Education was considered as the greatest gift in ancient India. The real goal of the education is to fit a person for his work in life. Ancient Indian education was primarily the education of the “Vedas”. In Vedic period India evolved different systems of education in accordance with the changing needs of the time.
Philosophy of Life and Characteristics of Education in Ancient India:
The vedas are the original source of the Philosophy of life. The knowledge derived from the Vedas alone can give real happiness to an individual. The “Veda” means ‘to know’, but it is the Veda which inspires to get the knowledge of god. The ancient seers of India, though not very much to affairs have not neglected ‘Karma’.
Development of education can be studied under three important periods:
(A) Vedic Period (B) Brahmanic Period (C) Buddhist Period
Education in Vedic Period:
“No Doubt countries like china Egypt and Babylonia rank with India as being the cradles of ancient Civilizations, but no other country has left behind such enduring marks of heritage as India.”
According to Manusmriti, “This body is made godly by a through study of three Vedas.”
Vedic Period is the most significant period of India’s Cultural heritages. Vedas occupy a very important place in Indian Life. On the basis of Indian Culture Vedas, are four in number:
1. Rig-Veda 2. Sam Veda 3. Yajurveda 4. Atharvaveda.
Meaning of ‘Vedas’:
The Literal meaning of ‘Vedas’ is the knowledge and the ‘Vedas’ derived from ‘vid’ root meaning ‘to know’. Or ‘Veda’ means the knowledge of various types.
Aims of Vedic Education:
- Education for other world lines.
- Character formation.
- All round development for Personality.
- Intellectual Development
- Spiritual Development
- Preparation for living
- Preserving and Transmitting Culture
- Education only a means and not an end in itself.
Ideals of Education:
- Liberation.
- Control of mind.
Methods of Learning:
- Listening (Sarvana)
- Deliberation (Manana or Chintan)
- Meditation (Nidhidhyarama).
- Illustration
- Project Method
Characteristics of Vedic Education:
- Vedas are the eldest World Literature.
- Suitable age of education.
- Rig-Veda is the mirror of Ancient Indian culture and civilization.
- Perfection in Education.
- The main aim of Vedic education was to liberate the soul from worldly bondages.
- Equal rights to education for all.
- Ideal of teacher.
- Education standard in the family.
- Equal opportunity to gain education.
Agencies of Vedic Education:
There are three agencies of education:-
- Guru Kula
- Parishad
- Sammelan.
Objectives of Education:
- Religious Preaching’s.
- Knowledge of Literature.
- Spiritual Knowledge.
- Brahman Realization.
- Removal of Ignorance.
- Physical and Intellectual development.
- Inculcation of Civic and Social Virtues.
- Preservation and Spread of Culture.
- Immediate and Ultimate Aim.
Curriculum:
- Vedic Literature:
- The Rig-Veda.
- The Yajurveda.
- The Sam Veda
- The Atharvaveda
- Vedangas.
- Hetuvidya.
- Silpa-vidya.
- Physical Education.
- Stress on other worldliness.
Student life in Vedic Age: Student life in Vedic society was worked by a ritual called
‘Upanayana’.
After the decline of the Mugal Empire the progress of education in India slowed down. The establishment of the East India Company in India and its armed interference in the affairs of the native princes caused a great deal of political disorder. But when the British Parliament Compelled it to devote its attention to India’s educational system, it tried to support the existing system. The Hindu’Pathshalas’and the ‘Muslim Maktabs’ and “Madarsahs’.
- Establishment of Educational institutions by East India Company: The east India company’s charater of 1698 had directed the company to maintain schools of the kind called St. Mary’s Charity schools was started in madras in 1715. In 1725, European Christian missionaries had established seventeen schools for the children of the Hindus and Muslims and four missionary schools of the Christians. In 1804, The London Missionaries society established English schools in Ceylon Southern India and Bengal. The Christians missionaries came to be associated with the educational enterprise in India. They established their center at Serampore. They directed their educational activities from Serampore. They directed their educational activities from Serampore to convert Indians to Christianity. The missionaries had rendered valuable service to the cause of education in India. It was due to their efforts that the first missionary college was set up at Serampore in 1818, and the Bishop’s College was established in Calcutta in 1820.
The Officials of one East India company also prayed important role for the one spread of education. In 1781, Warren Hastings the first Governor-General of India, founded the ‘Calcutta Madras’ to qualify the sons of the Muslims through the Arabic medium for responsible. In 178, sir William Jones, a with the help of Warren Hastings, The Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal in Calcutta.
In 1816, established the Hindu college and developed into the famous presidency college in 1817. Raja Ram Mohan Rai started on English school at Calcutta to give free education to Hindu children.
- East India Company’s Charter of 1813: When the Charter of the company was required by the British Parliament in 1813, the responsibility of the company for the education of the Indians was recognized. In 1823, it was from one lac rupees the grants were offered to the Calcutta School Book society and the Calcutta school society. In 1824, two Sanskrit colleges were established, one at Calcutta in 1824, an other at Delhi in 1825. Before, 1835, there existed three kinds of schools”
- Vernacular Schools
- Christian missionary schools.
- The school of East India Company.
People linked the English medium of Instruction in stead of Sanskrit an Arabi medium of higher education.
Macaulay’s Minute of 1835
Lord Macaulay was to advise the government on its educational policy year 1813 may be referred as the beginning of the state system of education in India. Charter Act, 1813 did not specify the methods to secure the objects of ‘revival and improvement of literature’, ‘the encouragement of learned natives of India. Macaulay refrained from making any sweeping recommendations regarding the educational structure, he gave his famous MINUTE in February, 1835 about medium of instruction.
Main Features of Macaulay’s Minute:
· English as medium of instruction of Indian Education.
· English is a rich language and key to modern knowledge.
· Useful for bringing India renaissance.
· English language will civilize India.
· English literature and not Sanskrit of Arabic or Persian literature.
According to Lord Macaulay: “We want a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.”
· Great Importance to the education of the higher classes.
Approval of Macaulay’s Minute: Macaulay’s minute forwarded Mr. H.T.Princep the leader of the orient lists for recording his opinion. On March 7, 1835 William Bentinck passed orders for publishing a resolution.
3. Wood’s Dispatch (1854): Wood’s Dispatch Popularly known as Wood’s Educational Dispatch is the corner stone of Indian Education. It is some time been called magna Charta of India Education
Main Aim and Objectives of Wood’s Dispatch:
· Raise the Moral character.
· Make people of India familiar with work of European authors.
· Provide the east India company with educated.
Main Recommendations of Wood’s Dispatch:
· Main aim of education keeping in the view the interest of Indians and British Rule.
· Great importance of oriental languages
· Medium of instruction should be English.
· Establish department of Education and schools.
· Establishment of universities.
· Aim of education was to raise intellectual fitness and moral character of Indians.
· Government accepted the responsibility of the education of Indians.
· Wood emphasized the training of teachers.
· Wood dispatch recommended grants-in-aid to the educational institutions.
· Wood’s Dispatch great emphasis to women education.
· Wood’s Dispatch recommended that Muslim should be encouraged to gain more education.