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EDITORIALS & ARTICLES
Education in British India
Different facets of life changed when British territorial rule over India was established. With the handover of power to the British, education was one of those areas that underwent significant change. The colonial rulers created the educational system in a colonial country to legitimise their rule and meet their own economic needs. The British Education System In India was formally established through the Charter Acts.
In 1813, when the Charter was up for renewal, the British Parliament ordered the East India Company to set aside Rs 1 lakh annually "for the revival and promotion of literature, the encouragement of the learned natives of India, and for the introduction and promotion of knowledge of the sciences among the inhabitants of the British territories."
As a result, the Queen made official financial arrangements for the first time, and the East India Company was given responsibility for the natives'' education.
Policies under British Education System in India
Before the acquisition of territorial power, the Company had no role in education; however, there were attempts by the missionaries to establish charity schools and to promote learning.
- Due to the fear of adverse reactions and opposition to their role by the local people, the Company maintained neutrality on education after becoming a territorial power.
- The opinions were also divided on whether the Company should promote western or oriental learning.
- Some individuals played a significant role in promoting English education in Calcutta. For example- The establishment of Hindu College by David Hare. Raja Ram Mohan Roy headed its foundation committee.
Education Reformer / Policy | Features / Recommendations |
Warren Hastings |
- Established ‘Calcutta Madrasa’ in 1781 for the study and learning of Persian and Arabic. - The motive was to develop friendly relations with the elites of the indigenous society and to understand their culture. |
William Jones |
- Established the Asiatic Society of Bengal in 1784 to encourage Oriental studies.
- Warren Hastings believed that Hindus had laws that had not changed for thousands of years. - Therefore, if the British wanted to establish their rule in the nation, they had to learn these laws and the Sanskrit language in which they were written. |
Jonathan Duncan |
- In 1791, ''Sanskrit College'' was founded by him in Benaras. - The motive was to promote the study of Hindu laws and philosophy.
|
Lord Wellesley |
- Fort William College, founded by Wellesley in 1801 to train young British recruits for the civil service in India - It was meant to serve primarily for the purpose of making local British administrators familiar with Indian culture and tradition.
|
Charter Act of 1813 |
- The Act was the first step towards education being made an objective of the government. - It enabled the Company to set aside one lakh rupees for
- Administrative needs of the Company required Indians well-versed in the classical and vernacular languages.
|
Raja Ram Mohan Roy and the demand for Western education |
- Progressive Indian elements also favoured the spread of English education and Western learning.
|
General Committee of Public Institution (1823) |
- Created to oversee the growth of India''s educational system. - Majority of members were from the Orientalist movement.
|
William Bentinck (1828-35) |
- William Bentinck accepted the Macaulay Committee report. - He stated that the object of the Company’s Government should be the promotion of European literature and sciences through the English language, and in future, all funds were to be spent for that purpose. - Macaulian system was a systematic effort to educate the upper classes of India. The general education of the populace was not Macaulay''s goal. - He put implicit faith in the infiltration theory (‘Downward Filtration Theory’ or ‘Trickle Down Effect’), which held that English-educated persons would act as the class of interpreters.
- The following are some of the key tenets of the resolution Bentinck declared in 1835:
|
Woods Dispatch (1854) |
- The policy that became the cornerstone of the Indian government''s educational initiative was established by Sir Charles Wood, president of the Board of Control.
- Recommendations:
- Impact: The new educational scheme was a slavish imitation of English models.
|
Hunter Education Commission (1882-83) |
- It was appointed to examine the implementation of the Dispatch of 1854.
- Recommendations:
- Impact: The twenty years following the report of the commission saw unprecedented growth and expansion of secondary and collegiate education.
|
Indian Universities Act, 1904 |
- The Act was based on the recommendations of the Indian Universities Commission of 1902 headed by Sir Thomas Raleigh. - The Commission recommended,
- Commission recommendations led to university control of secondary schools. - The Act of 1904 required university recognition of schools. |
Sadler Commission (1917-19) |
- It was set up under the realisation of the need for improvement of secondary education for the improvement of University education - Along with Saddler, the Commission also included two Indian members- Ashutosh Mukherji and Zia Uddin Ahmed. - Recommendations:
- It recommended for a Special Board of Women Education at Calcutta University. - Impact: Seven new universities came into existence during 1916-21, namely Mysore, Patna, Banaras, Aligarh, Dacca, Lucknow and Osmania.
|
Education under the Dyarchy, 1921-37 | - Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms transferred department education to provincial control. |
Hartog Committee (1929) |
- Appointed by the Simon Commission to review the position of education in the country.
Recommendations: - It emphasised the national importance of primary education but condemned the policy of hasty expansion or attempt to introduce compulsion in education. - Commission reports Matriculation Examination dominates secondary education, leading undeserving students to university.
- The Commission pointed out the weaknesses of university education and criticised the policy of indiscriminate admission, which led to lowering of standards.
|
Wardha Scheme of Education (1937) |
- Background: The Government of India Act of 1935 introduced provincial autonomy, and popular ministries started functioning in 1937. The Congress party came into power in seven provinces. The Congress party set at work to evolve a national scheme of education for the country.
- In October 1937 All-India National Educational Conference accepted Mahatma Gandhi''s proposal.
- The main features of the scheme were:
- The responsibility to prepare the syllabus was given to Dr Zakir Hussain. - The Wardha Scheme came to be known as ‘Nai Talim’ and did not include religious instructions; therefore Muslim League rejected it. - The outbreak of the war in 1939 and the resignation of Congress Ministries led to the postponement of the scheme. |
Sargent Plan of Education (1944) |
- Sargent Report: Central Advisory Board examines post-war educational development. - It visualised a system of education with-
- It envisaged two main types of high schools academic and technical. |
Impact of British Education System In India
- Impact on governance: The British Education System In India encouraged the teaching of the English language in schools and colleges as they needed people to work in the administrative offices either as clerks or babus.
- It helped in creating a new class of people who later helped them in governance as well as in controlling many aspects of administration in India.
- English as a link language: The use of English by Indians provided one language that cut across the entire country and became a common link for them.
- Growth of national consciousness: English books and newspapers brought to Indians new ideas from the West, like freedom, democracy, equality and brotherhood.
- Neglect of mass education: This was one of the major weaknesses of the British Education System In India. In 1911, 94% of Indians lacked literacy, which changed to 92% by 1921.
- Neglect of female education: The almost complete disregard for girls'' education, for which there were no funds allocated, was a significant flaw in the early policy of the British Education System In India.
- Neglect of scientific and technical education: The Company’s administration also neglected scientific and technical education. By 1857, the country had only three medical colleges at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras and only one engineering college in Roorkee.
- Minimal financial support: The issue of finance was at the heart of many of the drawbacks of the education policies during British India.
The indigenous system of education was replaced by the new British Education System In India. There were many Englishmen who tried to promote oriental learning, but the Anglicists prevailed over such Orientalists. New schools and colleges were established to promote learning. New social, political and economic ideas came through the channel of Western education. But the British Education System In India ignored scientific and technical education. Moreover, the beneficiary of this education was mainly the upper crust of society. So the transformation that came with English education was very limited in nature.