Primary Education in India and Assam: AHSEC Class 11 Education

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Get summaries, questions, answers, solutions, notes, extras, PDF and guide of Class 11 (first year) Education textbook, chapter 7 Primary Education in India and Assam, which is part of the syllabus of students studying under AHSEC/ASSEB (Assam Board). These solutions, however, should only be treated as references and can be modified/changed. 

Summary

Primary education is a crucial stage in the educational structure of India and Assam, forming the foundation for the development of mass literacy, which is essential for economic growth, modernization, and the functioning of democratic institutions. India’s education history is rich, with ancient and modern periods each contributing uniquely to its development.

In ancient India, education was imparted through indigenous institutions such as Gurukulas, Pathsalas, Tols, Satras, Maktabs, and Madrasas. Gurukulas were residential schools where students lived with their teachers (Gurus) and learned a variety of subjects, including the Vedas, history, and mathematics. Pathsalas and Tols were centers of Hindu education, focusing on classical languages and religious teachings. Satras, established by Vaishnava saint Sankardeva in Assam, served social and educational needs. Maktabs and Madrasas catered to Muslim children, offering instruction in Islamic teachings and general education.

The arrival of Christian missionaries in the 15th century marked a significant shift. They established schools to educate the indigenous population and convert them to Christianity. Missionaries like the Danish missionaries in Madras and the Serampore Trio in Bengal made notable contributions. In Assam, the American Baptist Mission Society, led by Nathan Brown and Oliver Cutter, and the Welsh Missionary Society established numerous schools and played a pivotal role in promoting education.

During British rule, several legislative measures and commissions aimed to improve education. The Charter Act of 1813 was a landmark, allowing missionaries to spread education and laying the foundation for a state education system. Macaulay’s Minute in 1835 promoted English education, leading to the Anglicist-Classicist controversy. Wood’s Despatch of 1854 was another significant milestone, advocating for the establishment of a network of schools and universities.

The Hunter Commission of 1882 recommended encouraging indigenous schools and integrating them into the official education system. It also suggested financial support for these schools and the training of teachers. Lord Curzon’s Educational Policy in 1904 aimed to improve the quality of education, and Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11, although unsuccessful, highlighted the need for compulsory primary education.

The Assam Primary Education Act of 1926 extended compulsory education to all children aged six to eleven in Assam. It required local authorities to introduce compulsory education schemes and provided for government funding to support these initiatives.

Post-independence, India focused on universalizing primary education. Article 45 of the Indian Constitution mandates free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years. Various programs like the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC), District Primary Education Programme (DPEP), and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) were launched to achieve this goal. SSA, in particular, aims to provide quality education to all children aged 6-14 by 2010, with a focus on bridging social, regional, and gender gaps.

Textbook questions and answers

1. What were the objectives of Ancient Education System in India? 

Answer: The objectives of the Ancient Education System in India were to develop:

• Spiritual development
• Character building
• Preservation of culture and tradition
• Vocational skills
• Formation of ideal citizens
• Preparation for life in society
• Intellectual growth
• Development of personality.

2. Discuss briefly about the following : (a) Gurukula (b) Pathsala (c) Tols (d) Satra (e) Maktab (f) Madrasah or Madrassa (g) Serampore Trio 

Answer: (a) Gurukula: During the Vedic period, students resided with their Guru (teacher) in a Gurukula, receiving holistic education encompassing Vedas, Puranas, grammar, mathematics, and more. The Guru played a central role, imparting knowledge through verbal instruction and nurturing students’ overall development.

(b) Pathsala: Pathsalas served as centers of religious education, primarily for Hindu children. Pundits (scholars) taught classical languages, mainly Sanskrit, with a focus on religious texts and scriptures.

(c) Tols: Similar to Pathsalas, Tols specialised in Sanskrit education. These institutions, often supported by grants and donations, provided free education, emphasising traditional knowledge and scriptures.

(d) Satra: Unique to Assam, Satras are socio-religious institutions established by the Vaishnava saint Sankardeva. They played a vital role in promoting Assamese art, culture, and spiritual growth.

(e) Maktab: Maktabs served as primary schools for Muslim children, usually attached to mosques. The emphasis was on teaching the Arabic alphabet, religious prayers, and Islamic values.

(f) Madrasah or Madrassa: Madrasahs provided higher Islamic education, covering subjects like Arabic grammar, literature, logic, philosophy, and religious law. They served as centers of advanced Islamic learning.

(g) Serampore Trio: Comprising Baptist missionaries William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward, the Serampore Trio actively promoted Christianity and education in Bengal. They established schools, translated the Bible, and contributed significantly to the development of education in the region.

3. ‘Monitorial system’ or ‘Bell system’ 

Answer: The “Monitorial System,” or “Bell System,” was a method of education used to address teacher shortages, particularly in missionary schools. It involved using senior or more knowledgeable students as “monitors” to help teach younger students. Essentially, one teacher would train a group of older students on the lesson material, who would then relay that information to groups of younger pupils.

Dr. Andrew Bell, the superintendent of an orphanage in Madras, is credited with formalizing this system, hence the name “Bell System.” This approach aimed to maximize limited teaching resources and reach a larger number of students. It was seen as a cost-effective way to expand access to education during a time when trained teachers were scarce.

4. Write briefly about the ‘contributions of early missionaries in Assam’. 

Answer: Early missionaries in Assam, arriving after the Yandaboo Treaty of 1826, made significant contributions:

• Education: Established numerous schools, including those in remote areas, promoting literacy and basic education.
• Language and Literature: Played a crucial role in reviving the Assamese language, establishing printing presses, translating the Bible into Assamese, and creating the first Assamese-English dictionary and grammar book.
• Social Reform: Worked towards improving healthcare, introducing new agricultural techniques, and advocating for the rights of indigenous communities.
• Cultural Preservation: Contributed to documenting and preserving Assamese culture and traditions through their writings and interactions with local communities.

5. Write briefly : (a) The Charter Act of 1813 (b) Hunter Commission of 1882 (c) Anglicist Classicist Controversy (d) Macaulay’s Minute (e) Anglicist Classicist Controversy

Answer: (a) The Charter Act of 1813: This act renewed the East India Company’s charter and allocated a sum of ₹1 lakh for the “revival and improvement of literature” and the promotion of knowledge in India. This marked the beginning of the British government’s formal involvement in Indian education.

(b) Hunter Commission of 1882: Officially known as the Indian Education Commission, it was formed under the chairmanship of Sir William Hunter to review the progress of education in India since the Despatch of 1854. It made recommendations for the expansion and improvement of education, particularly at the primary level.

(c) Anglicist Classicist Controversy: This debate centered around the medium of instruction in Indian education. Anglicists favored English, believing it would modernize India and provide access to Western knowledge. Classicists advocated for indigenous languages, arguing for the preservation of Indian culture and traditions.

(d) Macaulay’s Minute: Written in 1835 by Lord Macaulay, who favored Anglicist views, this minute heavily influenced the British decision to adopt English as the medium of instruction in higher education. Macaulay believed in creating a class of “interpreters” fluent in English to bridge the gap between the British rulers and the Indian population.

6. Discuss the importance of Woods Despatch of 1854 in the field of Indian education. 

Answer: Its significance lies in these key areas:

• Government Responsibility: It explicitly stated that the British government was responsible for educating the Indian people, a shift from the previous laissez-faire approach.
• Establishment of a System: It laid the groundwork for a structured education system in India. This included creating a Department of Education in each province, establishing universities in major cities, and promoting a graded system of schools from primary to higher education.
• Emphasis on English: It firmly endorsed English as the medium of instruction for higher education, solidifying Macaulay’s earlier proposal. This decision had long-lasting impacts on Indian intellectual life and administration.
• Grants-in-Aid System: It introduced a system of grants-in-aid to support private schools that met government standards. This fostered the growth of private educational institutions in India.
• Focus on All Levels: The Despatch didn’t solely concentrate on higher education. It acknowledged the importance of primary education, advocating for its expansion, particularly vernacular primary schools.

7. Mention the important suggestions of Woods Despatch for the development of primary education in India. What were their effects? 

Answer: Woods Despatch of 1854 is a landmark in the history of Indian education, providing a blueprint for a modern educational system. Key suggestions include:

• State Responsibility: Emphasized government responsibility for educating the Indian populace.
• Education Departments: Recommended establishing Education Departments in each province to manage educational affairs.
• Graded Schools: Proposed a network of graded schools from primary to university levels for a structured system.
• Medium of Instruction: Suggested vernacular languages for primary education to ensure accessibility, with English for higher education.
• Teacher Training: Stressed the importance of teacher training and proposed establishing training institutions.
• Grant-in-Aid System: Introduced financial assistance for private schools meeting certain standards, encouraging expansion.
• Indigenous Institutions: Emphasized supporting and integrating indigenous schools into the official education system.
• Female Education: Advocated promoting female education and recommended incentives to encourage enrollment.

Effects of Woods Despatch

• Educational Infrastructure Expansion: Led to the creation of numerous primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions across India.
• Increased Enrollment: Use of vernacular languages for primary education made schooling more accessible, increasing enrollment rates.
• Improved Teaching Standards: Better-trained teachers improved the quality of education.
• Promotion of Female Education: Special incentives led to a gradual increase in girls attending school.
• Financial Support for Schools: Grant-in-Aid system supported the development and expansion of private and indigenous schools.
• Integration of Indigenous Education: Indigenous institutions were preserved and promoted alongside modern ones.
• Foundation for Modern Education: Laid the groundwork for a modern educational framework, influencing future policies and reforms.

