Indigenous Education System

 Before the British Rule, Education was imparted through a

chain of elementary schools – Pathshalas, Maktabs and
Madrasas for higher education.

 The education provided in such institutions were based on

old texts like Vedas and their commentaries.

 Such education was not considered to be up to date

because Vedas, the basis of such education did not kept
pace with the world.

2
 Effects on Education under
East India Company

Due to colonization of India, Education system suffered

because the company had stopped giving institutions
grants which were earlier given to the institutions by
Indian Rulers.

3
Introduction of Western Education

Introduction of Western Education in India was led by

following causes :

 East India Company

 Christian Missionaries

4
 Introduction of Western Education –
East India Company
 English East India Company showed a very little interest in
promotion of education in India

 The Only purpose of setting up some educational

institutions in India was to ensure a steady supply of
Indians to law courts set up by the Company. Indian’s
knowledge of classical languages was used to establish
correspondence with the native states by East India
Company officials.

5
 First Educational Institutes
East India Company

 The Calcutta Madrasa

 Sanskrit College

 Fort William College

6
 The Calcutta Madrasa
 Set up in/at: 1781 / Calcutta

 Set up by : Warren Hastings

 Purpose : For the study of Muslim law and related

subjects

7
 Sanskrit College
 Set up in/at : 1791 / Benaras

 Set up by : Jonathan Duncan

 Purpose : For the study of Hindu Law and philosophy

8
 Fort William College
 Set up in/at : 1800 / Calcutta

 Set up by : Lord Wellesley

 Purpose : For the training of the civil servants of the

company in languages and customs of Indians.

9
 Introduction of Western Education –
Christian Missionaries
 Activities of Christian Missionaries compelled British to promote
Western Education in India.

 Main English Missionaries :

 Charles Grant

 William Wilberforce

 Christian Missionaries wanted to promote Western Education in

India because they thought that modern education would
destroy the faith of the Indians for the own religions and they
would follow Christianity.

10
 Charles Grant
 Charles Grant is considered as
the father of modern education
in India

 He is known so because of his

efforts that the Charter Act of
1813 came into existence. This
acts promotes the modern
education in India as it sanctions
about one lakh rupees for
education.

11
 Charter Act of 1813
 This act was the first step taken by British
rulers for the purpose of educational
development in India.

 Under this act, one lakh rupees were

sanctioned to promote education in India.

 However, this act had failed.

12
 Failure of Charter Act of 1813
The Charter Act had failed because of following reasons:

 It failed to state the language for medium of instruction for

educational institutes.

 It was also ambiguous about the means of expanding

English education in India.

 It was not stated that education should be given to all or a

selected few.

13
 Orientalists and Anglicists Debate
Orientalists and Anglicist Debate was a debate between
Orientalists and Anglicists due to the issue of language for the
medium of instructions in India

 Orientalists : People who wanted to promote education in India

through the medium of classical languages such as Sanskrit, Persian
and Arabic.

 Anglicists : People who wanted to promote Western Education in

India which supported English as a medium of instruction.

14
 Preferences of Educated Indians
Enlightened Indians such as Raja
Rammohan Roy exerted
pressure on Western Education
because they thought that
western education was the only
remedy for the social, economic
and political ills of the country.

15
Macaulay’s system of education
 This system of education
was introduced by Lord
Macaulay in 1835.

 This system put Anglicists

Orientalists Debate to an
end.

 This system is also known

as Lord Macaulay’s
Minute.
16
 Macaulay’s system of education –
Main Provisions
 This system clearly stated that Western Education has to be
promoted in India through the medium of English
language alone.

 Under this system, Persian was abolished as the court

language. On its place, English language was made the
court language.

 Under this system, the printing of English books was made

free and these were widely available in markets at very low
prices. This increased use of English in India

17
 Macaulay’s system of education –
Implementation
For the implementation of this system in India following
steps were taken by the government:

 Forty two schools were set up by 1842.

 The presidencies were divided into educational zones. Each

educational zone had one government school.

 For example: Bengal was divided into nine educational

zones under Lord Auckland.

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 Wood’s Despatch
 This was a written document for the
propose of promoting education in
India.

 This was introduced by Charles

Wood in 1854.

 It was the first comprehensive plan

for the spread of education in India.

 It was considered as the ‘Magna

Carta of English education in India’

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 Wood’s Despatch –
Main Provisions
 It asked the government of India to provide education to all
Indians not to the selected few.

 Graded schools were established in hierarchy as

Universities

Colleges

High Schools

Middle Schools

Primary Schools
20
 Wood’s Despatch –
Main Provisions
 English was recommended as the medium of instruction
for higher studies and Indian local languages at school
level.

 Emphasis was given on female and vocational education

and on teachers’ training.

 Education imparted in the government institutions was to

be secular.

21
 Wood’s Despatch –
Main Provisions
 A system of grants-in-aid was recommended for the
institutions that satisfied certain conditions to encourage
private enterprise.

 Universities were to be set up at Calcutta, Madras and

Bombay.

22
 Wood’s Despatch –
Implementation
 Graded schools were set up as written in the document.

 The educational institutes were run by European

Headmasters and Principals.

 Missionary enterprises played their own role.

 In 1857, Universities in all the three presidencies were set

up.

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 Education after 1858

After the revolt of 1857, many changes took place in the whole
country. As a result of the revolt, education system was also
adversely affected.

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 Hunter Commission
 Hunter Commission was a commission appointed by the
British Government to review the progress of education in
the country since the Wood’s Despatch of 1854.

 Hunter Commission was set up in 1882 under the

chairmanship of W W Hunter.

 This commission emphasized its recommendations on

primary and secondary education

25
 Raleigh Commission
 It was a commission appointed by the British government
to suggest measures to improve the conditions of Indian
Universities.

 It was set up in 1902.

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 Indian Universities Act
 This act was passed in 1904 under Lord Curzon.

 This act was based on the recommendations of the Raleigh

Commission.

 People of India condemned for this act because

 It increased the government’s control over the universities.
 They saw it as an attempt to restrict education and to
discipline the educated to show loyalty to the government

27
 Mahatma Gandhi’s & INC’s views
about western education

 Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress

thought that western education had created a gulf between
the educated few and the masses of uneducated.

28
 Wardha scheme of education
 This was a scheme of basic education introduced by Zakir
Husain Committee in October 1937 in Wardha
(Maharashtra).

 The main principle behind this scheme was learning

through activity.

 It was based on Gandhian ideas published in a series of

articles in the weekly magazine Harijan.

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 British’s Education Policies –
Limitations
 Englishmen educated Indians just for the supply of Indians
in their offices. Their main aim was not to educate Indians.
This led to a wide linguistic and cultural gulf between
educated few and masses of uneducated Indians.

 British Policies of Education declined the traditional

system of Indian Education.

 Women Education was neglected under the British

Educational policies.

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 British’s Education Policies –
Limitations

 British followed the Downward Filtration Theory

which was never practical.

 There was no sort of scientific or technological

education for the Indian under British Rule.

31
 National Education –
Growth
During the first quarter of the twentieth century, Indian
nationalist leaders formed a National Council of
Education to make out a strategy for imparting
education to all sections of the country.

Under this strategy, a number of national schools,

colleges and universities were set up.

We will discuss here a few of them :

32
 National Muslim University
 Set up in/at : 1875/ Aligarh (UP)
(earlier known as Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College)

 Set up by : Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

 This University was patterned after Oxford and Cambridge

Universities.

 This university tuned with the British Educational system

without compromising with Islamic values

33
 National Muslim University
 Sir Syed visualized this national university as
he felt the need of Muslims to get modern
education and become involved with the
public life and governmental services of India

 In 1907, a school for girls was established in it.

 In 1920, It was changed from Muhammadan

Anglo-Oriental College ( MAO ) to National
Muslim University.
34
 National Muslim University
 In 1927, a school for blinds was
established in this university.

 By 1930s , this university had

developed engineering faculty also.

 The first chancellor of the university

was a lady, Sultan Shah Jahan
Begum.

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National Muslim University

36
 Baroda University
 Set up in/at : 1908 / Baroda (Gujarat)

 Set up by: Dr. Jackson

 It was earlier Baroda College.

 Dr Jackson wanted establishment of a science institute at

Baroda on an improved and independent basis.

 Dr Jackson was principal of Baroda College in 1908.

37
 Baroda University
 In 1916 and later in 1919 again, review
committees recommended setting up a
university at Baroda

 In 1926, Baroda University Commission was

appointed which submitted its report in 1929.

 Baroda University was finally approved by the

legislature assembly in 1949.

38
Baroda University

39
 Central Hindu School
 Set up in/at : 1898/ Benaras

 Set up by: Dr Annie Besant

40
 New English School
 Set up in/at : 1880s / Benaras

 Set up by : Sri Bal Gangadhar Tilak

41
 National Council of Education
 Set up in/at : 1906 / Calcutta

 Set up by : Aurobindo Ghosh

42
 Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey
Women's University (SNDT)

 It was the first women university of India.

 Set up in/at : 1916 / Poona

 Set up by : D K Karve

43
 Pandita Ramabai
 She had an important contribution
towards encouraging women education
in the country.

 She set up Arya Mahila Samaj in Poona.

 She set up Sharda Sadan, a school for

widows in Bombay.

44
 Rokeya Sakhawat Husain
 She was an important lady
socio-religious reformers of
India.

 She began her work with

setting up a school for girls in
Kolkata in 1910

45
 FAQs
 List reasons why British neglected education for
Indians.

Ans. –
 According to the British, by getting the education Indians
could stand against the British Rule.
 They thought that if Indians would become educated they
could get equal rights and positions as them in the society

46
 List merits and demerits of introduction of western
education in India.

Ans. –
 Merits -
Western Education was the remedy for the social, economical
and political ills of the nation.
 Western Education gave people of the nation the right to avail
governmental services.
 Demerits –
 Introduction of Western Education in India neglected mass
education in the country.
 Western Education could destroy the faith of Indians in their
own religions.

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 Glossary
 Gurukul – A place where Indians imparted education before the
British rule over India.

 Maktabs – A place where a large number of Muslims imparted

education before the arrival of British in India.

 Madrasa – School

 Vedas – Old text books which were the basis of Indigenous Education
System before the arrival of British.

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 Glossary
 Classical Languages – The languages which were traditionally in
use in India such as Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian.

 Christian Missionaries – They were those Englishmen came from

Europe to promote Christianity in India. Charles Grant and William
Wilberforce were two important Christian Missionaries.

 Harijan – A weekly magazine which was responsible for promoting

Gandhian principles in masses. It was published under the guidance of
Mahatma Gandhi.

 Vernacular languages – Indian classical languages.

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50