Chapter 6: Civilizing the "Native", Educating the Nation
The Tradition of Orientalism
In the early 19th century, many British officials were influenced by Orientalism. They had a deep respect for ancient Indian culture and texts. Figures like William Jones founded the Asiatic Society of Bengal and translated ancient Indian texts. They believed that to rule India effectively, the British ought to understand Indian culture. They promoted the establishment of institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa (1781) and the Hindu College in Benaras (1791) to encourage the study of ancient Sanskrit and Persian texts.
“Grave Errors of the East”
By the early nineteenth century, many British officials began to criticise the Orientalist vision of learning. They argued that knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thought. James Mill was one of the most outspoken critics. Another was Thomas Babington Macaulay, who saw India as an uncivilised country that needed to be civilised. He urged that the British government should stop wasting public money in promoting Oriental learning for it was of no practical use.
Following Macaulay’s minute, the English Education Act of 1835 was introduced. The decision was to make English the medium of instruction for higher education, and to stop the promotion of Oriental institutions.
Wood's Despatch (1854)
In 1854, the Court of Directors of the East India Company in London sent an educational despatch to the Governor-General in India. Issued by Charles Wood, the President of the Board of Control of the Company, it has come to be known as Wood’s Despatch. It outlined the educational policy that was to be followed in India. It emphasised the practical benefits of a system of European learning, as opposed to Oriental knowledge. Following the despatch, steps were taken to establish a system of university education. Universities were established in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay in 1857.
What Happened to the Local Schools?
In the 1830s, William Adam, a Scottish missionary, toured the districts of Bengal and Bihar and reported on the progress of education in vernacular schools (pathshalas). He found that the system was flexible, with no fixed fee, no printed books, no separate school building, and no system of examinations. After 1854, the Company decided to improve the system of vernacular education. It appointed a number of government pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools. Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination.
The Agenda for a National Education
Many Indian thinkers began to feel that Western education would help modernise India. However, some, like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore, reacted against Western education.
Mahatma Gandhi argued that colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians. He wanted an education that could help Indians recover their sense of dignity and self-respect. He strongly felt that Indian languages ought to be the medium of teaching.
Rabindranath Tagore started the Shantiniketan in 1901. He wanted to set up a school where the child was happy, where she could be free and creative. He emphasised the need to teach science and technology at Shantiniketan, along with art, music and dance.
Exercise Questions and Answers
1. Match the following:
William Jones - Promotion of English education
Rabindranath Tagore - Respect for ancient cultures
Thomas Macaulay - Gurus
Mahatma Gandhi - Learning in a natural environment
Pathshalas - Critical of English education
William Jones - Respect for ancient cultures
Rabindranath Tagore - Learning in a natural environment
Thomas Macaulay - Promotion of English education
Mahatma Gandhi - Critical of English education
Pathshalas - Gurus
2. State whether true or false:
(a) James Mill was a severe critic of the Orientalists.
(b) The 1854 Despatch on education was in favour of English being introduced as a medium of higher education in India.
(c) Mahatma Gandhi thought that promotion of literacy was the most important aim of education.
(d) Rabindranath Tagore felt that children ought to be subjected to strict discipline.
(a) True.
(b) True.
(c) False. Mahatma Gandhi believed in an all-round education that included crafts and practical knowledge, not just literacy.
(d) False. Rabindranath Tagore believed in creating a free and creative environment for children, not one of strict discipline.
3. Why did William Jones feel the need to study Indian history, philosophy and law?
William Jones felt the need to study Indian history, philosophy, and law because he had a deep respect for ancient Indian culture. He believed that to understand India, it was essential to discover the sacred texts and legal treatises that were produced in the ancient period. He felt that this would not only help the British learn from Indian culture but also help Indians rediscover their own heritage and understand the lost glories of their past. For the British administration, he believed this understanding was necessary for a just and effective rule.
4. Why did James Mill and Thomas Macaulay think that European education was essential in India?
James Mill and Thomas Macaulay believed European education was essential in India because they held a very low opinion of Indian knowledge, culture, and learning. They saw Indian learning as unscientific, error-filled, and impractical. Macaulay famously stated that "a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia". They argued that English education would "civilise" the people of India, change their tastes and values, and create a class of Indians who were "Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect". This class would serve as interpreters and help the British administer the country.
5. Why did Mahatma Gandhi want to teach children handicrafts?
Mahatma Gandhi wanted to teach children handicrafts because he believed that education should be practical and holistic. He argued that learning a craft would develop a child's mind and their capacity to understand. It would connect them to the real world and the work of the masses. He felt that Western education focused only on reading and writing and separated people from practical knowledge and work. By learning a craft, children would appreciate the dignity of labour and become self-reliant.
6. Why did Mahatma Gandhi think that English education had enslaved Indians?
Mahatma Gandhi believed that English education had enslaved Indians in several ways:
1. It created a sense of inferiority: It taught Indians that Western civilization was superior and destroyed the pride they had in their own culture.
2. It was poisoning: He felt it was sinful and had cast an evil spell on the people, making them admire and accept British rule.
3. It alienated Indians from their own social surroundings: Educated Indians began to look down upon their own people and culture and became strangers in their own lands.
4. It was not rooted in Indian reality: Speaking a foreign tongue and being disconnected from the local knowledge and environment made them unfit to connect with the common people.
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