8. Why is the Despatch of 1854 known as the ‘Magna Carta’ of Indian Education? Dicuss. 

Answer: The Despatch of 1854 is known as the ‘Magna Carta’ of Indian Education because it laid down a comprehensive scheme for the development of education in India, marking a significant and foundational step in the formalisation of the educational system in the country. Here are the reasons why it is referred to as the ‘Magna Carta’ of Indian Education:

Comprehensive Scheme:

• The despatch provided a detailed blueprint for the development of education at all levels, including primary, secondary, and higher education.
• It proposed the establishment of a systematic structure of education, which included the creation of a Department of Education in each province, the establishment of universities in the Presidency towns, and the formation of a network of graded schools.

State Responsibility:

• It recognised education as a state responsibility, insisting that the British government should play a significant role in educating the Indian populace.
• The despatch advocated for the government to provide liberal grants for the growth of both higher and primary education.

Medium of Instruction:

• The Despatch upheld the view that English should be the medium of instruction for higher education, following Lord Macaulay’s recommendations.
• It also acknowledged the importance of vernacular languages in primary education, promoting a bilingual approach to education.

Grants-in-Aid System:

• It introduced the system of grants-in-aid to support private educational institutions, thus encouraging private participation in education alongside state efforts.
• This policy aimed to provide financial assistance to deserving institutions, promoting the expansion and improvement of education.

Emphasis on Professional and Vocational Education:

• The despatch highlighted the need for professional education, recommending the establishment of institutions for technical and vocational training.
• It stressed the importance of training teachers and providing stipends to those in training.
• Promotion of Women’s and Indigenous Education:
• It emphasised the need for the education of women and the development of indigenous schools, advocating for a more inclusive approach to education.
• The despatch suggested a policy of neutrality in religious education, aiming to provide secular education to all communities.

Employment and Scholarships:

• It proposed the provision of scholarships and employment opportunities for educated Indians, aiming to create a more skilled and knowledgeable workforce.
• The Despatch recommended measures to ensure that education would lead to tangible benefits in terms of employment and social mobility.

9. State briefly the Curzon’s educational policy. 

Answer: Lord Curzon’s educational policy, implemented during his tenure as Viceroy of India from 1899 to 1905, aimed to reform and improve the Indian education system at all levels. His policy involved several key measures:

Shimla Education Conference (1901): Curzon convened a conference with Directors of Public Instruction and Christian missionaries to discuss the problems and reforms needed in Indian education from primary to higher levels. The conference resulted in several resolutions sent to provincial governments for feedback.

Indian Educational Policy Resolution (1904): Based on the conference’s outcomes, Curzon issued a resolution on March 11, 1904, detailing reforms in elementary, secondary, university, and vocational education.

Primary Education: Curzon focused on expanding primary education, especially in backward areas, by increasing government funding, revising curricula, and improving teacher training and salaries. He sought to replace the grant-in-aid system based on examination results with more scientific methods of funding.

Secondary Education: Curzon addressed issues in private secondary schools by enforcing government recognition and improving the quality of education through increased grants, better teacher training, and a strengthened inspectorate.

Higher Education: Curzon’s reforms included the establishment of the University Commission in 1902, leading to the University Act of 1904, which aimed to elevate the standards of university education and promote learning.

Vocational and Agricultural Education: He promoted vocational and agricultural education by establishing institutions like the Central Research Institute at Pusa and encouraging agricultural colleges in provinces.

Other Reforms: Curzon also focused on moral and spiritual education, the promotion of Indian art, the establishment of the Department of Archaeology, and foreign scholarships for technical education.

10. What were the major suggestions for the improvement of primary education given by Indian Education Commission of 1882? What were their effects? 

Answer: The Indian Education Commission of 1882, also known as the Hunter Commission, made several significant recommendations for the improvement of primary education in India. The Commission suggested that the state should take responsibility for the expansion and development of primary education and that it should be imparted through vernacular languages. They advised against making upper and lower primary examinations compulsory and recommended efforts to make primary education compulsory through regulation. The Commission emphasized maintaining the freedom of managers of aided schools and proposed a simplified examination system.

Additionally, they encouraged pupils to participate in native games for physical development and suggested fee relaxation for poor students. The establishment of night schools where necessary was recommended, along with specific funds from districts and municipal boards for school repairs. The system of “payment by result” was suggested, though not for schools in backward areas. They also recommended that government positions should prefer candidates who could read and write and advocated for the larger introduction of practical subjects like agriculture and industrial arts in the curriculum. The Commission stressed the importance of infrastructure and equipment in primary schools being simple and called for the establishment of adequate numbers of normal schools for teacher training. They proposed uniform policies for religious education in both government and private schools and suggested that school hours and holidays be adjusted to local requirements, especially in agricultural and backward districts.

The recommendations also included provisions for admitting students of all classes and religions in aided schools and directed municipal and local boards to set aside funds specifically for primary education. They advised that town and district boards appoint teachers based on recommendations from the education department and that school committees determine the medium of instruction in primary schools. The Commission insisted that aided primary schools be regularly inspected.

The effects of these recommendations were notable. The primary education system in India saw a shift with local boards taking a more active role in the development of primary education, thus relieving the government of some responsibilities. This move was significant in bringing primary education closer to the general masses. Indigenous institutions, which were imparting education on the traditional Indian pattern, received encouragement and were integrated into the broader educational framework. However, the system of payment by results made education more examination-centric and there were some organizational and curricular confusions. The Commission’s silence on the issue of compulsory primary education was a notable drawback. Despite these criticisms, the Hunter Commission’s work marked a significant step towards improving primary education in India.

11. Write briefly : (a) Hunter Commission and Primary Education (b) Hunter Commission and Indigenous system of Education (c) Hunter Commission and its effects on Indian Education 

Answer: (a) The Hunter Commission, established in 1882, aimed to review the state of Indian education and suggest improvements. Its primary focus was on primary education. The commission recommended several measures for enhancing primary education:

• Efforts should be made to expand and develop primary education.
• Primary education should be imparted in vernacular languages.
• Exams for upper and lower primary levels should not be compulsory.
• Regulations should be introduced to gradually make primary education compulsory.
• The examination system should be simplified.
• Night schools should be established where necessary.
• There should be provisions for reducing tuition fees for poor students.
• Physical development should be promoted through participation in native games .

(b) The Hunter Commission also emphasised the significance of the indigenous system of education. It suggested that these institutions deserved encouragement and integration into the official education system. The commission recognised the value of indigenous schools, such as Pathsala and Maktab, and recommended that local bodies should support these schools to promote primary education. The commission believed that these schools played a crucial role in providing education to the masses and should be incorporated into the broader educational framework .

(c) The recommendations of the Hunter Commission had a substantial impact on Indian education. One significant change was bringing elementary education under local boards, which freed the government from direct responsibility and empowered local bodies to serve the general population. This led to a notable increase in the number of primary schools. However, the implementation of the “payment by results” system made education more examination-centric and created organisational, curriculum, and examination-related confusion. The commission’s recommendations highlighted the importance of expanding primary education but were criticised for not addressing compulsory primary education adequately .

12. Write about the contribution of GK Gokhale in field Primary education in India. 

Answer: Gopal Krishna Gokhale was a key figure in advocating for compulsory primary education in India. In 1910, he introduced a bill in the Imperial Legislative Council aimed at making primary education compulsory for children aged 6 to 10. The bill proposed authorising local bodies to initiate compulsory education, initially applying only to boys and extending to girls later. It suggested limiting the period of compulsion to four years and implementing it in areas where at least 33% of children were already attending school. Gokhale also proposed that provincial governments bear two-thirds of the total expenditure involved in the scheme.

Despite the bill being rejected, it had a profound impact on the Indian education system. It raised public awareness about the necessity of compulsory primary education and positioned Gokhale as the father of the compulsory education movement in India. Following the bill’s rejection, the Government of India promised to extend primary education and provided substantial grants for this purpose.

13. Discuss the significant resolutions of Wardha Conference of 1937. 

Answer: The Wardha Conference of 1937, led by Mahatma Gandhi, introduced significant educational reforms in India. The key resolutions were:

Compulsory Primary Education: All boys and girls would receive compulsory primary education for seven years in their mother tongue.

Craft-Centric Learning: Education would integrate productive activities with learning, focusing on crafts to develop mental and manual skills. Teachers’ salaries would come from the income generated by these activities.

Formation of the Zakir Hussain Committee: This committee was tasked with preparing a curriculum for implementing basic education, aiming to develop the entire personality of future citizens and promote good citizenship.

Child-Centric and Practical Knowledge: The education system emphasised active participation and practical knowledge, making education relevant to real-life situations.

Development of National Character: The system aimed to instill Indian moral customs and traditions, fostering national character and promoting non-violence, international cooperation, and virtues like truth, justice, love, and service.

Community Integration: Basic education was designed to associate closely with society, helping children adjust to real-life situations and understand their duties and responsibilities as future citizens.

Modern Concepts and All-Around Development: The curriculum included modern educational concepts such as child psychology and aimed for comprehensive development across different age groups.

14. What are the salient features of Basic Education? Discuss its merits and demerits. 

Answer: Gandhiji’s Basic Education Scheme, also known as the Wardha Scheme or Nai Talim, was introduced in 1937. Its salient features are:

Craft-Centred Education: Education combined with productive craft activities to ensure a holistic development of children. This aimed to make children self-sufficient and teach them the dignity of labour.

