Indigneous Indian Education in the 18th century by Dharampal

[Guest guest]

Namaskar Mitra,

 

In October 1931 Gandhiji was invited to address the Royal Institute of

International Affairs, London where he made two observations. One ‘that

today India is more illiterate than it was fifty or hundred years ago’.

Two that ‘the British administrators instead of looking after education

and other matters which had existed began to root them out. They scratched the

soil and began to look at the root, and left the root like that and the

beautiful tree perished’. In a way this book seeks to substantiate

Gandhiji’s remarks with reports of surveys undertaken by the British in

the early 19th century. The book reproduces Reports of numerous Surveys

undertaken in Bengal, Punjab and Madras Presidency by the British (between

1800-1830) to give you the state of education in India around 1800.

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1062&sid=174. For

state of education in 3 key areas-

 

1. Adam's Report on Bengal -

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1065&sid=174&count1=3

2. Leitner's Report on Punjab -

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1066&sid=174&count1=4

3. Madras Presidency table on number of schools, students caste wise -

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1069&sid=174&count1=7

4. Young India articles - articles by Shri Daulat Ram Gupta defending Gandhi's statement of 1931.

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1070&sid=174&count1=8

 

Bullet Point Summary. -

http://www.esamskriti.com/html/new_inside.asp?cat_name=why&cid=1063&sid=174&count1=1

or see below.

Today Christian missionaries and some Indian Christians (converts) keep on

reminding Hindus of the pioneering role played by the Christian community in

the field of education. I wondered! If it is the Christians whom we have to

credit with educating us, how did numerous schools of Indian thought come into

being and importantly survive for thousands of years.

In England at the end of the 17th century there are Charity Schools whose main

purpose was that every child was to learn to read the Bible. Around 1802, the

monitorial method of teaching used by Joseph Lancaster (and also by Andrew

Bell, supposedly borrowed from India, Ibid pg 246, Note on Indian Education by

Alexander Walker quote ‘The children were instructed without violence and

by a process peculiarly simple. The system was borrowed from the Bramans and

brought from India to Europe.

Three approaches (seemingly different but in reality complementary to one

another) began to operate in the British held areas of India regarding Indian

knowledge, scholarship and centers of learning from about the 1770s. One they

needed to provide a background of previous precedents to the new concepts being

introduced by them. It was this requirement which gave birth to British

Indology. Two the conquest of the American civilization led to the

disappearance of all written records that existed. They did not want a repeat.

Three they wanted to spread Christianity. ‘

For England had few schools for the children of ordinary people till about 1800.

In his first report, Adam observed that there exist about 1,00,000 village

schools in Bengal and Bihar around the 1830s, not to talk of the rest of India.

 

It was unthinkable for the British that India could have had a proportionately

larger number receiving education than those in England itself.

The British asked its Collectors to collect district wise data on number of

schools and type of education that I have reproduced in article.

The actual situation, which is revealed, was different, if not quite contrary,

for at least amongst the Hindoos, in the districts of the Madras Presidency

(and dramatically so in the Tamil-speaking areas) as well as the two districts

of Bihar. It was the groups termed Soodras, and the castes considered below

them who predominated in the thousands of the then still-existing schools in

practically each of the areas.’ Madras Presidency 1822-25 Colectors

Reports show Soodra students at 50% of male students of 1,53,182, brahmins were

20%.

Adam’s 1st Report on Bengal. Survey of Post 1800 material. His

conclusions, one every village had atleast one school and in all probability in

Bengal and Bihar with 1,50,748 villages, there will still be 1,00,000 villages

that have these schools. Two on the basis of personal observation & evidence

collected he inferred there were app 100 institutions of higher learning in

each district meaning app 1,800 such institutions and 10,800 scholars in them.

In Punjab there were 3,30,000 pupils in 1850 as compared to 1,90,000 in 1882 as

per Leitner’s Report. Sanskrit books were used to teach grammar,

lexicology, mathematics, medical science, logic, law and vedant. Article

compares Nos attending schools in England & Madras Presidency 1811.

About one third of the total revenue (from agriculture & sea ports) were

according to ancient practice assigned for the requirements of the social &

cultural infrastructure till the British overturned it all. The British

increased the quantum of land revenue, made it payable twice a year at fixed

timed (irrespective of weather conditions), had to be paid in cash not produce

meaning the farmer had to sell his produce in the market to pay revenue

exposing himself to the vagaries of market pricing. These moves towards

centralization of revenue ensured that there was hardly any revenue to pay for

social & cultural infrastructure resulting in its death.

Consequences of Killing Indigenous Education System. One, it led to

an obliteration of literacy and knowledge of such dimensions amongst the Indian

people. Two, it destroyed the Indian social balance in which, traditionally,

persons from all sections of society appear to have been able to receive fairly

competent schooling. Three it is this destruction along with similar damage in

the economic sphere, which led to great deterioration in the status and

socio-economic conditions and personal dignity of those who are now known as

the scheduled castes; and to only a slightly lesser extent to that of the vast

peasant majority encompassed by the term ‘backward castes’. The

recent movements embracing these sections to a great extent seem to be aimed at

restoring this basic Indian social balance. Four & most importantly, till today

it has kept most educated Indians ignorant of the society they live in, the

culture which sustains this society, and their fellow beings; and more

tragically, yet, for over a century it has induced a lack of confidence, and

loss and bearing amongst the people of Indian in general.

High number of Muslim scholars in Malabar 4318.

Madras Presidency Report by J Dent, Secretary, Fort St George dated 21/2/1825

shows that only 7 % of the total number of scholars were Muslims. Meaning then

& today it the Muslims continue to pay less attention to education. Be it

England or India does not matter.

See you at the site,With Prem & Om, Share the Wealth

sanjeev