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Kothari Commission (1964-66) With Special Reference to Language Education

Adopting a suitable language strategy was recommended by the Kothari Commission in 1966 in order to promote social and national integration. Although it emphasised the value of regional tongues, it also issued a warning that English cannot be replaced. Additionally, it was stated that English should be the primary language of instruction until Hindi is completely established. It also cautioned that, even if Hindi were to flourish, the non-Hindi states would object to its use, which calls for political intervention. The Commission stressed the need of English for worldwide communication and suggested that it be utilised as a library language instead of a link language as most Indians are unable to use it as one.

The following was were the policy directives with regard to the development of languages in educational institutions:

Regional Languages: An absolute requirement for the advancement of education and culture is the vigorous growth of Indian languages and literature. Without doing this, the masses’ creative energy won’t be freed, educational standards won’t rise, information won’t reach more people, and the gap between the intelligentsia and the masses will persist, if not become even wider. At the basic and secondary levels, the regional languages are already used as teaching tools. As soon as possible, measures should be adopted to include them into university-level instruction.
Three-Language Formula: The State Governments should adopt and vigorously implement the three-language formula for the secondary level, which “includes the study of a modern Indian language, preferably one of the southern languages, aside from Hindi and English in the Hindi-speaking States, and of Hindi along with the regional language and English in the non-Hindi-speaking States.” In order to raise students’ competency in these languages to the required university levels, appropriate courses at Hindi and/or English should also be offered in universities and colleges.
Hindi: The growth of Hindi should be encouraged in every way possible. It is important to take care when developing Hindi as the link language to guarantee that it will serve, as specified in Article 351 of the Constitution, as a vehicle of expression for all components of the Indian composite culture. It is important to promote the creation of colleges and other higher education institutions that utilise Hindi as their primary language of instruction in non-Hindi speaking states.

Sanskrit: Given Sanskrit’s distinctive contribution to the cultural cohesion of the nation and its specific significance to the growth and development of Indian languages, more flexible facilities for its teaching at the secondary and tertiary levels should be made available. Sanskrit should be studied in those courses (such as current Indian languages, ancient Indian history, Indology, and Indian philosophy) at the first and second degree levels where such information is relevant, and innovative ways of teaching the language should be promoted.
International Languages: Studying English and other foreign languages needs to get extra attention. The world’s knowledge is expanding quite quickly, particularly in science and technology. India must not only maintain this progress but also significantly contribute to it on her own. The study of English should be specifically emphasised for this reason.