Mother Tongue as Medium of Instruction: Emphasis on using the child’s mother tongue for instruction to make learning more accessible and relatable.

Free and compulsory education: education provided to all boys and girls for a period of seven years, focusing on primary education.

Self-Sufficient Schools: Schools were to be self-sufficient by using the income generated from the crafts produced by students to pay for teachers’ salaries and other expenses.

Integration with Real Life: Education was to be closely linked with real-life situations, making it more practical and meaningful.

Holistic Development: Focus on the all-round development of the child, including mental, physical, and spiritual growth.

15. What are the causes of failure of Basic education? 

Answer: The causes of failure of Basic Education are outlined in the document. Basic Education failed for the following reasons:

• Lack of interest of the common people.
• Incorrect approach and application.
• Dearth of trained teachers.
• Defective curriculum.
• Traditional examination system.
• Scarcity of proper curriculum.

16. What are the provisions of Assam Primary Education Act 1926. 

Answer: The main provisions of the Assam Primary Education Act 1926 are as follows:

• Scope and Jurisdiction: The Act extends to the whole of Assam.
• Local Authority’s Resolution for Compulsory Education: Any local authority may resolve by a two-thirds majority at a specially convened meeting to apply for the sanction of compulsory education for children aged six to eleven within its jurisdiction.
• Submission of Proposals: The local authority must submit a resolution to the Government, including details of objections received, modifications decided upon, and a statement showing particulars of the proposal, such as total expenditure and additional costs of compulsory primary education.
• Cost-sharing for Compulsory Education: The local authority must provide one-third of the additional cost for introducing compulsory primary education and is expected to levy an education cess for this purpose.
• Government’s Financial Support: Upon sanctioning the proposal, the Government will provide the remaining two-thirds of the additional costs.
• Government’s Authority: If a local authority fails to submit a scheme within a reasonable time, the Government may call upon it to do so. The Government must lay the proposal before the Legislative Council, and no action will be taken if the Council disapproves by a majority.
• Regulatory Framework: The Government can notify rules to carry out the Act, which shall be laid before the Legislative Council. These rules may include the incidence of the education cess, the constitution of the education committee, and maintenance of education funds.
• No Tuition Fees: No fees shall be charged from any pupil for tuition in recognized primary schools maintained or aided by the local authority.
• Provision for Needy Children: Children from needy families may be provided with books and writing materials free of cost by the local authority if recommended by the education committee.
• Enforcement Responsibility: The local authority and the education committee are responsible for enforcing the provisions of the Act, maintaining school accommodations and equipment, and employing necessary educational staff as per the Director of Public Instruction’s requirements.

17. What is SSA? Write briefly? 

Answer: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a Government of India initiative aimed at universalizing primary education through community ownership of the school system. This program strives to provide quality basic education to all children aged 6 to 14, focusing on improving human capabilities through community-owned quality education in a mission mode. The SSA aims to bridge social, regional, and gender gaps, involving local governance bodies and grassroots-level structures in managing primary education. The objectives include ensuring all children are in school, completing primary and upper primary education, and achieving universal retention by 2010 .

18. Write notes on : (a) Universalization of Primary Education (b) District Primary Education Programme (c) Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) 

Answer: (a) Universalization of primary education aims to provide free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14. This initiative is grounded in the constitutional mandate of Article 45 of the Indian Constitution, which directs the state to ensure free and compulsory education for all children. Despite significant progress, the goal of universal primary education remains an ongoing challenge due to factors such as financial constraints, high dropout rates, and socio-economic barriers.

(b) The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was launched in 1994 to revitalize the primary education system. It aimed at achieving the objectives of reducing dropout rates, increasing learning achievements, and addressing gender disparities. The DPEP focused on decentralized planning and implementation, involving the community in the educational process. Initially covering 44 districts across eight states, it expanded to 273 districts in 18 states. The programme was funded through a combination of central and state government funds, along with support from international agencies like the World Bank and UNICEF​​.

(c) The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) is a significant component of the efforts towards universalizing primary education. Launched as a mass movement in 1989, TLC aimed to eradicate illiteracy through community participation and various innovative approaches like using cultural activities (music, art, drama) to engage people. It involved forming committees at different levels (district, block, village), appointing volunteers, and conducting training camps. The programme was designed to be time-bound, with specific periods allocated for awareness and teaching activities​​.

19. What are role of SSA in the universalisation of primary Education?

Answer: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a key government initiative in India aimed at universalising primary education for children aged 6-14 years. SSA promotes community ownership through decentralised management, involving Panchayati Raj Institutions and School Management Committees to address local needs effectively.

Access to Education: SSA ensures that all children are enrolled in schools by establishing Education Guarantee Centres, Alternate Schools, and Back-to-School Camps, targeting out-of-school children.

Quality Education: The programme focuses on improving school infrastructure, providing teaching materials, and enhancing teaching quality through teacher training and innovative methods.

Gender and Social Gap Reduction: SSA aims to reduce gender and social disparities by providing incentives for the education of girls and children from disadvantaged communities, fostering a more equitable system.

Retention and Completion: SSA targets universal retention, preventing dropouts through various support mechanisms to ensure that children not only enrol but also complete their primary education.

Infrastructure Development: Investments in building new schools, upgrading existing ones, and ensuring adequate facilities like classrooms, toilets, and drinking water create a conducive learning environment.

Curriculum and Evaluation Reforms: SSA supports curriculum and evaluation reforms, promoting child-centred pedagogy and continuous evaluation for holistic child development.

Innovative Approaches: The programme encourages innovative teaching methods, including technology use, community-based monitoring, and activity-based joyful learning.

Extra fill in the blanks

1. The first survey to know the state of indigenous education in Madras was made by ______.

Answer: Sir Thomas Munro

2. Mount Stuart Elphinstone instituted an enquiry into the education of the Bombay province in the year ______.

Answer: 1829

3. William Bentinck made a study of indigenous education in the year ______.

Answer: 1835

4. The Indian Education Commission of ______ recommended encouragement and incorporation of indigenous schools in the official system of education.

Answer: 1882

5. During the Vedic period, students used to attain education while living with the Acharya or Guru in his house known as ______.

Answer: Gurukula

6. Pathsala was an indigenous institution of learning primarily for ______ children.

Answer: Hindu

7. The medium of instruction in Pathsala was ______.

Answer: Sanskrit

8. Tols were indigenous educational institutions significant for spreading ______ education.

Answer: Sanskrit

9. The Satra institution was established by the Vaishnava saint ______.

Answer: Mahapurush Sankardeva

10. The chief centre of Assamese culture, including dramatic performances and classical dances, was the ______ institution.

Answer: Satra

11. The primary education institution for Islamic faith, attached to a mosque, is known as ______.

Answer: Maktab

12. The term ‘Maktab’ is derived from the Arabic term ‘Kutub,’ meaning ______.

Answer: a place where writing is taught

13. Madrassa is an indigenous institution for Islamic ______ learning.

Answer: higher

14. The system of education introduced by Dr. Andrew Bell is known as ______.

Answer: Monitorial system or Bell System

15. The Danish missionary who translated the Bible into Tamil and wrote the ‘Tamil Grammar’ was ______.

Answer: Ziegenbalg

16. The famous Danish missionary invited by Lord Clive to Calcutta was ______.

Answer: Kernander

17. The Charter Act of ______ empowered missionaries to spread education in India.

Answer: 1813

18. The president of the General Committee of Public Instruction who wrote a minute in 1835 was ______.

Answer: Lord Macaulay

19. The Despatch of ______, known as the Magna Carta of Indian education, was introduced by Sir Charles Wood.

Answer: 1854

20. The first Education Commission of British India, appointed by Lord Ripon in 1882, is known as the ______.

Answer: Hunter Commission

21. Lord Curzon convened a conference of the Directors of Public Instruction at Shimla in the year ______.

Answer: 1901

22. Gopal Krishna Gokhale submitted a private bill to the Imperial Legislative Council for compulsory education on ______.

Answer: 18 March 1910

23. The ‘Wardha Scheme’ or ‘Basic Education Scheme’ was introduced by ______.

Answer: Mahatma Gandhi

24. The Assam Primary Education Act was passed in the year ______.

Answer: 1926

25. Maktab is an indigenous institution of primary education primarily aimed at teaching the pupil knowledge of the alphabet and ______.

Answer: religious prayer

26. Maktab is typically attached to a ______.

Answer: mosque

27. The term ‘Maktab’ is derived from the Arabic term ‘Kutub,’ meaning ______.

Answer: a place where writing is taught

28. The admission ceremony to a Maktab is known as ______.

Answer: Bismillah

29. The age of admission to a Maktab is ______ years, four months, and four days.

Answer: four

30. Madrassa is an indigenous institution of Islamic ______ learning.

Answer: higher

31. Teaching in Madrassas was conducted by ______ of the state.

Answer: famous teachers

32. The curriculum of Madrassa during Akbar’s reign included Hindu religion, philosophy, literature along with ______.

Answer: Persian

33. The ‘Monitorial System’ or ‘Bell System’ was introduced by ______.

Answer: Dr. Andrew Bell

34. The ‘Monitorial System’ was first experimented in a ‘Female Orphan Asylum’ established in ______.

Answer: Madras

35. Dr. Andrew Bell was the Superintendent of ______.

Answer: Orphan Boys Charity School

36. The ‘Monitorial System’ is also known as ______.

Answer: Bell Pratha

37. The first charity school by missionaries in India was established in ______ in the year 1715.

Answer: Madras

38. The Calcutta charity school was established by the missionaries between the years ______.

Answer: 1720-1731

39. The advent of the missionaries introduced a new trend in Indian society in the last part of the ______ century.

Answer: 15th

40. The East India Company was established in the year ______.

Answer: 1600

41. Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese, came to India in the year ______.

