The document discusses the history of education in India, from ancient Vedic traditions through British colonial rule and independence. It notes that ancient India had a widespread system of schools using local languages. Under the British, both traditional and Western-style schools existed, though a 1835 policy promoted English education. Post-independence, India adopted a three-language formula respecting regional, national, and English languages. This environment allowed Tibetan refugees to establish their own schools using Tibetan language and culture, helping sustain their diaspora community in India.

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Homage to India’s Educational Lineages:
Tibetanization of Diaspora Schooling
in India
By
Nawang Phuntsog, Elementary & Bilingual Education
C-REAL, CP 550
March 2, 2016

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Why and How Did I get to this
presentation topic?
 “Separate but Equal” Tibetan schools established and funded in early 1960s and have
continued to this day.
 73 schools, over 24,000 students, and 2,200 teachers and staff.
 Mother-tongue medium, Tibetan history, culture, Buddhism
 A rare educational opportunity for a displaced, dislocated, diaspora community.
 The first I wonder question- how was this opportunity possible? Why it has continued
unhindered the last six decades?
 The second I wonder question- is there an educational historical
context in India that may shed a light on this unique situation?
 The third: How did the British colonial rule treat India’s indigenous languages and
educational system?
 Finally, what can we learn from the Tibetan diaspora context for the schooling of immigrants
in the US?

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Ancient Indian Education Tradition
 Vedic education was the first to evolve in ancient India.
 More than 3 to 4 thousand years old.
 A typical Vedic curriculum included:
 Pronunciation & recitation of the Vedas
 The rules and rituals for different rites (ritualistic knowledge)
 The study of reasoning, metaphysics, medicine, physics, chemistry
etc
 Vocational education for : carpentry, physicians, farmers, poets etc.
 Male and female Equality in education

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Features of Vedic Education
 Early education was personal and religious in nature
 Teacher and the taught lived together (Gurukul)
 Relationship between teacher and the taught specified in the text.
 Teacher student ratio was 1:5 ( Interestingly that of Buddha and his 5
disciples)
 Sutra stipulates the kind and the color of clothes students must wear.
 The precursor to school uniform.
 Oral transmission was the means of instruction
 Written script was discouraged or ignored for the fear of impurity
introduction

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Education Condition -Pre-British Era
 100,000 schools in Bengal & Bihar alone, every village had its own
schools ( Goyal, 2003)
 Weak Muslim power created space for traders, missionaries from
the West to settle – Portuguese, French, and then English
 Portuguese missionaries started schools in Goa, Diu, Damaun,
Cochin, Hooghly etc- Used Portuguese and local languages for
instruction
 French started schools in Pondicherry, Mahe, Yanam etc. Local
children from different religions studied with French East Company
workers and soldiers.
 Schools helped expand the influence of companies as well
Catholicism.

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British Colonial Rule in India
 The British East India Company followed the steps –especially to
propagate Protestant Christianity to counter the rapid rise of Catholicism
in India.
 In 1706 two German missionaries, Ziegenbalg & Plutschau who studied
Portuguese and Tamil and translated New Testament into Tamil - used to
this day.
 They established 17 schools for Hindus and Muslims, 4 for Christians.
 Governor Warren Hasting established a Madrasah in 1780 in Calcutta
from his own pocket. Jonathan Duncan started Benares Sanskrit College
(BSC) in 1791 and sought British govt help under the belief that
patronage of traditional education would win the hearts of masses.

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continued
 British Colonial Rule funded and supported the expansion of Benares
Sanskrit College
 Hindu Priests were paid salary and students were given stipend –first time
in History –
 Thus traditional teacher and student relationship was changed for ever.
 Sanskrit and Vedic education were provided in the modern education
format
 Irony of the hidden curriculum: The new Delivery system led to the
erosion of traditional education, the very one they wanted to preserve.
 BSC became the well-known Benares Hindu University with a Medical
College associated with it.
 Patronage of traditional learning was a vested interest calculation to win
the hearts of natives.

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continued
 Three types of schools: Indigenous /Vernacular, missionary & British govt schools
 Expansion of Company led to the need to pay attention to the education of Indians.
 The Board of Directors in England introduced in its 1793 Charter- the duty of educating
Indian children.
 The Company Directors did not accept the proposal until 1813
 The Charter allotted one lakh rupees (10,000 Pounds) for improving the vernacular
schools, Colleges and publication of books in Indian languages ( the first financial support
for vernacular education).
 In 1833 (after 20 years) the amount was raised to 100,000 Pounds to be used under 10
member Committee of Public Education who were equally divided: vernacular/oriental or
Western education.
 1834 Macaulay came to India and became the Committee President
 Lord William Bentinck issued a proclamation in 1835, which stated “it was not the intention
of His Lordship in Council to abolish any college or school of native learning.”

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continued
 The debate between Orientalists and Anglicists raged for
sometime: whether to build on the traditional education or to
adopt a British system.
 Led my Thomas Babington Macaulay, the Anglicists became
the upper-hand. Macaulay’s arrogance was evident in his
Minutes on Indian Education of Feb 2, 1835 when he noted:
 “A single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole
native literature of India and Arabia.”
 The British believed in the “Infiltration Theory”

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 “side by side with these new schools, government or
missionary, the old pathsalas continued in Hindi, and maktabs
prevailed in Muslim villages” (p. 50) Siqueira (1960)
 Seth (2007) noted that “India’s ancient language and literature
in Sanskrit did not disappear during the colonial period -on the
contrary, it is sometimes said that the researches of European
orientalists are what gave back to India its forgotten past” (p.
173).

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India’s language-in-education Policy
 The need for language policy arose soon after the
independence.
 Three Language Formula (TLF) was introduced in 1957.
 Sridhar (1989), “to accommodate the interests of group identity
(mother tongues and regional languages), national pride and
unity (Hindi), and administrative efficiency and technological
progress (English)” (p.22).
 India thus recognized languages as “resources and rights”.
 The policy required to include “child’s mother tongue language”
as one of the languages.

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continued
 Schedule VIII of Indian Constitution recognizes 22 national languages
 The 2002 survey showed:
 850,421 primary schools, 337,980 upper primary schools, 130,675
secondary schools and 43,869 higher secondary schools offering a vast
array of 320 language choices in the 32 participating States/Union
Territories.
 31 languages used as medium of instruction, out of 320 language choices
 91.34% schools at the upper primary stage taught through mother tongue.
Higher percentage in rural schools than urban schools.
 Hindi was the major medium in 47% of elementary schools, 41% in high
schools.

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Conclusion
 India’s long-standing respect and affirmation of indigenous
education and languages
 India’s continued validation of languages as resources and
rights
 Created a safe space for the Diaspora community to continue
with the Tibetanization of schooling for the children.
 Thus homage to India’s educational lineages.
 Implications for immigrant education in the US.
 Tourist approach – celebrations, holidays, heroes, focus on outer,
external, tangible aspect of culture ( short lived).
 Superficial social activities do not ensure the sustainability of
culture.
 Languages must be viewed as resources and rights