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n illuminating analysis of the aims of university education in the context of historic events of the emergence of free and democratic India.

The University Education Commission suggests that our education system must find its guiding principles in the aims of a social order for which it prepares, in the nature of the civilisation it hopes to build. It suggests that ‘democracy’ depends for its very life on a high standard of general, vocational and professional education. Dissemination of learning, incessant search for new knowledge, unceasing effort to plumb the meaning of life, provision for professional education to satisfy the occupational needs of our society, are the vital tasks of higher education.

There must be sufficient unity of purpose in all this diversity to produce a community of values and ideas among educated men. Our policies and programmes must be brought into line with the social purposes which we profess to serve. We may use various institutional forms as time and circumstances may require, but we must be steadfastly loyal to the abiding elements of respect for human personality, freedom of belief and expression for all citizens, a deep obligation to promote human well being, faith in reason and humanity.

The accelerated economic growth of the country through the implementation of the five-year Plans which aimed at the cultural, economic, social and industrial development of the country vis-à-vis, surprisingly enough, the falling standards of education in the country, which had aroused the consciousness of notable educators and scholars of the country, compelled the Government of India to set up another commission under the chairmanship of Dr D.S. Kothari (1964-66), the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission. This Commission at length critically examined the entire educational system of the country i.e., from primary to adult, from academic to vocational, from general to special and recasted the objectives of higher education as under:

“In broad terms, the functions of the universities in modern world may be said to be the following:

To seek and cultivate kind of leadership to engage vigorously and fearlessly in the pursuit of truth, and to interpret old knowledge and beliefs in the light of new needs and discoveries;

To provide the right kind of leadership in all walks of life, to identify gifted youth and help them develop their potential of the full by cultivating physical fitness, developing the powers of the mind and cultivating right interests, attitudes and moral and intellectual values;

To provide society with competent men and women trained in agriculture, arts, medicine, science and technology and various other professions who will also be cultivated individuals, imbued with a sense of social purpose;

To strive to promote equality and social justice, and to reduce social and cultural differences through diffusion of education; andTo foster in the teachers and students, and through them in society generally, the attitudes, and values needed for developing the good life in individuals and society.

In addition to these broad functions, which they share in common with all universities, Indian universities will have to shoulder some special responsibilities in the present state of our social and educational development:They must learn to serve as the