Page 60 - SST Class 08

of the East India Company in India which are Madras. The universities were to be modelled
listed below :
1. To impart Western knowledge, information
about the western culture to the Indians.
2. To educate the natives of India so that a
class of public servants could be created.
3. To promote intellectual development and
also raise the moral character of the young
generation.
4. To develop practical and vocational skills of
the Indians people so that more and more
articles could be produced and also to
create a good market for consumption of
those goods.
Department of Education : The Wood’s
Despatch of 1854, for the first time, recom-
mended the creation of a Department of Public
Instruction in each of the five provinces of
Bengal, Bombay, Madras, Punjab and the North
Western provinces. The head of the department
would be called the Director and he was to be
assisted by a number of inspectors. The D.P.I.
had to submit an annual report to the govern-
ment about the educational progress in his
province.
Expansion of Mass Education : Another
major recommendation of the Wood’s Despatch
of 1854 was the expansion of mass education. It
was observed that the common people were
deprived of educational opportunities and
therefore much emphasis was given on the
increase of setting up primary, middle and high
schools. The Downward Filtration Theory as
proposed earlier was repudiated and in its place
importance to primary education was given.
Elementary education was considered to be the
foundation of the education system.
Establishment of Universities : The Wood’s
Despatch of 1854 recommended the establish-
ment of universities at Calcutta, Bombay and
Social Science-8
after the London University and these were to
have a senate comprising of a Chancellor, a Vice-
Chancellor, and fellows who were to be nomi-
nated by the Government. The Universities
would confer degrees to the successful candi-
dates after passing the examinations, (of Science
or Arts Streams) conducted by the Senate. The
universities were to organise departments not
only of English, but also of Arabic, Sanskrit and
Persian, as well as law and civil engineering.
Grant-in-Aid System : The Wood’s Despatch
of 1854 recommended the sanction of a grant-in-
aid system in the Indian educational system. To
educate the large number of people of India was
a difficult task and so the grant-in-aid system was
adopted by the government. It recommended a
system of grant-in-aid to encourage private
enterprise. Grants were given to those schools
and colleges which satisfied the conditions given
below :
1. The schools must provide secular education.
2. The school management should run the
school well.
3. The school should agree to state inspection
from time-to-time.
4. The schools should follow any rule pre-
scribed by the government for the regulation
of the grant.
5. The school must charge fees from the
students. Grants were given to the schools
for increasing the salaries of teachers,
construction of school buildings, granting
scholarships to students, improving condi-
tions of literaries, opening of science depart-
ment, etc.
Teaching of Language : The Wood’s Despatch
of 1854 gave importance to teaching of English,
but at the same time, it also stressed on the
teaching of Indian languages. The Despatch
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