The phrase “National Commission on Education” in India is commonly understood to refer to the Kothari Commission (1964-1966) or the Indian Education Commission. The commission was created to consider the whole system of education in India, determine a pattern of education generally, and to advise the government on educational policies.
Highlights of the Kothari Commission:
- Purpose: The main purpose of the Kothari Commission was to frame a national educational policy for India, with a major focus on the education of children from primary through to higher education.
- The Chairperson: Dr. D.S. Kothari was the Chairman of the University Grants Commission.
- Recommendations: The report of the Kothari Commission focused on education and national development and made many recommendations, including free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14, the three-language formula at the State level, and the promotion of a language of the Southern States in the Hindi-speaking states.
- Importance of the Commission: The report of the Kothari Commission was submitted in 1966, and it had a major influence on the later educational policy enacted by the nation of India.
- Other important Commissions: The Kothari Commission is an extremely well-known commission, but there were also the University Education Commission (1948-1949), the Secondary Education Commission (1952-1953), and Commission on Teachers (1983), and there are others that also have impacted education in India.
Important Note: There is also the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions (NCMEI), which was formed under the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004; this commission has specific functions related to the education of minorities including determining on the status of minority educational institutions and being an appellate authority to determine disputes concerning minority status.
