbased
training options out there. Vocational schools, sometimes referred
to as trade schools or career schools, provide practical training
with few unrelatedacademic course requirements. Vocational schools
can offer programs ranging from short-unit classes of ten weeks or
less to long-term programs of up to twoyears in length. Some states
offer public vocational schools and career training programs
through community colleges, but the majority of vocational schools
are private institutions. Vocational school credits don't typically
transfer to academic undergraduate programs like an Associate of
Arts program, but they may award students with a certificate
credential.Common ProgramsVocational schools generally focus on
programs in careerfields that can be completed in two years or
less. Vocational schools focusing on a single field, such as
automotive trades or health services, may offer onlyone training
program or give students a choice of several programs in the same
industry, such as hair stylist, barber, nail technician or
esthetician programsat a cosmetology school. Other vocational
schools offer programs in several unrelated fields, like
agriculture, office skills and technical training. The following
are some common types of vocational school
programs:WeldingCosmetologyPlumbingCarpentryLocksmithingElectrical
installation and maintenanceMotorcycle and automotive repairFloral
designMedical transcriptionHotel and restaurant managementDanish
Fokeschools:I stayed in Denmark for a year.What is a folk high
school?The Danish folk high schools offer non-formal adult
education. Most students are between 18 and 24 years old and the
length of a typical stay is 4 months. You sleep, eat, study and
spend your spare time at the school. There are no academic
requirements for admittance and there are no exams - but you will
get a diploma as a proof of your attendance.What is non-formal
adult education?The concept of "Non-formal adult education" is
associated with N.F.S. Grundtvig, a Danish philosopher, poet,
educational thinker and clergyman, (born in 1783 - died in 1872),
and his thoughts concerning free educational opportunities. The
concept arose in the 19th century and is one of the cornerstones of
the Danish educational system.Teaching in the folk high
schoolTeaching is characterised by professionalism and dedication.
Classes are based on dialogue and mutual learning between teachers
and students. The main focus is to discover and strengthen the
unique skills of each student in a challenging yet supportive
social atmosphere.South KoreaI visited South Korea.Vocational high
schools offer programmes in five fields: agriculture,
technology/engineering, commerce/business, maritime/fishery, and
home economics. In principle, all students in the first year of
high school (10th grade) follow a common national curriculum, In
the second and third years (11th and 12th grades) students are
offered courses relevant to their specialisation.In some
programmes, students may participate in workplace training through
co-operation between schools and local employers. The government is
now piloting Vocational Meister Schools in which workplace training
is an important part of the programme. Around half of all
vocational high schools are private. Private and public schools
operate according to similar rules; for example,they charge the
same fees for high school education, with an exemption forpoorer
families.Most vocational high school students continue into
tertiary education; in 2007 43% transferred to junior colleges and
25% to university. At tertiary level, vocational education and
training is provided in junior colleges (two- and three-year
programmes) and at polytechnic colleges. Education at junior
colleges and intwo-year programmes in polytechnic colleges leads to
an Industrial Associate degree. Polytechnics also provide one-year
programmes for craftsmen and mastercraftsmen and short programmes
for employed workers. The requirements for admission to these
institutions are in principle the same as those in the rest of
tertiary sector (on the basis of the College Scholastic Aptitude
Test) but candidates with vocational qualifications are given
priority in the admission process.South Korea is also well known
for the results its school children achieve in the OECDs triennial
Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which
evaluates the scholastic performance of 15-year-olds in over 60
countries around the world. SouthKoreans ranked second in reading,
fourth in math, and sixth in science in 2009,.Alongside Korea and
other regional powerhouses such as China (Shanghai Metro),
Singapore and Hong Kong Europes Nordic countries also perform well
on the PISA assessments. However, while Nordic educational success
is largely attributable to well-funded and high-quality public
schools, the success of Korean school children is oftenattributed
to significant parental investment in after-school classes and
other forms of private or additional tuition outside of the public
school system.Korean children spend 220 days a year in school
versus 190 in Finland and 180 in the United States. By some
measures, the average Korean child spends 13 hours a day studying
after supplemental class time is factored in. According to a PISA
criterion known as study effectiveness, South Korea ranks only 24th
out of 30 developed nations. Children in Finland, the top ranked
country in study effectiveness (and third ranked overall), spend
significantly less time in school and in studying ingeneral than is
the case in Korea.Occupational Promotion CentresThe best protection
against unemployment is a solid training and constant additions to
it. That costs time and money things which must be provided by the
learner himself, industry and the state. Investments made inthis
respect by industry and the State are by no means gifts to
unemployed persons. They are investments which pay off, investments
which increase productivity, quantitatively and qualitatively. And,
on the other hand an unemployed person who does not possess the
