Problems of a sub-continent
Problems of a sub-continent
Jaime Torres Bodet, Director-General of Unesco, returned last month to Paris following a three-week tour of the capitals and a number of rural areas of Ceylon, Pakistan and India. This was the Director-General's tirst official visit to Southern Asia. He inaugurated the Unesco Demonstration Centre for Fundamental and Adult Education at Minneriya, Ceylon ; visited the Fundamental Education project in which Unesco participates at Alipur, India ; and studied the development of various other Unesco undertakings in the three countries.
The opportunities for closer co-operation between Unesco and its Member States were discussed by the Director-General at meetings with members of National Commissions and with other persons working to improve educational facilities and the general living standards of millions of men, women and children. They were also taken up at personal conferences between. M. Torres Bodet and the Prime Ministers of Ceylon, Pakistan and India.
The importance of the Director-General's trip-during which he covered 15, 800 miles - derives in part from the vastness of the needs of southern Asia in education, science and culture, and the increasingly prominent part the three countries are playing in Unesco's major programmes, especially in fundamental education and technical assistance.
The role of Ceylon, Pakistan and India in relation to Unesco's activities in technical assistance is particularly striking. Out of a total expenditure of $ 1, 251, 880 alloted for thirteen countries benefiting from the programme, the three countries account for $ 453, 530 of which $ 433 102, is for Ceylon, $ 18 : 3, 237 for Pakistan and $ 167, 860 for India.
It is because of growing world interest in this area of the world, that we devote this entire issue of the Unesco Courier to India, Pakistan and Ceylon and some of their achievements in the fields of education, science and culture.