Answer: 1498

42. The first experiment in the ‘Monitorial System’ was performed by a senior expert student appointed as ______.

Answer: monitor

43. One of the reasons for establishing missionary schools in India was the need for socio-economic and cultural development of early converts from the lowest class of ______ society.

Answer: Hindu

44. The missionaries received permission from the Court of Directors to embark their ship to India in the year ______.

Answer: 1659

45. The term ‘Maktab’ is derived from Arabic term ______.

Answer: Kutub

46. The Danish missionaries did considerable missionary and educational activities in ______ throughout the 18th Century.

Answer: Madras

47. Ziegenbalg translated the famous Bible into ______ language.

Answer: Tamil

48. Schwartz translated the Bible into ______ language and compiled the ‘Tamil dictionary’.

Answer: Telugu

49. Kernander, the famous Danish missionary, established a charity school in Calcutta in the year ______.

Answer: 1758

50. Dr. Carey arrived in Calcutta in ______ as a member of the Baptist Mission Society.

Answer: 1793

51. The Serampore Trio consisted of Carey, Ward, and ______.

Answer: Marshman

52. Assam came under British rule as a result of the famous Treaty of Yandaboo in ______.

Answer: 1826

53. The American Baptist Mission Society sent a unit to Assam under the leadership of Nathan Brown and Oliver Cutter in the year ______.

Answer: 1844

54. The first Assamese newspaper ‘Arunodaya’ was published by a missionary society in ______.

Answer: 1846

55. The Charter Act of 1813 was published due to the efforts of Charles Grant and ______.

Answer: Wilber Force

56. Lord Macaulay wrote his famous minute on February 2, ______, stressing the implementation of English as the medium of instruction.

Answer: 1835

57. The Wood’s Despatch, a significant document in the history of Indian education, was introduced by Sir Charles Wood in ______.

Answer: 1854

58. The first Anglo-Assamese Dictionary was written and published by the missionaries in ______.

Answer: 1867

59. The Charter Act of 1813 allocated a sum of not less than ______ rupees each year for the revival and improvement of literature and the promotion of sciences in India.

Answer: One lakh

60. The missionary who taught Naga boys about the 3 R’s and the technique of manufacturing tea and salt was Dr. ______.

Answer: Miles Bronson

61. The Despatch of 1854 recommended the creation of a Department of Education in each of the five provinces, to be placed under an important officer called the ______.

Answer: Director of Public Instruction

62. The Despatch of 1854 recommended the establishment of universities in the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay, and ______.

Answer: Madras

63. According to the Despatch of 1854, the medium of instruction for education in India would be ______.

Answer: English

64. The Despatch of 1854 proposed setting up a network of ______ institutions spread throughout the country.

Answer: graded

65. The Despatch of 1854 adopted the policy of giving financial assistance in the form of ______ to institutions managed by private bodies.

Answer: grant-in-aid

66. The Despatch of 1854 recommended the opening of more ______ for the public, rejecting the Downward Filtration Theory.

Answer: schools

67. The Despatch of 1854 advocated the need for establishing different types of ______ institutions and for giving stipends to teachers under training.

Answer: training

68. The Despatch of 1854 recommended encouragement for ______ education.

Answer: professional

69. The Despatch of 1854 sympathized with the cause of ______ education.

Answer: women’s

70. The Despatch of 1854 insisted on a policy of strict neutrality in education concerning ______ education.

Answer: Muslim

71. The Despatch of 1854 emphasized the development of ______ schools for the spread of primary education.

Answer: indigenous

72. The Despatch of 1854 is often referred to as the ______ of Indian education.

Answer: Magna Carta

73. The Indian Education Commission was appointed by Lord Ripon on February 3, ______.

Answer: 1882

74. The chairman of the Indian Education Commission appointed in 1882 was Sir ______.

Answer: William Hunter

75. The Indian Education Commission recommended that primary education should be imparted through ______ languages.

Answer: vernacular

76. The Indian Education Commission suggested that primary education in backward areas should be extended by the ______ Department itself.

Answer: Education

77. The Indian Education Commission recommended the introduction of practical subjects like ______ in the curriculum of primary education.

Answer: agriculture

78. The Indian Education Commission recommended that the system of ______ by result should be adopted in primary education.

Answer: payment

79. The Indian Education Commission suggested that night schools should be established wherever ______.

Answer: necessary

80. Lord Curzon arrived in India as Viceroy in the year ______.

Answer: 1899

81. Lord Curzon convened a conference of the Directors of Public Instruction at ______ in 1901 to discuss the problems of Indian education.

Answer: Shimla

82. The Shimla Education Conference discussed the existing situation of Indian education from ______ to higher level.

Answer: primary

83. The resolutions of the Shimla Education Conference were sent to the provincial governments and ______ bodies.

Answer: local

84. Lord Curzon issued a resolution on the Indian Educational policy on ______ 11, 1904.

Answer: March

85. Lord Curzon considered that primary education in India had suffered mainly due to limited ______ available for it.

Answer: funds

86. Lord Curzon’s policy is considered the beginning of a new era in the history of ______ education in India.

Answer: primary

87. Lord Curzon stopped the system of aiding primary schools based on ______ results.

Answer: examination

88. Lord Curzon suggested considering increasing teachers’ ______ to improve their standard of living.

Answer: salaries

89. Lord Curzon revised the primary school ______ to include liberal education.

Answer: curriculum

90. Lord Curzon tried to introduce better methods of ______ in primary schools.

Answer: teaching

91. Lord Curzon’s policy on secondary education observed that the recommendations of the Indian Education Commission of ______ had outlived their utility.

Answer: 1882

92. Lord Curzon’s policy aimed to control private secondary schools by ensuring they must receive ______ from the government.

Answer: recognition

93. Lord Curzon’s policy included that every secondary school must obtain recognition from a ______ if it wants to present students at the Matriculation examination.

Answer: university

94. Lord Curzon recommended the strengthening of the ______ to maintain control over secondary schools.

Answer: inspectorate

95. Lord Curzon gave a great fillip to the expansion of ______ and agricultural education in India.

Answer: vocational

96. The Central Research Institute at Pusa was established to give the highest training in ______ in India.

Answer: agriculture

97. Lord Curzon appointed the University Commission in ______ under the chairmanship of Sir Thomas Raleigh.

Answer: 1902

98. The Indian University Act was passed on March 11, ______ by Lord Curzon.

Answer: 1904

99. Lord Curzon passed the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of ______ and created the Department of Archaeology in India.

Answer: 1904

100. Gopal Krishna Gokhale submitted a private bill to the Imperial Legislative Council on March 18, ______ to provide for compulsory education.

Answer: 1910

101. The first provision of Gokhale’s Bill recommended passing an Act on the lines of the English Education Act of ______.

Answer: 1870

102. Gokhale’s Bill suggested that compulsion should initially be made for ______ only.

Answer: boys

103. According to Gokhale’s Bill, compulsion should be restricted to a period of four years for children aged ______.

Answer: 6 to 10

104. Gokhale’s Bill stated that the provincial governments should bear ______ of the total expenditure involved in the scheme of compulsion.

Answer: two-thirds

105. Gokhale’s Bill proposed that the local boards and municipalities should have the responsibility to establish and recognize ______.

Answer: new schools

106. The father of the compulsory education movement in India is ______.

Answer: Gopal Krishna Gokhale

107. Gokhale’s Bill for compulsory education was first introduced in the ______.

Answer: Imperial Legislative Council

108. The official view on Gokhale’s Bill was that it was premature due to the absence of ______.

Answer: popular demand for extension of primary education

109. King Emperor George V visited India in ______.

Answer: 1911-12

110. The Govt. of India’s resolution on educational policy was passed in ______.

Answer: February 1913

111. The educational scheme proposed by Mahatma Gandhi in 1937 is known as ______.

Answer: Wardha Scheme or Basic Education Scheme

112. Gandhiji published articles on ‘Nai Talim’ in the newspaper ______.

Answer: Harijan

113. The Education conference held in Wardha is also known as the ______.

Answer: Wardha Education Conference

114. The chairman of the committee formed to implement the Wardha Scheme was ______.

Answer: Dr. Zakir Hussain

115. The syllabus for Basic Education included subjects like Mother Tongue, Mathematics, and ______.

Answer: General Science

116. Gandhiji’s Basic Education Scheme aims to provide compulsory primary education for a period of ______.

Answer: seven years

117. Basic Education is described as ______ centered, focusing on the mental development of the child.

Answer: craft

118. One of the principles of Basic Education is that teachers’ salaries will be paid from the income generated through ______.

Answer: produced goods

119. In Basic Education, the medium of instruction is ______.

Answer: Mother Tongue

120. The aim of Basic Education is to make children aware of the duties and responsibilities of a ______.

Answer: future citizen

121. The subjects included in the Basic Education syllabus are craft, Mother Tongue, Mathematics, General Science, Drawing, and ______.

Answer: Music

122. Basic Education emphasizes the development of ______ and international cooperation.

Answer: non-violence

123. The main idea behind Basic Education is to combine education with some ______ activity.

Answer: productive

124. The All India National Education Conference held in 1937 was to implement the resolutions of the ______.

Answer: Zakir Hussain Committee

125. During the 1910 to 1917 period, primary education in India saw unprecedented growth on a ______ basis.

Answer: voluntary

126. The Govt. of India sanctioned a recurring grant of ______ lacs for the extension of primary education after rejecting Gokhale’s Bill.

