Education and British rule

Q1) What were Lord Macaulay’s recommendations to the Indian system of education.

Ans: Lord Macaulay recommended the western system as it encouraged rational thinking and scientific research.

Q2) Name the cities where universities were established after Wood’s Dispatch .

Ans: In Bombay, Madras and Calcutta, universities were to be opened along the lines of London universities.

Q3) What were the major recommendations of Wood’s Dispatch?

Ans: Sir Charles Wood with his recommendations on the system of education to be followed in India:

   -      Provision was made for a systematic method of            education to be followed in India.

   -      An education department was to be set up in all the      provinces.

   -      In Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta, universities were     to be opened along the lines of London universities.

   -      Grants-in-aid were to be given to private schools          affiliated to the government.

   -      Indians were to be taught their mother tongue also.

Q4) What was the aim of the British in educating Indians?

Ans: The British government wanted the education system to be useful to the needs of the colonial empire they realized that they needed educated Indians to be employed as clerks to help them in dealing with locals.

Q5) Who were the eminent men behind the national council of education?

Ans: Eminent men of Bengal like Raja Rammohan Roy and Rabindrarath Tagore, met in 1905 and decided to form a national council of education.

Q6) What were the gaps in the traditional Indian system of education that the western system tried to address? Mention the disadvantages of the new system of India?

Ans: Before the coming of the British to India there were PathsHalas and Maktabas for elementary education and Tols and Madrasas for higher education.

 -The new thinking of the Renaissance in the west found no echo in India. Scientific research and thinking were almost dead.

 -      Primary education was neglected

 -      There was a decline in the indigenous system of education

 -      No attention was paid to the education of women.

 -      Scientific and technical education was not taken care of.

Q7) Write a brief summary of Maharaja Sayajiruo’s contribution to education.

Ans: Maharaja Sayajirao III, the most famous ruler of the Gaekwad branch of the Marathas.

 -      In the almost 60 years of his reign, he introduced many reforms in education, health care and administration.

 -      He established compulsory primary education in Baroda, he also established a library system, a university and several industries.

 -      One of the first public acts of Maharaja Sayajiro on ascending the throne was to lay the foundation of the Baroda college of science in 1880. This college was  absorbed into the Maharaja Sayajiro university after independence in 1944.

Q8) Write a brief summary of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan’s contribution to education.

Ans: Aligurh university grew out of the dreams and efforts of sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

 -      After the revolt of 1857, the British began their policy of divide rule to ensure that the Hindus and Muslims would never again join hands and fight them.

 -      They also made the knowledge of English compulsory forgetting a government job.

 -      He felt that Muslims would have no future in India if they were not exposed to western education and failed to learn English. Along with Hidayatullah Khan, Sir Syed started the Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental college in Aligarh in 1875. The aim of this college was to combine western thinking with Islamic values. In 1920, it was made into the Aligarh Muslim university ( AMU) . the university taught engineering, humanities, and science.

Glossary:

Pathshala, Tol: traditional schools and colleges attended by Hindus.

Maktaba, Madrasa: traditional school and coleges attended by Muslims.

Blueprint: a plan or outline.

Be affiliated to: be associated with , be formally attached to.