Early History of Education

• The English East India Company initially respected the Indian educational system, with Hindus taught Sanskrit in Pathshalas and Muslims taught by Maulvis in mosques.

• The Company established the Calcutta Madrassah under Warren Hastings to train Muslim sons for high government positions.

• The Madrassah taught theology, logic, rhetoric, grammar, law, natural philosophy, astronomy, geometry, and arithmetic.

• John Owen, Chaplain to the Bengal Presidency, suggested establishing schools to teach English to natives, but his request was ignored.

• Another institution was set up at Banaras to promote Hindu learning, similar to the Madrassah, aiming to provide qualified Hindu Assistants to European Judges.

• In 1792-93, William Wilberforce suggested sending school masters and missionaries to India to improve knowledge, but faced opposition claiming Hindus already had a good system of faith and morals.

• Charles Grant, a director of the Company, proposed teaching English to Indians as a means to improve their moral condition and open new avenues of knowledge.

• Grant likened the introduction of English to the earlier teaching of Persian under Muslim rulers.

• Lord Minto in 1811 called for the revival of literature and science in India, suggesting improvements in existing colleges and new institutions.

• The Charter Act of 1818 allocated a minimum of one lakh rupees annually for the promotion of literature and science in India.

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy established the Hindu College in 1817 to teach European languages and sciences.

• In 1818, the Bishop of Calcutta founded an institution for training Christian preachers and teaching English to Hindus and Muslims.

• Raja Ram Mohan Roy opposed the establishment of a Sanskrit College in Calcutta, but his protest was ignored.

• The Court of Directors of the Company supported the idea of using European literature and science to train Indians for administrative roles.

• Elphinstone‘s Minute of 1823 advocated teaching English and European sciences to the upper classes, especially for preparing them for public employment.

• Elphinstone suggested that learning English would accelerate the progress of knowledge and allow the spread of sciences in Indian languages.

• He proposed schools in Bombay and Poona for teaching English and other subjects like history, geography, and science.

• In 1834, the Elphinstone College was established in Bombay to train individuals for high civil administration roles.

• By this time, the demand for English had increased dramatically, with English books being sold by the thousands, while there was little demand for Sanskrit and Arabic books.

• English classes were attached to the Calcutta Madrassah, Sanskrit College at Calcutta, and the Agra College (established in 1811) to meet the rising demand for English education.

• Despite this, the Oriental Colleges remained unpopular, and a controversy arose over whether education should be given in English or through Arabic or Persian.

• The Anglicists argued that all instruction should be in English, while the Orientalists insisted on teaching through oriental languages.

• To settle the dispute, the Government appointed a Committee, with many distinguished Orientalists among its members. Their view prevailed initially.

• When Lord Macaulay became Chairman of the Committee in 1835, a deadlock occurred between the two sides.

• Lord Macaulay wrote a Minute in which he argued that the money allocated by the Charter Act of 1813 for the promotion of literature and sciences should not be spent on Arabic or Sanskrit literature.

• Macaulay contended that European literature and a single shelf of a good European library were more valuable than the entire native literature of India and Arabia.

• He argued that English was the language of the ruling class and would likely become the language of commerce in the East.

• He concluded that the Government was free to employ funds in teaching English, as it was better worth knowing than Sanskrit or Arabic.

• Lord Macaulay also expressed concerns about keeping the people of India ignorant to maintain control and suggested that European knowledge could eventually lead to a demand for European institutions.

• Macaulay believed that the empire of arts, morals, literature, and laws would be the true, lasting triumph, even if political power eventually faded.

• He criticized Oriental learning, stating that medical doctrines in India were inferior, astronomy was laughable, and history was filled with absurdities like kings thirty feet tall.

• Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General, approved Macaulay’s Minute and passed a resolution on 7th March 1835, which emphasized:

  1. The promotion of European literature and science should be the goal of the British Government, and funds for education should be used for English education alone.

  2. Oriental colleges should not be abolished, but government support for students during their education should be discontinued.

  3. Government funds should no longer be used for the printing of oriental works.

  4. All available government funds should be spent on teaching English literature and science to Indians.

• Petition from Mohammedans of Calcutta signed by about 8,000 people, including Maulvis and native gentlemen, expressing concerns about the promotion of English education.

• The petition argued that the British Government’s objective was to convert the natives to Christianity, claiming the promotion of English was part of this effort, while discouraging Mohammedan and Hindu studies.

• Lord William Bentinck responded to the petition by declaring a policy of strict neutrality, assuring that in schools and colleges, there would be no interference with religious beliefs, and Christianity would not be mixed with the education system.

• In 1716, Danish missionaries opened an institution for teacher training and two charity schools in Madras in 1717. They also helped establish English schools in various regions.

• Missionaries like Carey, Marshman, and Ward began their work in Serampore in 1793. By 1820, Missionary societies were heavily involved in education, though their primary objective was the spread of Christianity rather than education.

• The missionaries recognized that promoting English would assist in spreading Christianity.

• In Bombay, the Wilson College and in Madras, the Christian College were founded. In 1855, Saint John’s College was established at Agra, and other missionary colleges were founded in Masaulipatam and Nagpur.

• Bible classes were made compulsory in these missionary institutions.

• According to Dr. Duff, the goal of missionary education was to combine secular education with Christian teachings, aiming to provide knowledge in literature, science, and Christianity.

• The Government Resolution of 1844 stated that for public employment, preference would be given to those educated in Western science and English language.

• Lord Auckland emphasized that his main goal was to use the English language to impart a complete education in European literature, philosophy, and science to as many students as possible.