Correct option is A
Lord Macaulay made the comment "The great object of the British Government ought to be the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India, all funds appropriated for the purpose of education would be best employed on English education alone." in his Minute on Indian Education in 1835. Macaulay was a British historian and politician who was a strong advocate of English education. He believed that English was the language of progress and that it would help to modernize India. He also believed that English education would help to create a class of Indians who were loyal to the British government. Macaulay's Minute was a very influential document, and it helped to shape the British government's education policy in India. The British government began to focus on promoting English education, and English became the language of government and education in India. Macaulay's Minute is still debated today, with some people arguing that it was a good thing because it helped to spread English education in India and to modernize the country. Others argue that Macaulay's Minute was a bad thing because it led to the decline of Indian languages and cultures.
Information Booster:
Macaulay’s Minute (1835):
A landmark document that justified replacing Persian and Sanskrit with English as the medium of education in India.
Macaulay argued for creating a class of Indians who would serve as intermediaries between the British rulers and the Indian masses, famously stating, “a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect.”
Impact on Indian Education:
English became the medium of higher education in India.
The focus shifted from traditional learning to Western sciences and literature.
This decision marked the decline of indigenous educational systems like madrasas and pathshalas.
Additional Knowledge:
(b) Sir Charles Wood:
Wood’s Despatch (1854) is considered the "Magna Carta of English Education in India," focusing on a comprehensive system of education.
(c) Lord William Bentinck:
Bentinck supported Macaulay’s proposals but did not author this comment.
(d) Arthur Mayhew:
Mayhew was a later educationalist, and this quote is not attributed to him.