Kothari Commission

Background and evolution

In the years after Independence, India expanded schools and universities rapidly, but quality, equity and relevance remained weak. Earlier bodies, such as the University Education Commission (1948–49) under S. Radhakrishnan and the Secondary Education Commission (1952–53) under A. L. Mudaliar, had looked at single stages of education. The government then wanted a comprehensive review of the whole system.

The Education Commission was set up in 1964 under Daulat Singh Kothari, a physicist and Chairman of the University Grants Commission. It included Indian and foreign experts and took a holistic view, from pre-primary to university education, linking education to productivity, social integration and national development.

Key features and provisions

• Common school system: neighbourhood schools open to all children, to reduce inequality between elite private and government schools.
• Structure: a uniform 10+2+3 pattern of school and college education.
• Spending: raise public expenditure on education to 6% of national income.
• Language: a three-language formula and use of regional languages as media of instruction.
• Work experience: link education with productivity through work experience and vocationalisation at the secondary level.
• Teachers: better pay, status and training for teachers.
• Higher education: quality improvement, selective development of universities and research.
• Social justice: equalisation of educational opportunity, including for girls and backward groups.