Our Management

MILESTONE IN THE JOURNEY OF INDIAN COUNCIL OF BASIC EDUCATION
QUEST IN EDUCATION: THE RESEARCH JOURNAL

The ICBE progressive as always wished to disseminate the new findings and happening in the field of education. A four page monthly bulletin named “COMMUNITY SCHOOL” was launched in the year 1964 which carried the work done by ICBE. Later, in the year 1966 a magazine “QUEST IN EDUCATION” was taken over by ICBE from Teacher’s Club which till date publishes the Quarterly Educational magazine bearing number ISSN 0048-6434. The objectives of the magazine are to be an effective channel of communication between policymakers, government agencies, academic and research institutions and persons concerned with the complex problems of education. It also aims to promote and coordinate developments in the field of education. It is a vehicle to help professionals, academia, researchers and policy makers, working in the field of educational policy and development, disseminate information and to learn from each other’s work basically through means of research.

SOCIALLY USEFUL PRODUCTIVE WORK
ICBE is and has always been a pioneer in the field of educational activities.  Recommending education through craft, Mahatma Gandhi said, “The core of my suggestion is that handicrafts are taught not merely for production work but for developing intellect of the pupils”. Taking this cue ICBE introduced SUPW in its college- Smt Surajba College of Education, in 1975 itself, with six major skills: gardening, knitting, cardboard work, tailoring, fancywork and embroidery. ‘Ishwarbhai Patel Committee’ (July, 1977), suggested the term ‘Socially Useful Productive Work’ or SUPW, which was first introduced in the school curriculum in 1978, by the Ministry of Education, Government of India The nature of SUPW is such that it provides maximum possibilities of integrating knowledge belonging to the other subject areas and adopting the Inter-disciplinary approach in teaching-learning and also encourages economic self- reliance.. In the later years it was adopted by University of Mumbai.

COMMUNITY WORK
For anyone who believes in the Philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi will not deny the importance of Community Service. Imbibing the same spirit all the members- Management, Teachers and students were inducted into Community Service. All the members had to adopt a nearby BASTI (settlement) go there and offer their services from cleanliness awareness to education of the residents. This was a ritual before the daily formal college routine. It was just a way of life for all, at Gandhi Shikshan Bhavan. This endeavour of the institution got mentioned in the Document – ‘REFLECTIONS ON LIFELONG EDUCATION AND THE SCHOOL’ published in 1975 by UNESCO INSTITUTE FQR EDUCATION. HAMBURG. Later Community work became the Compulsory Component of University of Mumbai, B Ed Syllabus. Thus making us probably the pioneers of ‘life-long learning.  

INCEPTION OF FOUNDATION LECTURES, 1970
VAJUBHAI PATEL MEMORIAL FOUNDATION LECTURE, 2014
A Foundation Lecture is an endeavour to reaffirm the philosophy, mission and core values of an institution. . Naturally in the earlier years till about 1995 the ICBE hosted Foundation Lectures. The galaxy of dignitaries who were invited as Guest Speakers, were those working in and on the ideas of Gandhian Philosophy, to name a few- Dr G Ramanathan, Shri Narayan Desai, Ms Majorie Sykes, Shri K.S. Acharlu.

After Shri Vajubhai Patel, a founding member and Ex Director of ICBE, passed away on 20th September 2013, the ICBE, decided to rename the Foundation Lecture as Vajubhai Patel Memorial Lecture from 2014. Since then renowned speakers Dr Prabha Ravishankar, Dr Manisha Gupte, Kaiser Khalid, IPS, Mr Kumar Prashant, Ms Flavia Agnes and Mr Irfan Engineer have delivered the Memorial Lecture every year in the month of September.  

SMT SURAJBA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
It was decided to open a College of teacher education during the BIRTH CENETANARY year of Mahatma Gandhi. The members of ICBE wanted BASIC EDUCATION to be realised in action, through the means of education. So they conceptualized opening of a Teacher Education Institute which would slowly but surely help disseminate the essence of BASIC EDUCATION. With this same noble thought in mind, a Teacher Education Institute SMT SURAJBA COLLEGE OF EDUCATION was established on 2nd October 1969, the BIRTH CENTENARY Year of MAHATMA GANDHI and was inaugurated in the building named GANDHI SHIKSHAN BHAVAN at Juhu, the foundation stone of which  was laid by  Shri Acharya Bhise.  Its primary ideology was to promote and disseminate Gandhian Values in society through the means of education. It was envisaged that the entire process of education will be promoting the values of Truth, Non-Violence, Peace, Cooperation, Mutual respect, Acceptance of Diverse Cultures, Development of Patriotic feelings, Freedom of thought and expression and to help promote Harmony with nature.

MS NUPUR MITRA,
President,

INDIAN COUNCIL OF BASIC EDUCATION, 2020