UNIT 7: THE SPREAD OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

Structure
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Colonial Education
7.3 Indigenous Education
7.4 Debate Over Education Policy
7.5 Development of English Education
7.6 An Appraisal
7.7 Let Us Sum up
7.8 Key Words
7.9 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

7.0 OBJECTIVES
This Unit attempts to introduce you to experiments that the British government
made in the field of education in India during 1757-1857. In this Unit you will
learn about:
 the changing relationship between colonialism and education,
 the characteristics of the indigenous system of education,
 the debate over the education policy,
 the spread of Western education, and
 the significance of the new education system in modern India.

7.1 INTRODUCTION
The establishment of British territorial control over India brought changes in
different spheres of life. Education was one of such areas where lot of changes
came with the transfer of power to the British. Why and how did the change
come? What was the impact of this change? These are some of the major
questions that have been discussed in this Unit.

7.2 COLONIAL EDUCATION

It is essential to understand the dynamics of relationship between education and
colonialism in order to understand the development of education under colonial
rule. Authors like Martin Carnoy and others have argued that education in a
colonial country is designed by the colonial rulers to legitimise their domination
and to serve their own economic needs.
 Economic and political control over the colonial country is essential for the
survival of colonial rule and education a new se of values and justification of the
colonial rule. Thus education loses its independent identity and becomes
subordinate to political power. Colonial education no doubt brings changes and
cultural transformation in a colonial country. New idea and experiments
undoubtedly enrich the existing knowledge. But the colonial country has to pay a
heavy price for it. The real beneficiaries of colonial education are a selected few
who had a specific role assigned by the colonial rulers in the continuation of the
colonial rule. Colonial education is meant for better control of the colonial
country rather than its development. The ultimate outcome of this policy might
be different but the desired objective is to ‘control’ not to ‘change’ the colonial
country.
In the background of this view of many social historians regarding the dynamics
of relationship between colonial rule and education we shall look at the
development of English education in India. However, before we come to the
beginnings of English education, let us take a look at the indigenous system of
education in the early 19th century.

7.3 INDIGENOUS EDUCATION

The information that we gather from early British records gives us a very rough
idea about indigenous system of education in late 18th and early 19th century
India. There were ‘Madrasas’ and ‘Maktabs’ for the Muslims and ‘Tols’ and
‘Patshalas’ for the Hindus. These ranged from the centres for higher learning in
Arabic and Sanskrit to lower levels of institution for schooling people in Persian
and Vernacular languages. Lack of scientific and secular learning was one of the
major limitations of the centres for higher learning in those days. However, many
Hindus attended Persian schools because Persian schools. Whether it was a ‘Tol’
or a ‘Madrasa’ there were certain common features in the indigenous system of
education.
 Schools were generally run with the help of contribution from Zamindars
or from local rich men.
 In the curriculum the main emphasis was on classical language like
Sanskrit, Arabic or Persian and subjects of classical Hindu or Islamic
tradition like Grammar, Logic, Law, Metaphysics, Medicines, etc.
 Though Sanskrit learning was the exclusive domain of the Brahmans,
from the reports available of the early 19th century we find that the non-
upper castes and the scheduled castes had also representation in the lower
level schools.
 Women were generally debarred from the formal education system.
 In the absence of printing press till 19th century oral tradition and memory
of the teachers formed the basis of knowledge and information,
supplemented with handwritten manuscripts.
 The state had little or not role in school education though kings would
patronize people famous for their learning.
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Besides the centres for higher learning which were basically the domain of upper s
castes there was a large number of elementary schools. Most of the villages in
India had this kind of elementary schools. These were each run by an individual
teacher with the monetary help of the village Zamindars of local elite. These
schools used to teach the students elementary arithmetic and basic literacy to
meet the needs of day-to-day life. Students from different sections of society,
except the very backward disprivileged castes, attended these schools.
Thus, the education system that existed in India in the early 19th century had its
own merits and demerits. The elementary schools provided the opportunity for
basic education to rural people and its curriculum was secular in approach and
responsive to practical needs. Probably in the higher centres of learning (Tols and
Madrasas) too much emphasis on niceties of grammar, philosophy and religion
narrowed down the scope of expansion of secular and scientific knowledge. The
colonial rulers discarded the indigenous system and replaced it by a system of
education of their own. The potentiality that the indigenous system had as a
means of mass education was destroyed. In the following section new would see
how controversies started among different group about what should be the role of
the East India Company in the development of education in India.

