Education Policy of British in India

There was no proper education policy of British in India up to 1813. Between 1757 and 1813, only two colleges were established in British India namely, Calcutta Madrasa (in 1781 under Warren Hastings) and Varanasi Sanskrit college (in 1791 under the officer Jonathan Duncan). These colleges were established to help the British in Indian Judiciary.

Indian Education under British Rule

• In 1813, pressure from the Christian missionaries and the elite Indians (Western educated Indians) made 1813 Charter Act to allocate Rs. 1 Lakh for education.
  
  
• Allocations were made but were never spent from 1813 to 1835 because of controversy over type of education. Two schools of thought were got emerged.
  
  
  • Orientalist school of Thought (money to be spent on Eastern system of education through vernacular languages)
    
    
  • Anglicist school of Thought (money to be spent on Western system of education through English medium).
  
  
• In 1823, "General Committee of Public Instruction" was instituted consisting of 10 members to settle the matter over type of education. 10 members were divided equally and could not conclude anything properly.
  
  
• In 1835, William Bentinck appointed Macaulay Committee. Macaulay Report (also called Macaulay Minute) recommended English education. English was declared as official language replacing Persian.
  
  
• First woman to graduate in India was Kadambini Ganguly from Calcutta University.

Education Committees in British India