Which British administrator passed a resolution for the "Promotion of European literatures and Science among the natives of India"?

Correct option is C

Explanation:

The correct answer is Lord Bentinck.

Lord William Bentinck, who served as the Governor-General of India from 1828 to 1835, played a crucial role in shaping British educational policy in colonial India.

He is known for passing a resolution in 1835 for the promotion of European literature and science among the natives of India. This was a landmark decision that marked a significant shift in educational priorities under British colonial rule.

This resolution was influenced by Thomas Babington Macaulay's famous "Minute on Indian Education", in which Macaulay advocated for educating Indians through the English language and emphasized the superiority of Western literature and science over traditional Indian learning systems.

The 1835 resolution led to the implementation of English as the medium of instruction, sidelining traditional systems of education rooted in Persian, Arabic, and Sanskrit.

Information Booster:

Macaulay’s Minute on Education (1835) served as the foundational document for Bentinck’s resolution and justified the replacement of oriental learning with Western education.

The resolution marked the formal beginning of the Anglicist-Orientalist debate, which ultimately resulted in the victory of Anglicists like Macaulay.

Lord Bentinck’s resolution led to the closure of institutions supporting oriental learning and redirected funds toward English-medium education.

The resolution emphasized utilitarian goals — creating a class of English-educated Indians who would serve as intermediaries between the British rulers and Indian masses.

This educational policy was a cornerstone of British cultural imperialism, aiming to indoctrinate colonial subjects into British values.

The move also laid the foundation for the rise of English literary studies in colonial India, influencing generations of Indian intellectuals and writers.

Additional Knowledge:

Lord Hastings: Though involved in educational and administrative reforms, he is more associated with military conquests and governance rather than educational resolutions of this nature.

Lord Cornwallis: Best known for introducing the Permanent Settlement of Bengal and judicial reforms, not for educational policies.

Lord Hardinge: Associated with the later phase of colonial rule and the Delhi Durbar (1911), not educational resolutions.