Education and the British rule
Three agents of modern education in India
- The
British Government (East India Company)
- Christian
missionaries
- Indian
intellectuals and reformers
Development of modern education
Development of Modern Education
- The company wanted some educated Indians who could
assist them in the administration of the land.
- Also, they wanted to understand the local
customs and laws well.
- For this purpose, Warren Hastings established
the Calcutta Madrassa in 1781 for the teaching of Muslim law.
- In 1791, a Sanskrit College was started in
Varanasi by Jonathan Duncan for the study of Hindu philosophy and laws.
- The missionaries supported the spread of
Western education in India primarily for their proselytising activities.
They established many schools with education only being a means to an end
which was Christianising and ‘civilising’ the natives.
- The Baptist missionary William Carey had come
to India in 1793 and by 1800 there was a Baptist Mission in Serampore,
Bengal, and also a number of primary schools there and in nearby areas.
- The Indian reformers believed that to keep up
with times, a modern educational system was needed to spread rational
thinking and scientific principles.
- The Charter Act of 1813 was the first step
towards education being made an objective of the government.
- The act sanctioned a sum of Rs.1 lakh towards
the education of Indians in British ruled India. This act also gave an
impetus to the missionaries who were given official permission to come to
India.
- But there was a split in the government over
what kind of education was to be offered to the Indians.
- The orientalists preferred Indians to be given
traditional Indian education. Some others, however, wanted Indians to be
educated in the western style of education and be taught western subjects.
- There was also another difficulty regarding
the language of instruction. Some wanted the use of Indian languages
(called vernaculars) while others preferred English.
- Due to these issues, the sum of money allotted
was not given until 1823 when the General Committee of Public Instruction
decided to impart oriental education.
- In 1835, it was decided that western sciences
and literature would be imparted to Indians through the medium of English
by Lord William Bentinck’s government.
- Bentinck had appointed Thomas Babington
Macaulay as the Chairman of the General Committee of Public Instruction.
- Macaulay was an ardent angelicas who had
absolute contempt for Indian learning of any kind. He was supported by
Reverend Alexander Duff, JR Colvin, etc.
- On the side of the orientalists were James
Prinsep, Henry Thomas Colebrooke, etc.
- Macaulay minutes refer to his proposal
of education for the Indians.
- According to him:
- English education should be imparted in place
of traditional Indian learning because the oriental culture was ‘defective’
and ‘unholy’.
- He believed in education a few upper and
middle-class students.
- In the course of time, education would
trickle down to the masses. This was called the infiltration theory.
- He wished to create a class of Indians who
were Indian in colour and appearance but English in taste and
affiliation.
- In 1835, the Elphinstone College (Bombay) and the Calcutta Medical College were established.
