What is Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means

through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives
on from one generation to the next.
Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a
formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. In its
narrow, technical sense, education is the formal process by
which society deliberately transmits its accumulated
knowledge, skills, customs and values from one generation
to another.

e.g., instruction in schools.

Education in Ancient India

The history of education in ancient India is
fascinating and is recorded and can be tracked
to the ancient era. Education in ancient India
began around the 3rd century B.C with
elements of religious training and impart of
traditional knowledge. Sages and scholars
imparted education orally .Palm leaves and
barks of trees were used for writing.

Gurukula System
Education in ancient india was more identified
with the Gurukula system .
These ancient Hindu schools in India were
residential in nature with the sishyas or
students living in the same house with the
Guru or the teacher .
The students lived together irrespective of
their social standing .

Brahmacharyam
Ancient indians allotted a period of time for the
boys exclusively for education .
Through Upanyana, a student was initiated in to
Brahmacharyam .During this period he was under
complete self discipline and self control .All sorts
of luxuries and pleasures were to be avoided
This period was called as Brahmacharyam where
the students concentrated on learning various
subjects.

Subjects Taught
In ancient India, during the Vedic period from about
1500 BC to 600 BC, most education was based on the
Veda and later Hindu texts and scriptures.
Vedic education included: proper pronunciation and
recitation of the Veda, the rules of sacrifice, grammar,
understanding the secrets of nature, reasoning including
logic, the sciences, and the skills necessary for an
occupation.
There is mention in the Veda of herbal medicines for
various conditions or diseases, including fever, cough,
baldness, snake bite and others.

 The oldest of the Upanishads - another part of

Hindu scriptures - date from around 500 BC. These
texts encouraged an exploratory learning process
where teachers and students were co-travellers in a
search for truth.
The teaching methods used reasoning and
questioning.

 Two epic poems formed part of ancient Indian

education. The Mahabharata, discusses human
goals. Attempting to explain the relationship of the
individual to society and the world .
The other epic poem, Ramayana, explores themes
of human existence and the concept of dharma.

 The teacher imparted knowledge of Philosophy,

Literature, Warfare, Statecraft, Medicine, Astrology
and History.
The corpus of Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich
tradition of poetry and drama as well as technical
scientific, philosophical and generally Hindu
religious texts, though many central texts of
Buddhism and Jainism have also been composed in
Sanskrit.

Gurudakshina
Education was free, but students from well-todo families paid "Gurudakshina," a voluntary
contribution after the completion of their
studies.

Education in the Medieval Period

The first millennium and the few centuries preceding it saw
the flourishing of higher education at Nalanda, Takshila,
Ujjain, & Vikramshila Universities. Art, Architecture,
Painting, Logic, Grammar, Philosophy, Astronomy,
Literature, Buddhism, Hinduism, Arthashastra (Economics
& Politics), Law, and Medicine.
Takshila specialized in the study of medicine, while Ujjain
laid emphasis on astronomy. Nalanda, being the biggest
centre, handled all branches of knowledge, and housed up
to 10,000 students at its peak.

 Education in medieval India expressed a new

perspective in the 11th century .
The muslim established the elementary and
secondary schools .
This further let to the commencement of
universities like Delhi, Lucknow and Allahabad .
There was a fresh interaction between Indian and
Islamic traditions in the fields of knowledge like
theology ,religion , philosophy ,fine arts ,painting
,architecture, mathamatics ,medicine and
astronomy .

 Muslim rulers promoted urban education by

building libraries and literary societies .primary
schools called maktabs were established and
reading writing and basic Islamic prayers were
taught.
Secondary schools called Madrasas taught
advanced language skills .
These were setup by sultans nobles and other
influential ladies.
a scholars from Madrasa would be eligible for civil
service and to become a judge.

Education in Modern India

The educational system which the British
introduced teaching of English language was
given greater emphasis and the study of
languages like Arabic ,Persian and Sanskrit
were left to individual efforts .

OBJECTIVES

The English introduced modern education

To reduce the expenditure on administration
To encourage the study of English language
To expand market for English goods
To spread Christianity
According to Lord Macaulay after receiving
modern education Indians would remain Indians
only in their colour while their interests, ideas
,morals and Intelligence.

Steps taken by the British to Introduce

Western Education in India
1784 A.D. Asiatic society of Bengal was
founded by sir .William Jones this society
started several English Schools and Colleges .
The missionaries started Wilson College at
Bombay , Christian College at Madras,
St,Johns College at Agra .
Progressive Indians like Rajaram Mohan Roy
also started colleges where English was taught

 Charter act of 1813A.D. paved way for setting

aside 1 lakh of rupees for promoting the
knowledge of modern sciences.
But sadly this money was not used for many
years and there was a controversy about the
medium of learning .
Between 1828 and 1835 A.D. Willam Bentinck
along with Lord Macaulay and Rajaram Mohan
Roy encouraged English learning .

 Lord Harding decided that only Indians with

English knowledge will be appointed in
government jobs .
Charles Woods despatch -1854 A.D. enabled
educational departments to be established in
every province and universities were opened
at Calcutta Bombay and Madras in 1857 A.D.
Atleast one government school in each district

 The Raj, often working with local philanthropists,

opened 186 universities and colleges of higher
education by 1911; they enrolled 36,000
students. By 1939 the number of institutions had
doubled and enrollment reached 145,000.
The curriculum followed classical British
standards of the sort set by Oxford and
Cambridge and stressed English literature and
European history.
Nevertheless by the 1920s the student bodies
had become hotbeds of Indian nationalism.

Education in the post Independence era

After independence, education became the

responsibility of the states.
The Central Government's only obligation was
to co-ordinate in technical and higher
education and specify standards.
This continued till 1976, when the education
became a joint responsibility of the state and
the Centre.

 Education in India falls under the control of both

the Union Government and the states, with some
responsibilities lying with the Union and the
states having autonomy for others.
The various articles of the Indian Constitution
provide for education as a fundamental right.
Most universities in India are controlled by the
Union or the State Government.
India has made progress in terms of increasing
primary education attendance rate and
expanding literacy to approximately two thirds of
the population.

 India's improved education system is often

cited as one of the main contributors to the
economic rise of India.
Much of the progress especially in Higher
education, Scientific research has been
credited to various public institutions.

 However, India continues to face stern

challenges. Despite growing investment in
education, 25% of its population is still
illiterate; only 15% of Indian students reach
high school, and just 7%, of the 15% who
make it to high school, graduate.

 As of 2011 there are 1522 degree-granting

engineering colleges in India with an annual
student intake of 582,000, plus 1,244
polytechnics with an annual intake of 265,000.
However, these institutions face shortage of
faculty and concerns have been raised over
the quality of education.

 Value based education is a three fold

development of any individual of any gender
and age, but most importantly of a child.
Education tries to develop three aspects:
physique, mentality and character.
Even though physique and mentality are
important, they are menaces without the third
because character is the greatest of these.
Education plays a huge role in precisely this
area.

 The failure in academic learning is closely

linked to the failure to nurture values and
sensitivity to others and nature