Charter Act of 1813

When the East India company came to India

• They did not allow the missionaries for the propagation of the religious education to the common people in India.
• Reason:
• They felt that the missionaries would encourage the religious sentiments among the people in India that could affect the business policy and the diplomatic role of the East India .
• Result:
• Thus, it created an agitation against the East India Company that the company was opposed to the teachings of Christ and neglected to provide education for the Indians.
• Interestingly, the agitation was supported by many in England and ultimately made a conclusion by introducing an education clause which is known as Charter Act of 1813. Hence, this Act ultimately made a State system of Education in India.

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Charter Act of 1813

• The East India Company Act 1813, also known as the Charter Act of 1813, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which renewed the charter issued to the British East India Company, and continued the Company’s rule in India.

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• The Act expressly asserted the Clown’s sovereignty over British India.
• It allotted Rs 100,000 to promote education in India
• Christian missionaries were allowed to come to British India and preach their religion.
• Financial provision was also made to encourage a revival in Indian literature and for the promotion of science.

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Education in India

• A sum of not less than Rs 100000/- ( Rupees one lac) each year shall be set apart for the revival and improvement of literature and encouragement of the learned natives of India, and for the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of the science among the inhabitants of the British territories in India. But the Act did not clarify whether the money was to be spent on western education or Indian education.

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• Result:
• First time in the Indian soil; official money of rupees one lac was allotted to expand the education of the Indians.
• Compelled the East India Company to accept responsibility for the education of the Indian people.
• However, this act had failed.

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Failure of Charter Act of 1813

The Charter Act had failed because of following reasons:

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• It failed to state the language for medium of instruction for educational institutes.

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• It was also ambiguous about the means of expanding English education in India.

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• It was not stated that education should be given to all or a selected few.

Orientalists and Anglicists debate

Orientalists and Anglicist debate was a debate between Orientalists and Anglicist due to the issue of language for the medium of instruction in India.

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• Orientalists: People who wanted to promote education in India through the medium of classical languages such as Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic.

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• Anglicists: People who wanted to promote Western Education in India which supported English as a medium of instruction.

Preference of Educated Indians

Enlightened Indians such as Raja Rammohan Roy exerted pressure on Western Education because they thought that western education was the only remedy for the social, economic and political ills of the country.

Mecaulay’s system of Education

• This system of education was introduced by Lord Mecaulay in 1835.

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• This system put Anglicists Orientalists Debate to an end.

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• This system is also known as Lord Mecaulay’s Minute.

Mecaulay’s system of education �Main provisions

• This system clearly stated that Western Education has to be promoted in India through the medium of English language alone.

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• Under this system, Persian was abolished as the court language. On its place, English language was made the court language.

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• Under this system, the printing of English books was made free and these were widely available in market at very low price. Thus increased use of English in India

Mecaulay’s system of education-�Implementation

For the implementation of this system in India following steps were taken by the government:

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• Forty two schools were set up by 1842

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• The presidencies were divided into educational zones. Each educational zone had one government school.

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• For example: Bengal was divided into nine educational zones under Lord Auckland.

Lord Bentinck’s resolution of the 7^th March 1835

His Lordship-in-council is of the opinion that the British Government ought to be the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India; and that all the funds appropriate for the purpose of education would be best employed on English education alone.

• But it is not the intention of his Lord-in-Council to abolish any college or school of native learning, but no stipend shall be given to any student that may hereafter enter any of these institutions, and when any professor of oriental learning shall vacate his situation, the committee shall report to the Government the number and state of the class in order that the Government may be able to decide upon the expediency of appointing a successor.
• It has come to the knowledge of the Governor-General in council that a large sum has been expanded by the committee on the printing of oriental works; his Lordship-in-Council directs that no portion of the funds shall hereafter be so employed.

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• His Lordship-in-Council directs that all the funds which these reforms will leave at the disposal of the committee be henceforth employed in imparting to the native population a knowledge of English literature and science through the medium of the English language; and his Lordship-in-Council request the committee to submit to Government with all expedition, a plan for the accomplishment of this purpose.
• The Bentinck Policy made the resolution of Mecaulay’s view on the stress of English language as a medium of instruction.
• In the orders of Bentinck policy, the whole focus was given to invest all the expenditure of education in improvement of English literature and science only.
• The resolution which was made by Bentinck, order to ban for investing any fund on the printing of oriental works.
• One of the order of the resolution was that, a vacant post of any teacher in oriental learning would be filled only after the Government finds it expedient.

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Wood’s Despatch

• This was a written document for the propose of promoting education in India.

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• This was introduced by Charles Wood in 1854

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• It was the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India

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• It was considered as the “Magna Carta of English Education in India”

Objectives of the Despatch

1. To confer upon the natives of India those vast and material blessings which flow from the general diffusion of Western knowledge,

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• To raise the moral character of those who partake of the above advantage,

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• To supply the East India company with reliable and capable public servants,

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• To secure for England a large and more certain supply of many articles, necessary for her manufactures and were extensively consumed by her population.

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Recommendation in the wood’s Despatch

i)Acceptance of Responsibility

It was accepted in the Despatch that the responsibility of educating Indians was that of British Government.

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ii)Establishment of D.P.I. Office

The despatch recommended that the existing Board of Control for Education be abolished and the office of Director of Public Instructions should be established in the states.

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iii) Established of Universities

The despatch recommended for the establishment of universities in the presidency towns, viz. Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The London University, which was then a purely examining goody, was to be taken as their models.

iv) Medium of instruction

The medium of instruction of education in India would be English. The Despatch accepted the views of Lord Macaulay

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v) Grant-in-aid system

The despatch proposed the system of grant-in –aid for the Indian educational institutions in order to encourage the private enterprise for expansion of education among Indians.

In order to be eligible for grant-in-aid, a school was to fulfil certain conditions such as:

a) The school must impart a good secular education.

b)It must agree to inspection by government officers.

c)It must realize a tuition fee, however, small, from the pupils.

vi)Training of teachers

In order to secure properly qualified teachers for schools, the despatch suggested the training of teachers in normal schools. To induce men of better caliber to come to school-service the despatch recommended ‘sufficient salary’ for school teachers.

vii) Women and Muslim education

As Indians were two orthodox, the British Government did not show any interest in education of females. It insisted on a policy of strict neutrality in religion.

viii) Vocational education

The despatch put importance on vocational instruction, and to that end suggested the need of establishing vocational colleges and schools of industry.

ix) Mass education

The despatch admitted that mass education had totally been neglected and so far the Government devoted its attention exclusively towards providing means of education for the higher classes.