Question 71 from UPSC CSE 2018 - Modern History

Question

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?
1. Grants-in-Aid system was introduced.
2. Establishment of universities was recommended.
3. English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. 1 and 2 only

Strategy: - Identify specific recommendations of Wood's Dispatch, such as the support for grants-in-aid and the establishment of universities.
- Recognize and discard inaccurate statements, particularly the misconception that English was recommended as the universal medium of instruction at all levels; it was only for higher education.
- Leverage this distinction to quickly confirm the correct option.

Key Info: Wood's Dispatch, issued in 1854 by Charles Wood (then President of the Board of Control of the East India Company), is considered the foundation of modern education in colonial India and labeled the 'Magna Carta of English Education in India.'

- **Grants-in-Aid**: The Dispatch recommended a system of financial grants to private schools and colleges, encouraging private and missionary enterprise. Grants were linked to performance, efficiency, and secular education adoption.

- **Universities**: It urged the establishment of universities in Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, modeled after the University of London. Their functions included conducting examinations and awarding degrees, with a Senate comprising a Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, and government-nominated fellows.

- **Medium of Instruction**: Vernacular languages were suggested for the primary level, while English was for higher studies. The Dispatch did not recommend English universally at all levels but supported dual channels for broader access.

- **Other provisions**: The Dispatch stressed female education, teacher training, secular instruction in government institutions, and vocational education. It advocated a hierarchical system: vernacular primary schools (village level), Anglo-vernacular high schools and colleges (district level), and universities (top).

The Wood's Dispatch was seminal for laying out a comprehensive educational system and influencing Indian education policy for decades.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: 2 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: 1 and 3 only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: 1, 2, and 3

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true? Grants-in-Aid system was introduced. Establishment of universities was recommended. English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Regarding Wood's Dispatch, which of the following statements are true?

Grants-in-Aid system was introduced.

Establishment of universities was recommended.

English as a medium of instruction at all levels of education was recommended.
Select the correct answer using the code given below: