0Q&A – Civilising the ‘Native’, Educating the Nation
- Why did the British feel the need to educate Indians?
Ans:
- They believed it was their duty to “civilise” Indians.
- Education was needed to train Indians for administrative jobs.
- They wanted to introduce western science, literature, and rational thinking.
- Who were Orientalists? What did they believe?
Ans:
- Orientalists were British officials who respected Indian culture and knowledge.
- They believed Indian learning in Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic should be preserved.
- Supported institutions like Calcutta Madrasa (1781) and Sanskrit College (1791).
- What was Macaulay’s Minute on Education (1835)?
Ans:
- Macaulay argued that English education was superior to Indian learning.
- Promoted English language and western science/literature.
- Wanted a class of Indians who would be “Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste”.
- What was the English Education Act of 1835?
Ans:
- Made English the medium of instruction.
- Western knowledge promoted, while Oriental institutions declined.
- What was Wood’sDespatchof 1854? Why is it important?
Ans:
- Blueprint for education in India (called “Magna Carta of English Education”).
- Suggested:
- English at higher levels, vernaculars at primary.
- Universities in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras.
- Teacher training institutions.
- Aimed to spread western education more widely.
- Why did Mahatma GandhicriticizeBritish education?
Ans:
- Said it created clerks, not real thinkers.
- Alienated Indians from their own culture.
- Called it “enslavement of the mind”.
- Favoured education in mother tongue and practical learning.
- What were Rabindranath Tagore’s views on education?
Ans:
- Opposed strict and rote-based schooling.
- Wanted free, creative, natural learning environment.
- Established Shantiniketan (1901) for child-centred education.
- What were the shortcomings of British education in India?
Ans:
- Limited and elitist – only small section educated.
- No focus on technical/vocational training.
- Neglected primary and mass education.
- Designed mainly to create clerks and subordinates.
- How did Indians benefitfrom English education despite its flaws?
Ans:
- Exposed to new ideas of freedom, equality, democracy.
- Led to growth of nationalism.
- Created leaders of Indian freedom struggle (Gandhi, Nehru, etc.).
