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Development of Education System

Notes schools all over India; financing of education through the grant-in-aid system and opening of
Training schools for teachers i.e. normal schools.

What is the aim of education according to wood’s despatch?

3.3.8 Merits of Wood’s Despatch:
Following are the merits of Wood’s Despatch”
1. Educational Policy: Through Wood’s Despatch, British Parliament, for the first time made
an attempt to decide the educational policy of India and made it constitutional. Before
this, there was no policy of education for Indians. Through this Despatch they decided for
the first time their policy about education system in India.
2. Educational Responsibility: This Despatch brought about a revolutionary change in the
educational policy of the British Government. It declared that Indian education was the
duty and responsibility of the British government.
3. Importance of Indian literature and culture: The Despatch recognized the importance and
utility of Indian literature, culture and knowledge. It recommended the inclusion of Sanskrit,
Arabic and Persian language and literature in the curriculum along with the western
knowledge.
4. Indian languages as medium of instruction: Charles Wood also recognized Indian
languages as the medium of instruction along with English.
5. Department of Public Instruction: To run properly the education schemes of India, the
Despatch suggested for setting up Department of Public Instruction in each province with
the Director of Public Instruction, Deputy Directors etc. Thus it prepared an administrative
set up for education.
3.3.9 Demerits of Wood’s Despatch
1. The Despatch set up the defective system of education. Education remained as a means for
earning livelihood and not a means for obtaining knowledge.
2. The pattern of proposed universities was purely foreign. The Despatch took the idea of
London University for Indian universities. Thus the universities established on the basis of
its recommendations became British in nature and spirit. They were not Indian in character.
3. The Despatch gave priority to English. The government was spending the major portion
or almost all the allotted money for the education in the development and extension of
English schools.
4. The main purpose of the Despatch was to spread western knowledge.
5. Due to the recommendations of the Despatch, the Education Department was set up in
each province and the education went under the direct mechanical control of the
government.
Self Assessment
2. Multiple choice questions: Choose the correct option
(i) Bood’s despatch on education in .................... laid the foundation of Indian education
system and the establishments of universities in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai.
(a) 1890 (b) 1854 (c) 1870 (d) 1860
(ii) According to despatch, for the higher education the chief medium of instruction would
be ......................... .
(a) Russian (b) German (c) English (d) French

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