Project:

Prepare a project how the Charter Act 1813 was the first step towards the development of Indian Educations System.

Introduction of The Charter Act

In 1813, the Charter was passed by the British Parliament. It had provisions for education reforms in India. The missionaries wanted to impart western education in India and promote Christianity while the Directors of the East India Company influenced the Court of Directors to authorize the revival of Indian literature. The House of Commons set up a Committee for the renewal of the Charter of the Company. The result of this committee was that the missionaries were allowed to enter India and educate and promote their religion freely. Clause 43 was initiated under the Charter Act which bore three concepts:

• the revival and improvement of literature

• encouragement of the learned natives of India

• promotion of a knowledge of science among the natives

Importance

The Charter Act is an important chapter in the history of Indian Education. It enabled future educational developments in India as:

• The Company would undertake educational responsibility and duty of the Indians. For this, the company would grant 1 lakh a year.

• To execute clause 43 of the Act, the Company formed an agency of its own.

• A system of educational grants was initiated. The Company had entered the field of educational administration for providing financial aids, instead of passing it to the missionaries. The State system of education began and functioned henceforth.

• The Christian missionaries in India established several modern English schools and formed a well-organized modern educational system.

As a result of the Charter Act, India became a ground for missionaries from Scotland, Germany, and America besides England.