Anglicist-Orientalist Controversy in Indian Education

The Anglicist-Orientalist Controversy

• The Anglicist party included W.W. Bird, Saunders, C.E. Trevelyan, Calvin, and others.
• The Orientalists were H.T. Princep, Elliot, Macnaghten, Sutherland, and others.

Introduction of Western Education in India

• In 1835, Lord William Bentinck, the Governor-General of India, introduced Western education in India through the initiative of Lord Macaulay.
• Macaulay recommended the introduction of English education in India through the medium of English in his Minute (1835).
• The British government of India devoted one lakh of rupees to promote European literature and sciences among the natives of India.
• The medium of instruction was declared to be the English language alone.

Growth of English Education

• The demand for English education grew rapidly after 1835, particularly in Bengal.
• In 1835, the Calcutta Medical College was established to impart Western medical science to Indian students.
• In 1844, Lord Hardinge linked knowledge of English with government employment, giving preference to English-knowing Indians.

Women's Education and Iswarchandra Vidyasagar

• Iswarchandra Vidyasagar worked for the education of women, realizing that there could be no emancipation of women without education.
• He helped establish the Hindu Female School (Hindu Balika Vidyalaya) in 1849, which was later known as the Bethune Female School.
• Vidyasagar established many female schools in the districts, some of which were run at his own expense.
• He wrote and published his pioneering work Barnaparichay for beginners in 1855.

Indian Initiatives for the Spread of Western Education

• The introduction of Western education was a major factor in the Indian awakening.
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy and others worked to promote Western education in India.