7.4 DEBATE OVER EDUCATION POLICY

Till the second half on 18th century the English East India Company did not face
any dilemma about its role in the promotion of education in India. It was
basically a commercial corporation, so its basic objective was trade and profit.
Before 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. But things began to change with the British occupation of
Eastern India in the second-half of 18th century about what should be the role of
the company in the promotion of learning in India.
Immediately after the acquisition of political power in India the company
officials wanted to maintain neutrality or non-intervention in the sphere of
religion and culture of the indigenous society. The reason behind it was partly it
was partly the fear of adverse reaction and opposition to their role by the local
people. However, constant pressure from different quarters, the Missionaries, the
Liberals, the Orientalists, the Utilitarians compelled the company to give up its
policy of neutrality and to take the responsibility of promotion of learning.
The second important point around which the opinions were sharply divided was
whether the company should promote western or oriental learning. In the Initial
stage the company officials patronised oriental learning. It cannot be denied that
some of the Englishmen had the genuine desire to acquire and promote oriental
learning.
In this context we may mention the establishment of the ‘Calcutta Madrasa’ by
Warren Hastings (1781), the ‘Benares Sanskrit College’ by Jonathan Duncan
(1791) and the “Asiatic Society of Bengal’ by William Jones (1784). Those who
were in of Indian classical tradition were called “Orientalists”. The argument put 95
 forward by the Orientalists was the generally there was a prejudice among
Indians against European Knowledge and science, so there might to complete
rejection of western knowledge. Some of them were also interested to explore the
classical tradition and culture of this ancient civilization. But even if we
acknowledge the genuine desire of some of the Englishmen for the promotion of
oriental culture, there is no doubt that the Orientalists were guided by some
practical considerations. They wanted to teach the British officials the local
language and culture so that they would be better at their job. This was the prime
objective behind the foundation of the Port William College at Calcutta in 1800.
The other motive was to develop friendly relations with the elites of the
indigenous society and to understand their culture. This was the main reason
behind the establishment of the ‘Calcutta Madras and the ‘Benares Sanskrit
College’.

Extracts from the Diary of H.T. Prinsep Concerning the Dispute between

Orientalists and Anglicists

When the subject came under consideration in Council, there was a very hot argument

between myself and Mr. Macaulay. The issue was the resolution that was published

not abolishing existing colleges, but requiring them to teach English as well as native

literature and making the farmer obligatory, also giving some encouragement to

vernacular studies, but declaring that all Government pecuniary aid in future should

be given exclusively to promote the study of European science through the medium of

English Language. Lord W Bentick would not even allow my memorandum to be

placed on record. He said it was quite an abuse that Secretaries should take upon

themselves to write memorandums: that it was enough for the Court of Directors to

see what the Members of Council chose to place on record… Thus ended this matter

for the time. The Resolution passed on this occasion was modified afterwards and

made a little more favourable for the old native institutions by Lord Auckland, but

English has ever since been the study preferentially encouraged by Government in

connection with vernacular literature. The study of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian is, in

consequence, less cultivated than heretofore, but none of the old institutions have been

altogether abolished” (emphasis added).

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Extracts from the Minute of the Hon’ble T.B. Macaulay, dated the 2nd February 1835
s
We now come to the gist of the matter. We have a fund to be employed as Government shall

direct for the intellectual improvement of the people of this country. The simple question is,

what is the most useful way of employing it?

