Development of Education: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Modern History)

Explanation

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (1820-1891) was appointed as the secretary of the governing body of Bethune School/ College. The Bethune Female School, established in 1849 in Kolkata (then Calcutta) was one of the first schools in India dedicated to the education of girls. It was founded by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune, a prominent social reformer and advocate for women’s education in India. Vidyasagar was a strong advocate for women’s rights and education, and his involvement with the Bethune School was part of his broader efforts to reform Indian society, including his campaigns for widow remarriage and the abolition of child marriage. It was mainly due to his efforts that the Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act, 1856 was passed.

Explanation

Fort William College was established in 1800 by Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General of India in Calcutta (now Kolkata). The primary purpose of the college was to train British civil servants in Indian languages, customs, and laws to improve the efficiency of the East India Company’s administration in India. Lord Wellesley recognized that British officials often lacked knowledge of Indian languages, culture, and traditions which hindered effective governance. The college was designed to train newly recruited British civilians in Indian languages (such as Persian, Sanskrit, Arabic, and regional languages) and familiarize them with local customs and laws. He believed that a well-trained administrative cadre would help the East India Company govern India more effectively and reduce reliance on Indian intermediaries.

Explanation

Wood’s Dispatch (1854) is known as the Magna Carta of English Education in India. Under this government was to take up the responsibility for the Education of masses. It provided for hierarchy of Educational Institutions i.e. three tier education system. It also emphasised on Female, Vocational Education and teachers’ training. The Dispatch proposed secular education in Government Institutions.

Statement 1 is correct: The Despatch advocated for the introduction of a Grants-in-Aid system to encourage private and missionary enterprises in education. Under this scheme, financial assistance was provided to educational institutions that met certain standards thereby promoting the expansion and improvement of education.

Statement 2 is correct: It systematised the hierarchy from vernacular primary schools in villages at bottom, followed by Anglo-Vernacular High Schools and an affiliated college at the district level and affiliating universities in the presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Woods Dispatch recommended English as the Medium of Instruction in higher studies and vernaculars language in at school level.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: The idea of supporting educated Indians and promoting knowledge of contemporary sciences in the country was enshrined into the Charter Act of 1813. The Charter Act of 1813 permitted Christian missionaries to propagate English and preach their religion. It mandated the company to allocate one lakh rupees annually for the revival and improvement of literature and the promotion of science among the inhabitants of British India. The Act emphasized the need to educate Indians in Western sciences and literature which indirectly laid the foundation for English education.

Statement 2 is correct: A "General Committee of Public Instruction" was established by the Governor-General-in-Council in 1823 with the task of allocating one lakh rupees for educational purposes under the Presidentship of Lord Macaulay. Lord Macaulay’s Minute resolved the debate in favor of the Anglicists, directing the limited government resources toward the teaching of Western sciences and literature through the medium of the English language.

Statement 3 is correct: The Orientalist-Anglicist Controversy in the early 19th century centered on the medium and content of education in India. Orientalists led by scholars like H.T. Prinsep advocated for preserving traditional Indian knowledge through Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic. Anglicists led by Thomas Babington Macaulay, pushed for English education to create a class of Indians who were culturally English but Indian by birth. The debate culminated in Macaulay’s Minute of 1835 which favored English education. Governor-General Lord William Bentinck endorsed this view thereby officially making English the medium of instruction in higher education.

Explanation

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: The Sanskrit College at Benaras was founded in 1791 by Jonathan Duncan (not William Jones). The objective was to promote the study of Hindu law and philosophy among the people of Benaras., Sir William Jones was a renowned philologist and scholar who founded the Asiatic Society in 1784 in Calcutta, aiming to encourage Oriental studies.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: The Calcutta Madrasah was established by Warren Hastings in 1781 for the study of Muslim law and related subjects to promote the study of Islamic law and jurisprudence among the Muslim population.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Fort William College was set up by Lord Richard Wellesley in 1800 for training of civil servants of the Company in languages and customs of Indians.

Explanation

The Hindu College in Calcutta, established in 1817, played a pivotal role in the advancement of modern education in India. This institution was founded through the collaborative efforts of Raja Rammohan Roy, David Hare, and Alexander Duff. This institution played a pivotal role in the Bengal Renaissance, fostering a generation of thinkers and reformers who significantly influenced Indian society.

Explanation

The Wood’s Despatch of 1854, often called the "Magna Carta of English Education in India," laid the foundation for modern educational policies in colonial India. Its primary focus was to establish a comprehensive system of education, emphasizing scientific learning and rational thinking over traditional religious teachings. The dispatch included support for education for girls and encouragement for private and missionary involvement. It provided government grants to qualifying schools. In it’s three tier educational hierarchy of Education, vernacular languages for basic education, English and Indian languages at the secondary level and English at the Higher level i.e. at University level (Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras).

Explanation

The chronological sequence is Macaulay’s Minute (1835) Wood’s Despatch (1854) Hunter Commission (1882) Sargent Report (1944). Macaulay’s Minute on Education (1835): Drafted by Lord Macaulay, it played a pivotal role in establishing English as the medium of instruction in Indian schools. Wood’s Education Despatch (1854) was issued by Sir Charles Wood, then President of the Board of Control for the East India Company and stressed on emphasizing scientific learning and rational thinking over traditional religious teachings. Indian Education Commission (Hunter Commission) (1882) was headed by William Wilson Hunter and recommended that primary education be provided in vernacular languages and highlighted the importance of expanding primary education. The Sargent Education Report (1944) proposed compulsory and free education for children up to the age of 14, intending to raise educational standards to international levels.

Explanation

The accurate chronological order is Hindu College (1817), Adam’s Report (1835), Wood’s Despatch (1854), and University of Calcutta (1857). Founded in 1817, the Hindu College in Calcutta was established through the joint efforts of Raja Rammohan Roy, David Hare, and Alexander Duff. Adam’s Report: William Adam, a Scottish missionary, conducted surveys on indigenous education in Bengal and Bihar between 1819 and 1838. His reports provided a detailed account of the state of education during that period. The Wood’s Despatch of 1854, known as the "Magna Carta of English Education in India," established a modern educational framework focused on scientific learning. The dispatch recommended the creation of universities in Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. Following this recommendation, the University of Calcutta was established on January 24, 1857.