Social Policy Development Pertaining to Education in India - Essay Example

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Social Policy Development Pertaining to Education in India of the of the Concerned 6 May Table of Contents1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................... 3 2.0 History of the British Rule in India ................................................... 3 3.0 Indian Education System under the British .......................................... 4 4.0 Policy Developments in the Period before and Immediately after ........ 6 Independence 5.0 Challenges Emerging in the 80s ............................................................ 8 6.0 Contemporary Challenges .................................................................... 10 7.0 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 12 Reference List ................................................................................................. 13 1.0 Introduction India is one of the ancient and the oldest surviving civilizations in the world. The nation is home to more than one billion people and is expected to become a super power in the times to come. As education plays a pivotal role in the development of any nation, this report tends to focus on the social policy developments in the sphere of education in India since independence. The report will touch on the impact of British influences on the Indian education system. The report will also delineate the challenges facing the nation in the area of education, the policy developments in that context and the impact of the external pressures on these policies. In the last part, the report will delve on the contemporary challenges facing India as to the delivery of quality education to its ever augmenting population. 2.0 History of the British Rule in India It was during the 16th century that the European explorers began their forays into India for business and commercial purposes. However, by the end of the 19th century, the United Kingdom emerged as a dominant political power in the Indian subcontinent. The British colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent between the period 1858 and 1947 is commonly referred to as the Raj (Mill & Thomas 1976). The British Raj in the Indian subcontinent primarily comprised of two areas that are one that were directly under the control and the administration of Great Britain and then there were the princely states that were under the dominion of the native rulers, who exercised their jurisdiction on behalf of the British Crown (Mill & Thomas 1976). Before the revolt of 1857, India was under the rule and control of the British East India Company. A formal system of governance under the British dominion was introduced in India in 1858 when the British East India Company passed over the control of India to the Crown then represented by Queen Victoria (Mill & Thomas 1976). Queen Victoria was formally proclaimed the empress of India in the year 1877. The British colonial rule in India lasted until 1947. The non-violent opposition and resistance to the British rule initiated and guided by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi finally brought freedom to India in 1947 (Mill & Thomas 1976). Indian scholars and historians respond to the British colonial rule with a mixed sentiment. Some hold the British responsible for depriving India of its economic prowess and wherewithal through a system of sustained exploitation. Then there are others who appreciate the British for introducing the policies and measures that led to the modernization of India. Perhaps, the truth lies somewhere between these two views. 3.0 Indian Education System under the British Modern education in India is the result of gradual evolution. History of education in India is closely linked up with the history of education in England. The beginnings of the modern system of education in India can be traced to the efforts of the Christian missionaries who poured into India in the wake of European traders (Willinsky 2000, p. 97). It was the Charter Act of 1813 that laid the foundation of English educational system in India (Willinsky 2000, p. 104). However, the General Committee of Public Instruction setup in 1823 for implementing the Charter Act was marred by a controversy, with some members favouring oriental learning in India, while the others bent on popularizing English literature and science (Willinsky 2000, p. 104). Lord Macaulay came to India as a Law Member of the Council of Governor General on June 10, 1834 (Basu 2010, p. 35). He was appointed the Chairman of the Society of Public Instruction of Bengal by Lord William Bentinck (Basu 2010, p.35). It was in this capacity that he drafted and put up the Macaulay Minute on February 2, 1835. In this Minute he clearly interpreted all the facts associated with the Charter Act and supported the Western education through English medium in India. On March 7, 1835, William Bentinck passed orders approving the Macaulay’s Minute, thereby making the first declaration by the Raj in the sphere of education in India (Basu 2010, p. 42). However, it was Lord Auckland who succeeded Bentinck, who drafted a Minute in 1839, allowing for a