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q The introduction of English education helped GROWTH OF NATIONAL EDUCATION
in modernising India.
The initiative in the establishment of schools and
Just Think! colleges was taken by the British, though there
were many problems relating to the lack of funds
and teachers. Since these educational institutions
What aspect of education do you like most in your could not cater to the needs of the masses, the
school?
social reformers decided to start education for the
Unfavourable Impact of English Education masses. Moreover, since these schools and
colleges were under the strict control of the
q The introduction of English education created
British, no nationalistic feelings or activities were
a generation of those people who madly
pursued the western culture and lost faith in allowed in them. Any students or teachers found
the values of Indian way of life. We can see involved in the national movement were expelled.
Strict disciplinary action was taken against such
this impact even today.
students in particular and the teachers found
q English education has created a class of people involved in the national movement were made to
who consider themselves superior to the resign. Even those teachers were made to resign
Indian masses, and therefore have no who refused to punish these students.
emotional or intellectual attachment with
them. In order to cater to the needs of education for the
masses, a meeting was held in 1905 in Calcutta.
q This intellectual class, belonging to both This meeting decided to establish a National
Hindus and Muslims, was responsible for the Council of Education so that education could be
division of the country at the time of run on national lines under the control of national
independence in 1947. leaders. As a result, many schools and colleges
were founded. By 1908, the number of secondary
ENGLISH EDUCATION AND NATIONAL schools rose to 25 and the number of primary
MOVEMENT FOR FREEDOM schools rose to over 300. The students and
teachers who were expelled from government
It is often debated whether the Indian national
schools and colleges were absorbed in these
movement for freedom was possible without national schools.
English education. Many scholars argue that the
introduction of English education acquainted the The national schools were established in all
Indians with western culture and the ideals of provinces of India. In addition to these, the
equality, justice, democracy and liberty, which Vidyapeeths were established at Banaras and
resulted in the national movement for freedom. Ahmedabad; and the Jamia Millia Islamia at
Aligarh (now it is in Delhi). These national schools
However, this argument is partly true. The revolt
played an important role in the national
of 1857 took place when there was hardly any movement for freedom.
English education in India. Moreover, national
movements for freedom had taken place in many
countries like China and Turkey, where English
education was never introduced. The primary
cause of Indian national movement was the
economic exploitation at the hands of the British
which resulted in growing poverty. The Indians
had realized that India could not progress under Jamia Millia Islamia at Delhi Vishwa Bharati at Shantiniketan
the British. The introduction of English education
and western culture played only a minor part in it. Many individuals too made efforts in this direction.
Rabindranath Tagore established the Vishwa
Contemporary Social Science-8
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