Education Development of Madras Presidency under O.P. Ramasamy Reddiar

Many children were brought to school under compulsory elementary education. Basic Education was the declared policy of the Government regarding elementary education. O.P. Ramasamy Reddiar's Government had set up committees to reorganise the secondary education on the basis of acceptance of basic education for elementary schools. Regional language is the first language and English as the Second language in Secondary Schools. The teaching of English in Standards I to V of secondary schools was abolished. In order to remove illiteracy among the adults, the Government started in 1948–1949 a scheme of Adult Education. The Government invited authors to present continuation of reading books in Tamil and Telugu for the use of new literates. Compulsory elementary education and the policy of Basic Education in the elementary education were great success. More children were enrolled under compulsory education. Basic Education could help the progress of agriculture, industry and trade. The Government took up the reorganasiation of Education in right earnest. In the post-war development scheme, the Government made provision for the introduction of compulsory elementary education in the province, upto Vth Standard. To start with, the scheme was introduced in selected villages, but it was later extended to some more villages. More children were brought to school under compulsory elementary education. The scheme aimed at the reorganization and extension of education to suit the national ideas and needs of a free India. The Government had been trying to spread compulsory elementary education in the various areas of the province in a progressive manner. The reorganization of education was taken up as an urgent problem. A well planned questionnaire was issued for eliciting public opinion on the reforms to be initiated in elementary as well as in secondary education. After ascertaining public opinion, O.P. Ramasamy Reddiar Government had accepted the scheme of basic education and compulsion for 5 years as a practical measure. A provincial Advisory Board of Education and a Provincial Basic Education Board were constituted to Advise Government on general matter of education pertaining to their spheres.