A brief history of English education that progressed in different phases in India.

1. History of English
Education in India
Dr. Nevil Stephen S.

2. Introduction
 The seeds of English education were sown in India as
early as the dawn of seventeenth century when the
East India Company began their business in India.
 But this seed did not grow well in the beginning – it
faced obstructions and controversies.
 These obstructions and controversies were officially
removed by Macaulay's Minutes of 1835.

3. Three Phases in the History of
English Education in India
• Period from the dawn of seventeenth
century to the period of Macaulay's
Minutes
Phase 1
• Period between Macaulay's minutes to
India's independence
Phase 2
• Period after India's independence
Phase 3

4. Phase 1
 India began to feel the influence of Western Culture with
the arrival of Vasco-de-Gama at Calicut in 1498.
 Thereafter, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the
Danes and the English reached India in search of spices
and Christians.
 Even though their main concern was to trade with India,
they slowly entered other fields of life including education
– as it was the easiest and sure road to their heart.
 The work of the missionaries in the history of Indian
education is of no mean order.

5. The East India Company
 The East India Company - established on 31st December
1600, started a factory at Surat (1662) - began to
propagate Christianity after a decision from its Court of
Directors (1659).
 The Court of Directors of the Company explicitly stated -
their earnest desire was to spread Christianity and allowed
missionaries to embark upon their ships.
 The company undertook no educational activities for nearly
one hundred years of its existence.

6.  The English found other foreigners in India and they wanted to
compete with them. For example, the Portuguese were involved in
religious activities.
 So they also took part in mission work.
 But soon the company understood that this religious policy would
be harmful to its business. So it adopted a policy of religious
neutrality.
 But the priests started schools in Madras, Bombay, Calcutta and
other important places for the education of the employees of the
company and the poor children of the natives.
 Thus. English education became very common in cities like
Madras, Bombay and Calcutta by the beginning of 18th century.

7. Middle of the Eighteenth Century
 By the middle of 18th century, the situation changed considerably.
 After the battle of Plassey (1757) when the British took over the
administration of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa from Emperor Shah
Alam - Company became a ruling power.
 Thereafter, Company began to encourage education among the
Indian natives.
 In 1781, Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of India,
founded Calcutta Madarsah aimed at cultivating the Arabic and
Persian studies - to conciliate the Muslims of Calcutta.
 in 1791, by Jonathan Duncan, the Resident at Benaras established
the Banaras Sanskrit College - to conciliate Hindus and to
cultivate the Sanskrit learning.

8.  The death of Aurangzeb in 1707 marked the collapse of the
Muslim Empire. There was no firm government in Delhi and
the native rulers had no unity among them.
 While the company practiced a policy of religious neutrality
and indifference in the field of education, there was a strong
current of thought in England in favour of English education
for Indians.
 The industrial revolution and its consequences made the
people in England demand for the rights of the labourers and
the poor.
 Thus in the beginning of 19th century, we come across two
views on Indian Education.

9. Beginning of 19th century
Two views on Indian Education in Britain
The company should
keep away from the
field. They wanted to
have political power
and stability
Edmund Burke, Charles
Grant and others
advocated the
company's involvement
in educating the Indians.

10. Charter Act of 1813
 As a result of their work, the English parliament passed the
Charter Act of 1813 incorporating a new clause.
 According to the clause 43 of the Charter Act of 1813 the
Company had partly undertaken the responsibility of education in
India and a sum of one lakh rupees had been earmarked for the
purpose.
 The missionaries and other private agencies came forward to carry
on the process of education.
 But no concrete steps were taken in this regard before 1823
because the Charter Act of 1813 gave rise to controversies which
took about 20 years to settle.

11. The Controversy
 The first controversy was over the aims of education. Should
education be for a class or for the mass? Should the money
be spent on primary education or on higher education.
 The Second controversy was with regard to the content of
education. Should the literature and the sciences be oriental
or occidental?
 The third controversy was over the medium of instruction.
 The fourth controversy was relating to the agency of education.
Should education be the responsibility of the Government or
should it be left to individuals of non-official agencies like the
Church or other religious or social organisations?

12. The medium of Instruction - Three schools
of thought
One school maintained - Sanskrit, Arabic or
Persian should be the medium of instruction
The second school - oriental language like
Hindi should be the medium of instruction
The third school - English should be the medium
of instruction

13.  At last, in 1823 an official agency, the General
Committee of Public Instruction (G.C.P.I.) was
created to deal with educational matters, particularly
the expenditure of the sum of one lakh of rupees.
 The activities of the G.C.P.I. for the decade from 1823
clearly indicate its inclination towards Orientalism.
 This policy of Orientalism was severely attacked by the
enlightened Indians under the leadership of Raja
Rammohan Roy.
 Also, the public opinion was rapidly growing in favour of
English education

14. Public Opinion in favour of English
Education
 a) The missionaries had greatly popularised English
education;
 b) Indian leader like Raja Rammohan Roy were urging
their countrymen to study the English language and to
acquire a knowledge of the Western sciences;
 c) The study of English was essential for obtaining
lucrative posts under Govt, as it was the language of the
rulers;
 d) English education was regarded as a panacea for all
social ills.

