Govt.

Degree College Kokernag, Anantnag, J&K

Department of Education
PPT Cum Notes Prepared by
Dr. Arif Hussain Bhat
(B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Ed., M.A, M.Phil., Ph.D. NET & SET)

Education (Batch 2020)

Sem 4th Unit-II Education in British India - I
Wood’s Despatch (1854)

Email: arifmuntazir1@gmail.com
 Wood’s Despatch 1854
Introduction
• Wood’s Educational Despatch which is also known as Magna Carta [Great
Charter or Great Paper] of Indian Education has a very important place in
the History of Education in India.
• It laid the real foundation of education in the country.
• Sir Charles Wood was president of the Board of control of East India
Company.
• The Despatch on education was submitted to the parliament on 19 th July,
1854.
 Main Recommendations:
1. Government’s acceptance of educational responsibility: The Despatch for the first
time clearly accepted that the responsibility of education in India lies on British
government. Wood in his Despatch mentioned that “among many subjects of
importance, none can have a strong claim to own attention than that of education”.

2. Aim of education: The Despatch defined the aim of education keeping in view
the ;interests of the Indians and British rule. The Despatch maintained that education is to
raise intellectual fitness and moral character of Indians. At the same time, it was to
prepare them to become supporters of British rule.

3. Establishment of department of public instruction: Wood’s Despatch recommended

the creation of a separate department of public instruction in each of the five provinces of
Bengal, Bombay, Madras, North-west provinces and Punjab. The department in each
province was to be under the officer to be called the Director of public instruction. He
was to be assisted by inspectors of schools who would make periodical reports of
educational work in their respective provinces
 4. Establishment of universities:
The Despatch suggested that universities should be established at: Calcutta (now
called as Kolkata), Bombay (now called as Mumbai) and Madras (now called as
Chennai). The Despatch recommended that the government should establish
universities which could be both affiliated and also examining bodies. Each
university should have a chancellor and a vice-chancellor and should be organized
on the pattern of London University which was to be taken as their model. The
universities should have a senate to frame rules for conducting examinations and
controlling funds and professorships for different branches of education.
The duties of the universities were to be as follows:
To grant affiliation to colleges.
To inspect the affiliated colleges and to raise their standard of teaching.
To hold examination and confer degrees.
To encourage the cultivation of vernacular languages.
To organize the departments of Arabic, Sanskrit and Persian.
 5. Establishment of graded schools:
The Despatch recommended the establishment of a network of graded
institutions all over the India. The hierarchy of these institutions would be
Primary school, Middle school, High school, College followed by university.

6. Medium of instruction:
The Despatch also dealt with question of the medium of instruction and
declared English as the most perfect medium of instruction but it should not be
insisted upon at all stages. It should be used only when a sufficient knowledge
of its use has been gained. It suggested that the books of western literature and
science should be translated into vernacular languages. Original books should
be written, and the writers should be rewarded and encouraged. The Despatch
gave importance to existing vernacular languages because it was through the
medium of vernacular language that European knowledge could filter down to
the masses.
7. Grant-in aid system:
The Despatch aimed that it was impossible for the government to develop a
comprehensive scheme of education for the whole country single handedly and
thus the necessity of building up system of grant in aid was stressed. The
Despatch recommended that grant-in aid system should be developed. The
private institutions should be given grant-in-aid for increase in teachers’
salaries, scholarships, libraries, construction of buildings etc.
The Despatch proposed to give grants to such school and colleges as would:
Satisfy government about the stability of their management.
Impart good secular education.
Be open to state inspection and Agree to any conditions which might be laid
down for the regulation of such grants.
 8. Training to teachers:
Regarding the training of teachers, the Despatch advocated the need for
establishing different types of training institutions and giving stipends to
teachers under training. It also recommended that the professional training in
law, medicine and civil engineering should come under the direct control of
universities.
9. Women education:
The Wood’s Despatch did not ignore the women’s education and gave a good
tribute to the persons who were engaged in this pious work. According to the
Despatch, “the importance of the female education in India cannot be
overrated”. It recommended frank and cordial support of the government to
the cause of female education and said that schools for females were to be
included among these to which grant-in-aid might be given.
 10. Muslim education:
it was found that Muslim community was lagging far behind in education. So
concerning Muslim education, Charles wood has said that Muslims should be
encouraged to attain education and various efforts should be made in this direction.
11. Expansion of mass education:
The Despatch admitted that mass education had totally been neglected. Therefore, the
Despatch instructed that useful and practical knowledge should be conveyed to the
masses. To achieve this purpose, the Despatch recommended the establishment of
increased number of Primary schools, Middle schools and High schools. It was
proposed that scholarships should be awarded to promising candidates. The indigenous
primary schools were regarded as the foundation upon which the fabric of education
could be erected.
12. Vocational education:
The Despatch pointed out the need of starting vocational schools and colleges for
imparting instruction in different vocations. Vocational education may be considered
as a necessity in order to prepare children for future life.