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Q76 (IAS/2018) History & Culture › Modern India (Pre-1857) › Colonial education policy Official Key

Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India ? 1. Charter Act of 1813 2. General Committee of Public Instruction, 1823 3. Orientalist and Anglicist Controversy Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is option D because all three factors collectively led to the introduction of English education in India.

The Charter Act of 1813 incorporated the principle of encouraging learned Indians and promoting knowledge of modern sciences, directing the Company[1] to sanction one lakh rupees annually for the revival, promotion and encouragement of literature, learning and science among the natives of India[2]. This laid the financial and legislative foundation for educational development.

The General Committee of Public Instruction was formed in 1823 with the responsibility to guide the East India Company on the matter of education and the medium of instruction. The Committee was split into two groups - the Orientalist group advocated education in vernacular languages while the Anglicists advocated Western education in English[3]. This institutional framework channeled the debate on educational policy.

The Orientalist-Anglicist controversy culminated when Macaulay wrote his famous 'Minute on Indian Education' in 1835, in which he argued for Western education in the English language[3]. Subsequently, the English Education Act was passed by the Council of India in 1835[4], formally introducing English education. All three elements were thus instrumental in this transition.

Sources
  1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 30: Development of Education > A Humble beginning by Charter Act of 1813 > p. 564
  2. [2] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > The Charter Act of 1813 > p. 505
  3. [3] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > b) Contribution of Colonial State: Macaulay System of Education > p. 5
  4. [4] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 1: Rise of Nationalism in India > b) Contribution of Colonial State: Macaulay System of Education > p. 4
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Q. Which of the following led to the introduction of English Education in India ? 1. Charter Act of 1813 2. General Committee of Public In…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 · 0/10
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This is a classic 'Chain of Causality' question. It does not ask for the final event (Macaulay's Minute) but the legislative root (1813), the institutional body (1823), and the ideological debate (Controversy) that paved the way. If you only memorized '1835', you failed; if you understood the story flow in Spectrum/NCERT, this was free marks.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Did the Charter Act of 1813 lead to the introduction of English education in India?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 30: Development of Education > A Humble beginning by Charter Act of 1813 > p. 564
Presence: 5/5
“The Charter Act of 1813 incorporated the principle of encouraging learned Indians and promoting knowledge of modern sciences in the country. The Act directed the Company to sanction one lakh rupees annually for this purpose. However, even this petty amount was not made available till 1823, mainly because of the controversy raged on the question of the direction that this expenditure should take. Meanwhile, efforts of enlightened Indians such as Raja Rammohan Roy bore fruit and a grant was sanctioned for Calcutta College set up in 1817 by educated Bengalis, imparting English education in Western humanities and sciences. The government also set up three Sanskrit colleges at Calcutta, Delhi and Agra.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly links the Charter Act's principle of promoting modern sciences to a sanctioned grant that aided Calcutta College (1817), which imparted English education.
  • Mentions government support measures and the role of Indian reformers (Raja Rammohan Roy) that translated the Act's educational provision into an English-medium institution.
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > The Charter Act of 1813 > p. 505
Presence: 4/5
“The 1813 Act sought to redress these grievances— ● The Company's monopoly over trade in India ended, but the Company retained the trade with China and the trade in tea. ● The Company's shareholders were given a 10.5 per cent dividend on the revenue of India. ● The Company was to retain the possession of territories and the revenue for 20 years more, without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Crown. (Thus, the constitutional position of the British territories in India was defined explicitly for the first time.) ● Powers of the Board of Control were further enlarged. ● A sum of one lakh rupees was to be set aside for the revival, promotion and encouragement of literature, learning and science among the natives of India, every year. (This was an important statement from the point of State's responsibility for education.) ● The regulations made by the Councils of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were now required to be laid before the British Parliament.”
Why this source?
  • States the Charter Act of 1813 allocated an annual sum for revival, promotion and encouragement of literature, learning and science among natives — a formal basis for state involvement in education.
  • Provides documentary proof that the Act included educational funding which could enable introduction/spread of modern (including English) education.
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 6: Administrative Organisation and Social and Cultural Policy > Spread of Modern Education > p. 120
Presence: 3/5
“the teaching of Western sciences and literature through the medium of English language alone. Lord Macaulay, who was the Law Member of the Governor-General's Council, argued in a famous minute that Indian languages were not sufficiently developed to serve the purpose, and that "Oriental learning was completely inferior to European learning" The Government of India acted quickly, particularly in Bengal, on the decision of 1835 and made English the medium of instruction in its schools and colleges. It opened a few English schools and colleges instead of a large number of elementary schools. This policy was later sharply criticised for neglecting the education of the masses.”
Why this source?
  • Describes the later decisive policy (Macaulay/1835) that made English the medium of instruction, showing the 1813 Act initiated state support while formal English-medium policy was consolidated later.
  • Helps place the 1813 Act in a chronological policy trajectory leading to wider introduction of English education.
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