All parties seem to be agreed on one point, that the dialects commonly spoken among the

natives of this part of India contain neither literary nor scientific information, and are

moreover so poor and rude that, until they are enriched from some other quarter, it will not

be easy to translate any valuable work into them. It seems to be admitted on all sides, that the

intellectual improvement of those classes of the people who have the means of some language

not vernacular amongst them.

What then shall that language be? One half of the committee maintains that it should be the

English. The other half strongly recommends the Arabic and Sanscrit. The whole question

seems to me to be-which language is the best worth knowing?

I have no knowledge of either Sanscrit orArabic. But I have done what I could to form a

correct estimate of their value. I have read translations of the most celebrated Arabic and

Sanscrit works. I have conversed, both here and at home, with men distinguished by their

proficiency in the Eastern tongues. I am quite ready to take the oriental learning at the

valuation of the orientalists themselves. I have never found one among them who could deny

that a single shelf of a good and Arabia. The intrinsic superiority of the Western literature is

indeed fully admitted by those members of the committee who support the oriental plan of

education.

There was a strong opposition to this Orientalist approach by different groups in

England- the Evangelicals, the Liberals and the Utilitarians. The new cultural
ethos that developed in England with the Industrial Revolution was highly critical
of the company’s monopoly trade. Post-industrial Revolution saw little of value
beyond modern western culture. The Evangelicals had a firm conviction in the
superiority of Christian idea and western institutions. Two great exponents of the
Evangelical view were Charles Grant and William Wilberforce.
Other who did not share Evangelical faith also were convinced of the superiority
of western knowledge and one of the chief promoters of this idea was Thomas
Babington Macaulay. He recommended that western learning should be
promoted in India through English language and this should be the objective of 97
 education policy in India. James Mill, the chief advocate of Utilitarianism in
India, was highly critical of India religion and culture. Instead of support to
oriental institutions, he had emphasised Western education. But he believed that
education alone was not sufficient to bring desired transformation in India;
legislative and administrative reforms were also essential for this purpose.
In brief, all off these groups who may be called ‘Anglicists’, in general believed
that Indians were in a backward stage and Western education given through
English language alone was the remedy. But education was expensive. Therefore
it was better to educate a group of people who would gradually educate the rest
of the society. Education would filter down from the elites to the messes. In this
way it would help to develop new cultural values and knowledge in India. This
was after called the ‘filtration’ theory.
The missionaries had a completely different logic for supporting the introduction
of English education in India. The motive of the missionaries was to get access to
the indigenous society through education and to propagate new cultural values
which would help them in conversion of people to Christianity.
The response of Indians to this debate over education policy was a mixed one.
Ram Mohan Roy and other favoured introduction of Western education with the
belief that it would help Indians to assimilate the knowledge of western science,
rationalism, new ideas and literature. This would help in the regeneration of the
country. Some other people believed that knowledge of Western education,
specially the knowledge of English, would help them in getting jobs and coming
close to the ruling elite. So they were in support of Western education. In
opposition to this there were many conservatives who were staunch supporters of
Indian classical language and culture. They had the apprehension that
introduction of Western education would lead to the collapse of indigenous
society and culture.
Thus, there were different shades of opinion among the Europeans as well as
Indians about the role of the company in the development of education in India.
Let us see in the next section what major developments took place in the Indian
education during 1757-1857.
Check Your Progress 1
1) Make an assessment of the indigenous system of education in 100 words.
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2) Write in 50 words about the attitude of Indians to the promotion of
western learning.
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 3) Read the following sentences and mark right (√) or wrong(×): s

i) In the indigenous system of education mass education was

neglected.
ii) Women in general were deprived of education in the indigenous
system.
iii) In the beginning the company officials avoided any intervention in
indigenous education.
iv) The Anglicists wanted to promote western education because they
wanted to modernise India.

