My latest Book

The Power of Pen

Pandit Janardan Rai Nagar Birth Anniversary (16 June 1911-15 August 1997)

Pdt. Nagar had Advised Pdt. Jawahar Lal Nehru to Constitute a Commission for Education Before Kothari Commission Came into Being

Manishi Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar

There is a lot of debate on Education Policy these days. The Union Education Minister recently announced the New Education Policy which has come nearly thirty four years after the NEP 1986. The government and its allies are calling it a policy that will change the face of education in the country. There are, however, a large number of educationists who opine that this policy will promote Privatization and corporatization of education and is regressive in its very content. A number of committees and groups were formed to advise on the matters of education since the independence of India. But one such major initiative came in 1964 when a commission headed by the then chairman of University Grants Commission Dr. Daulat Singh Kothari, a well known scientist, was formed by the government of India  on July 24, 1964 to study the overall scenario of education of the country and to recommend policies and guidelines and evolve a general structure of education in the country. The commission worked nearly for two years taking opinion and suggestions from experts from across the world and submitted its report to the then Union Minister of Education Sh. M.C.Chhagla on June 29, 1966.

It would be interesting to learn that Manishi Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar had suggested the formation of such a commission on education much before Kothari Commission came into being. In his letter to the then Prime Minister Pdt. Jawahar lal Nehru written on 8^th July, 1963 Pdt. Janardan Rai Nagar appreciated Pdt. Nehru’s concern for the education of the rural youth and suggested that a commission be constituted by the Lok Sabha to study the scenario of education in India and to suggest a policy framework for education in India. He suggested that the report of such a commission should be presented in the Lok Sabha and discussed by the august house to finally formulate a Policy of Education for the country. The letter was written in Hindi. A translation is attempted here of the relevant part of a longish letter for the benefit of the readers:

            Dear Shri Pdt. Jawahar lal Nehru,

 Respectful Greetings. I have read the newspaper reports of your scheme of providing industrial training based on agriculture to the economically weak youth of Indian villages and towns. I am happy to learn that the Ministry of Finance of your government has give sanction to this scheme and in the remaining part of the third five-year plan 65 such centers will be started in the country. We , at Udaipur ( Rajasthan) have been imparting New Education to the youth mainly in villages for 26 years now through Rajasthan Vidyapeeth. You will be surprised to know that we are running a secondary school and a degree college  that functions during the night  for those working youth who work during the day and study in the night. Because of this, it was natural for us to be attracted towards your new initiative for the rural youth. …

Please accept our salutations on this. I wish to present a suggestion with some hesitation , though. In my opinion time has come when we should constitute a high level commission regarding the system, methods and points of view of education from the beginning to the end. This should be constituted by the Lok Sabha and which should think over this widespread and basic issue through a revolutionary approach and submit a report to Lok Sabha which in turn should debate it and present before the country its method and guidelines.

Janardan Rai Nagar

This letter reached the Prime Minister who gave a prompt reply vide letter no. 1648/PMH-63 dated 12 July, 1963. Although the Prime Minister agreed with the need to plan and reform the education system,  he said that changes are being made and the constitution of a new commission would not serve the purpose. However, it is well known that the commission came into being the very next year. The Kothari Commission headed by Dr. Daulat Singh Kothari who also hailed from Udaipur submitted a report which  is a foundation of education policy of India. These letters are preserved by Pdt. Nagar’s  son Sh.Prafull Rai Nagar. These letters are a treasure for the posterity of this country.