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| National Policy on Education (1968) | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Policy on Education (1968) |
| Country | India |
| Adopted | 1968 |
| Authority | Ministry of Education |
| Status | Defunct (superseded) |
National Policy on Education (1968) The National Policy on Education (1968) was a policy document promulgated by the Indian National Congress-led administration under Indira Gandhi to set priorities for schooling and higher education systems across India. It aimed to address shortages in literacy and to harmonize recommendations from commissions such as the Kher Committee and the Mudaliar Commission. The policy influenced institutions including the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education.
The 1968 policy emerged amid post-independence debates involving actors like Jawaharlal Nehru's intellectual heirs, planners from the Planning Commission, and educators associated with the Sargent Report (1944) and the Kothari Commission. It followed political events including the 1967 Indian general election and socio-economic pressures from Poverty in India and the Green Revolution period. Influential figures such as D. S. Kothari, B. N. Ganguly, and committees tied to the Ministry of Education shaped its context alongside institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management.
The policy articulated objectives to expand access to primary education and reduce regional imbalances across states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu. It emphasized vocational streams to link with industrial centers like Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and training at National Institutes of Technology. Principles included secular instruction consonant with constitutional provisions from the Constitution of India and alignment with international frameworks exemplified by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank's emerging involvement in development financing.
Recommendations covered expansion of teacher training at institutions akin to the National Council of Educational Research and Training and restructuring of curricula influenced by the Madhav Rao Committee and earlier reports such as the Sargent Report (1944). The policy proposed measures affecting institutions like the Indian Council of Social Science Research, creation of regional colleges linked to universities like University of Delhi and University of Calcutta, and the strengthening of industrial training institutes similar to National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. It also urged compliance with standards promoted by bodies like the University Grants Commission and reforms in professional schools including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and Bar Council of India-regulated legal education.
Implementation relied on coordination among central bodies such as the Ministry of Education and state departments in Maharashtra, Kerala, and West Bengal, alongside statutory agencies like the University Grants Commission and advisory councils similar to the National Council for Teacher Education. Administrative execution interfaced with five-year plans under the Planning Commission and funding channels from institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India and development partners like the International Monetary Fund. Delivery mechanisms included district level offices modeled on administrative divisions used in states like Punjab and Andhra Pradesh.
The policy elicited responses from political actors including the Swatantra Party and organizations such as the All India Students Federation and the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Critics from universities such as Banaras Hindu University and groups including the Indian National Trade Union Congress pointed to vagueness on financing and execution, while proponents in the Indian Administrative Service and policy academies lauded its vision. Commentators in periodicals associated with institutions like the Press Trust of India debated its secular versus regional language prescriptions invoking controversies similar to those in the States Reorganisation Commission era.
The 1968 policy shaped curricula revisions at universities such as Jawaharlal Nehru University and influenced the establishment of training programs at institutes resembling Indian Institutes of Management, Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay. Its legacy persisted in sectoral structures like the University Grants Commission's regulatory reach and in later policy instruments addressing universal access as pursued in programs akin to the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Right to Education Act debates. The policy also contributed to sustained dialogues on medium of instruction involving linguistic stakeholders like proponents of Hindi and advocates for regional languages including Tamil and Bengali.
Subsequent comprehensive reviews culminated in the National Policy on Education (1986) and the later National Education Policy 2020, with intervening analyses from commissions such as the Kothari Commission. Revisions interacted with legislative measures including state statutes in Kerala and national initiatives backed by bodies like the National Council for Teacher Education and international partners including UNICEF and the World Bank.
Category:Education in India Category:1968 in India