Subject : History Topic : Education and the Colonial Rule Grade : VIII (PPT 1)

1. Subject : History Topic : Education and the Colonial Rule Grade : VIII (PPT 1) CB / VIII /1718 Education and The Colonial Rule Slide 1 of 18

2. Education during the pre-British period. • Education was provided in pathshalas and madrassas • Education included Grammar, Classical Literature , Logic , Philosophy , Law and Religious texts. • Studying was restricted to three R’s of reading , writing and arithmetic. • The local schools had no printed books, no fixed fee , no separate school building , no classrooms , no roll calls , no annual examinations and no fixed time table. • Thus it was a flexible type of system of education. A typical Gurukul CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 2 of 18

3. Education and the British rule • In the initial period the British were not interested in starting up any educational institutions . They only started a few so as to have trained Indians to help them in their administrative work. • Institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa , the Sanskrit college and the Fort William College were started. • The Charter Act of 1813 included many important changes such as the introduction of missionaries to provide education, the provision of religious and moral education, and the annual spending of one lakh of rupees by the company for education based on literature and the sciences. The For t William college CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 3 of 18

4. The Orientalists • The Orientalists advocated that Western sciences and literature should be imparted to prepare students to take up jobs . But they also proposed that learning of the classical languages of India like Sanskrit , as well as languages like Persian and Arabic should be learnt. • Sir William Jones was one such Orientalist who studied various languages. He also studied Sanskrit for preparation of a vast digest of Hindu and Muslim law. • Other Orientalists included Henry Thomas Colebrook and Nanthaniel. Sir William Jones an Orientalist CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 4 of 18

5. The Anglicists • They believed in advocating western education • They believed hat the knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific. • Thomas Macaulay was one such Anglicist. He felt that India was an uncivilised country and that Indians must be made aware of the scientific and technological advances of the West. He also felt that money must not be spent on Oriental learning. Thomas Macaulay a Anglicist CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 5 of 18

6. Wood’s despatch • The Woods despatch was prepared by Charles Wood . The provisions of this despatch had a profound effect on education in India Some of the provisions were • Create a separate department of education for every province. • Establish universities at Presidency towns. • Establish teacher training colleges. • Reform existing government colleges and schools. • Open new middle schools, improve vernacular schools, introduce a grants – in I aid system in private schools. • Emphasis on mass education and women education Charles wood after whom the despatch was named CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 6 of 18

7. Colonial Education After 1858 • The Great Uprising of 1857 saw a shift in the administration of India from the British East India Company to the British crown. • But untill 1854 the educational reforms of India were based on the provisions of Wood’s despatch. • The progress of education continued to be reviewed and directed by several Commissions. The Uprising of 1857 CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 7 of 18

8. Hunter Commission 1882 • In 1882 a commission was set up under the chairmanship of Sir William Hunter to review the progress of education since the time of the Wood’s despatch. Some of the provisions of the Hunter Commission were • Primary education had not made sufficient progress during the period between 1854 and 1882. • Extension of elementary education for the masses. • Primary education should be managed by a new municipal and district boards. • Education should be under the control of the government. Sir William Hunter CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 8 of 18

9. Universities Commission 1902 • In 1902 a Universities Commission was set up under Sir Thomas Raleigh . The reasons for the appointment of this Commission was to assess the Universities set up by the British in India and come up with ways to improve them. • The Indian universities act was passed in 1904 which tightened the control of the government over these universities. But many of the Indians did not agree with this control over the universities. The Bombay University in the 19th century CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 9 of 18

10. Sadler Commission of 1917 • In 1917 the government appointed the Calcutta University Commission under Dr. Michael E. Sadler. • The Commission recommended the establishment of a board with complete control over the intermediate and higher education courses. The intermediate courses would be of two years while the higher education courses will be of three years . • The conclusions of this commission were also useful to other universities in India. Michael E. Sadler CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 10 of 18

11. Impact of the Educational policies of the British • British looked at modern education as a means to strengthen their political power in India. • English as a medium of education sidelined Muslims and women . • Many elementary schools were not set up. • The government was not willing to spend more money on education. • English education was the only means for promotion. Thus traditional education suffered A British teacher in rural India CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 11 of 18

12. Indian initiatives in the field of education • Only after 1817 were there Indian initiatives in the field of education. • The Calcutta School Book Society was set up in 1817 to make available good text books not only in English but also in Indian languages. • Raja Ram Mohan Roy and other men from Bengal supported Western education along with Oriental education. He founded the Vedanta college to offer courses which would be a blend of Western and Indian learning. • Soon many schools were set up which would be a mix of western and Indian education. Raja Ram Mohan Roy CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 12 of 18

13. Female education • Female education received a great impetus through the various samajas and societies such as the Brahmo Samaj , Arya Samaj and the Servants of Indian Society. • The formation of the Hindu Balika Vidyalaya in Kolkata in 1849 marked the turning point in the history of female education. • Wood’s despatch of 1854 placed the responsibility of the education of women on the government. • The first Indian women’s University was started in 1916 by Maharshi Karve. Maharshi Karve CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 13 of 18

14. Case study Vadodara • In 1926 a commission was set up under Prof. A.G. Widgery for the setting up of the University at Vadodara. • The government of the State of Baroda wanted to set up a university for its people. Thus the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda was set up. • This university had a distinctive type of teaching and was a residential university. It could introduce new branches of studies and had complete freedom in its functioning. Maharaja Sayajirao University of Vadodara (Baroda) CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 14 of 18

15. Case study Aligarh • In 1842 the British decided to replace Persian by English for government employment. • After the uprising of 1857 Sir Syed Ahmad Khan felt it necessary that the Muslims acquire proficiency in English. • Sir Syed Ahmad Khan lay the foundation of various schools and colleges. In 1877 he set up the Muhammadan Anglo Oriental College in Aligarh. His purpose was to build a college in sync with British education system while retaining the Islamic values. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 15 of 18

16. National education in the nineteenth century • In the early nineteenth century many Indian scholars began to think about the wider spread of education • The developments in Europe made the Indians believe that Western education would help modernise India. They urged the British to open more educational institutions. • However two Indians strongly reacted against this who were Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. Rabindranath Tagore CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 16 of 18

17. Rabindranath Tagore and Shantiniketan • Rabindranath Tagore was another notable scholar who promoted national education. • He envisioned a school where a child would be free , happy and creative. He felt that self learning should be promoted from childhood. He also felt that teachers should be innovative. They should understand children and develop their curious minds. • Tagore started a school in Kolkata called Shantiniketan. Rabindranath Tagore Shantiniketan CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 17 of 18

18. Mahatma Gandhi and basic education • Mahatma Gandhi believed that colonial education enslaved Indians . Because of colonial education they admired the west and looked down on their own culture. • Mahatma Gandhi felt that English made Indians strangers in their own lands. Thus he came up with Nai Talim. • Dr Zakir Husain formulated a scheme for basic education based on Mahatma Gandhi's formula . He replaced textbooks with handicrafts as they were an indispensable means of Learning. Mahatma Gandhi CB / VIII /1718 Education and the Colonial Rule Slide 18 of 18