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Unit 3 : Education in India during British Period: Macaulay’s Minutes, Wood’s Despatch and Hunter Commission

3. To supply the East India Company with reliable and capable public servants; and Notes
4. To secure for England a large and more certain supply of many articles, necessary for
her manufacturers and extensively consumed by her population, as well as an almost
inexhaustible demand for the produce of British labour.
The rules framed should be accepted for a categories of educational institutions, primary to
higher. The Company thought that the grant-in-aid system would encourage private enterprises
in the field of education and education would expand with a greater speed. This process would
ultimately eliminate need for Government schools and thus enough money would be saved.

3.3.6 Importance of Wood’s Despatch
“Wood’s Despatch is said to be the corner stone of Indian education. It is said to have laid the
foundation of our present system of education.” Says A. N. Basu, The dispatch was a statement
like document wisely worded and wide in outlook and the suggestions contained there in were
quite sound. It did lay out a plan for a comprehensive system of education for this country.” The
similar view has been expressed by Lord Dalhousie. It was a scheme of education for all India;
for wide and more comprehensive than the local or the Supreme Government could have ever
ventured to suggest.
The plan was comprehensive. It decided the structure of education in India. Previous to 1854,
education was conducted on piecemeal basis. Now it had a structure; at the base of which were
indigenous schools and primary schools and at the top were the universities. There was now a
department in each province to look after the state of education. The system of education now
started was well planned. It recommended the foundation of graded schools—Indingenous
Primary schools Middle schools, High schools, College, Universities–all over the country. It
introduced the system of grant-in-aid and thus sought the cooperation of private enterprise in
the field of education. It laid due emphasis on the education of girls. Our Governor General in
council has declared that the Government ought to give to the native women education in India
its frank and cordial support. It laid down foundation for vocational eduction which was been
so far uncared for vocational education was to be encouraged here after because the government
wanted to give employment facilities the educated people and also because it hoped the
vocationally trained persons would be more grateful to the Government. The Dispatch is
important for drawing the attention of the local administration to the improvement and
expansion of mass education. Compulsory religious education will not be encouraged at public
expense though it permitted missionaries to avail of state help if they gave their pupils a
freedom of absenting themselves from religious classes. It is also important because it laid
emphasis on the teaching of Indian languages.
3.3.7 Evaluation of Wood’s Despatch
Before Wood’s Despatch there were many educational documents in India but this is the most
important document. Foundation of the present system of education was laid through this
Despatch. The first period of British education contained early efforts of Missionaries, the
second period is famous for documents like Charter Act of 1813, Macaulay Minute and Wood’s
Despatch. In this sense it marks the end of second period. It influenced the development of
British system of education after wards for about one hundred years.
The Despatch put an end to the then controversies in education which had continued for about
hundred years. It is known as Magna Charta of Indian education.
The Wood’s Education Despatch is of immense historical significance and contained 100
paragraphs and deals with several questions of great educational importance. It set at naught
the controversy between the Auglicists and Classicists by laying down that they wanted
education which had for its object the diffusion of the improved arts, science, philosophy and
literature of Europe; in short of European knowledge. They favoured use of the English and the
Indian languages together. The Despatch opening of education departments in various provinces;
institution of universities at the three presidency towns; establishment of a network of graded

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