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

3.4.9 Criticism of The Hunter Commission Recommendations Notes
The recommendations of the Commission have a special place in the history of Indian education.
The Commission tried to give a direction to Indian education which was in a bad shape. It drew the
attention of the Government towards the neglect of vocational education and over emphasis on
bookish education. The Commission encouraged private enterprises in the field of education. This
helped the development of education in the country.
However, some of the recommendations of the commissions have been very harmful. It was had
that the Commission neglected the clam of the mother tongue and supported English as the Medium
of instruction. Consequently the Indian languages were neglected. The suggestions of the
Commission’s to charge lower fee in private institution led to the opening of schools of lower
standard. Since education was entrusted to private enterprises, the Government become indifferent
to education of the people. This attitude ultimately harmed the cause of education. The government
was to control the inspection department according to the suggestions of the Commission. Hence
the governmental all control over education was tightened leading to loss of flexibility in education.
Through its inspectorate the government used to interfere in the working of institutions without
any resultant responsibility for their improvement.
Self Assessment:

3. State whether the following statements one ‘True’ or ‘False’ :
(i) Lahore university was established in 1869.
(ii) The Hunter Commission said that the curriculum for girls should not be different from
that of boys.
(iii) The commission encouraged private enterprises in the field of education.
(iv) According to commission the literary subjects would be useful for girls. They should
take any other subject.
3.5 Summary

• Lord Macaulay was appointed Law Member in the Governor General’s Executive Council.
He was a concurrently President of Committee of Public Instruction.
• Lord Macaulay had no knowledge of oriental culture and literature and his view about the
same had been unjust and uncharitable. He loved everything European and despised
everything Indian. Hence he had based outlook. He was more interested in farthering the
British interests in India than in any thing else.
• The advantage of Macaulay’s Minutes can be summarized as under:
1. A clear cut policy of education.
2. Definite purpose of education.
3. Establishment of English schools.
4. English as medium of instruction.
5. Proposition of filtration theory.
• The Minute of Lord Macaulay 1835 was accepted by Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835)
• Bentinck’ proclamation was the first declaration of the educational policy of the British
Government which it wanted to adopt in this country.
• The British rulers in India thought that in order to run the administration peacefully and
smoothly it was essential to make the higher classes blind followers of the Britishers. This
they wanted to achieve through educating the classes to be filtered to the common.
• The immediate aim of getting educated people to run the various jobs in the administration
was fully achieved. It also helped in creating a faithful class of people. It settled the
educational policy of the British rulers and education began to progress rapidly.

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