balancing of the Oriental disciplines and Western subjects in the Indian education system (Basu 2010, p. 42) The next step in the history of Indian education was the parliamentary enquiry into the conditions of India in 1853 (Basu 2010, p. 58). A committee was set up by the East India Company and the suggestions made by this committee were favourably considered by the board of directors. Mr Charles Wood was the Chairman of the Board of Control, so his declaration was named as Wood’s Despatch (Basu 2010, p. 58). The Despatch made revolutionary recommendation like placing the responsibility for education in India on British government, considering English to be the primary medium of education, establishment of the Department of Public Instruction, setting up of universities in Presidency towns, expansion of mass education, extending modern education to women and minority communities, introducing vocational courses in schools, linking education with employment and making the education system neutral in the context of religion (Basu 2010, p. 60-71). No doubt, Wood’s Dispatch is said to be the corner stone of Indian education. The achievements of Wood’s Dispatch were further bolstered by the recommendations made by the Indian Education Commission appointed by Lord Ripon in 1882, under the chairmanship of William Hunter (Ghosh 2007, p. 76). In that context, the Sadler Commission of 1917-1919 and Hartog Committee Report of 1929 also deserve to be mentioned (Ghosh 2007). The next landmark in the history of Indian education was the report of Sargent Commission, submitted by Sir John Sargent in 1944 pertaining to the post-war educational development in India (Ghosh 2007). Sargent Commission not only recommended a free, compulsory and universal primary education, but also made poignant recommendations regarding technical education, commercial and art education, adult education and the education of the handicapped (Ghosh 2007, p. 113). 4.0 Policy Development in the Period before and Immediately After Independence Though the British inputs and planning in the context of the Indian education system was plausibly pursued with the best of intentions, still the local thinkers and pressure groups had their differences. Mr Gopal Krishan Gokhale introduced a bill in the Imperial Legislative Council on 16th March 2011, for the gradual introduction of the principle of compulsion in the elementary education of the country (Deogirikar 1992, p. 61). But the bill was rejected by 38 votes to 13 (Deogirikar 1992, p. 61). Although Gokhale’s bill was rejected but it served a great purpose in the sense that it focused the attention of the entire country on education. During the early part of 20th century Indian leaders began to condemn the official system in vogue and demanded Indianisation of education. A society was formed for the promotion of National Education under the chairmanship of Guru Das Banerji in Bengal (Aggarwal 1984, p. 46). Noted Indian luminaries like Aurobindo Ghosh, Rabindra Nath Tagore, and Rashbehari Ghosh also took up the cause of National Education (Aggarwal 1984, p. 46). The main emphasis of this movement was on Indian control of education, Indian ideals of education, growth of Indian languages and the development of technical and national education. Just a few years after the independence of India, the Indian Union Government appointed University Education Commission under the Chairmanship of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the eminent educationist who later became the president of India (Aggarwal 1984, p. 83). The Commission was appointed to go into the various aspects of the university education in India and to suggest ways and means for the improvement and reorganization of the university education. Also the varied issues related to the secondary educations were reviewed by this Commission with respect to their correlation with the university education in India. The Commission noted that the secondary education was the weakest link in the overall Indian education machinery and it was in the need of urgent reforms. The Commission made detailed recommendations regarding the teaching staff, their service conditions, curriculum, and standards of teaching, research, post graduate teaching, professional education and examinations (Aggarwal 1984, p. 90). Taking a hint from the University Education Commission, the Secondary Education Commission was appointed by the Government of India on September 23, 1952 under the chairmanship of Dr A Lakshman Swami Mudaliar, the Vice Chancellor of Madras University (Aggarwal 1984, p. 112). The Commission was appointed to enquire into the existing position of secondary education and to suggest measures for its reorganization and improvement. The Commission submitted its report in June 1953 and presented recommendations on almost all the aspects of secondary education (Aggarwal 1984, p. 116). The Commission recommended the creation of a Higher Secondary system in the Indian education system. It also recommended the diversification of the existing courses. The Mudaliar Commission proposed a three language formula for imparting education in schools and placed emphasis on vocational and educational guidance. As