Answer: 50

127. Mahatma Gandhi implemented the concept of Basic Education in South Africa at the ______ Farm.

Answer: Tolstoy

128. Gandhiji stayed in ______ after returning from South Africa.

Answer: Sabarmati Ashram

129. In Basic Education, the relation between the teacher and the student is ______.

Answer: collaborative

130. The resolution for Basic Education was named ______ by the Zakir Hussain Committee.

Answer: National Educational Resolution

131. The Basic Education scheme emphasizes learning through ______.

Answer: craft work

132. The primary aim of Basic Education is the development of the learner’s ______.

Answer: personality

133. One of the key principles of Basic Education is instruction in the ______.

Answer: Mother Tongue

134. Basic Education was first implemented by Mahatma Gandhi in ______.

Answer: South Africa

135. The Zakir Hussain Committee was responsible for preparing the curriculum for ______.

Answer: Basic Education

136. The Basic Education system was introduced at the All India National Educational Conference held in ______.

Answer: Wardha

137. The Assam Primary Education Act was passed in ______.

Answer: 1926

138. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or ______.

Answer: place of birth

139. Article 45 of the Indian Constitution mandates free and compulsory education for all children up to the age of ______.

Answer: fourteen years

140. The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) was initiated in ______.

Answer: 1989

141. The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) was formulated in ______.

Answer: 1993-94

142. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) aims to provide primary education to all children in the age group of ______.

Answer: 6 to 14 years

143. The National Educational Policy reviewed by the Government of India between 1990-1992 was originally introduced in ______.

Answer: 1986

144. The funding for the DPEP scheme was supported by foreign agencies such as the World Bank and ______.

Answer: UNICEF

145. The main objective of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is to achieve universal primary education by ______.

Answer: 2010

146. One of the components of the Total Literacy Campaign involves using ______ for raising awareness.

Answer: cultural components (Music, Art, Drama)

147. The SSA programme aims to bridge social, regional, and ______ gaps in primary education.

Answer: gender

148. The Kothari Commission, which offered suggestions for primary education, was appointed in the years ______.

Answer: 1964-66

149. Article 28 of the Indian Constitution deals with ______ instruction in educational institutions.

Answer: religious

150. According to Article 29, citizens have the right to conserve their distinct language, script, or ______.

Answer: culture

151. The Assam Primary Education Act required local authorities to provide one-third of the additional cost of compulsory education, funded through ______.

Answer: education cess

152. The Government of India promised to extend primary education and provide grants after rejecting ______’s Bill.

Answer: Gokhale

153. The All India National Education Conference, which discussed Basic Education, was held in ______.

Answer: 1937

154. Article 30 of the Indian Constitution ensures the right of minorities to establish and administer ______.

Answer: educational institutions

155. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan involves the participation of various community organizations, including Panchayati Raj Institutions and ______.

Answer: School Management Committees

156. One of the goals of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is to ensure that all children complete ______ years of primary schooling by 2007.

Answer: five

157. The funding for SSA is a partnership between the Central, State, and ______ governments.

Answer: local

158. The District Primary Education Programme initially covered 44 districts in ______ states.

Answer: eight

159. The main responsibility of the local authority under the Assam Primary Education Act was to provide and maintain ______.

Answer: school accommodation and equipment

160. The Government of India formulated the DPEP scheme in response to the need for educational development in ______ districts.

Answer: backward

161. Under the SSA framework, there should be one teacher for every ______ students in primary and upper primary stages.

Answer: 40

162. The Total Literacy Campaign aimed to eradicate illiteracy through mass participation and the use of ______.

Answer: volunteers

163. The SSA programme promotes social justice through ______.

Answer: basic education

164. According to Article 45, the state should endeavour to provide free and compulsory education within a period of ______ years from the commencement of the Constitution.

Answer: ten

165. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is an expression of political will for universal primary education and a partnership between Central, State, and ______ governments.

Answer: local

Extra questions and answers

1. What were the indigenous educational institutions before British rule in India?

Answer: Before the British rule in India, there were some indigenous educational institutions which played a crucial role in spreading education in society, particularly primary education. These institutions included:

• Gurukula
• Pathsala
• Tol
• Satra
• Maktab
• Madrassa

Q: Who made the first survey of indigenous education in Madras, and when?

Answer: The first survey of indigenous education in Madras was made by Sir Thomas Munro in the year 1822.

Q: What were the key recommendations of the Indian Education Commission of 1882 regarding indigenous education?

Answer: The Indian Education Commission of 1882 studied the state of indigenous education and recommended the following:

1. These schools deserve encouragement and incorporation into the official system of education.
2. District and Municipal Boards should be more sympathetic to the indigenous schools.
3. The system of payment by results should be adopted in dealing with indigenous schools.

Q: Describe the Gurukula system of education.

Answer: During the Vedic period, students used to attain education while living with the Acharya or Guru (teacher) in his house, known as Gurukula. The students lived in the Gurukula as members of the Guru’s family. The curriculum included subjects like Vedas, History, Puranas, Grammar, Mathematics, Brahmavidya, and Astronomy. The method of instruction was verbal. Students listened to the Guru attentively, and the teacher enjoyed a predominant place not only in his Gurukula but in the entire society. The teacher was regarded as a great guide, showering love and affection on his pupils, and teaching them in an atmosphere of free discussion. Pupils begged alms, prepared fire for yajna-kund, and looked after animals and other fellow beings. Begging alms taught humility and politeness, preparing fire signified mental development, and rearing animals taught self-dependence. There was no uniform rule for the duration of education, with some students staying in the Ashrama for over thirty years. Students from both poor and rich families were sent to the Guru’s house. The arrangement for food and lodging was the responsibility of the Guru, who also nursed the students when they fell ill.

Q: What was the main objective of Pathsala institutions?

Answer: The chief objective of Pathsala institutions was to create pundits in the society who might undertake intellectual activities. These institutions were significant centres of education for Hindu children, providing religious education through the classical language, Sanskrit, by learned Pundits. The Pathsala institutions had an exclusive character, conservative attitude, and individualistic methods of teaching, which did not garner encouragement from all members of society.

Q: How were Tols funded and sustained in ancient times?

Answer: Tols, known as Sanskrit schools, enjoyed grants of land from ancient times, on which their teachers and pupils sustained. During the Zamindari system, the Adhyapak or village Pundits arranged for the free boarding, lodging, and clothing of their pupils. They collected necessary funds by raising subscriptions at chief fairs and festivals and from wealthy individuals. Tols were the Agrahara type of indigenous educational institutions, where the Adhyapak used the attached house for teaching and built huts for the pupils’ residential purposes.

Q: What was the aim of Muslim primary education in Maktabs?

Answer: The aim of Muslim primary education in Maktabs was to teach the pupil knowledge of the alphabet and religious prayer.

Q: Where were Maktabs typically attached?

Answer: Maktabs were typically attached to a mosque.

Q: What does the term ‘Maktab’ derive from?

Answer: The term ‘Maktab’ is derived from the Arabic term ‘Kutub’, which means a place where writing is taught.

Q: Describe the admission ceremony to Maktabs.

Answer: The system of admission to the Maktab was special in nature. The admission ceremony was known as ‘Bismillah’. It was like the ceremony of ‘Upanayana’ or ‘Vidyarambha’ of the Brahmanical system of education. The age of admission was four years, four months, and four days. Children were taught to read and sometimes to write in Arabic and in Persian. Special attention was paid to the correctness of pronunciation. The children of the general masses also received education in Maktabs, besides the princes. Some Hindu children also learned Persian in the Maktabs. Teachers of the Maktabs paid individual attention to the students.

Q: What is a Madrassa?

Answer: Madrassa is an indigenous institution of Islamic higher learning. In the medieval period, high-level Islamic education was imparted in the Madrassa. This type of institution is generally attached to a Mosque or Masjid. Eminent scholars of Muslim education used to deliver their lectures in Madrassa. Teaching works were conducted by the famous teachers of the state. Teachers were usually appointed by the state, and some were appointed by enthusiastic and altruistic rich persons.

Q: What subjects were included in the Madrassa curriculum?

Answer: The curriculum of Madrassa included subjects like Arabic, grammar, prose, literature, logic, philosophy, law, astrology, arithmetic, history, geography, medicine, agriculture, and composition.

Q: What was the purpose of the ‘Monitorial System’ or ‘Bell System’?

Answer: The ‘Monitorial System’ or ‘Bell System’ was introduced to minimize the scarcity of teachers in missionary schools. One monitor, who was the senior expert student of the school, was appointed to perform teaching work. This system was introduced by Dr. Andrew Bell, the Superintendent of Orphan Boys Charity School, and was also known as ‘Bell Pratha’. It was used during the Industrial Revolution by Robert Owen for the education of the children of factory workers. Presently, this system of teaching continues in single teacher schools.

Q: When did Vasco-da-Gama come to India, and what was the impact of the missionaries’ advent?

Answer: Vasco-da-Gama, a Portuguese, came to India in 1498. The advent of the missionaries introduced a new trend in Indian society. During the company rule, Christian missionaries played a significant role in the socio-cultural development of India. The East India Company, established in 1600, was initially not interested in the education of Indians. However, in 1694, Parliament inserted a section directing the Company Directors to maintain ministers of different religions in their factories to instruct the Gentoos in the Protestant religion.