qualifications which make it possible to reintegrate him into the
labour process means expense with noprospect of profit. Well
trained young people have the best chances on the labour market.We
find lakhs of unemployed youths keeping idle soon after they
complete their studies and until they get employment. As they lack
proper facilities toreceive some useful training their energies are
being diverted for wrong ends. Occupational Promotion Centres can
be established at district level wherethey can get free training
(part time) in occupations like welding,TV mechanism, drilling,
carpentry, glass blowing etc., on technical side, soil testing,
water analysis, blood testing etc., on scientific side. This
training will go a long way in equipping the trainees with some
practical knowledge which will help them to start an industry of
their own or in getting some gainful employment. We are having
Industrial training Institutes, Polytechnics etc., to give training
in industrial and technical subjects. Butthe above centres have a
difference from these institutes in that the centres operate on the
principle Voluntary Learning is more Effective than forced
learning.People with real interest for the training should only be
admitted. I personally know many people working as apprentices in
private workshops and radio shops to learn the techniques. These
are people who are quite new to the field though they have aptitude
for that profession. Recently a young high school student designed
a microscope which costs just a rupee, purely withlimited material
available. If such students are permitted to avail the facilities
of an established workshop or laboratory, I am sure they can
benefit much to improve their inventive talents.I suggest the Union
Government with the active co-operation of the different State
Governments can chalk out a scheme to establish Occupational
Promotion Centres in Districts. All that these centres need is a
good workshop and a small laboratory with two or three well trained
instructors. The above centres will help unemployed youth for
gainful employment after training and go a long way in the national
reconstruction from grassroot level. At the end of the training, a
certificate can be given to the trainees. There should be
flexibility in the duration of the training depending on the
interest of the trainees.National Science Service
Programme(NSSP):(Extracted from My Monograph,My Experiments in
Science: With Special Reference to Appropriate Technology published
in 1978)In our educational system (both at School and College
level) emphasis must be laid on schemes which envisage exposure of
students to the problems of society. Just as we have NCC, NSS, we
can also have a National Science Service Programme (NSSP), which
envisages the utilisation of the services of Science teachers and
students for constructive activities in villages. Under
thisprogramme, the students from degree classes led by a lecturer
choose and ADOPT a village near them. They will visit the village
and acquaint themselves with the problems of the villagers. They
will plan how best they can utilise the knowledge acquired in the
classroom, for bettering the lot of the villagers. They will
prepare a mini-plan extending over 3 years. For example, they can
undertake soil analysis, wateranalysis, pest control of crops etc.
In the regular curriculum practical training on subjects like soil
analysis, water analysis, blood testing etc.,can be given.The
scheme has been circulated to Union Government, all State
Governments, all Universities, International agencies like UNESCO,
American Association of Physics Teachers, National Science
Foundation, American Association For The Advancement of Science
etc.REACTIONS.. I have your letter of January 8 enclosing your not
eon National Science Service and Research Centres.I agree with your
approach and am trying to implement this in NSS Scheme in this
University. We are arranging for students to use their speciality
in tackling rural problems. Some of the suggestions you have made
go even further in direction, and I intend to follow them.Dr.
MALCOLM S.ADISESHAIAH,Vice-Chancellor,University of Madras,
Madras.. This initiative is from conservation points of views very
welcomed and has certainly the potential to develop into an
important scheme having environmetnal impact on village society and
life.Internationally your plan is a pilot scheme which is of great
educational and scientific interest to UNESCO. I would be grateful
if you would keep me informed about the evolution of your project,
which might stimulate similar action in other countries.In Kenya
there is since about 3 4 years a very successful youth movement
Wild life Clubs of Kenya that is based on schools in all parts of
the country. Further information on this scheme might be of value
to you. Therefore, I suggest that you write to Miss Sandra Price,
Kenya Wild Life Clubs, National Museum, Nairobi, requesting such
informationsI wish you all success in this project.KAY
CURRY-LINDAHLDirector, Zoological DepartmentUNESCO Expert in
Ecology and Conservation for Africa,Stockholm, Sweden.. Your
proposals look to me to be interesting ones and should serve as an
important basis for discussion and further action on education in
India.Please accept my wishes for success.Dr.Norman
P.NeureiterExecutive Office of the PresidentOffice of Science &
TechnologyWashington, U.S.A... Thank you for your letter of 20th
May and your interesting paper on National Science and Research
Centres. I shall hope to give this further thought and study to see
if there is any way we can use such ideas in our work in this
country.I enclose 2 copies of the ROSLA Schools/Youth Service
Project as requested.MISS BENNETT, Youth OfficerSheffield District
CouncilSheffield, U.K... It was kind of you to share your further
thoughts on the establishment of National Science Service and
Research Centres. I am pleased to learn that you have already
elicited interest and support from so many different institutions.
