The Kothari Commission (1964-66) suggested spending ______ of national income…

Concept — The Education Commission chaired by Dr. D. S. Kothari stated its funding recommendation as a share of national income rather than as a rupee amount. A share of that kind is a target to be built up to by a stated horizon year; it is not a description of what the country was already spending.

Applying it here — The Commission fixed that share at six percent of national income, to be reached by 1985-86. It asked for a phased build-up because public expenditure on education stood at roughly 2.9 percent of national income when the report was submitted.

Cross-check — The same six percent benchmark was carried into every later national policy document:

• National Policy on Education, 1968 - adopted the goal of six percent of national income for education.

• National Policy on Education, 1986, and its 1992 Programme of Action - restated the same six percent goal.

• National Education Policy, 2020 - reaffirmed six percent, now expressed as six percent of GDP.

Note on the name and the dates — The body is formally the Education Commission. It was constituted in July 1964 and submitted its report in June 1966, and it is popularly named after its chairman, Dr. Daulat Singh Kothari.

Answer — six percent of national income.