Which was the first education commission of independent India?

Concept

To identify the first commission in a period, fix the starting boundary and compare the appointment dates of all candidate bodies.

A body created before that boundary is excluded; among bodies created after it, the earliest appointment date determines the answer.

Application

1. India became independent in 1947, so commissions constituted before 1947 are outside the required period.

2. The Sargent Report was prepared in 1944 under British rule, before independence.

3. The University Education Commission, chaired by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, was appointed in 1948.

4. The Secondary Education Commission, chaired by A. Lakshmanswami Mudaliar, was appointed in 1952.

5. The Education Commission chaired by D. S. Kothari was appointed in 1964.

Contrast and cross-check

• Sargent Report — 1944, a pre-independence education plan.

• Radhakrishnan Commission — 1948–49, focused on university education.

• Mudaliar Commission — 1952–53, focused on secondary education.

• Kothari Commission — 1964–66, reviewed education across levels.

Therefore, the Radhakrishnan Commission was the first education commission appointed in independent India.