7.5 DEVELOPMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

As we have seen in the earlier section, the beginning of English education can be
traced only to the early 19th century. Before that the efforts made by the
missionaries or by individuals were very limited in nature. We may mention in
this connection Schwartzs schools in Tanjore, Rammad and Shivganga, the
Baptist Missionaries in Serampore, the London Mission Society, the American
Methodists in Bombay, etc. they had pioneering contribution in modern
education. These missionary activities and the mounting pressure by some
Englishmen like Charles Grant and William Wilberforce compelled the Company
to give up its policy of nonintervention in education. For the fist time the British
Parliament included in the Company’s charter a clause that the Governor-General
in Council is bound to keep a sum of not less than one lakh of rupees per year for
education. But the Company used this fund mainly to promote and encourage
Indian language and literature. The importance of the Charter Act of 1813 was
that the Company for the first time acknowledged state responsibility for the
promotion of education in India.
In 1823, a General Committee of Public Institution was set up to took after the
development of education in India. Most of the members of this committee
belonged to the Orientalist group and they strongly advocated the promotion of
oriental learning rather than the promotion of Western education. However, as we
have discussed in the earlier section, different sections both in England and in
India created Mounting pressure on the Company to encourage Western
education. Macaulay, the President of the General Committee of Public
Instruction and Lord Bentinck, the Governor General, took the side of the
Anglicists and Bentinck gave be the promotion of European literature and science
among the natives of India; and that all funds appropriated for the purpose of
education would be best employed on English education alone.”
Some of the important points of the resolution that Bentinck announced in 1835
were as follows:
 Persian was abolished as the court language and was substituted by
English.
 Printing and publication of English books were made free and available at
a comparatively low price. 99
  More funds were provided to support the English education, while there
was curtailment in the fund for the promotion of oriental learning.
Auckland who came after Bentinck as the Governor-General also believed in the
need for the promotion of English education in India. He recommended the
opening of more English colleges in Dacca, Patna, Benares, Allahabad, Agra,
Delhi and Barreilly. The General Committee of Public Instruction was abolished
in 1841 and its place was taken by a Council of Education. The next major
landmark in the development of English education in this period was the Wood’s
Despatch of 1854. Sir Charles Wood, the president of the Board of Control, in
1854 laid down the policy which became the guiding principle of the education
programme of the government of India. The Despatch categorically declared:
“The education that we desire to see extended in India is that which has
for its object the diffusion of the improved arts, science, philosophy and
literature of Europe, in short of European knowledge.”
The major recommendations of the Despatch were as follow:
 the creation of a department of public instruction in each of the five
provinces of the company’s territory,
 the establishment of university at Calcutta, Bombay and Madras,
 the establishment of a network of graded schools-high schools, middle
schools and the elementary schools,
 the establishment of teachers training institutions,
 the promotion of vernacular schools,
 the introduction of a system of grants-in-aid for financial help to the
schools, etc.
In 1857 three universities were established in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The
establishment of universities and the opening of education departments in the
provinces provided a basic structure to modern education in India, in fact Wood’s
Despatch provided the model for the further development in education in India.
Along with this official initiative to promote western learning in India, there was
initiative by the missionaries and some individuals to promote Western
education. In these missionary institutions did play a role in spreading western
knowledge, though their basic object was to attract people to Christianity.
Besides the missionaries some individuals played a significant role to promote
English education in Calcutta. The Native School and Book Society of Calcutta
was established to open schools in Calcutta and to train up the teachers for the
indigenous schools. The establishment of Hindu College (later Presidency
College) in Calcutta by David Hare and a group of local Hindu notables
facilitated the promoted of secular education among Indians. David Hare was
against the teaching of religious ideas and Sanskrit and Arabic languages. J.E.D.
Bethune who was as ardent advocate of women’s education founded a girls’
school in Calcutta. Among the Bengalis, Vidyasagar supported the promotion of
women’s education. All these institutions obtained a positive response from the

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local people who strongly pleaded to the British for further expansion of s
educational opportunities.
Similarly in Bombay and Madras also missionary schools were established. In
Bombay notable developments were the Native Education Society and the
Elphinstone Institution which played a role similar to the Hindu College of
Calcutta. In Madras the Christian College was founded in 1837 and the
Presidency College in 853. In Uttar Pradesh the first English-medium College
was founded at Agra in 1823. Thus by 1850s we find that in most of the
provinces in India the basis of modern education was laid down by the British.

