Chapter 7 - Civilising the Native Educating the Nation

Revision Notes
Class – 8 Social Science

Chapter 7 – Civilising The Native, Educating The Nation
Views of the British on Indian Education:

● In 1783, the Company founded the Supreme Court, and William Jones was
appointed as a junior judge. Jones also had a second identity as a linguist. He
mastered a wide range of languages, including Greek, Latin, French, English,
Arabic, and Persian. He had also studied Sanskrit with the Pandits of Calcutta.
● He then went on to study ancient Indian writings on philosophy, law, politics,

religion, morality, medicine, arithmetic, and a variety of other subjects. Jones
found that several other British residents in Calcutta shared his enthusiasm.
● Jones had founded the Asiatic Society with the help of a few individuals and
started a publication called "Asiatic Researches."
● Jones and his collaborators' major goal was to promote a specific attitude
toward India. They both had a great deal of respect for one other's cultures.
● Jones and his colleagues attempted to decipher ancient Indian manuscripts.

● Many British officials were inspired by Jones' effort and began to represent
Indian culture instead of Western culture. They agreed that studying Indian
texts such as Sanskrit and Persian literature must be valued.
● In Benaras, a Hindu College was founded in 1791 to promote the study of
ancient Sanskrit writings.
● The primary motivation for developing these disciplines was to improve

India's governance.
“Grave Errors of the East”:

● Since the early eighteenth century, British officials have been criticizing the
East's expertise for a variety of bizarre reasons.
● Ancient Indian scriptures were discouraged from being studied.
● The British educationalists targeted the principal advocates of Indian ancient
literature, introducing the Western educational culture throughout the country.
● The study of the English language was disseminated all over the country, and
the major architect behind this was Macaulay.
● The English Education Act was adopted in the year 1835 based on Macaulay's
minutes.
● The main goal of the English Education Act of 1835 was to make English the
primary medium of instruction for higher education. Another goal was to
downplay the significance of the Calcutta Madrasa and the Benaras Sanskrit
College.
Education for Commerce: The Famous Wood’s Despatch:
● In 1854, the East India Company's Court of Directors dispatched an

educational despatch to London.
● Charles Wood issued the despatch, which became known as "Wood's
despatch."
● It established India's core educational system by focusing on European

learning.
● Wood's dispatch emphasized practical learning, such as the expansion of

trade and commerce and the most efficient use of a country's resources.
● The main objective of Wood's despatch was to produce a trusted and "yes
sir" type of civil servant based on the belief that European training will
improve the moral character of Indian people.
● The Indian education system has been taken over by the government
education sector.
● The universities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were founded during

the Sepoy Mutiny.
Impact On Local Schools:
● The Company engaged William Adam, a Scottish missionary, to assess the

educational framework of the vernacular schools.
● It was discovered that there were at least 1 lakh pathshalas in the Bengal and
Bihar regions in the past.
● In these pathshalas, around 20 lakh students were taught.
● In the pathshalas, there was a flexible schooling system in place. The

pathshalas lacked a fixed price structure, printed literature, a separate school
building, benches and chairs, blackboards, separate classes, roll call registers,
and annual examinations.
● The country's flexible education system was based on the country's socio
economic system.
● The objective was to impose routines, establish new standards, and conduct
frequent inspections within the existing educational system.
● The East India Company appointed pandits to the government. Under each
pandit, there were four to five pathshalas. The government pandits were in
charge of enforcing the Company's laws and regulations.
● One of the system's drawbacks was that during harvest, children from low-
income households were required to attend school. Any disobedience to the
rules was considered indiscipline.
The Need For National Education:

Apart from British authorities, there were numerous Indians from every nuke and
corner of the country who understood the value of education. Some of them believed
that western education would improve India's educational system. As a result, they
asked the British to build more schools and colleges and invest more money to
improve India's educational system. the second group of Indians was adamantly
hostile to western education. Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore were the
most notable among them.
● The colonial education system, according to Mahatma Gandhi, had instilled a

sense of inferiority in the minds of students.
● The superiority of western education was consistently pushed by colonial

education, neglecting Indian culture. Our pupils were unable to learn about
our own culture since the institutions only taught them to follow British rules.
● As part of a boycott of the British educational system, students were asked to

abandon British institutions.
● Another part of the demonstration was the use of the Indian language.
● Mahatma Gandhi was a great believer in using the Indian language as the
medium of instruction, and a wave of protest erupted in the country when
British education was boycotted.
● The Wood's Despatch, the Vernacular Act, and the so-called British
institutions were all boycotted by the students.
Change Of Education Policy:

A new epoch of educational policy was born. Uniform National Education Policy
was the name of the strategy, which was completely different from British policy.
● Rabindranath Tagore created Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan in 1901
as a direct result.
● The primary motivation for establishing the school was to enhance national
education.
● During this time, several institutions were founded to expand the National
Education Policy, as well as a substantial drive to promote women's education.
Calcutta, Madras, Pune, Bombay, and other cities across India have all
founded colleges.
Important Questions and Answers

1. How education was utilized to civilize a nation?
Ans: Until the creation of the Education Act in 1870, there was no widespread
education for the general public. The number of schools was limited, and the
majority of the children were unable to attend. It was normal to see children being
forced to work. As a result of the foregoing, certain British philosophers, such as
Thomas Arnold, recognized the importance of discipline in education. The
importance of being disciplined was instilled in the young students' brains.
Education was used as a tool to civilize a nation in this way.
2. What was the reason behind the demand for moral education?
Ans: The Christian Missionaries in India were adamantly opposed to the promotion
of practical education. Moral education, according to Christian missionaries in India,
was far more essential than practical instruction. According to their opinion,
Christian education is the sole way to enrich a person's moral character. Earlier in
history, the British East India Company was a staunch opponent of missionary
education. The main motivation for objecting was the fear of a negative reaction
from the local population, as well as the prospect of making them suspicious of the
British East India Company.
3. What were the minutes of Macaulay?
Ans: The following are Macaulay's minutes addressing India's educational policy:
a) A beautiful educational strategy.
b) A clear explanation of why education is important.
c) A proposal to establish English schools.
d) Promotes English as a medium of teaching.

e) Filtration Theory was advocated.
f) Sanskrit pathshalas and Arabic Madrasas were to be closed.
g) The use of vernaculars was overlooked.
4. What were the recommendations of Wood’s Despatch?
Ans: “Wood's dispatch made the following recommendations.”
a) Setting up parent universities; establishing a Department of Education.
b) Adopting English as the medium of instruction.
c) Implementing a grading system.
d) Initiating a grant-in-aid program.

e) Teacher skill development.
f) Widespread education.
g) Professionalism in the field of education.
5. What were the achievements of Wood’s Despatch?
Ans: The following were the accomplishments of Wood's despatch:
a) Each province established a Department of Public Instruction.
b) There were three universities established: Calcutta University, Bombay

University, and Madras University, as well as a few teacher training schools.
c) India's educational system was enhanced.

d) Several employment opportunities in the education industry were generated.

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Revision Notes

Class – 8 Social Science

Views of the British on Indian Education:

● He then went on to study ancient Indian writings on philosophy, law, politics,

● Jones and his colleagues attempted to decipher ancient Indian manuscripts.

● The primary motivation for developing these disciplines was to improve

“Grave Errors of the East”:

Education for Commerce: The Famous Wood’s Despatch:

● In 1854, the East India Company's Court of Directors dispatched an

● It established India's core educational system by focusing on European

● Wood's dispatch emphasized practical learning, such as the expansion of

● The universities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras were founded during

● The Company engaged William Adam, a Scottish missionary, to assess the

● In these pathshalas, around 20 lakh students were taught.

● In the pathshalas, there was a flexible schooling system in place. The

The Need For National Education:

● The colonial education system, according to Mahatma Gandhi, had instilled a

● The superiority of western education was consistently pushed by colonial

● As part of a boycott of the British educational system, students were asked to

Change Of Education Policy:

Important Questions and Answers

3. What were the minutes of Macaulay?

a) A beautiful educational strategy.

b) A clear explanation of why education is important.

c) A proposal to establish English schools.

d) Promotes English as a medium of teaching.

g) The use of vernaculars was overlooked.

4. What were the recommendations of Wood’s Despatch?

Ans: “Wood's dispatch made the following recommendations.”

a) Setting up parent universities; establishing a Department of Education.

b) Adopting English as the medium of instruction.

c) Implementing a grading system.

d) Initiating a grant-in-aid program.

g) Professionalism in the field of education.

5. What were the achievements of Wood’s Despatch?

Ans: The following were the accomplishments of Wood's despatch:

a) Each province established a Department of Public Instruction.

b) There were three universities established: Calcutta University, Bombay

c) India's educational system was enhanced.

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