per the recommendations of the Commission, much improvement was required in the methods of teaching and the quality of textbooks. It also suggested improvements in the examination system and the training of teaching personnel. Physical training of students and the betterment of the educational infrastructure were other issues that the Commission discussed. The single most comprehensive document that had a far reaching impact on the formulation of education policy in India was the Indian constitution. As per the Indian constitution, though education was declared to be a prerogative of the states constituting the Indian Union, the Central government was allocated an important role as far as the overall determination of policies, programs, priorities and planning techniques was concerned (Govinda 2002, p. 17). The Indian constitution allocated some functions exclusively to the Central Government like promoting educational relations with foreign countries, broadcasting information and ideas and the overall harmonization of educational activities and endeavours undertaken by the Centre and the states (Govinda 2002, p. 18). All the other aspects of education were placed in the concurrent list of the constitution, coming under the dominion of both the Centre and the states (Govinda 2002, p. 18). After independence, the biggest challenge before the nation was to curb the divisive tendencies inherent in the education system, which were believed to be a legacy of the British Raj (Willinsky 2000, p. 104). So the primary thrust of the Indian Constitution was to bolster the unity in diversity, while assuring social justice and equal access to opportunities for growth. 5.0 Challenges Emerging in the 80s Till the early 80s India had been pursuing a mixed approach towards economy with a gargantuan public sector (Ghosh 2002). The government was considered to be the primary employer and the education system was designed to respond to such aspirations (Ghosh 2002). However, soon India realized the need to open up the economy, in tandem with the developments taking place in the other Asian economies. Besides, India faced many internal and external challenges to its security and sovereignty (Ghosh 2002). The nation was in the dire need of an education system that facilitated an appropriate development of its human resources in response to the integration of the national economy with the outside world. Being a multicultural society, India also required an education system that bolstered the sense of national pride and identity, thereby cementing the internal and external security of the country (Ghosh 2002). Also, going by the fact that various states pursued their own educational policies that were not in consonance with the contemporary times, a need was felt for a common education system for the whole nation (Ghosh 2002). India being a caste based society, with the lower castes, women and religious minorities constituting the marginalized segments of the society, it was imperative for an education system to promote social justices and an equitable distribution of national wealth and resources to prevent dissatisfaction and dissent (Ghosh 2002). The need for promoting national integration also necessitated an education system that promoted understanding of the diverse cultures and social systems amongst the Indian youth. A fast growing economy also required investment in the requisite research and development (Ghosh 2002). A need was also felt for developing state of the art institutions of national importance in science, management and social sciences. With the growing role and participation of the women in the national workforce and economy, it was a must for the existing education system to be equitable and empowering (Ghosh 2002). The dissemination of the democratic ideals in the country and the optimal participation of citizens in the democratic processes also needed the dissemination of adult education on a wide scale. The fast developing electronic and digital media and the accompanying IT revolution facilitated new avenues for the spread of education. Need was also felt for tagging education system to the national objectives like eradicating hunger and malnutrition (Ghosh 2002). The existing education system was also in massive need for up gradation in terms of infrastructure and teacher training. The National Policy on Education (1986) was a direct response to the external and internal pressures and requirements that justified a large scale alteration in the existing system. The final draft of the National Policy on Education (1986) was preceded by a comprehensive document titled ‘Challenge of Education- A Policy Perspective’ released by the Ministry of Education in August 1985 (Ghosh 2002, p. 127). National Policy on Education was passed by the Lower House of the national parliament on May 8 and by the Upper House on May 13, 1986 (Ghosh 2002, p. 131). The National Policy on Education (1986) is considered to be the Magna Carta of the Indian education for the 21st century. It addressed most of the issues and concerns that the nation needed to respond to, so as to achieve its goal and objective of being a developed, secular and democratic society. This Policy touched all the stages of Indian education system, be it primary, secondary or University level. This Policy made special provision for the inclusion of the marginalized and sidelined sections of the society in the national mainstream. 