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Kothari Commission
(1964-1966): Facts, UPSC Notes
Objectives,
Recommendations &
More
The Kothari Commission was the National Education Commission which was appointed post-
independence by the Government of India. The Kothari Commission was headed by Daulat Singh Kothari.
Check the following article on Kothari Commission, to know more about its objectives and the
recommendations made by the commission on the education system in India. This topic will be helpful
for the upcoming UPSC Civil Service Exam.

If you are a UPSC aspirant, then you must check UPSC Civil Service Prelims Analysis here, to devise a
better preparation strategy according to the weightage of each subject.

Notable Facts Of Kothari Commission For UPSC

• The Kothari Commission was appointed to assess the educational system which was then
followed in India and to recommend a national pattern of education and the policies and
principles that would develop education at all levels.
• Though the commission was authorized to look into and make recommendations on legal and
medical education, they were excluded by the commission.
• 12 task forces and 7 working groups were set up by the commission, in order to make a detailed
study of various issues and problems related to the education system.
• Some of the recommendations made by the commission were included in the National Policy on
Education, 1968.

About Kothari Commission

• The Kothari Commission was formed on 14 July 1964, by the Government of India and it was an
ad-hoc commission i.e. a temporary commission that was formed to perform a specific task.
• Professor Daulat Singh Kothari, who was the then chairman of the University Grants
Commission, was appointed as the Chairperson of this educational commission. Along with him,
the core group of the committee consisted of 17 members in total.
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• The Kothari Commission had a consultation panel that consisted of 20 experts in the education
field from across the World. They aided the Commission, to frame a better educational system.
• It was the first commission in India to deal with the education system of the country in a
comprehensive manner.
• The Commission consisted of 12 task forces:
1. School Education,
2. Higher Education,
3. Technical Education,
4. Agricultural Education,
5. Adult Education,
6. Science Education and Research,
7. Teacher Training and Teacher Status,
8. Student Welfare,
9. New Techniques and Methods,
10. Manpower,
11. Educational Administration and,
12. Educational Finance.
• In addition to the task force, it also had seven working groups on Women's Education;
Education of Backward Classes; School Buildings; School-Community Relations; Statistics; Pre-
Primary Education, and School Curriculum.
• The Kothari Commission submitted its report on 29 June 1966 to the then Minister of Education,
M.C.Chagla. The report consists of 4 volumes in which 19 chapters are dealt with.

The Need For Kothari Commission

The Kothari Commission was felt to be necessary after some flaws in the nation's current educational
system, such as

• The idea of national reconstruction is not mentioned in the educational system

• The education system does not give adequate importance o agriculture
• The development of students' moral and spiritual values was not prioritized in the educational
system.
• The academics part was emphasized too much
• The education system does not focus on the formation of character

Objectives Of the Kothari Commission

Towards the end of the third five-year plan, the educational commission called Kothari Commission was
appointed with the following objectives:

• To review the educational system comprehensively with a view to initiating a fresh and more
determined effort at educational reconstruction.
• To formulate an educational pattern and policies, which would develop the education at all
aspects and at all stages and recommend the same to the Government of India.

Major Recommendations Of the Kothari Commission

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Some of the key recommendations made by the Kothari Commission are discussed below:

1. In order to increase the enrollment percentage, it recommended free and compulsory

education for the children of the age group 6 to 14 years.
2. A new pattern of the educational structure was recommended by the Kothari Commission
which was commonly known as 10+2+3. According to it, the structure of education in the
country should be as follows,
o Pre-school stage: Here education should be of 1 to 3 years
o Primary education stage: The 7 to 8 years of primary education are to be divided into 4
or 5 years of lower primary stage and 3 or 2 years of the higher primary stage.
o Lower secondary education stage: 3 or 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of
vocational education.
o Higher secondary education stage: 2 years of general education or 1 to 3 years of
vocational education.
o Higher education stage: 3 years or more for the first-degree course followed by
courses of varying durations for the second or research degrees.
3. It suggested two types of secondary schools: the high school which provides a 10 years
course and the higher secondary school providing 11 or 12 years of courses.
4. The Kothari Commission stressed making the study of science, and social and national service
an integral part of education, right from primary education to university education.
5. It recommended the use of regional languages as a medium of education at all stages of
education.
6. The common school system of public education was recommended by the Commission in
order to provide equal opportunities for children across the country.
7. It recommended that part-time education should be provided on a large scale at the lower and
higher secondary stages, in both general and vocational courses.
8. The commission insisted on fixing the age of admission as not less than 4 years.
9. The commission suggested that work experience should be made compulsory for vocational
as well as general education at higher levels.
10. In order to improve the standards of education, the Kothari Commission recommended the
implementation of nationwide programs.
11. In order to achieve universal enrolment and retention, the Commission recommended the
schools improve their structure and facilities. It also insisted on the establishment of
libraries at all educational institutions.
12. Establishment of a State Education department for every state, in order to deal with all the
matters such as development, implementation, inspection, etc related to the education of that
particular state.
13. It recommended the establishment of the National Board of Education to advise the Union
Government on all matters relating to school education.
14. The Commission proposed a three-language formula that is to be followed at the lower
secondary stage of education. According to that formula, a child should be taught the following
languages:
1. Regional language or Mother Tongue
2. National Language of the Union i.e. Hindi
3. Anyone modern Indian or European language which is neither a part curriculum nor the
medium of education.
15. It recommended the Center initiate scholarship programs for women students in colleges and
universities.

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Implementation Of Kothari Commission’s

Recommendations

The Government of India implemented some of the important recommendations of the Kothari
Commission by including them under the National Policy on Education. Some of them are as follows,

• Adoption of 10+2+3 years pattern of educational structure.

• Free and compulsory education should be provided to all children up to the age of 14, thereby
fulfilling Article 45, which is a directive principle of the Indian Constitution.
• Implementation of three-language formula and development of Sanskrit and regional languages.
• Adoption of a common school system for equalization of educational opportunity across the
country.
• High priority is to be given to science education and research. Also, importance should be given
to the development of education for agriculture and industry.
• With an aim to improve the physical fitness and sportsmanship of the students, gaming and
sports activities should be promoted.

Education is the most powerful instrument for the development of any country. This fact was realized long
back by the leaders of the Indian Independence movement and they laid great emphasis on the spread of
education in the country. It is very essential to reconstruct the education system of the country on the lines
of recommendations made by the Kothari Commission, in order to achieve the economic and social
development of the country.

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