15. Orientalists (classicists)
Vs
Occidentalists (Anglicists)
 The Oriental Party of five supported the policy
of encouragement to Oriental learning.
 The Occidental party advocated western
learning through the medium of English.

16. The Orientalist View
(Warren Hastings, Lord Minto, Charles Metcalfe, William
Jones & H.H. Wilson)
 (1) The Orientalist argued that the word “Literature” stood for only
literature of the two great sections of population – the Hindus and the
Muslims, i.e., the “Sanskrit and Arabic literature”.
 (2) By a “learned native”, the Orientalists further argued, meant an
Indian having high proficiency in either of the two languages.
 (3) “The revival and improvement of literature”, therefore, meant
printing and publication of classical works.
 (4) “The encouragement of the learned natives of India” obviously
meant men of scholarship in classical learning.

17.  (5) As regards “the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of
the sciences”, the Orientalists argued that “Indians had prejudice
against European knowledge and science and that they would not
accept it at all unless it was presented to them through a classical
language”. So, they pleaded for a classical language as the medium of
instruction.
 The Oriental Party further argued that “Indians could never master
the English language, that an imposition of English language upon
the people would provoke their resentment”. But the actual situation
was just the reverse. Indians themselves keenly wanted to learn
English particularly after the acceptance of English as the official
language in 1830 by the Court of Directors.

18.  The urge of learning English among Indians was also reflected in the
huge sale of English books published by the Calcutta School Book
Society and the increasing enrolment in the Hindu College. The fear
of public resentment was, therefore, baseless and not tenable.
 The Orientalists argued that Western culture was a foreign culture
and this was not healthy and palatable for the Indians and a foreign
culture should not be transplanted in Indian soil. Moreover, Oriental
culture was no inferior to Western culture. The Orientalists had a
genuine love for Oriental culture.
 The Classicists laid stress on imparting education to the traditional
upper castes while the Anglicists emphasised on educating the upper
and middle strata of the society.

19. The Occidentalist View:
(Mr. Sullivan, Charles Metcalfe, Wilberforce, A. Duff, Rammohan Roy,
Macaulay, Philip Francis and C. E. Trevelyan)
 The Occidentalist views were primarily based on the
Macaulay’s Minutes.
 Macaulay submitted his famous Minute dated 2nd Feb.
1835.
 It is a document of great historical and educational
significance. It opened a new chapter in the history of
modern Indian education with far-reaching
consequences.

20.  They wanted to create “a class of persons Indian
in blood and colour but English in tastes, in
opinions, in morals, and in intellect”. The
classicists, on the other hand, intended to create a
traditional aristocracy educated in classical
learning through the medium of a classical
language.

21. Macaulay’s Arguments
 (a) His first argument centred round the interpretation of
certain words and clauses of the clause 43 of the Charter Act
of 1813.
 (1) By “literature”, Macaulay argued, meant the English
literature and not literature of the Hindus or the Muslims.
 (2) By “a learned native”, the Occidentalists further argued,
meant a native well versed in Western or English
learning. “The revival and improvement of
literature” therefore, meant printing and publication of
books on western learning.

22.  (3) As regards the object of promoting “a knowledge of the
sciences” the great Anglicist argued that the Indians had
already exhibited a genuine urge for learning Western
knowledge and sciences and this could only be accomplished
by the adoption of English as the medium of instruction.
 (4) As regards the content of education, Macaulay pleaded
strongly in favour of diffusing Western sciences and literature
through the medium of English. He argued that the Indians
really wanted European learning and were necessary for
them.

23.  He claimed that classical learning of the East is full of errors
and mysticism and detrimental to the interests of the Indians.
He further argued that the books of the Calcutta School Book
Society were sold in thousands with profits whereas the
Government was spending a huge amount for the production of
classical literature without any return.
 He further observed that students receiving education in
Oriental institutions have to be given financial assistance by the
Government but the students of English schools, on the
contrary, are willing to pay fees. Under the circumstances he
pleaded that the Oriental institutions should be abolished or
closed down as they did not serve any useful purpose.

24.  Moreover, Macaulay believed that western learning
would bring about renaissance in India. He argued
that English was the key to modern western
knowledge.
 It was the language of commerce not only in the East
but also throughout the globe. Hence Macaulay
pleaded strongly in favour of English as the medium
of instruction.
 Macaulay further pointed out that the Hindu and
Muslim laws should be codified in English by the
Government.