1
Who was appointed as the first Education Minister of independent India?
🥇 Medium First in Indian Education
First in Indian Education
50 Questions First in India
A comprehensive collection of 20 high-quality objective questions covering the milestones and historical firsts in the Indian education system.
2
Which was the first university established in modern India in 1857?
3
Who was the first Indian to become the Vice-Chancellor of a British-established university in India?
4
The first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) was established at Kharagpur in which year?
5
Who was the first woman to hold the position of Vice-Chancellor of an Indian university?
6
Which institution is considered the first women's university in India, founded in 1916?
7
Who was the first woman to graduate from a British Indian university (1883)?
8
Which college is officially recognized as the first women's college in India, established in 1849?
9
The first Indian Institute of Management (IIM) was established in 1961 at:
10
Who was the first President of India to have served as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC)?
11
Which of the following was the first law established by the British for education in India (1813)?
12
Who was the first Indian to be appointed as the Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India?
13
Which state was the first in India to achieve 100% primary education?
14
The first National Education Policy in independent India was introduced in which year?
15
Which was the first university to be established in the princely state of Mysore in 1916?
16
Who was the first woman to earn a medical degree in Western medicine in India?
17
The first school for the blind in India was established in which city?
18
Which organization was the first to formalize the standard of education in India for teachers?
19
The first Indian university to introduce a degree in Journalism was:
20
Which was the first agricultural university established in India in 1960?
21
Which institution is historically recognized as the first Sanskrit college established by the British in India in 1791?
22
Who was the first Indian to be appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta?
23
The first permanent institution for medical education in India, the Calcutta Medical College, was founded in which year?
24
Which was the first state in India to adopt the 'Mid-Day Meal' program in government schools?
25
The first Indian university to introduce a dedicated department for the study of 'Public Administration' was:
26
Who served as the first Chairman of the University Education Commission (1948-49)?
27
The first Engineering College in India, established in 1847, was located at:
28
Which act/dispatch is often called the 'Magna Carta of English Education in India'?
29
Who was the first woman to be appointed as the Chancellor of a state university in India?
30
The first Central University to be established in India after independence was:
31
Which was the first organization in India to conduct a comprehensive survey on primary education in 1882?
32
In which city was the first 'Indian Institute of Science' (IISc) established in 1909?
33
Who was the first Indian woman to become a university professor?
34
The first Law College in India, 'Government Law College', was established in which city in 1855?
35
Which committee was the first to recommend the '10+2+3' education structure in India?
36
What was the first language-based university established in India?
37
The first national-level institution for teacher training, the Central Institute of Education, was established in which year?
38
Which was the first university to introduce 'Distance Education' in India?
39
The first Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) was established in which city?
40
Who was the first Indian woman to graduate with an M.A. degree?
41
Which institution holds the distinction of being the first to offer formal training for teachers in India, established in 1856?
42
The first school for the deaf and dumb in India was established in which city in 1884?
43
Which Indian state was the first to implement the 'Compulsory Primary Education Act' in its territory in 1920?
44
Who was the first Indian woman to earn a Doctorate in Science (D.Sc.) from an Indian university?
45
Which educational regulatory body was the first to be established in India to coordinate between universities and the government (1945)?
46
The first Indian institution to offer a specialized Master's degree in Library Science was:
47
Which university was the first in India to start the 'Open University' system on a trial basis before the establishment of IGNOU?
48
Who was the first Indian to hold the post of the Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore?
49
The first national policy document to explicitly propose the 'Common School System' in India was:
50
Which college claims the title of the first English-medium college established for indigenous students in 1817?
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Important Notes — First in Indian Education
Milestones in Indian Education: Pre-Independence Era
Understanding the evolution of the Indian education system is crucial for aspirants preparing for UPSC, SSC, and other state-level competitive exams. The foundation of modern formal education in India was laid during the colonial period through various legislative acts and institutional establishments.
Key Historical Foundations
- First English Medium School: The St. George’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai (established in 1715) is widely recognized as the oldest English-medium school in India.
- First University: The University of Calcutta, University of Bombay, and University of Madras were established simultaneously in 1857 based on the recommendations of the Wood’s Despatch (1854), often called the 'Magna Carta' of English education in India.
- First Women’s University: SNDT Women’s University was founded by Dhondo Keshav Karve in 1916 in Pune, marking a watershed moment for female education.
- First Technical Institute: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur was the first institute of its kind, established in 1951 to promote high-quality technical education in post-independent India.
Educational Leadership and Constitutional Landmarks
Post-independence, India witnessed significant policy shifts aimed at universalizing education and fostering excellence in research and higher studies.
Important Figures and Firsts
- First Education Minister of Independent India: Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who served from 1947 to 1958. His birthday, November 11, is celebrated as National Education Day.
- First IIT: IIT Kharagpur (1951).
- First IIM: IIM Calcutta, established in 1961 in collaboration with the Sloan School of Management (MIT).
- First Open University: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University (formerly Andhra Pradesh Open University) in Hyderabad, established in 1982.
- First National Policy on Education (NPE): Introduced in 1968 under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, based on the report of the Kothari Commission (1964-66).
Quick Exam Facts for GK
- First Education Commission: The Hunter Commission (1882) was the first dedicated commission to examine the state of primary and secondary education in British India.
- First Central University: Aligarh Muslim University (originally established as Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College in 1875, it became a Central University in 1920) is often cited in historical contexts alongside Banaras Hindu University (founded in 1916).
- Right to Education (RTE) Act: The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002, inserted Article 21A, making education a Fundamental Right for children aged 6 to 14.
These facts are frequently tested in exams under the 'Static GK' segment. Aspirants should focus on dates, the names of founding personalities, and the specific mandates of the early Education Commissions, as these form the base of questions regarding Indian administrative and social reforms.
