Indian Universities Act 1904

Introduction

To develop and make changes in the education system and the universities, several new commissions, acts, and reforms were introduced mainly in the beginning of the 20th century. One such reform that was introduced is the Hunter Commission that failed to bring the Indian education system within track. When Lord Curzon became the Indian viceroy, he decided to change the propositions of the Hunter Commission. This led to the formulation and adoption of The Indian Universities Act, 1904.

This Act was passed in an attempt to improve the situation of university education in India. It worked to bring all universities under the control of the Government of india. 

Lord Curzon and the round table conference at Simla

After Lord Curzon was appointed as the new Viceroy in India, he called for a round table conference at Simla in 1901. At this meeting, the higher education offices in India and representatives from different universities from across the country were present. Curzon discussed the then-condition of the Indian education system along with  the drawbacks and gaps that needed urgent attention.

After a lot of discussion, several resolutions were adopted that targeted almost all the educational branches in India. In 1902, Sir Raleigh initiated another commission for all the Indian universities. Even though the investigation and approaches in the commission were useful, nothing was said about the primary and secondary education. Apart from this, the commission had several other drawbacks which led to the amendments and the introduction of The University Act, 1904.

Provision of The Universities Act 1904

There were several provisions introduced under the Indian University Commission 1904. Some of these are described below:

1. The Indian University Act 1904 provides power to universities to conduct their private teaching and other activities. 
2. Teaching and supervision for examinations were the responsibility of the university itself.
3. Universities must focus on research. Laboratories were permitted to set up laboratories for different disciplines.
4. Universities can appoint new staff, recruit professionals, and set up libraries in order to expand knowledge in students.
5. One of the main amendments in The University Act 1904 was the reduction of the number of fellows from 100 to 50. Universities with greater than 50 fellows would be held accountable
6. Each fellow will have an office period of six months instead of a lifetime.
7. This act introduced the process of Senate election in different universities. For Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, the number of elected fellows was 20, whereas for other universities, it was 15.
8. The government gained the power to change the rules provided by the senate when the senate failed to frame them.
9. Under the provision of The University Act 1904, the Syndicates received recognition in the Indian education system. Apart from this, all the teachers working at a university received representation in the university Senate.
10. To ensure a stronger relationship between the colleges and universities, every college needed to be affiliated with a particular university. The affiliated university may or may not be within the jurisdiction of the local area.
11. A grant of INR 5 lakhs was offered throughout the span of five years to fellows for further studies and research work. 
12. The Governor-General Council was given the power to handle all the jurisdictional matters of any university regarding the territory on which it is located.

Impact of the Indian Universities Act, 1904

As The Universities Act, 1904 was a major reform in the Indian education system, several scholars and other members associated with universities proposed their opinions in various manners. For instance:

• The Sadler Commission 1917 criticised the Act for making universities largely governmental.
• The nationalists further considered this act to strengthen imperialism and used this to subjugate the nationalist feeling. In addition, Gopal Krishna Gokhale named it as the “retrograde measure.” 
• After this, Lord Curzon used the reform to improve the area of Primary education. Most schools were provided with a generous amount of financial aid- from 40 Lakhs to 75 Lakhs- over the years of 1905-1912.
• Perhaps the most helpful result of the Indian Universities Act 1904 was the introduction of the concept of government grants, which continues to be implemented  till now.

Conclusion

The Indian Universities Act 1904 was introduced by Lord Curzon to improve the condition of university education in India. The Act introduced governmental control over universities. It expanded the scope of university education. New initiatives such as laboratories were introduced to improve the quality of research. The Act was beneficial due to its concept of grants, increase in expenditure on education as well as new students. The Act also faced criticism by the Sandler Commission for the authority given to the government, by nationalists, and even by Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Even though several other amendments and reforms were introduced later on in the Indian education system, The Indian Universities Acts 1904 was a major step taken by the British government. It not only stabilised the education system but also widened the scope for many sharp and intelligent minds.