Q: What were the reasons for the establishment of schools by missionaries in India?

Answer: There were two reasons for the establishment of schools in India by missionaries. The first reason was that early converts came from the lowest class of Hindu society, and education was needed for their socio-economic and cultural development. The second reason was that through their schools, missionaries would have a wider scope to come into contact with the general masses, which was helpful for them to convert the indigenous people.

Q: Who were the members of the Danish missionaries active in South India in the 18th century?

Answer: The members of the Danish missionaries were Ziegenbalg, Grundler, Kierander, Plustschau, and Schwartz.

Q: What significant educational contributions did Ziegenbalg make in South India?

Answer: Ziegenbalg translated the famous Bible into Tamil language and wrote the ‘Tamil Grammar’.

Q: What change occurred in the East India Company’s attitude towards missionaries after 1765?

Answer: After 1765, the East India Company became hostile towards the missionaries, aiming to maintain religious neutrality and severing all connections with missionary enterprise.

Q: Who were the ‘Serampore Trio’ and what were their roles?

Answer: The ‘Serampore Trio’ were Carey, Ward, and Marshman. Carey was the religious preacher, Ward was the Press compositor, and Marshman was the school teacher.

Q: What was the Charter Act of 1813 and why was it significant?

Answer: The Charter Act of 1813 was one of the important acts in the history of Indian education. It empowered the missionaries to spread education in India and included the education of the Indian people within the duties of the company, allocating a comparatively large amount for educational activities. A clause stated, “a sum of not less than one lac of rupees in each year shall be set apart and applied to the revival and improvement of literature and the encouragement of the learned natives of India and for the introduction and promotion of a knowledge of the sciences among the inhabitants of the British territories in India.” This laid the foundation of the state educational system in India.

Q: Describe the role of the American Baptist Mission Society in Assam.

Answer: The American Baptist Mission Society sent a unit to Assam under the leadership of Nathan Brown and Oliver Cutter in 1844. They spread Christianity and education near Sadia. Dr. Miles Bronson was also a notable missionary who contributed significantly to the society of Assam, especially in Jaipur of upper Assam. They established nearly 14 schools in the Sibsagar area and played a key role in the educational and social development of the region.

Q: What was the Downward Filtration Theory and who advocated it?

Answer: The Downward Filtration Theory was advocated by Lord Macaulay. It proposed that education should be provided to a small portion of the population, and through them, it would be conveyed to the masses. This theory aimed to create a class of people who were Indian in blood and color but English in tastes, opinions, morals, and intellects.

Q: What educational activities did the missionaries undertake in Assam?

Answer: The missionaries in Assam established a centre in Guwahati and carried out various educational activities. The American Baptist Mission Society under Nathan Brown and Oliver Cutter spread Christianity and education near Sadia. They established nearly 14 schools in Sibsagar, started numerous schools in different parts of Khasia-Jayantia Hills, Garo Hills, Darrang district, and Nowgong district. They also helped in the removal of Bengali language from the courts of Assam in 1873, published the first Assamese newspaper ‘Arunodaya,’ and translated the Bible into Assamese language. They taught the 3 R’s (Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic) and some industrial arts, such as manufacturing tea and salt. Dr. Miles Bronson notably taught Naga boys these skills.

Q: Who invited Kernander to Calcutta and what did he establish there?

Answer: Kernander was invited by Lord Clive to Calcutta, where he established a charity school in 1758.

Q: What controversy did the Charter Act of 1813 create, and what were its main points?

Answer: The Charter Act of 1813 created a controversy between the Anglicists and Classicists regarding the medium of instruction and the objectives of education. The controversy arose over the way of spending the allocated money for education, aims of education, agencies of education, medium of instruction, and methods for the spread of education in India. The act stressed allotting one lac rupees annually but did not provide specific regulations for establishing schools and colleges in India.

Q: What was Macaulay’s view on the medium of instruction in India and what impact did it have?

Answer: Lord Macaulay, as president of the General Committee of Public Instruction, wrote a minute on 2 February 1835 advocating for English as the medium of instruction in India. He believed that English was the best medium for conveying modern and scientific knowledge to Indians and for forming a class who could act as intermediaries between the British and the masses. His minute led to the anglicization of Indian education and promoted the Downward Filtration Theory, which aimed to educate a small group of Indians to facilitate British business interests. Macaulay criticized oriental learning, stating that “a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India and Arabia.”

Q: What educational system did Dr. Andrew Bell introduce?

Answer: Dr. Andrew Bell introduced the Monitorial system, an important method of education propagated by the missionaries in India.

Q: What was the purpose of the Calcutta Benevolent Society organized by Carey and Marshman in 1810?

Answer: The Calcutta Benevolent Society, organized by Carey and Marshman in 1810, aimed to educate indigent Christians.

Q: Who were Wilber Force and Charles Grant, and what was their contribution to Indian education?

Answer: Wilber Force and Charles Grant were key figures who fought vigorously to persuade the British Parliament to legislate in favor of missionary activities and to provide necessary freedom and assistance to missionaries in India. Their efforts led to the inclusion of special clauses concerning Indian education in the Charter Act of 1813, empowering missionaries to spread education in India and allocating funds for educational activities.

Q: What was the impact of the Treaty of Yandaboo on Assam?

Answer: The Treaty of Yandaboo in 1826 brought Assam under British rule, allowing the Serampore Mission Society to enter Assam in 1829 and establish a centre in Guwahati. This led to significant educational and missionary activities in the region.

Q: When was the Despatch of 1854 submitted?

Answer: The Despatch of 1854 was submitted on July 19, 1854.

Q: Who introduced the Despatch of 1854 and what is it popularly known as?

Answer: Sir Charles Wood introduced the Despatch of 1854, which is popularly known as Wood’s Despatch.

Q: What was the main aim of Wood’s Despatch?

Answer: The main aim of Wood’s Despatch was to spread education throughout the country.

Q: What were the recommendations of Wood’s Despatch regarding the responsibility of educating Indians?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch accepted that the responsibility of educating Indians was that of the British government.

Q: What did Wood’s Despatch recommend for the creation of Departments of Education?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch recommended the creation of a Department of Education in each of the five provinces, to be placed under an important officer called the Director of Public Instruction.

Q: Where did Wood’s Despatch recommend the establishment of universities?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch recommended the establishment of universities in the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, following the pattern of London University.

Q: What did Wood’s Despatch recommend as the medium of instruction in India?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch upheld the view of Lord Macaulay that English should be the medium of instruction in India.

Q: What did Wood’s Despatch propose for the establishment of schools?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch proposed setting up a network of graded institutions spread throughout the country.

Q: What policy did Wood’s Despatch adopt regarding financial assistance to educational institutions?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch adopted the policy of giving financial assistance in the form of grant-in-aid to institutions managed by private bodies or organizations.

Q: How did Wood’s Despatch view the Downward Filtration Theory?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch rejected the Downward Filtration Theory and recommended the opening of more schools for the public.

Q: What did Wood’s Despatch advocate regarding the training of teachers?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch advocated the need for establishing different types of training institutions and for giving stipends to teachers under training.

Q: What did Wood’s Despatch recommend for professional education?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch recommended encouragement for professional education.

Q: What was Wood’s Despatch’s stance on women’s education?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch sympathized with the need for women’s education.

Q: What policy did Wood’s Despatch insist on for Muslim education?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch insisted on a policy of strict neutrality in education for Muslims.

Q: What emphasis did Wood’s Despatch place on indigenous institutions?

Answer: Wood’s Despatch laid more emphasis on the development of indigenous schools for the spread of primary education.

Q: What other recommendations did Wood’s Despatch make?

Answer: Other recommendations of Wood’s Despatch included employment for educated Indians, a comprehensive scholarship system, inspection of schools, collection of school fees from pupils, development of Indian languages, etc.

Q: What was the significance of Wood’s Despatch in the history of Indian education?

Answer: The Despatch of 1854 remains one of the most significant documents in the history of Indian education, presenting a comprehensive scheme encompassing all major aspects of Indian education. It recognized that education is a state responsibility and recommended effective measures and liberal grants for the growth of higher and primary education. Due to its noteworthy recommendations, it is known as the “Magna Carta of Indian education,” similar to how the original Magna Carta played a significant role in British history during the reign of King John.

Q: Who appointed the Indian Education Commission, also known as the Hunter Commission, and when?

Answer: The Indian Education Commission, popularly known as the Hunter Commission, was appointed by Lord Ripon, the Governor-General of India, on 3 February 1882.

Q: Who was the chairman of the Hunter Commission?

Answer: Sir William Hunter was the chairman of the Hunter Commission.

Q: What were the main objectives of the Hunter Commission?

Answer: The main objectives of the Hunter Commission were to review the conditions of Indian education and to provide necessary suggestions for its development.

Q: What recommendations did the Hunter Commission make regarding primary education?

