Timeline of Milestones in Indian Education - 17th Century onwards

timeline

1600: East India Company receives its charter

1698: Charter act required the company to maintain priests and schools for its own staff and their children

1793 - 1835: The approach to education was to continue what [[people-Warren Hastings]] did - encourage Hindu and Muslim culture, education and practices by supporting some centers of higher learning and printing books in Persian and Sanskrit. Hastings believed people had a right to be governed by their own laws. The company under Hastings also did not allow missionaries to open schools in India. They did not want the preaching of Christian missionaries to inflame Indian opinion.

1793 - 1813: East India Company did not allow missionaries to work in India. The company did not interfere in Indian education system.

1813: In the [[Charter Act of 1813]], Governor-General-in-Council introduced a clause that directed the company to set aside a sum of one lakh rupees a year for the revival and improvement of literature and encouragement of the learned natives in India and promotion of the knowledge of science among the inhabitants of the British territories in India. This was the beginning of British education system in India. The charter act led to many controversies and disagreements about the aims, agencies, methods, medium of instruction, etc.

1823: General committee of public Instruction was set up by the Governor-General-in-Council in Calcutta to implement the 1813 legislation. Majority members of the committee were orientalists who subscribed to [[concept-orientalism]]. The committee decided to spend major portions of the grant for the improvement of Oriental literature. However, the attitude towards the importance of English education kept changing due to the missionaries as well as the growing importance of knowledge of English for administrative positions. The court of directors of the company was in favor of English education. The controversies went on without resolution.

1833: Charter act came up for renewal after 20 years. While renewing the charter act, British Parliament increased the sum of money to be spent on education in India to one million rupees from one lakh rupees stipulated in 1813.

1835: The arguments were put before [[people-Lord Macaulay]], who supported the spread of western learning through English as the medium of instruction, in a forceful minute [[artifact-Macaulay’s minute]]. Lord William Bentinck accepted the minute and the English Education Act of 1835 was legislated. In 1837, English was adopted as the language of courts of law and in 1844, high posts were thrown open to Indians. This eventually led to English education taking off in the country. With this, [[concept-anglicism]] won over [[concept-orientalism]].

1841: First Engineering College in the country

1842: First Industrial school

1849: Calcutta Female School was opened by John Bethune in Calcutta, with financial support from Dakshinaranjan Mukherjee. This was taken over by the British Government and renamed Bethune School in 1856. This was the first British school for girls. [[theme-women’s education]]

1853: The charter act was up for renewal after another 20 years. A selection committee set up by the British Parliament studied the issue of education in India and reported that the question of Indian Education should not be ignored. At this time, Sir Charles Wood was the president of the board of control, the chief official in London, responsible for overseeing the affairs of the East India Company.

1854: Sir Charles Wood sent a dispatch to [[people-Governor General Dalhousie]] on the general education in India. This is known as [[artifact-Wood’s Dispatch]].

British Government in London constituted General Council of Education in India.

1858: East India Company is abolished and crown takes direct control of the government in India.

1882: Indian Education commission [[institutions-Hunter commission 1882]] was constituted by Lord Ripon. 7 of the 20 members were Indian. Hunter commission recommended focus on primary education. Indigenous schools should be encouraged and incorporated into the official system. Grand-in-aid system for secondary education, schools to be run by Indians.

Education of the masses, female education, education for backward classes and untouchables - what did Hunter commission do about this?

Five yearly systematized education data collection started.

1902: Indian University Commission

1904: Government of India Resolution on Education Policy

1917-19: Sadler Commission also known as Calcutta university commission

1919: [[artifact-Government of India Act 1919]] #montagueChelmsfordreforms

1927: Simon commission to review the working of the 1919 act.

1929: Hartog Committee was an auxiliary committee of the Simon commission.

1932: B.Ed. was started in Andhra University

1935: control of provincial misters and legislature

1936-37: Abbot and Wood committee on vocational education - Delhi Polytechnic

1937: Wardha Scheme

Sergeant report

1948 University Education Commission S. Radhakrishnan

1951 IIT Kharagpur started. by 1961, IITs in Bombay, madras, Kanpur and Delhi were established. IIT Guawahati started in 1995.

1952-53 Secondary Education commission Dr. AL Mudaliar

1961 JEE started

1964-66 Kothari Commission

1985: challenge of education - a policy perspective by Ministry of education under Rajiv Gandhi government

1986 National Education Policy

1990 Rammurthy Review Committee review of national policy of education 1986 - introduced entrance exams?