Introduction
Kamaraj was born to a lower middle class couple Kumaraswamy and Sivagami Ammal in Virudunagar on July 15, 1903. The couple christened the newborn baby as Kamatchi after the name of the family deity first and at later stage they changed it into Kamaraj. During his later age he became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and he had commanded respect of all sections of the people in the state. He was a confirmed bachelor and devoted whole of his life for the welfare of the people in general and of those of Tamilnadu in particular.
Kamaraj assumed office as the Chief Minister while the first five year plan was being implemented. The implementation of the second five year plan coincided with the election of Kamaraj as the Chief Minister for the second term in 1957 and the launching of third five year plan coincided with the third term of Kamaraj from 1962.
The large number of small industries that had been setup in Tamilnadu during the first and second five year plans sent out a clear message to the state government that there was a great need of a large number of people trained in various branches of engineering and technology. On its part, the government had also been striving hard to get as many large scale industries as possible both in the public and private sectors. As the Government was headed by no less a practical man than Kamaraj, it turned its attention to train people to meet the requirements of the industries. The very small industries like foundries required only skilled workers whereas small-scale industries like the units manufacturing surgical goods, laboratory equipments, machines for engineering establishments and workshops etc. required engineers and diploma holders.
While paying its great attention to promote education among the boys and girls of school – going age in the state, the Government also encouraged the willing students to take to vocational education. In order to meet such students’ need of vocational education, it established industrial schools. By the year 1958, there were 53 such schools in the state, and of them one was exclusively for girls. The government had established and run 12 of these schools. Two of them were managed by District Boards of Thanjavur and Coimbatore and the rest were established and run by private managements with government aid.
Private Industrial Schools
In the 39 private industrial schools five were in Kanyakumari District. Apart from the private industrial schools, the government had set up two of its twelve industrial schools in the district. In the remaining ten government industrial schools, four were in Madras and the districts of South Arcot, Thanjavur, Madurai, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli and Coimbatore had one school each. The industrial schools taught the subjects like general machinics, wood-work, agriculture, painting, tailoring and blacksmithy.
Industrial Training Institute
The Government of Tamilnadu established Industrial Training Institutes and the central Government setup Industrial Training Centres throughout the state during the second and third five year plans. The boys and girls who had enrolled themselves in Industrial Training Institutes were called trainees and on successful completion of their course of training, they were given certificates. The four Industrial Training Institutes were established in August 1957 at Cuddalore, Pettai in Tirunelveli, Nagapatnam and Virudunagar.
The large industrial estate at Ambatttur got on full swing, the Government setup an Industrial Training Institute on its campus in 1960. Ten two-year courses and six one-year courses were offered right from the beginning in the institute and with all the sixteen courses, this institute turned out to be the biggest in the state at that time. Two year later after starting this men’s Industrial Training Institute, the government of Tamilnadu established another Industrial Training Institute for women on the campus of the same industrial estate in 1962 with World Bank Assistance. When the states were reorganized in November 1956 there were six Industrial Training Institute and Industrial Training Centres in Madras State. During this period the Apprenticeship Training Scheme also introduced, through this Industrial Training Institutes and Centres.
Technical Training School for ICF
A technical training school was established in the proposed campus of Integral coach factory at Perampur in Chennai with the funding of both the central and state governments. As the governments were aware that a very large number of skilled workers would be required to manufacture rail coaches in the integral coach factory, they established the school first. The factory was inaugurated on October 2, 1955. The school, apart from giving training to workers, trained the supervisory staff also. It with the capacity to train 300 trainees in the early 1960’s, offered promotion courses and training to apprentices. So the credit for the spectacular growth and development of ITI’s goes to the Kamaraj Government.
Polytechnics
During the second five year plan period, Kamaraj had decided to establish polytechnic schools in the state. The private organizations and individuals also utilized this opportunity and opened such polytechnics in the state. PSG & Sons, Charities Trust of Coimbatore with its polytechnic established in 1939, led the other private organizations and individuals in the state in establishing polytechnics. N. Mahalingam of Pollachi, A.M.M. foundation of Chennai, and Karumuthu Thiagarajar Chettiar of Madurai took the credit of having established the next three polytechnics in the state. They are Natchimuthu polytechnic at Pollachi, Murugappa polytechnic at Chennai and Thiagrajar polytechnic at Salem.