Answer: The Hunter Commission recommended:

• Efforts by the state for the expansion and development of primary education.
• Primary education to be imparted through vernacular languages.
• Non-compulsory upper and lower primary examinations.
• Efforts to make primary education compulsory through regulation.
• Non-interference with the freedom of managers of aided schools.
• A simple examination system for primary education.
• Encouragement of pupils to participate in native games for physical development.
• Provision of tuition fee relaxation for poor students.
• Establishment of night schools where necessary.
• Specific fund allocation by districts and municipal boards for the repair of school buildings.
• Adoption of the “payment by result” system, though not for schools in backward areas.
• Preference for candidates who can read and write in selecting persons for the lowest government offices.
• Extension of primary education in backward areas by the Education Department itself.
• Inclusion of practical subjects like agriculture, industrial act, mensuration, and accounts in the primary education curriculum.
• Financial assistance to autonomous institutions, accounting for one-third of total expenditure.
• Establishment of adequate Normal Schools for teacher training.
• Simple infrastructure and equipment for primary schools.
• Consistent policy of religious education for both government and private schools.
• Adjustment of school hours and holidays to local requirements, especially in agricultural and backward districts.
• Provision of admission for students of every class and religion in aided school boards.
• Allocation of funds for primary education by municipal and local boards.
• Appointment of teachers by town and district boards as recommended by the education department.
• Determination of the medium of instruction in primary schools by school committees.
• Regular inspection of aided primary schools.

Q: What were the effects of the Hunter Commission on Indian education?

Answer: The Indian Education Commission changed the shape of elementary education by bringing it under the local boards, which allowed the government to delegate responsibility and gave local boards the opportunity to serve the general masses. Local Boards played a significant role in the development of primary education in India. At the time of the Indian Education Commission, many indigenous institutions were imparting education in the traditional Indian pattern. The Commission encouraged these institutions and regarded them as useful for imparting primary education.

Q: What criticisms were made of the Hunter Commission?

Answer: Criticisms of the Hunter Commission included:

• The system of payment by result made education more examination-centric.
• Confusions in the organization, examination, and curriculum.
• The Commission was silent on the issue of compulsory primary education.
• Despite an increase in the number of primary schools, the results were not as expected.

Q. When did Lord Curzon arrive in India as Viceroy?

Answer: Lord Curzon arrived in India as Viceroy in the year 1899.

Q. What was one of the earliest subjects that attracted Lord Curzon’s attention?

Answer: One of the earliest subjects that attracted Lord Curzon’s attention was the prevailing condition of education in India and its drawbacks.

Q. Where and when did Lord Curzon call a conference of the Directors of Public Instruction?

Answer: Lord Curzon called a conference of the Directors of Public Instruction at Shimla in 1901.

Q. Who were invited to the Shimla Education Conference?

Answer: State Education officers and Christian Missionaries were invited to the Shimla Education Conference.

Q. For how many days was the Shimla Education Conference continued?

Answer: The Shimla Education Conference continued for almost 15 days.

Q. When did Lord Curzon issue a resolution on the Indian Educational policy?

Answer: Lord Curzon issued a resolution on the Indian Educational policy on 11th March, 1904.

Q. What was considered the beginning of a new era in the history of primary education in India?

Answer: Lord Curzon’s policy on primary education, which included the provision for qualitative and quantitative improvements of primary education, is considered the beginning of a new era in the history of primary education in India.

Q. What did Lord Curzon’s policy on secondary education observe about the recommendations of the Indian Education Commission of 1882?

Answer: In the field of Secondary Education, Lord Curzon observed that the recommendations of the Indian Education Commission of 1882 had outlived their utility. The policy of Laissez-faire to private enterprise had brought in various evils, such as inefficient, poorly staffed, and poorly equipped private schools. He proposed replacing the policy of Laissez-faire with one of control and improvement.

Q. What were the key measures adopted by Lord Curzon to control private secondary schools?

Answer: Government tried to control private schools in the following way:

• Every secondary school, whether government or aided, must receive recognition from the government.
• Every secondary school, in addition to the recognition from the Education Department, must obtain recognition from a University if it wants to present students at the Matriculation examination conducted by the university.
• Transfer of students from an unrecognized school to a recognized school was prohibited.

Q. What was one of the contributions of Lord Curzon towards teacher training?

Answer: Lord Curzon gave a great fillip to the training of primary school teachers and improved their lot. One of his contributions towards teacher training was in agriculture.

Q. What did Lord Curzon establish at Pusa?

Answer: Lord Curzon established a Central Research Institute at Pusa to give the highest training in agriculture in India.

Q. When was the University Commission appointed by Lord Curzon and who was its chairman?

Answer: Lord Curzon appointed the University Commission on 27th January 1902 under the chairmanship of Sir Thomas Raleigh.

Q. What were the purposes of the University Commission appointed by Lord Curzon?

Answer: The purposes of the University Commission appointed by Lord Curzon were:

• To enquire into the condition of prospects of universities established in British India.
• To consider and report upon any proposals which have been, or may be made for improving their constitution and working, and to recommend to the Governor-General-in-Council such measures as may tend to elevate the standard of university teaching and to promote the advancement of learning.

Q. When was the Indian University Act passed and what was its impact?

Answer: The Indian University Act was passed on 11th March 1904 by Lord Curzon. Due to the passing of the Act, the quality of instruction in Indian universities improved to a great extent. Efforts were made to investigate the causes of university inefficiency and recommendations were made to remove them.

Q. What did Lord Curzon initiate to promote Indian Art Industries?

Answer: Lord Curzon initiated the promotion of Indian Art Industries through the reference of the school of art.

Q. What act did Lord Curzon pass to preserve valuable monuments and historical places?

Answer: Lord Curzon passed the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904 and created the Department of Archaeology in India to preserve valuable monuments and historical places of ancient India.

Q. What was Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11 about?

Answer: Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11 was a private bill submitted to the Imperial Legislative Council on 18th March 1910 to provide for compulsory education. The main provisions of the Gokhale’s Bill included:

• An Act on lines of the English Education Act 1870 should be passed authorizing local bodies to take the initiative in the matter.
• Compulsion should be made in the case of boys only in the first instance, and it should be extended to girls at a later date.
• Compulsion should be restricted to a period of four years only in the first instance, for the 6 to 10 years age group.
• Compulsion should be introduced in those areas where 33 percent of boys and girls were already under instruction.
• The provincial governments should bear two-thirds of the total expenditure involved in the scheme of compulsion.
• This Act may not be applicable with regard to some specific groups of individuals.
• The Department of Education of the provincial government will determine the time and duration of the schools.
• A school committee will be constituted to ensure attendance in schools.
• Local Boards and Municipalities should have the responsibility to establish and recognize new schools.
• With the permission of the provincial government, the autonomous bodies can levy a tax for education.

Q. When was the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act passed?

Answer: The Ancient Monuments Preservation Act was passed in 1904.

Q. Who established the Department of Archaeology in India?

Answer: Lord Curzon established the Department of Archaeology in India.

Q. What was the primary aim of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904?

Answer: The primary aim of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act of 1904 was to preserve valuable monuments and historical places of ancient India.

Q. Who submitted a private bill to the Imperial Legislative Council on 18th March 1910?

Answer: Gopalkrishna Gokhale submitted a private bill to the Imperial Legislative Council on 18th March 1910.

Q. What was the main objective of Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11?

Answer: The main objective of Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11 was to provide for compulsory education.

Q. What were some of the key provisions of Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill of 1910-11?

Answer:

• An Act similar to the English Education Act 1870 should be passed authorizing local bodies to take the initiative in compulsory education.
• Compulsion should initially apply to boys only and be extended to girls later.
• Compulsion should be limited to a period of four years, for children aged 6 to 10 years.
• Compulsion should be introduced in areas where 33 percent of boys and girls were already under instruction.
• Provincial governments should bear two-thirds of the total expenditure involved in the scheme of compulsion.
• The Act may not be applicable to some specific groups of individuals.
• The Department of Education of the provincial government will determine the time and duration of the schools.
• A school committee will be constituted to ensure attendance in schools.
• Local Boards and Municipalities should have the responsibility to establish and recognize new schools.
• With the permission of the provincial government, autonomous bodies can levy a tax for education.

Q. What was the outcome of Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill when it was reintroduced in 1911?

Answer: Gopalkrishna Gokhale’s Bill, when reintroduced in 1911, was discussed in the Imperial Legislative Council but was ultimately opposed by most official members and rejected by 38 votes to 13. The official view was that the bill was premature due to the absence of popular demand for the extension of primary education and opposition from local bodies. Despite this, Gokhale’s efforts raised awareness about compulsory education, leading to subsequent efforts to extend primary education and sanction grants for the purpose.

Q. What did the Government of India’s Resolution of 1913 suggest regarding primary education?

Answer: The Government of India’s Resolution of 1913 made several suggestions regarding primary education:

• Large expansion of lower primary schools.
• Encouragement of the establishment of upper primary schools.
• Local bodies should be encouraged to establish more schools.
• Allotment of grants to encourage elementary schools like ‘Pathsala’ and ‘Maktabs’.
• Provision for training primary school teachers.
• Elementary education should be made free in backward and poor areas.
• School buildings should be comfortable, convenient, but inexpensive.
• School curriculum should be more practical.

Q. What were the key resolutions of the Wardha Education Conference introduced by Mahatma Gandhi in 1937?

Answer: The key resolutions of the Wardha Education Conference introduced by Mahatma Gandhi in 1937 were:

• All boys and girls will be provided compulsory primary education for a period of 7 years through the medium of Mother Tongue.
• Provision will be made for combining education with some productive activity aimed at the mental development of the child.
• The entire education system will be craft-centered, and teachers’ salaries will be borne from the income generated from the produced goods.

Q. What was the role of Dr. Zakir Hussain in the implementation of the Wardha Scheme?

Answer: Dr. Zakir Hussain was appointed as the chairman of a committee formed to implement the resolutions accepted in the Wardha Education Conference. The committee’s main responsibility was to prepare an appropriate curriculum for implementing the Basic Education scheme. The curriculum, known as the National Educational Resolution, aimed to educate and develop the entire personality of future citizens and make them good citizens of the country.