6.0 Contemporary Challenges In many ways and perspective, India could be considered to be a modern and democratic nation with a fast growing economy that to a great extent is integrated with the outside world. In that context the challenges before the Indian education system are immense and multifarious. However, it would be pragmatic to touch upon a few issues that are of immense importance to India, being a mature and responsible member of the international community. Even in the 21st century, there exist socially culturally and economically deprived groups or sections of society in India. Here, the socially, culturally and economically deprived groups means those groups or people in the Indian society who have been unable to attain a satisfactory social, cultural and economic status and are thus subject to all sorts of harassments, difficulties and limitations in their life. Owing to their inferior social, economic and cultural status, they constitute the vulnerable and marginalized sections of the Indian population. Not to mention, the social disadvantage do mostly goes with economic weakness. Such groups include Scheduled Castes or Lower Castes, Scheduled Tribes, educationally and economically backward communities and the minority communities like Muslims (Ghosh 2007). So India does need such reforms in its education system that assures a just and equitable distribution of the fruits of economic growth and development. The cause of women education in India has received great encouragement both in private and public sectors in the recent years. The overall figures of women education at all stages have evinced an impressive advance (Aggarwal 1992). The contemporary Indian women are keen to study and educate themselves, as much as their resources allow. However, the educational opportunities for women further need to be increased and sufficiently improved. Investment in the education of its female citizens will make available to the Indian nation a wealth of capacity that has till today gone largely wasted because of a sheer dearth of educational opportunities. Population education is one other area where there exists a need for operational programs at the school level in India (Dahlman & Utz 2005, p. 53). Thus a vigorous movement for population education in the educational institutions is a must. Sex education is one other area where the Indian government has not been able to come out with a viable policy (Dahlman & Utz 2005, p. 57). This also includes education pertaining to AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Going by the pervasive International concern and an augmenting local awareness, environment studies do constitute a compulsory subject in India at school and college level (Govinda 2002, p. 82). Still, more emphasis needs to be made in this direction so as to sensitize the masses towards the goal of environmental conservation. In the last few decades, the human rights record of India has accrued much international attention. Thus there is much need to involve the young citizens in the cause of achieving a just and fee level right from the school level. India can certainly do much in this context. 7.0 Conclusion Subjugation is not an ideal state of existence for any nation, still the British Raj did one good thing that is it introduced and exposed the Indian education system to Western thought, literature and scientific knowhow. Not to say, the policy makers and administrators in the independent India did much to build on the start given by the Raj. The current economic growth and development of the modern India to a great extent testifies to the success of its education system and educational policies. Still, the policy developments in India need to go a step ahead to include the weaker and sidelined segments of the Indian population. Besides, India also needs to get over its cultural and political compulsions and hesitations to make way for the inclusion of such subjects and disciplines in its education system that are in tandem with the trends prevailing in the free and modern nations. Reference List Aggarwal, JC 1984, Landmarks in the History of Modern Education, South Asia Books, New Delhi. Basu, BD 2010, History of Education in India under the Rule of the East India Company, General Books LLC, London. Dahlman, Carl & Utz, Anuja 2005, India and the Knowledge Economy: Leveraging Strategies & Opportunities, World Bank, Washington, DC. Deogirikar, TR 1992, Gopal Krishan Gokhale, Publications Division, New Delhi. Ghosh, Suresh C 2002, The History of Education in Modern India, Sangam Books Ltd, New Delhi. Ghosh, Suresh C 2007, History of Education in India, Rawat Publications, Calcutta. Govinda, R 2002, Indian Education Report, Oxford University Press, London. Mill, James & Thomas, William 1976, History of British India, University of Chicago, New York. Willinsky, John 2000, Learning to Divide the World: Education at Empire’s End, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Read More