In response to your request for suggestions I would like to mention
a few points.In the local bazar and in the village a person who has
had training in science can find many instances in which scientific
principles are exemplified. The principles of mechanics come into
play whenever loads are moved, wood is split, water is drawn from
the well. Chemistry comes into play when the fire is lit and the
food is cooked. The microbiology of the tank and the microbiology
of the fields is there. Materials science is involved in the
operations of the black smith. Physical chemistry in the dyeing of
cloth; microbilogy in the preparation of dahl; the list of ready
examples is almost indefinitely long.Perhaps one component of your
programme could be to elicit some of the relevant principles
through observation of community life through the eyes of the
science teacher. Perhaps projects making use of the most readily
available materials could be designed with the help of teachers
from the colleges and universities and conducted by persons in the
adopted village. Descriptions of individual projects could be
collected and published as a handbook for use by others.I believe
that for such a project to be successful it would be necessary for
a nucleus of well-trained science teachers to become interested in
undertaking the work, because the expertise of the scientist is
really needed in order to transform the ordinary event into an
occasion for learning more about science. I am confident that if a
group of science teachers took up this strategy of teaching science
in the village that there would be a useful awakening to the role
of the scientific approach to the solution of ordinary
problems.Again, may I wish you well in your project.Gordon L.
Hiebert, HeadNSF/New Delhi Science Liaision Staff.. Your letter and
article. What you have suggested is absolutely necessary and it is
feasible at every college and village. As you know there are other
programmes like this sponsored by CSIR and other agencies where
villages have been adopted and big scientists get involved in a big
way, and we end up with one model village at enormous cost. Your
idea of one college-one village has the merit that it is
student-oriented, no fan fare and so on. I am strongly recommending
it to our Youth Welfare Department who run youth camps with the
(misguided) feeling that if the students lay road to villages, they
get integrated. In my opinion, the villager feels that his daily
wages have been removed. Anyway I will try my best to have this
programme put to trial in this area.Dr.J.JayaramanDepartment of
Biological SciencesMadurai University, Madurai.. I must appreciate
your thinking on the subject of involving science students of the
colleges in some useful and productive projects. In fact the
Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation as also ICAR are very much
thinking on this line and we shall be using your suggestion and
line of thinking in the future schemes. For your information the
ICAR has already requested all the agricultural universities and
colleges to involve students and staff in agricultural development
projects in the villages. Some have already done some work on this
line and others are planning to do it on continuous
basis.Dr.C.PrasadAsst. Director General (Edn.)ICAR, New Delhi.. I
shall bring this to the notice of the committee on College Science
Improvement Programme and explore the possibilities of implementing
some of the suggestions in a few colleges.It was very kind of you
to have written to me.Dr.D.Shankar NarayanAdditional Secretary,
UGCNew Delhi.. We had requested Principal Saha of RCE, Mysore to
let us know the position and he has intimated that the project does
not involve any financial help from NCERT at all and if you require
all the help and guidance you can contact Mr.K.V.Rao, Field Adviser
at Hyderabad or Dr.Sharma, Head of the Department of Science, RCE,
Mysore and they would be glad to extend all sort of co-operation.If
you require any further information, you are free to approach
us.Prof.R.P.SinghHead of the Department &Member Secretary
(ERIC)NCERT, New Delhi... I feel there is little I can add to the
comments of praise already expressed by numerous experts and I
would very much welcome the opportunity of seeing the programme in
action at some future date. With this in mind, perhaps you would
let me know when the colleges reopen and the programme is
re-established so that I can arrange to vist Nellore when we could
also discuss the implications of the Open University.Once again,
many thanks for the very interesting and informative document, and
I look forward to meeting you some time soon.Dr.D.J.F.