Q. What were the chief characteristics and principles of Basic Education according to the Zakir Hussain Committee?

Answer: The chief characteristics and principles of Basic Education according to the Zakir Hussain Committee included:

• Making education craft-centered to develop the mental potentialities of the child.
• Ensuring self-sufficiency of children, with teachers’ salaries paid from income generated through produced goods.
• Using Mother Tongue as the medium of instruction.
• Providing child-centric education with opportunities for active participation.
• Emphasizing the utilitarian concept of knowledge.
• Establishing good relations between teachers and students with opportunities for independent participation.
• Providing an environment for adjustment with real-life situations.
• Developing Indian moral customs and traditions, contributing to National Character.
• Associating school and society.
• Making children aware of their duties and responsibilities as future citizens.
• Incorporating modern concepts like child psychology.
• Offering all-round development for people of every age group.
• Promoting ideals of non-violence, international cooperation, truth, justice, love, and service through Gandhian philosophy.

Q. What are the articles related to primary education in the Indian Constitution?

Answer: Articles 15, 28, 45, and 282 are related to primary education in the Indian Constitution.

Q. What is the main role of education according to the introduction?

Answer: Education is one of the main important instruments of social development and plays the most significant role in the development of a nation.

Q. What does Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibit?

Answer: Article 15 of the Indian Constitution prohibits discrimination against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth, or any of them.

Q. According to Article 15, what cannot be denied to a citizen based on certain grounds?

Answer: According to Article 15, a citizen cannot be denied access to shops, public restaurants, wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads, and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of state funds or dedicated to the use of the general public based on certain grounds.

Q. What does Article 15 (i) prohibit, and how is it different from discrimination based on residence?

Answer: Article 15 (i) prohibits discrimination based on the place of birth, but it does not prohibit discrimination based on residence. Residence as a qualification for certain purposes, such as employment, may not be classed with discrimination based on caste and place of birth.

Q. What exceptions does Article 15 (iii) include?

Answer: Article 15 (iii) includes exceptions that allow the state to make special provisions for the benefit of women and children, as well as for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes.

Q. What does Article 28 of the Indian Constitution address?

Answer: Article 28 of the Indian Constitution addresses religious instruction in educational institutions.

Q. What are the provisions of Article 28 (i), (ii), and (iii)?

Answer:

• Article 28 (i) prohibits religious instruction in any educational institution wholly maintained out of state funds.
• Article 28 (ii) permits the establishment of educational institutions under any endowment or trust that requires religious instruction.
• Article 28 (iii) states that no person attending any educational institution recognized by the state funds shall be required to take part in any religious instruction without their consent or, if a minor, the consent of their guardian.

Q. What rights does Article 29 guarantee?

Answer: Article 29 guarantees that any section of the citizens residing in India, having a distinct language, script, or culture, shall have the right to conserve the same. It also declares that no citizen shall be denied admission to any educational institution maintained by the state or receiving aid out of state funds on grounds of religion, race, caste, language, or any of them.

Q. What does Article 30 declare about minorities?

Answer: Article 30 declares that all minorities, whether based on religion or language, shall have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their own choice. It also states that the state shall not discriminate against any educational institution on the ground that it is under the management of a minority.

Q. What does Article 41 under the directive principles of state policy state?

Answer: Article 41 states that the state shall, within the limits of its economic capacity and development, make effective provision for securing the right to work, education, and public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, and disablement.

Q. What does Article 45 of the Directive Principles of State Policy lay down?

Answer: Article 45 lays down that the state shall endeavor to provide free and compulsory education to all children until they complete the age of fourteen years within a period of ten years from the commencement of the Constitution.

Q. What challenges have hindered the universalisation of primary education in India?

Answer: Challenges hindering the universalisation of primary education in India include lack of financial resources, expansion of student population, non-cooperation and poverty of parents, resistance to the education of girls, small and scattered habitations, existence of backward groups, absence of suitable machinery for compulsory attendance, wide gap between expansion in the states, apathy of illiterate masses to education, low priority to primary education, and wastage and stagnation in primary education.

Q. What are the suggestions made by the Kothari Commission regarding the implementation of Constitutional Directives for compulsory primary education?

Answer:

1. Every state or district should prepare its own plan for implementing compulsory primary education, considering local problems.
2. Every state should make financial provisions for the plan to prevent failure due to a lack of funds.
3. There should be a concerted effort to make the Constitutional Directives for compulsory primary education fruitful, aiming for completion by the year 1975-76.

Q. What does Article 282 of the Indian Constitution incorporate?

Answer: Article 282 incorporates the Seventh Schedule, consisting of three legislative lists – the Union list, the State list, and the Concurrent list. Part XII, consisting of articles from 264 to 300, deals with the financial relations between the Union and the States, including primary education.

Q. What is the Total Literacy Campaign (TLC), and when was it accepted?

Answer: The Total Literacy Campaign (TLC) is a significant component of the Universalisation of Primary Education aimed at removing illiteracy from society in a short time. It was accepted in 1989 as the National ‘Mass Movement Attempt’ or ‘Janajagaran Prasesta’ programme.

Q. What role do music, art, drama, and cultural components play in the Total Literacy Campaign?

Answer: Music, art, drama, and cultural components play a significant role in the implementation of the Total Literacy Campaign by helping create a healthy environment for the programme.

Q. What are the characteristics and implementation methods of the Total Literacy Programme?

Answer:

1. Campaigning through banners, stickers, posters, and katha jatra among the mass people.
2. Inclusion of members from all communities in the programme.
3. Formation of committees at different levels: District, Block, and Village.
4. Appointment of more volunteers, with one volunteer for every 10 illiterates.
5. Establishment of training camps for volunteers.
6. Involvement of government officers, non-government officers, selected representatives, voluntary organizations, social workers, and business institutes.
7. Consideration of a district as an effective center for training; training centers may also be created at block, panchayat, and tahsil levels if necessary.
8. Fixing convenient times and places for volunteers and interested illiterates.
9. The total programme should be fixed for a specific period, with three months for publicity and six or seven months for teaching.

Q. What was the purpose of the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) scheme, and when was it formulated?

Answer: The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) scheme was formulated in 1993-94 to decentralize educational planning at the district level, ensuring it suits the educational needs and demands of the concerned district. The scheme aimed to develop education in backward districts as per the Programme of Action, 1992.

Q. What were the objectives of the DPEP scheme?

Answer:

1. To provide access to all children for primary education (Class I to IV/V).
2. To reduce dropout rates to less than 10 percent.
3. To increase learning achievement at the primary level by 25 percent.
4. To reduce gender gaps and differences in social groups to less than 5 percent.

Q. What were the funding sources for the DPEP scheme?

Answer: The DPEP scheme was funded by various agencies, with 85% of the funds borne by the Government of India and 15% by state governments. The Government of India’s share was funded by foreign agencies like the World Bank, UNICEF, and the government of the Netherlands.

Q. Where was the DPEP scheme implemented in Assam?

Answer: In Assam, the DPEP scheme was implemented in nine districts: Dudhnoi of Goalpara, Titaguri of Kokrajhar, Agomoni in Dhubri, Baitamari in Bongaigaon, Senga of Barpeta, Dolgaon of Darrang, Naduar of Sonitpur, Lahorighat of Morigaon, and Howraghat of Karbi Anglong.

Q. What is the significance of education as a fundamental right for citizens?

Answer: Education is one of the fundamental rights of citizens. Every child between the age of 6-14 must be able to receive education. Education plays the most significant role in the development of a democratic nation. It is an important duty and responsibility of a democratic government. A democracy depends fully on its citizens, so a democratic state should accept the responsibility for educating its citizens. Literate and educated citizens can mould their opinions for the better functioning of democracy.

Q. What does Article 45 of the directive principles of state policy lay down regarding education?

Answer: Article 45 of the directive principles of state policy lays down that “The state shall endeavour to provide within a period of ten years from the commencement of this constitution, for free and compulsory education to all children till they complete the age of fourteen years.”

Q. What was the purpose of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)?

Answer: The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is an effort to universalize primary education by community ownership of the school system. It is a response to the demand for quality basic education all over the country. The SSA programme aims to provide an opportunity for improving human capabilities to all children through the provision of community-owned quality education in a mission mode. It also seeks to promote social justice through basic education, involving Panchayati Raj Institutions, School Management Committees, and various grassroots structures in managing primary schools.

Q. What are the main objectives of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan?

Answer:

1. All children in school, Education Guarantee Centre, Alternate School, or ‘Back-to-School’ camp by 2003.
2. All children complete five years of primary schooling by 2007.
3. All children complete eight years of primary schooling by 2010.
4. Focus on primary education of satisfactory quality with an emphasis on education for life.
5. Bridge all gender and social category gaps at the primary stage by 2007 and at the primary education level by 2010.
6. Achieve universal retention by 2010.

Q. What are the two directions of the framework of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan?

Answer: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan has two directions:

1. The organizational setup for implementing primary education.
2. The expenditure in reaching the universalization of primary education. The state government and the central government have investments in the primary education sector, and within a few years, all aspects of primary education will be unified with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme.

109. What are the two aspects of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan?

Answer:

• It provides a wide convergent framework for implementing Elementary Education Schemes.
• It is a programme with budget provisions for strengthening vital areas to achieve the universalization of primary education. All investments in the primary education sector from the State and Central Plans will reflect as part of the SSA framework and will be merged into the SSA Programme within the next few years. As a programme, it reflects the additional resource provision for Universal Elementary Education (UEE).