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Wood's Education Despatch of 1854 is considered to be the "Magna Carta" of Indian education in the colonial period. It was a comprehensive document that laid out the British government's vision for education in India.

The despatch called for the establishment of a system of secular education that would be accessible to all Indians, regardless of their caste or religion. It also called for the promotion of English education and the development of vernacular education.

The despatch had a profound impact on education in India. It led to the establishment of a number of new schools and colleges, and it also helped to improve the quality of education in India. The despatch is also credited with helping to promote social change in India by educating women and lower-caste Indians.

Wood's Education Despatch of 1854 was a landmark document in the history of Indian education. It had a profound impact on education in India, and it helped to lay the foundation for the modern Indian education system.

The Wood’s Education Despatch of 1854, sent by Charles Wood (President of the Board of Control of the East India Company), is often called the "Magna Carta of English Education in India" because it laid the foundation for a comprehensive educational policy in colonial India.

Key Features of the Despatch:
Recommended a hierarchical structure of education: elementary, high school, and university levels.
Advocated for English as the medium of higher education and vernacular languages for primary education.
Led to the establishment of universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras in 1857.
Stressed the importance of teacher training and the role of education in producing an efficient colonial workforce.

Information Booster:
Macaulay’s Minute (1835): Focused mainly on promoting English education for a small elite class (“a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes…”).

Indian Education Commission (1882): Also known as the Hunter Commission, focused on primary education expansion.

Missionary Clause (1698): Part of the Charter Act allowing missionaries to promote Christianity in India, not an education blueprint.

Additional Knowledge:
The title Magna Carta is used because the Wood’s Despatch represented a charter-like, foundational document for systematically shaping the British colonial education system in India.