Annamalai University was also among the forerunners in this field and it maintained one polytechnic namely Muthiah polytechnic. Thus nine private polytechnics and five government ones came up at various places during the second five year plan period. These polytechnics offered courses of study in different branches of engineering such as civil, mechanical, electrical, sound, sanitary, agriculture, telecommunication and automobile. Instruction was also provided in such subjects as printing technology, leather technology, and fisheries technology. The students of the diploma courses in the above subjects in the polytechnics had to undergo practical training for one year in a recognized factory or workshop as part of the prescribed course of instruction in the polytechnics to become eligible for the award of the diploma.
Regional school of printing
The government accepted in 1955 the proposal of All-India Council for Technical Education for the development of the printing section of central polytechnic in Madras into a Regional School of Printing Technology in accordance with the scheme of the All-India Board of Technical studies in Applied Art. Accordingly, the government started the Regional School of Printing on 8th August 1955 with the Diploma course and nine other all India certificate courses.
The Institute of Leather Technology
The Institute of leather technology was also started in Madras and it offered a diploma course in leather technology, a certificate course in manufacture of leather goods and an artisan course.
Central Leather Research Institute
The Central Government established the premier Central Leather Research Institute in Madras in 1953. This is one of the 11 institutes that the central government setup under the first five year plan. The institute taught all subjects relating to leather and it offered courses leading to B.Sc. and M.Sc., degree of the University of Madras.
Government Textile Institute, Madras
The Government established this institute in Madras in August 1956. It provided various training courses related to weaving. It also had a textile testing laboratory as a unit of this institution.
S.M.R.V. Technical Institute – Nagercoil
S.M.R.V. Technical Institute in Nagercoil was founded in 1954 and it was the second of its kind in Madras State. This institute offered three year training in handloom and powerloom weaving.
Engineering Colleges
The first ever engineering college that was established in Tamilnadu is the Government College of Engineering, Guindy in Chennai. It is the oldest of its kind in the country, originated from the technical school that the British East India Company had founded. During the second five year plan period, this college had expanded considerably under the patronage of the Kamaraj Government. This college was one of the five institutions selected by the Government of India in 1959 for the implementation of the programme of training of technical teachers for engineering colleges.
Government College of Technology, Salem
It was in 1963 that the Government decided to found an engineering college in Salem. Immediately after taking the decision it selected a site about 20km away from the town, and initiated steps to acquire lands. The college began functioning in the academic year 1963-1964.
Regional Engineering College – Trichy
The Government of Madras extended all helps and cooperation expected of it to the central government to establish one Regional Engineering College in Tiruchirapalli under a Centre – sponsored scheme in the academic year of 1963-1964.
Many private Engineering Colleges were also started during Kamaraj period. They were Madras Institute of Technology, Chrompet in Chennai, PSG College of Technology Coimbatore, Dr. Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering and Technology in Sivagangai District, Coimbatore Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Thiagarajar College of Engineering Madurai and so on.
Government College of Architecture and Sculpture, Mamallapuram
The Kamaraj Government opened a School of Architecture in 1957 at Mamallapuram. The school trained students in carving and sculpture and issued certificates in stone sculpture on their completion of four year certificate course. The school was later upgraded into a college offering diploma and degree courses in sculpture and architecture and when it was upgraded into a college it was brought under the control of the Director of Technical Education.
Conclusion
Thus the Kamaraj Government which had wanted to develop the state industrially did well in promoting technical education and there by made available well-trained personnel to take up any role in the process of industrial development.
– Dr. T. Thampi Dharmaraj
Assistant Professor, Dept. of History, Nesamony Memorial Christian College, Marthandam.
References
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4. Madras Information, Vol. IXIII, No. 10, Madras, October 1959.
5. M.L.A. Debate, Vol. XX, NO. 19, Madras, dated 21.09.1957.
6. M.S.A. Report 1960 – 1961, Part I, Madras 1961.
7. M.S.A. Report 1960 – 1961, Part II, Madras 1961.
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10. Report of the Principal, Government ITI, Chengalpattu 1991.
11. Madras Information 1959, Vol. IXIII, No.10, October 1959.
12. G.o. Ms. No. 1026, Education Department, dated 1.12.1961.
13. G.o.Ms. No. 5607, Education Department, dated 1.12.1961.
14. Hand book of PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore 1960.
15. Report of the Department of Public Instruction 1964 – 1965, Madras, 1965.
16. First Five Year Plan Report 1951 – 1956, Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi.
17. Journal of Indian History and Culture, Origin and Growth of the Leather Industry in Tamilnadu, Issue 9, Madras, March 1994.