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.

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-to-do 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

 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 degreegranting 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