The British East India Company was initially not concerned with improving the education system because its primary goal was trading and profit-making. To gain power in India, they planned to educate a small number of upper and middle classes to develop into a class known as “Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste.” They were called upon to play the role of interpreters between the Government and the general public. This was referred to as the “downward filtration theory. Further, everything will be discussed on the Hunter Commission.
List of Various Education commissions during British India
1. The Indian Education Commission
The Indian Education Commission, also known as the Hunter Commission, was set up in 1882 to inquire into the state of education in India and make recommendations for its improvement.
2. The Scottish Educational Commission
The Scottish Educational Commission was a commission set up in 1867 to enquire into the state of education in Scotland and make recommendations for its improvement.
3. The University of London’s Syndicate for Medical and Dental Instruction in India
The University of London’s Syndicate for Medical and Dental Instruction in India was set up in 1858 to make recommendations for providing medical and dental education in India.
4. Murray’s Committee on Indian Schools
Murray’s Committee on Indian Schools was a committee set up in 1858 to inquire into the state of education in the British colonies and make recommendations for its improvement.
5. Macaulay’s Minute on Education
Macaulay’s Minute on Education was a document issued by the British colonial government in India in 1835 which laid out the policy of promoting Western-style education in India.
6. The Wood’s Despatch
The Wood’s Despatch was a document issued by the British Government in 1854 that called for establishing a public education system in India.
7. The Hunter Commission
The Hunter Commission was a commission set up in 1882 to inquire into the state of education in India and make recommendations for its improvement.
8. The Royal Commission on Indian Universities
The Royal Commission on Indian Universities was set up in 1902 to inquire into the working of the existing universities in India and make recommendations for their reform.
Things that took place under company rule
Warren Hastings founded the Calcutta Madrasah in 1781 as a school for Islamic law and related topics.
The college’s focus was to educate Company civil servants in Indian languages and customs. In 1800, Wellesley set up Fort William College to educate Company officials in the Indian language and culture.
The British Parliament added a clause to the 1813 charter allowing for less than one lakh in education spending by the Governor-General-in Council and allowing Christian missionaries to spread their religious beliefs in India.
The first headmaster of Calcutta College, an institution founded by well-educated Bengalis who taught English in Western fields and disciplines, was fired for “improper conduct.”
In 1843, James Jonathan opened one government school as a model school for each tehsildar and a normal school for teachers’ training in North-West Provinces (UP).
Everything about The Hunter Commission
The Hunter Commission was a commission set up in 1882 to inquire into the state of education in India and make recommendations for its improvement. It was chaired by William Wilson Hunter and included such prominent figures as Lord Dufferin and Sir John Strachey. The commission’s main purpose was to investigate the state of education in British India and recommend measures for its improvement. The commission’s report, published in 1883, was highly critical of the state of education in India and made several recommendations for its reform.
One of the most important recommendations of the commission was the establishment of a University Grants Commission (UGC) to oversee the development of higher education in India. The UGC was established in 1953 and played an important role in developing higher education in India.
The commission also recommended the establishment of secondary schools in every district of British India and the setting up a system of examinations to ensure that standards were maintained. These recommendations were implemented and led to a significant expansion of secondary education in India.
The Hunter Commission’s report was an important milestone in developing education in India, and its recommendations helped shape the education system that exists in India today.
Conclusion
The Indian Public School Education, 1822, was established by the Princely States to oversee India’s education, which had been dominated by Orientalists who backed Oriental learning over the Anglicans. As a result, they exerted significant pressure on the British India Company to advance Western education. The Education Policy of Lord Macaulay, 1835, was intended to establish a university commision that would educate only the upper class through English. Hindus and Muslims used to be educated at Pathsala and Madrassa before the British arrived, but their arrival created a new location of learning, namely Missionaries.