Unit 11: Growth of Modern Educational System

Growth of Modern Educational System Unit 11 UNIT 11: GROWTH OF MODERN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM UNIT STRUCTURE 11.1 Learning Objectives 11.2 Introduction 11.3 Indigenous System of Education 11.4 Educational Policies during Colonial India 11.5 Contribution of the Missionaries 11.6. Contribution of Modern Indian Educationalist 11.7 Let Us Sum Up 11.8 Further Reading 11.9 Answers to Check Your Progress 11.10 Model Questions 11.1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES After going through this Unit, you will be able to- • explain the system of education that prevailed before the advent of the colonial administration • explain the changes brought about by the colonial administration in the education system in India • describe the contribution of the Christian missionaries in spreading education in India and • discuss the contribution of the modern Indian educationalist. 11.2 INTRODUCTION In the previous Unit, we have discussed the currency and banking system of India. In this Unit, we will discuss the modern educational system including the indigenous and colonial education system. Cultural History of Assam 127 Unit 11 Growth of Modern Educational System 11.3INDIGENOUS SYSTEM OF EDUCATION The indigenous system of education consisted of Muslim Maktabs and Madrasas, Hindu Pathsalas, the Tolls of Bengal, Agraharas of southern India. The medium of instruction in these institutions was Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Telugu, Tamil etc. Provision for imparting higher education existed in Madrasahs and other centers of higher learning. The importance of these institutions in fulfilling the educational needs of the Indian masses cannot be underestimated. Due to the unsatisfactory financial condition, these institutions were declining gradually. Most of them were held in temples, private dwellings or sheds or the houses of the teachers themselves. These institutions had hardly any continuity and sprang up or vanished according to local demand or its absence. As a rule, they were not communal in their working and were opened to all who could afford to pay for schooling. Most of the teachers were Brahmins and accepted teaching profession not for the profit in cash or kind but more for the respectability associated with it. The pupils of the indigenous schools came from different communities although the children of the upper classes formed the large majority. These schools taught the rudiments of reading, writing and arithmetic. These institutions were the main agency for the spread of mass education. The size of the school was generally small. At any time during the year the pupil could join the school and followed his own pace of study. The chief merit of the indigenous system of education was its adaptability to local environment and popularity they had earned by its existence under a variety of economic conditions. The lack of training and sound education of teachers in general, the narrow and limited curriculum and the severe forms of punishment adopted, were some of the short comings of the indigenous system of education. The British Government crushed down the indigenous educational system, which had been prevalent in our country from time immemorial. Gradually the network of indigenous schools disappeared and a few new schools cropped up. 128 Cultural History of Assam Growth of Modern Educational System Unit 11 The expansion of education in India can be attributed to the efforts of Christian missionaries. Their earliest activities were confined mainly to elementary education. In different parts of the country elementary schools were established by them. Whatever might have been the nature and character of schools established by them, there is no denying the fact that they introduced a new phase in education of the country, which exercised a vital influence on the existing system of education. 11.4 EDUCATIONAL POLICIES DURING COLONIAL INDIA The modern system of education was introduced in India during the British period at the cost of the traditional indigenous education system. The latter declenid gradually because of political turmoil and lack of a strong centralised political authority and want of patronage. The development of education system during the British period was determined by the needs of the colonial powers. The East India Company became a ruling power in Bengal in 1765. Warren Hastings set up the Calcutta Madrasa in 1781 for the study of Persian and Arabic. In 1791, Jonathan Duncan established a Sanskrit College at Benares for the learning of laws, literature and religion of the Hindus. In the Judicial Department Indians conversant with Sanskrit, Arabic or Persian were required to sit as assessors with English judges. Besides, the knowledge of Persian and vernaculars was valued in the political department for correspondence with rulers of Indian states. The clerical staff in the revenue and commercial departments had contacts with uneducated masses and for them knowledge of vernaculars was a must. The Charter Act of 1813, forms a turning point in the history of Indian education. The Charter Act made it obligatory on the part of the East India Company to spread education in India. For the first time, the Governor General- in -Council was bound to keep aside a sum of not less than 1 lakh rupees for education. This Act produced two major changes: one was the assumption of a new responsibility towards native education, and the other Cultural History of Assam 129 Unit 11 Growth of Modern Educational System was a relaxation of controls over missionary activity in India. Section 43 of the Charter Act 1813 had no directions regarding the methods to be employed to promote learning among the natives. The vagueness of the Charter Act of 1813 intensified the educational controversy in India. One group was of the Orientalists who wanted the promotion of Indian education through the medium of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian whereas the other group was of Anglicists who were in favour of developing western education in India through the medium of English. The fund was kept unspent till 1823 due to the controversy. That’s why the recommendations of the Charter Act of 1813 were delayed until 1823 when the Governor General in Council appointed a General Committee of Public Instruction (G.C.P.I.) for the Bengal Presidency to look after the development of education in India. As a result of the Orientalist-Anglicist controversy, the spread of education in India was halted until 1835, when Macaulay’s Resolution provided a somewhat clear picture of the British education policy. The Charter was eventually renewed for to years in 1833 and it added a Law Member to the Executive Council of the Governor General of Bengal. The first Law Member to be appointed was Macaulay. Macaulay rejected the claims of Arabic and Sanskrit as against English because he considered that English is the key to modern knowledge. In his Minute he stated that British government aim of the to spread European literature and science among Indians and so all the money granted for education should be spent for that purpose through English medium. His Minute ultimately decided the aims, means, medium and policy education in India. Ultimately Macaulay in his Minutes of 1835 instituted an education policy in support of the British Raj which denigrated Indian languages and knowledge and established the hegemonic influence of English as medium of colonial ‘instruction’ (not education). In the beginning of 19th century the British rulers aimed to create a group of loyal Indians in favour of the Government. This they wanted to achieve though educating the higher classes by the Filtration Theory”. According to this famous doctrine, “Education was to permeate the masses 130 Cultural History of Assam Growth of Modern Educational System Unit 11 from above…” After educating the people from the higher class, the responsibility of educating the masses could be left to them. (The British rulers needed educated employees to run the commerce and administration.) The Government did not receive sufficient funds for educating the masses. As a result, the people educated on British lines through English medium would get appointed in Government services and as result the British would exert control over the masses indirectly. In 1854, Wood’s Despatch (Named after Charles Wood) was enacted which decided the educational policy of the Company Government. The function of education was to diffuse European knowledge in arts, philosophy, science and literature. English and vernacular languages of India would be the medium for the diffusion of European knowledge. An immediate outcome of this Despatch was the passing of the three University Acts of 1857 establishing universities at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay and the creation of an Education Department in each province of British India. The Indian Education Commission (1882) recommended the complete withdrawal and the transfer of all primary schools to the control of local self-government bodies such as municipalities and local boards. Thus it made the Government free from responsibility. The major recommendations of the Commission included: • Encouragement and support to indigenous schools for extending elementary education by declaring elementary education of the masses as the most important priority • Freedom to the management committees for choosing vernacular language as a medium of instruction depending on the local needs; • Establishment of secondary schools by the state, and setting up of primary schools with the support of local people; • Gradual transfer of all government secondary schools to local native management committees with due consideration of maintenance of standards and quality of education; Cultural History of Assam 131 Unit 11 Growth of Modern Educational System • Bifurcation of secondary education into two streams—one leading to the entrance examination of the universities and the other of a more practical character preparing the students for commercial jobs. The Calcutta University Commission was appointed by the Government of India in 1917 to inquire into the condition and prospects of Calcutta University under the chairmanship of Dr.

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