Consider the following statements with respect to the recommendations ...
- Charles Wood prepared a despatch on an educational system for India in 1854. This document, known as the "Magna Carta of English Education in India," was the first comprehensive plan for the spread of education in India. o Charles Wood was a British Member of Parliament and a member of the Liberal Party. From 1846 to 1852, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer. Later, he was appointed President of the East India Company's Board of Control. He sent the "Wood's despatch" to Governor-General Lord Dalhousie in 1854.
- Wood’s Despatch - Recommendations o It asked the government of India to assume responsibility for the education of the masses, thus repudiating the ‘downward filtration theory’, at least on paper. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
- For the first time, Wood's Despatch recommended the establishment of a Department of Public Instruction in each of Bengal's five provinces: Bombay, Madras, Punjab, and the North-Western provinces.
- The expansion of mass education was another major recommendation of the Despatch. Because it was discovered that the common people lacked educational opportunities, much emphasis was placed on increasing the number of primary, middle, and high schools.
- The establishment of universities in the three Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras was recommended by the Despatch. The universities were to be modeled after the University of London. Hence statement 4 is correct.
- Departments of Arabic, Sanskrit, and Persian, as well as law and civil engineering, were to be established at the universities. Wood's Despatch advocated for the establishment of a grant-in-aid system in Indian education for private educational institutions.
- The Wood's Despatch emphasized the importance of teaching English while also emphasizing the importance of teaching Indian languages. It recommended that school education should be imparted in vernacular language. Hence statement 3 is not correct.
- The Despatch recommended that the government always support women's education.
- It recommended that teacher training schools be established in each province. Engineering, medicine, and law teachers should be trained in special schools.
- The Wood's Despatch advocated for the establishment of a nationwide network of graded schools.
- It advocated for imparting secular education in educational institutions. Hence statement 2 is correct.
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Consider the following statements with respect to the recommendations ...
Woods Despatch, also known as the Despatch on Education in India, was a landmark education policy introduced by Sir Charles Wood, the then President of the Board of Control for India, in 1854. It aimed to reform and improve the education system in India during British colonial rule. Let's analyze each statement in detail to determine which ones are correct:
1. Upholding the Downward Filtration Theory:
The Woods Despatch did not uphold the downward filtration theory. In fact, it rejected this theory, which advocated providing education only to the upper classes and allowing education to trickle down to the lower classes over time. The Despatch emphasized the importance of education for the masses and recommended the establishment of primary schools in every village.
2. Advocating Secular Education:
This statement is correct. The Woods Despatch recommended the imparting of a secular education in educational institutions. It emphasized the need for a broad-based education that included subjects like science, mathematics, history, and geography, along with moral and ethical values.
3. Recommending English as the Medium of Instruction:
This statement is incorrect. The Woods Despatch did recommend the use of English as the medium of instruction, but only at the higher levels of education such as colleges and universities. At the primary and secondary levels, it recommended the use of vernacular languages to make education more accessible to the masses.
4. Recommending the Establishment of Universities in Presidency Towns:
This statement is correct. The Woods Despatch recommended the establishment of universities in the three presidency towns of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay. These universities were intended to provide advanced education and promote research and scholarship.
In conclusion, the correct statements with respect to the recommendations of the Woods Despatch are:
- It advocated the imparting of secular education in educational institutions.
- It recommended the establishment of universities in presidency towns.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'B' - Only two statements.
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