BurtonAssistant Education AdviserThe British Council, Madras.. It
is felt that instead of the ICMR adopting certain independent
districts for development in various aspects, it is being proposed
to join hands with the CSIR taking the task of up-lifting of health
services in these selected areas. I am communicating this
information to the Ministry of Health and Family Planning for
necessary action.Dr.C.GOPALAN, Director GeneralICMR, New Delhi.. I
have appreciated the opportunity to carefully review your
description of the proposed scheme for National Science Service and
Research Centers. The scheme is one that encompasses science in the
lives of people a goal that I personally find a most desirable
challenge. Your scheme illustrates what creative people can do with
relevant concerns.In this country, we do not have similar centers
as I understand your description of them. This is not unusual, for
I believe that such centers will likely be productive when they are
all designed to meet the needs of local problems. We are concerned
with helping teachers maintain their knowledge and skills. In a
recent paper Teacher Centers I have described how these centers
function in this country and in England. Because of your interest,
I am enclosing a copy of this paper.Be assured that we are pleased
to encourage you in your efforts to improve science
teaching.Dr.David P.Butts, PresidentAssociation for the Education
of Teachersof Science,The University of Georgia, USA.. I am glad to
hear that your scheme National Science Service and Research Centres
is gaining momentum. I wonder whether you would be willing to write
a short article about your scheme that we might publish in Science
Education News. We could use an article of approximately 1,000
words. Please let me know if you would be willing to do
this.Dr.Arthur H.LivermoreDeputy Director of EducationAmerican
Association for the Advancement of ScienceWashington, U.S.A... We
found the idea very interesting and wish you every success with
it.Please find enclosed some documents on the education systems in
Australian States which we trust will be of use to you in the
planning process.Dr.A.H.Ennor, SecretaryDepartment of Education
& ScienceA.C.T., Australia.. I certainly admire the energy and
insight you have exhibited in the development of the plan enclosed
with your letter. I feel very privileged to learn of this ambitious
program, and I am pleased with the opportunity to make a small
contribution by sending you my comments. First, the aims seem to me
most admirable. With regard to the programme of action, I feel most
parts of it are very thoughtfully designed and are likely to make a
significant impact on the villages of India. I confess I am some
what skeptical concerning the probable success of phase I. I doubt
that stories of the exploits of scientists will seem anything but
mysterious to individuals with very little background in science. I
feel strongly that it is not a good idea to add to the impression
of mystery that many citizens have towards science. If the planning
were up to me, I would concentrate on the educational phases of the
programme and let the stories of important scientific discoveries
evolve in the natural context of learning some of the basic
methods, concepts, and findings of scientists.I regard phase II,
the technical and educational phase of your programme, as very
ambitious but extremely well planned. The topics you have decided
to include are certain to be of interest to most citizens. I can
only urge you to begin this instruction at a very elementary level.
All my experience in attempting to teach physics to students at
various ages impresses me with the difficulty of communicating with
persons who have no knowledge of the vocabulary, experimental
procedures, or logical thought process used by scientist.I have
only one other suggestion in reaction to your proposal. It would
seem to me that the problem assigned to each student should be one
proposed by the villagers themselves. I still fear that if projects
are imposed upon them by a group of well educated outsiders, they
are likely to be very skeptical and may well resist rather than
co-operate with the programme. I do think the list of problems is
an extremely interesting one. I am particularly impressed with the
importance of discussing problems of agriculture and health. Your
pattern of organization seems to me very admirable and I can think
of nothing that would improve it.I hope you will continue to keep
me and others here at the State University of New York at Stony
Brook informed of the progress you made in implementing this
programme. All of us have great interest in science education in
India, and if your programme is a success, we could no doubt profit
by emulating it in efforts to educate our own rural
citizens.Prof.A.A.StrassenburgExecutive OfficerA.A.P.T., New
York... Thank you for your letter dated 6 June with the interesting
account of what seems to be a most comprehensive and inspired
scheme to help the rural dweller, who is so often disadvantaged in
any country.Enclosed is a copy of my monograph : Education and
Rural Development with reference to Developing Countries, which
might be of interest to you.From the enclosed letter to Dr.Basu,
you will see that I am negotiating for a visit to India in a few
months time. If I am successful in my negotiations, could I come
and spend a little time with you and help you with some of your
many projects ?I am particularly interested in India, having spent
a few months in 1962 at the University founded by Rabindranath
Tagore at Santiniketan in West Bengal.Dr.G.M.CoverdaleSchool of
EducationMacquarie University,Australia.. I consider your proposal
of great value and indeed suitable to the realisation of the
interest of the younger student generation to the basic problems of
your country and indeed any country in the world. I have visited
your country one year and a half ago, travelling by bus from Patna
through Uttar Pradesh to Benaras, Agra and New Delhi. From my
granted superficial observation, it seems to me that your plan may
well provide a solution for many of the problems inherent in your
village regions. I venture to say that a similar program might be
well very fruitful in my own country and therefore I shall be
grateful to you if you would be so kind to send me information on
the further development of your program and its realisation.With
best wishes to you and to your admirable program.Prof.A.DE VRIES,
Bellinson HospitalHealth Insurance InstitutionPetah Tiqva/Israel..
