In the early 19th century, India was colonized by the British, and many social and political reforms were made during this period. These reforms had both positive and negative effects. One of the greatest reforms during this period was the implementation of the Western education system in 1835. On the surface, it seems like the Western education system was implemented in India to improve the social conditions of its people.
However, upon further reading, it becomes clear that the motive behind implementing the western education system was not to improve the lives of Indians. Rather, educating Indians was a profit-maximizing tactic employed by the British. The main reasons for this were to encourage adoption of western culture and form a basis for western civilization, promote understanding of British goods and encourage their purchase, and fill middle-level jobs. This also highlights British attitudes towards Indians and how they were treated in the early 19th century.
The Western education system differs from the traditional Indian education system and has impacted the Indian community both positively and negatively. This essay will discuss whether British education was beneficial and examine its effects on Indian society. During British rule from 1757 to 1857, Indians mainly spoke their mother tongue language. There were several mother tongue languages in India during that period, thus they spoke a dozen different languages. The most commonly spoken languages were Arabic and Sanskrit.
However, when it comes to educating the people, it was decided that it would be done in English for several reasons as mentioned by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Firstly, English was spoken by the ruling class and higher class of natives at the seats of government.” Thus, they wanted everyone to learn the language. Secondly, the two most celebrated languages in India, Arabic and Sanskrit were deemed less valuable. This was mentioned by Thomas Babington Macaulay in his “Minute on Education.”
He said, It is, I believe, no exaggeration to say that all the historical information collected from Sanskrit books is less valuable than what may be found in the most paltry abridgements used at preparatory schools in England.” Additionally, during the 19th century, trade between European nations and East Asian countries was at its peak. English language was commonly used in Europe and predicted by Thomas Babington Macaulay to become the language of commerce.
English was chosen as the most appropriate language for educating Indians. In 1835, British rulers opened education to all Indians, but not everyone could take advantage of this opportunity. One reason was the high cost of education, which was considered a luxury at that time. Only wealthy or urban citizens could afford it. Since the wealthy were a minority and the middle class was the majority, few people received an education.
Also, the majority of Indians could not see any immediate use for education. Attending school on a daily basis to receive an education is a long-term process. Thus, people need to wait for years to enjoy the full benefits of education. However, to most Indians, it was more important to work hard in order to afford their basic meals for the day. Therefore, the lack of moral suasion and high costs served as obstacles that prevented the masses from obtaining an education. Another reason why only a small proportion of people were able to be educated in the early nineteenth century was due to limited access.
If we go by the reports of a missionary to the governor general of India, in the early years of the nineteenth century, 100,000 schools could be counted in the two provinces of Bengal and Bihar, but not one was for girls. This highlights the prominent issue of gender discrimination present in early nineteenth-century India. Girls were considered an inferior gender and were deprived of many privileges, including education. Some were even denied their right to live as infanticide was being practiced in India.
Therefore, these factors limit the number of people who are able and willing to receive education. Despite the fact that the British allowed all Indians to get educated, only a minority of higher-class citizens were able to do so. The establishment of the new Western education system in the early 19th century was not well received by Indian teachers due to differences in British and Indian teaching methods. The British education system emphasized the use of textbooks which was previously not part of the Indian education system.
In the Indian education system, teachers had the liberty to decide how and what they wanted to teach. However, in the new system, teachers could no longer decide on the lesson topic as they had to strictly follow the textbook content. This made Indian teachers feel as though they had lost their respect. The British also emphasized literature over sciences because it was a means of acculturation. This is evident from there being only a total of 6 engineering and medical colleges in contrast to numerous arts colleges in the early 19th century.
The British believed that by having Indian students read texts from great works of English poets like Shakespeare, they would be convinced to adopt the values and customs of English culture. This was one method employed by the British to acculturate Indian students. However, these literature works were very new and foreign to them, and they could not relate to them. Even though they did not understand what it meant, Indian students had to memorize texts in order to pass exams.
The British education system differs significantly from the Indian education system. Despite being unpopular among Indian teachers, this system persisted and had a negative impact on the Indian community. The implementation of this education system in India resulted in adverse effects on its community, creating a division between English-educated elites and non-educated individuals. The importance given to English as the language of the elite further alienated the masses from them, leading to segregation within the Indian community.
British education in India aimed to synthesize western and eastern cultures, but instead caused social segregation between the educated and uneducated. This undesirable situation had an unfavorable impact on the Indian community. Furthermore, educated Indians were prohibited from owning companies or holding top government positions. However, the British did provide education for individuals to fill middle level and professional jobs.
This passage sheds light on the British attitude towards Indians. The British aimed to maintain their superiority over the Indians and prevent them from entering the government sector, which could potentially give them power or control over certain issues. While they allowed the entire Indian population of 200 million to receive an education, this was merely a facade to demonstrate their ability to make fair decisions. In reality, their true intentions of remaining superior and denying equal opportunities were evident in their decision not to include Indians in government jobs.
In conclusion, the education system introduced by the British in the early nineteenth century was only effective to a certain extent due to its limited accessibility and impact. The British education system was generally not well received by teachers and students because of differences in teaching methods and an inability to relate to subject content, respectively. This issue was further aggravated by the fact that the education system led to social segregation within Indian communities.
The British believed that their education system in India would be the basis of Western civilization. However, this created a class of educated middle-class Indians who later led the Indian independence movement against the British in the 20th century. Some examples of such educated middle-class Indians who led the Indian Independence movement against the British were Mohandas Gandhi and Dadabhai Naoroji. This shows that despite being manipulated in many ways, the British education system had benefited the Indian community. The British education system is still in use in India today.
However, equal importance has been given to both the arts and sciences, as evidenced by the large number of engineering and medical colleges, as well as arts colleges that benefit people more effectively.
Reference
- Modern History Sourcebook: Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859): On Empire and Education – http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1833macaulay-india.asp
- Modern History Sourcebook: Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859): On Empire and Education – http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1833macaulay-india.asp
- Gender Discrimination in Education and Economic Development: A study of Asia by G. Balatchandirame – http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Download/Vrf/pdf/426.pdf
- Discrimination of Female Children in Modern India: from Conception through Childhood by T. V. Sekher and Neelambar Hatti – http://www.unfpa.org/gender/docs/sexselection/indiapublishedpapers/UNFPA_Publication-39865.pdf
- Krishna Kumar, “Origins of India’s ‘Textbook Culture,’” (Comparative Education Review, 32:4, 1988)
- Impact of Modern Education on Indian society before Independence – http://latasinha.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/impact-of-modern-education-before-independence/
- Impact of Modern Education on Indian society before Independence – http://latasinha.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/impact-of-modern-education-before-independence/>Demerits of English Educational System in Colonial India by Senthil Kumar – http://www.publishyourarticles.net/knowledge-hub/Education/demerits-of-english-educational-system-in-colonial-india.html
