The Early Days of Gurukuls
Before the British or the Mughal invasion, education in the Indian subcontinent was seen as one of the rights of the common folk. It was a way for them to attain Moksha, which is a release from the cycle of reincarnation. By devoting themselves to education, even the lowliest of the low could achieve divinity. However, after the advent of the hegemonic caste system, there was a substantial change in the structure of education. The Brahmanas, having superior knowledge of the Hindu scriptures and religion, dominated the education sphere and deemed only other Brahmanas to be worthy of pursuing studies in the scriptures and holy books. The Shudras were ostracised completely, and were instructed by the gurus to stay away from the gurukuls.
All in all, however, the Gurukul system of education focused on direct interaction between the teachers and the pupil, peer interaction and a holistic development of skills. The subjects included mathematics, science, language, arts, sports, crafts and singing. This was done through models of self-learning or peer discussion, which even today has shown to be substantially more beneficial than a strictly one way mode of education. Many studies have shown that cooperative learning is one of the most efficient ways of learning, especially in a child’s formative years.
With the coming of the Gupta Empire in the 3rd Century AD, education institutes (gurukuls) were set up in the prominent cities of the empire, such as Varanasi and Nalanda. Education was available to anyone who walked through the gates of the gurukul. Instead of having a fee structure, the pupil was to give a gurudakshina to the gurus, which was an offering given to the guru. This meant that the economic status of the person was not a criteria for education, which meant that any class or caste of society was welcomed by the Gurukuls.
In the same era, Buddhist Heterodox schools were set up in Taxila and Nalanda, where students from any religion were welcomed. Subjects such as philosophy and metaphysics were introduced, alongside mathematics, sciences, arts and crafts. Pupils were made to sit in a large hall, sometimes over 200 students per hall. The teachers sat at the front of the congregation, and every class began with a few minutes of meditation.
The late middle ages
In the late middle ages, Islamic educational institutions, including madrassas and maktabs. They typically focused on mathematics, sciences, poetry and art, religion, etc. The madrassas especially emphasised on the connection between arts and sciences, and were inclusive of all religions and castes. Akbar tried to improve the scope of education, by introducing texts from different cultures and languages, as well as bringing in subjects like medicine, politics and agriculture. Ideas of Aristotle and other ancient Greeks were observed. This came as no surprise, since the Mughal rulers looked for inspiration from Persia and the Middle East, which was heavily influenced by Greek literature and philosophy.
Madrassas also provided opportunities for Higher education in all the major subjects. They also provided financial aid to carry out the study. However, due to the declining financial conditions, the Madrassas began to decline in popularity. The Maktabs continued to exist, but eventually, the Gurukuls still remained the most popular institution for Education. This is because Gurukuls were the most accessible of other institutions. The infrastructure of Gurukuls was also relatively better, and Gurukuls had a holistic approach towards education. Until the Colonial rule, Gurukuls were the most favoured institutions of education.
Colonial Era
During the Colonial era, the Jesuits introduced India to the College system from Europe. The first college that was established by the Jesuits is St. Paul’s College in Goa (1542). The first change that was introduced in the Indian education system during this era was the standardisation of education. Previously, Gurukuls did not have a stratified structure of classes/grades. Any child who was able, would study at his/her own pace. With Colonial education came classes and standards that brought about a uniformity that grouped children based on their age and ability.
English was introduced as the mode of education, as Macaulay believed that learning English would “civilise” the people of India, and make it easy for them to become subjects of the crown. Universities were also set up in this era in order to solidify the higher education system in the country. A lot of Indians went to England and other European countries for higher education, most notably, Jawaharlal Nehru and Gandhi.
Following the growing trend of inclusivity of women in the field of Education, the Crown set up Madras Medical College, which opened applications for Indian women to be educated as well. However, regardless of this, most of the students, both in schools as well as colleges, were men. The Curriculum was based on the European model, including subjects like higher mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, literature.
However, regardless of the growth in education, the administration of the universities (University of Madras, Calcutta, Bombay, etc.) were prejudiced and highly casteist. Only applications from Brahmans was considered, with the lower strata of society either completely rejected or treated with prejudice and impartiality. Villages in Bihar suffered the most, with a large rate of illiteracy that continues till today.
Contemporary scenario
Technical education (Engineering) was promoted heavily in the post-colonial era, with the first Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) being established in 1951. The focus on arts and humanities slowly began to diminish in favour of skill based technical education in order to compete with the western powers. With the advent of Consumer Capitalism came the establishment of thousands of educational institutions, all of which promoted education in the fields of Science and Technology.
The trajectory of Indian Education has been surprisingly steady, seeing a drop during the colonial era. This can be attributed to the fact that most of the youth of India was either forced to work for the Raj, or was rebelling against it. The Casteist administration, along with economic backwardness resulted in a gap between the rich (educated) and poor (uneducated) that steadily widened and got worse over time.
Written by: Akanksh, Team TEGS
