UGC Chairman and Kothari Commission

InMarch1961hetookchargeasChairman,University Grants Commission, a post that he held till1973.It was during this tenure that he was appointedChairman of the Education Commission (1964-66); thereportofthisCommission,generallyknownasthe“KothariCommissionreport”,wasalandmarkintheannalsofeducationinourcountry. See the link:
http://www.academics-india.com/Kothari%20Commission%20Report.pdf
for the total report:

In1981hewasappointedChancelloroftheJawaharlalNehruUniversity(probablythe only timean educationistadornedthe post of Chancellor ofanIndian university, which is generally the prerogative ofthe Governors; JNU was somewhat of an exception inthatMrs IndiraGandhi was its first Chancellor.HecontinuedasChancellorfortwoterms,till1991).

ContributionsintheFieldofEducation
ThenationowesadeepdebtofgratitudetoProfessor Kothari for his monumental contributions tothecauseofeducation. TheKothariCommission’srecommendations are of far- reaching import. As DrLM Singhvi aptly put it,’The Kothari Commissionreport, like Dr Kothari himself, was profound withoutbeing ponderous, idealistic without being impractical,fundamental without being fanatical’. (DrPremKirpal;in an article in this issue, has dealt at some length withthisaspect,interspersedwithrevealingpersonalglimpsesofProfessorKothari’spersonality).

Professor Kothari took keen interest in the activitiesof the National Council of Educational Research andTraining, and advised the NCERT on the writing oftext books in science, and on standardizing technicaltermsinHindi.

As Chairman of UGC, he helped raise the qualityofadvanced studiesand research byproviding thenecessary financial inputs and facilities. Although hewas ascetic by nature, he was sensitive to current trends,and in later years supported generous funding not onlyforlaboratory facilities but also for better pay scales,residentialandofficeaccommodation.

Hisadviceandguidancewere soughtbymanyeducationists and administrators. For example, the civilservices examinationsnow conductedby the UnionPublic Service Commissionare patterned on the modelProfessorKotharisuggested.