Page 17 - Kashmir and National Education Policy by Dr. Amarpreet Kour

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

BRITISH PERIOD

12. The Charter Act of 1813 was the first step towards education
being made an objective of the government. The act sanctioned
a sum of Rs. 1 lakh towards the education of Indians in British
ruled India. This act also gave an impetus to the missionaries who
were given official permission to come to India (Charter Act of
1813)

13. Mountstuart Elphinstone’s 1823 Minute emphasized the need to
establish schools to teach English and European sciences, laying
the foundation for the current higher education system in India
(Elphinstone a, b, 1823).

14. By the early 19th century, the indigenous education system
predominated, but missionaries began introducing Western
knowledge and promoting the study of English. This shift was
supported by government officials and a few enlightened Indians,
who either embraced the new system or recognized its benefits.
These combined efforts contributed to the emergence of modern
education in India (Nurullah, 1951).

15. Macaulay’s Minute on Indian Education (1835) advocated
strongly for promoting English over traditional Sanskrit and
Arabic studies. He argued that English provided access to modern
knowledge and practical skills, while Sanskrit and Arabic focused
on outdated and irrelevant subjects (Macaulay, 1835). This led to
the start of westernisation of Indian education system

16. With an objective to totally turn the education system upside
down; Macaulay recommended reallocating government funds
from traditional institutions to establish English schools in major
cities. His goal was to create a class of Indians proficient in
English, who could serve as intermediaries between the British
and the masses, thus modernizing Indian society. He criticized
the existing system as wasteful and ineffective, offering to resign
if his recommendations were not implemented (Macaulay, 1835
; Yap, 1926)

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