The proposed scheme of National Science Service has very valuable
motivations. Its programme is wide enough to catch interest of
villagers as well as students.As you say the success depends on the
missionary zeal for service through science. This scheme will also
provide a practical target to the biological associations and other
scientific clubs already existing in so many colleges and
Universities of India.The more delicate point will be the real
contact with the villagers themselves. This will require a good
psychological approach, and appropriate choice, of the problems and
subjects of primary and practical interest for the villagers. Their
voluntary cooperation will not be obtained, at least at the
beginning, without any hope of some betterness or solution of their
own problems.The success or failure of the scheme at the village
level will greatly depend on the first practical results obtained
by the students clubs. This may be a better way to get villagers
confidence and help, than lecturing on more general and philosophic
views on science and humanity.On the other hand, the scientific out
turn of the students enquiries and field studies will depend mostly
on the scientific level and capability of the Leaders, Lecturers or
Demonstrators involved in the scheme.I am sure that you have in
mind these difficulties which are existing in almost all the
countries of the world. Rural development schemes, in the broadest
sense, requires first a good sociological approach, and as much
psychology as scientific knowledge.Wishing you the best of
success.Prof. Dr.J.L. Trochain, Service De., Botanique Universite
Paul Sabatier, France.. Your letter with an enclosure entitled
National Science Service and Research Centres was referred to the
Science Foundation of the Philippines (SFP) by our Department of
Foreign Affairs. Your request for the Philippine Embassy in India
to send the scheme to the concerned authorities to take appropriate
action bespeaks of your keen desire to make the people not only of
India but also of Southeast Asia, benefit from Science and
Technology - a laudable measure you have taken.Like your country,
the Science Foundation of the Philippines (SFP) representing the
Philippines is a member of the International Coordinating Committee
for the Presentation of Science and the Development of
Out-of-School Scientific Activities (ICC). For this reason, we have
been collaborating with the ICC Regional Vice President Dr.Ananda
Ghosh of the Bose Institute in Calcutta in the development of
programmes for Southeast Asia with strategies similar to what is
described in your scheme. Rest assured that the SFP staff will
closely study your scheme and will adapt applicable ideas with due
credit to you in its out-of-school science education project. We
will appreciate continuously receiving from you information on
developments regarding your youth community project.Thank you,Juan
Salcedo, JR., PresidentScience Foundation of the
PhilippinesManila.. Concerning Taking Science to Villages and for
the pamphlet on your National Science Service Programme with the
many stimulating comments. The enthusiasm for your program appears
to be great and the workship certainly can lay the conceptual and
organisatorial foundations.It seems to me that the great problem of
our world today is not so much the academisation of the young
generation, than the effective and productive integration of
academic youth into society, both by adjusting education to
societys demand and by reforming society so as to become receptive
to developed minds. This has to be a two-way interaction.
Unfortunately, as we have seen in our generation, academisation has
in considerable measure increased the distance between youth and
society, and, in spite of the New Left, the gap has not yet been
narrowed, indeed, seems to be widening. Whichever is guilty lack of
education or wrong education, society nowadays appears to turn away
from learning except from purely technical, and to distrust the
academician except in his technical knowledge, and youth becomes
more and more materialistic pragmatic.It is my firm belief that in
the final issue the fate of the world, if not ending in disaster,
will have to be determined by spiritual forces guiding mankind in
the use of its acquired technical skills which, if left on their
own, shall be useless or worse, destructive. That is where your
village program may be of great value, by exposing the student to
the impact of society with its spiritual values, so that in
reforming society he shall keep in mind the limitations of the
natural sciences in shaping a human future , and shall be open to
the manifestations of mans soul.With best wishes,Prof. A.DE VRIES,
Beilinson HospitalHealth Insurance InstitutionPetah Tiqva /
IsraelTo make Skill and Scale India as envisaged by our Prime
Minister here is a short list:1. Introduction(Reviving) Craft
Period in School curriculum both in Government and Private
Schools.2. Skills Based & Vocational Education.3. Starting
Folkeschools on the lines of those in Denmark4. Occupational
Promotion Centres in Districts5. Starting Innovation Centres in
select Engineering Colleges with Government Assistance.6. National
Science Service Programme in Degree colleges7. Science Museums in
Districts (Government and Private Participation)8. Involving people
in solving problems9. Starting Youth Economic Zones(like SEZ) in
Rural areas(Like Kibbutz in Israel)10. Energy conservation and
Saving as a National Mission.
Dr.A.Jagadeesh Nellore(AP)India