7.6 AN APPRAISAL
The above discussion shows how gradually the English education developed. The
government promoted this system while neglecting the indigenous system of
education in the 19th century. The spread of English education in India was a long
process and before 1857 its spread and depth were limited. Nonetheless the
changes that came in education up to 1857 deserve a close scrutiny. There was no
doubt that the new education broadened the horizon of knowledge. Specially the
establishment of printing press and easy availability of books removed the
traditional barriers and made education accessible to more people. The ideas of
the western thinkers influenced the younger generation of the indigenous society
and they began to question the existing traditional values. A new spirit of
rationalism development.
However, these positive contributions have to be balanced against the grave
limitations of the education system that developed under colonial sponsorship.
The English education system totally ignored the importance of mass education.
In the indigenous system the elementary schools provided basic education to a
wide section of society. But in the new education the emphasis was to educate a
selected few. The Anglicists idea of filtering down education from elites to
masses did not work in practice. This system did not provide equal access to
education to all and this led to the perpetuation of the backwardness of socially
backward castes and communities. The existing divisions in the society widened.
Secondly, in spite of advocacy of western science and technology, in the
curriculum of schools and colleges the emphasis was on western literature,
philosophy and humanities. Technology and natural science were neglected and
without such knowledge the intellectual advancement as well as economic
development of a country was hampered.
Another aspect of this new education was the subordination of education of
political power. Whether it was Orientalist or Anglicist the basic object of their
education policy was to strengthen colonial rule. The Orientalists wanted to do it
through indigenisation and the Anglicists wanted to do it through westernization.
The basic purpose of the education policy was inseparable from the political
interests of the colonial government.

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 Thus we have seen that education became an issue of debate among various
schools of thought. Thus education policy in the first of 19th century was a
product of this clash of opinions. On the whole, the colonial administration was
keen to promote an education policy which served its own interests.
Check Your Progress 2
1) Discuss the official policy of education between 1835 and 1857. Answer
in 100 words.
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2) Write a critical note on the effect of English education in India. Answer in
100 words.
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7.7 LET US SUM UP

In this Unit we have seen how gradually the indigenous system of education was
replaced by the British with a new system of education. 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 education policy ignored scientific and technical
education. Moreover, the beneficiary this education was mainly the upper crust of
society. So the transformation that came with the English education was very
limited in nature.

7.8 KEY WORDS

Anglicists: The Company officials who were in favour of promotion of western
education in India were called Anglicists.
Evangelicals: There was a group of Protestants in English who believed in the
supremacy of the Christ and individual initiative. They visualised the progress of
human being only through faith in Christ and the Christian culture.
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Liberals: In 19th century England a new political party emerged called Liberal s
party. Members of this party who were called liberals believed in toleration and
advocated freedom of though and expression.
Orientalists: The company officials who advocated for the promotion of Indian
culture, tradition and languages were called Orientalists.
Utilitarians: A school of thought in Britain that believed in the moral and
material improvement of people through legislation.

7.9 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

EXERCISES
Check Your Progress 1
1) Your answer should focus on the major features of the indigenous system
of education, its merits and demerits, see Sec. 7.3
2) There was a mixed reaction, some favoured western education, some
were very critical of it. See Sec. 7.4
3) i)× ii)√ iii)√ iv)×
Check Your Progress 2
1) Your answer should include Bentinck’s resolution policy of Auckland,
Wood’s Despatch, etc. See Sec. 7.5.
2) Here you have to make assessment of the positive contribution of English
education and the limitation s of the English education, See. Sec. 7.6.

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