Previous Year Question

The correct chronological order is Wood's Despatch (1854) → Hunter Commission (1882) → Sadler Commission (1917) → Sargent Plan (1944).

The earliest among these was Wood's Despatch of 1854. It was an important document in the development of educational policy in British India. It emphasised an organised educational structure from primary to higher education, establishment of education departments in the provinces, Grant-in-Aid and the establishment of universities. The official history of the University of Calcutta also refers to Wood's Education Despatch of 1854.

Next came the Hunter Commission in 1882. Lord Ripon appointed the Indian Education Commission on 3 February 1882 under the chairmanship of Sir William Hunter. One of its major purposes was to review the progress of education after Wood's Despatch of 1854. The Commission paid particular attention to the expansion of primary education, the role of local bodies and secondary education.

The third was the Sadler Commission of 1917. It was also known as the Calcutta University Commission, and its chairman was Michael Ernest Sadler. Although originally constituted to investigate the problems of Calcutta University, its inquiry extended to broader questions of secondary and university education. The Commission submitted its extensive report in 1919.

The latest was the Sargent Plan of 1944. It is also known as the Sargent Report or Post-War Educational Development in India. Associated with Sir John Sargent, Educational Adviser to the Government of India, the plan presented a long-term framework for the development of Indian education from the pre-primary to university level.