The recommendations of the Hunter Commission on higher education.
Recommendations of the Hunter Commission on higher education:-
On 3 February 1882, the then Viceroy Lord Ripon appointed Sir William Wilson Hunter, a member of his Executive Council, as the President and constituted the first Indian Education Commission. The Hunter Commission was given the right to make recommendations only on primary education. However, considering the importance of the situation, the President of the Commission, Sir Hunter, made various recommendations on the levels from primary education to higher education. The recommendations of the Hunter Commission on higher education are discussed below.
1. Encouragement of the formation of private colleges:-
The government should be somewhat inactive in the matter of higher education. The government will provide necessary encouragement so that colleges are established in the country through private initiatives.
2. Grants for education at the college level:-
The government will allocate sufficient grants for education at the college level to encourage private institutions or efforts.
3. Establishment of Model Colleges: -
Some model colleges should be established under government management. These model colleges will act as models for private colleges.
4. Conditions for getting government grants: -
To get government grants, each college will have to fulfill certain conditions. The conditions are -
(i) The college will be able to meet the higher education needs of the local people.
(ii) There will be an appropriate number of qualified teachers in that college.
(iii) The quality of education will be maintained - etc.
5. Arrangements for government scholarships: -
Government scholarships should be introduced for poor and talented students.
6. Arrangements for education abroad for talented students: -
The government should make appropriate arrangements so that talented students can go abroad for higher education after completing their higher education.
7. Arrangements for studying various optional subjects in the college curriculum: -
Students interested in higher education can study subjects according to their mental capacity and preferences, opportunities for studying various optional subjects in the curriculum of various colleges should be created.
8. Establishment of universities according to demand: -
According to the demand and according to the study of the commission, the government should establish a new university in the north-western border region of the country.
9. Quality of education in private colleges: -
To maintain appropriate quality of education in private colleges, there should be a system of inspection even if there is no control from the government in terms of infrastructural development. If there is complete lack of control, it may be difficult to maintain appropriate quality of education in private colleges.
10. Technology and vocational education: -
Technical education should be expanded as much as possible in colleges and universities and arrangements should be made for vocational education in line with reality.
Finally, it can be said that the commission exceeded its scope of work by making recommendations regarding higher education. Since the government did not constitute the Hunter Commission to review higher education, the government had no responsibility to implement those recommendations. However, the Commission's recommendations on higher education were very significant, as can be understood only by reviewing the recommendations of the Sadler Commission (1918). In the context of that time, the recommendations made by Sir Hunter deserve special importance in the later education commissions and in the history of the expansion of higher education in India.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
