EDUCATION COMMISSIONS IN INDIA

 

1. University Education Commission (1948-49)

• Chairperson: Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
• Focus: University education
• Key Recommendations:
  • Introduction of liberal education with vocational courses.
  • Emphasis on improving teacher qualifications.
  • Establishment of UGC (University Grants Commission).
  • Strong research culture and autonomous status for universities.

2. Secondary Education Commission (1952-53)

• Chairperson: Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar
• Focus: Secondary education
• Key Recommendations:
  • Diversified courses with technical, vocational, and agricultural streams.
  • Multipurpose schools offering a variety of curricula.
  • Improving the quality of secondary education through better teacher training.
  • Creation of Board of Secondary Education for uniformity in the curriculum.

3. Kothari Commission (1964-66)

• Chairperson: Dr. D.S. Kothari
• Focus: Comprehensive education reform from primary to higher education.
• Key Recommendations:
  • 10+2+3 structure: Ten years of general education, followed by two years of higher secondary, and three years of university education.
  • Emphasis on science and mathematics.
  • Integration of moral and vocational education.
  • Introduction of work experience in education.
  • Recommended free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 years.

4. National Policy on Education (NPE), 1986

• Revised in 1992: P.V. Narasimha Rao government.
• Key Focus: Equality in education, focusing on marginalized communities like SCs, STs, women, and the rural population.
• Key Features:
  • Emphasis on quality, especially in elementary education.
  • Strengthening of vocational education programs.
  • Establishment of Navodaya Vidyalayas for talented rural children.
  • Promotion of the use of technology in education.
  • Adult education and literacy drives were encouraged.

5. National Knowledge Commission (2005-2008)

• Chairperson: Sam Pitroda
• Focus: Strengthening higher education and research.
• Key Recommendations:
  • Expansion of higher education institutions.
  • Greater autonomy to universities.
  • Emphasis on public-private partnerships in education.
  • Improvement in the quality of faculty and research.
  • Increased use of information technology and digital libraries.

6. Yashpal Committee (2009)

• Chairperson: Prof. Yash Pal
• Focus: Reforming higher education.
• Key Recommendations:
  • Encouraged the establishment of multidisciplinary universities.
  • Stressed the importance of research and innovation in higher education.
  • Abolition of independent professional bodies like AICTE, NCTE, and UGC, replacing them with a single authority.

7. National Education Policy (NEP), 2020

• Chairperson: Dr. K. Kasturirangan
• Focus: Holistic and multidisciplinary education reforms.
• Key Recommendations:
  • 5+3+3+4 system: Five years of foundational education, three years of preparatory, three years of middle, and four years of secondary education.
  • Introduction of multilingualism at the foundational level.
  • Flexibility in choosing subjects across streams in higher secondary.
  • Focus on critical thinking, creativity, and experiential learning.
  • Increasing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education to 50% by 2035.
  • Vocational education from Class 6 onward.
  • Emphasis on early childhood care and education (ECCE) and a common curriculum for preschool.
  • Strengthening teacher training, with a focus on continuous professional development