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

curriculum, methods of teaching, teachers training, finance and administration etc. The Notes
responsibility of imparting primary education was fixed on local bodies.
2. The curriculum should be framed according to local needs and its practical aspects properly
emphasised.
3. Mother tongue should be the medium of instruction at the primary stage. The
Commission was silent about the secondary stage. Hence, indirectly, it supported the
cause of English..
4. The Commission recommended the establishment of a model government high school
in each district.
5. At the secondary stage two types of courses were recommended. ‘A’ Type course was to
be pursued upto university level and ‘B” type course for providing vocational education.
Thus, the Commission laid special emphasis on the diversification of courses.
Thus, the recommendations of the Hunter commission (1882) gave a great set back to the efforts
of Christian missionaries. The individual efforts and local cooperation got due impetus and
encouragement. This led to Indianisation of education. The result was increased number of
schools and colleges. Grant-in-aid system was recognised by the government and emphasis was
laid on imparting useful knowledge.
But most important recommendation of the Commission was with regard to the development
and improvement of primary education. The practice of appointing Indian as school inspectors
in education departments was adopted. The government institutions observed a policy of
religious neutrality.
3.4.3 Subsequent Influence of the Report

Merits of the Report
1. It accepted the importance of primary education and gave detailed recommendations on
the improvement of its various aspects.
2. It evolved a systematic system of grant-in-aid.
3. It provided encouragement to indigenous system of education.
4. It gave encouragements to private initiative.
5. It laid down the policy regarding the role of missionaries.
6. It recommended diversification of courses at the secondary stage.
7. It attached importance to the spread of women education.

Limitations and Shortcomings of the Report
1. It was not a wide policy on the part of the government of withdraw gradually from the
secondary education sector.
2. Primary education was entrusted to organisations and institutions which were not
reasonably financially sound.
3. Recommendations on religious education were not realistic.
4. There was very high expectations from the Education Departments.
5. Grant-in-aid rules on the ‘basis of results’ was not a healthy practice.
6. Expansion of higher education resulted in dilution of standards.

What is Grand-in-aid system?

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