8th Part
Q Trace the emergence and growth of English education in India. What were its advantages and disadvantages? 20
A By the Charter Act of 1813, the Company for the first time acknowledged state responsibility for the promotion of education in India. 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.
# More fund was 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 Bareilly. 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 program of the government of India. The major recommendations of the Despatch were as follows-
# the creation of a department of public instruction in each of the five provinces of the company's territory,
# the establishment of a university at Calcutta, Bombay a& 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 providing financial aids to the schools, etc.
In 1847 three universities were established in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. The establishment of universities & the opening of education departments in the provinces provided a basic structure to modern education in India. The Wood's Despatch provided the model for the further development of education in India.
Advantages -
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 it is spread and depth were limited. The new education broadened the horizon of knowledge. The establishment of the 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 developed.
There were many Englishmen who tried to promote oriental learning but the Anglicists prevailed over such Orientalists. As a result of it, new schools and colleges were established to promote learning. New social, political and economic ideas emerged as a result of western education. But the education policy ignored scientific and technical education. Moreover, the beneficiary of this education was mainly the upper crust of society.
Disadvantages -
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 an increase of the backwardness of socially backward castes and communities. The existing divisions in society widened.
Secondly, in spite of the 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, intellectual advancement, as well as economic development of a country, was hampered. So the transformation that came with English education was very limited in nature.
Q What were the British ideas an Indian education? 12
A The Orientalist argument was that there was generally a prejudice among Indians against European knowledge and science, so there might be a complete rejection of western knowledge. Some of them were also interested in exploring the classical tradition and
culture of this ancient civilization. They helped in the establishment of Educational institutions like the 'Calcutta Madrasa' by Warren Hastings (1 78 I), the Benares Sanskrit College' by Jonathan Duncan (1 7911 and the 'Asiatic Society of Bengal' by William Jones (1784). They were in favor of the continuation of the existing institutions of oriental learning and promotion of Indian classical tradition.
The Evangelicals, however, had no regard for Indian traditions, culture, etc. They had firm conviction in the superiority of Christian ideas and western institutions. They were highly critical of Indian religion and culture. In the end, all of these groups who were called 'Anglicists', believed that Indians were in a backward stage and Western education given through the English language alone was the remedy.
There were many Englishmen who tried to promote oriental learning but the Anglicists prevailed over such Orientalists. As a result of it, new schools and colleges were established to promote learning. New social, political and economic ideas emerged as a result of western education. In spite of the 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, intellectual advancement, as well as economic development of a country, was hampered. Moreover, the beneficiary of this education was the selected few belonging to the upper crust of society. So the transformation that came with English education was very limited in nature.
Q What were the different trends of education policy in the 18th and 19th centuries? Did the Indians respond uniformly to this debate? 20
A Firstly Indian system then English education system
Second question -
The response of Indians to this debate over education policy was a mixed one. Ram Mohan Roy and other social reformers favored the introduction of Western education. They believed that it would help Indians to assimilate the knowledge of western science, rationalism, new ideas, and literature. This would help in the regeneration of society and thus the country as a whole. Some other people believed that getting Western education through the English language 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 against the introduction of western education in India. They were staunch supporters of Indian classical language, culture and the indigenous system of education. They had the apprehension that the introduction of Western education would lead to the collapse of indigenous society and culture.
Q Discuss the impact of Western ideas on Indian minds. 12
Q Discuss the impact of western knowledge on Indian thinking. 12
A Western education and intellectual discourse was a formidable force that resulted in the making of the new modern Indian culture and mentality in the nineteenth century. The new or renaissance mentality was conspicuously different from that of the Mughal era. The newly emerged nineteenth-century mentality has the components of both secular and religion which were aimed at the combination/synthesis of tradition and modernity. The result was a new point of view, a new set of values that gave importance to both religion, reform as well as secular literary expression.
The new mood was reflected in the literature that portrayed emotional experiences, the triumph of the human spirit, changing the nature of the relationship between man and woman. The notions of justice and reason were widely accepted. The contemporary intellectuals and ideologues advocated for a more just & rational society. The awakening or renaissance started in Bengal at the beginning of the nineteenth century but spread elsewhere later.
The Indian critical awakening was not just a secular cultural phenomenon but was also a religious reform movement in more than one way. The emerging ethos of the renaissance was given an institutional shape for the first time in the form of the establishment of Hindu College of Calcutta(1817).
The educated Indians began to appreciate that, Europe had conquered the world of knowledge because of its stress on reasoning. Europe thus infected India with the curiosity to discover the inner workings of all phenomena based on observations and experiments. 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 developed. The reason was allied to progress. Thereafter conscience was extended from the religious sphere to the social protest. The development of social protest was evident in the proliferation of plays after the Mutiny- Nil Darpan, Jamindar Darpan, etc. The sphere of protest further extended as the intellectuals guided by conscience began to question the entire foundation of traditional society and gave their support to political nationalism. The influence of the new education was rapid and profound. It tried to purge Indian society of outdated ritual, glaring inequalities and grievous disabilities imposed on women.
Q New Rationalism 6
A The educated Indians began to appreciate that, Europe had conquered the world of knowledge because of its stress on reasoning. Europe thus infected India with the curiosity to discover the inner workings of all phenomena based on observations and experiments. 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 developed. The reason was allied to progress. Thereafter conscience was extended from the religious sphere to the social protest. The development of social protest was evident in the proliferation of plays after the Mutiny- Nil Darpan, Jamindar Darpan, etc. The sphere of protest further extended as the intellectuals guided by conscience began to question the entire foundation of traditional society and gave their support to political nationalism. The influence of the new education was rapid and profound. It tried to purge Indian society of outdated ritual, glaring inequalities and grievous disabilities imposed on women.
Q Romanticism 6
A Romanticism in literature like rationality was the second most distinguishing feature that was part of the modern Indian Renaissance. The popularity, appeal, and accessibility of Western literature had a profound impact on indigenous literary scene. The works of Walter Scott, George Elliot, etc. made a powerful impact on the Indian minds. This was evident in both the form and content of vernacular literature emerged during that time in India. Rise of prose forms- fiction, drama, biography, history, essays, and literary criticism were its consequences.
The new mood was reflected in literature which showed emotional experiences, human spirit, changing the nature of the relationship between man and woman. An example is Bankim's Kapalkundala. The great historical novels of R.C. Dutta- Maharashtra Prabhat (1878) and Rajput Jivana Sandhya (1879) were other such examples. From 1903 onwards, a new wave started with Tagore's Chokher Bali that established the social and psychological themes as the dominant trend.
Q William Jones 6
A William Jones was an English Jurist who committed himself to rediscover India. Jones on coming to India realized that in order to understand India the individual initiatives were not enough. He decided to combine scientific study with the hard work and knowledge of a group of dedicated individuals. It was with this vision, he helped in the establishment of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta in 1784. The Society was to unearth the knowledge about Asia from within and outside Asia. This society was engaged in studying India from within close quarters of its social, religious, linguistic & political aspects.
The Asiatic Society contributed in a major way by translating from Persian and Sanskrit works of Grammar, Puranas and the writings of Kalidasa. Secondly, the members of the Asiatic Society researched and published a large number of articles on Indian society and religion. Thus, William Jones contributed in a major way in spreading the romantic fascination of India and her culture throughout Europe.
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