Submitted By:
Keerthy Raju . S (English)
In 1882, Lord Rippon, the Governor General of India, appointed Indian Education Commission under the Chairmanship of Sir William Hunter who was a member of the executive council of Governor General. The major term of the commission was to enquire into the manner in which effect had been given to the principles of the Despatch of 1854, with particular emphasis on elementary education. There were 20 members in the commission, of which 7 were Indians. After 10 months of rigorous attempts, it presented a report of 600 pages in 1883. The following are the important recommendations of the commission.
1. Secondary education, as far as possible, should be provided on the grant-in-aid basis and the government should withdraw from the direct management of the secondary schools.
2. The government should take the entire responsibility of primary education leaving secondary education to private agencies.
3. Control of primary education should be shifted to Districts and Municipal Boards.
4. Primary education should be regarded as the education of masses and the instruction should be imparted through vernacular language.
5. Primary education should be extended to backward areas and backward castes.
6. Local funds should be utilized mainly for primary education and for secondary and collegiate education incidentally.
7. Instruction in primary classes should be adjusted to local conditions and uniformity should not be insisted.
8. Colleges should be started for the training of secondary school teachers.
SARGENT REPORT : 1944
In 1944, the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) submitted a comprehensive report on post-war educational development in India. Sir John Sargent, the then Educational Advisor to the Government of India, was the chief architect of the scheme and hence the report came to known as the Sargent Report. In many respects the Sargent report agreed with the “Wardha Scheme” or “Basic education” (1937) of Mahatma Gandhi.
Recommendations:
1. Free primary education should be given to children between the ages of 6 and 14.
2. The high school course should cover 6 years from the age of 11 to 17.
3. Entry to high schools should be on a selective basis after the completion of the Junior Basic Course.
4. Mother tongue should be the medium of instruction, English should not be introduced even as an optional subject in the basic schools.
5. High schools should be of two main types: Academic and Technical.
6. The curriculum in the high school classes should be flexible.
7. Free boarding, scholarships and stipends should be made available to the poor children.
8. In order to secure teachers of right type; attractive salary as prescribed by the central Advisory Board of Education should be given to teachers of all recognized schools.
