Traditional and colonial varieties of education had emphasised acquisition and abstract, text-based information that had been the domain of the higher castes. There was proposal to form handicrafts the centre of his pedagogy had as its aim to cause a "radical restructuring of the social science of faculty information in India within which the 'literacies' of the lower castes such as spinning, weaving, piece of work, pottery, metal-work, basket-making and book-binding would be created central. the opposite aim of this use of handicrafts was to form faculties financially and socially freelance of the state an even additional radical thought. therefore in the authoritative article on education in untouchable in 1937 it was argued that by education it means associate degree well-rounded drawing out of the most effective in kid and man-body, mind and spirit. Acquisition isn't the top of education nor even the start, it's just one of the suggests that by that man and girl will be educated. acquisition in itself is not any education.  The child's education by teaching it a helpful handicraft and sanctioning it to provide from the instant it begins its coaching. therefore each faculty will be created independent.

The National Planning Commission set up by the central government expressed its opposition to Gandhi's vision of Basic Education on several grounds. The Nehru government's vision of an industrialized, centrally planned economy had no place for basic education or self-supported schools.