Q. With reference to Lord Macaulay’s Minute on Education (1835), consider the following statements:
1.It advocated the use of English as the medium of instruction for teaching Western sciences and literature in India.
2.It led to the establishment of a large number of elementary schools to promote mass education.
3.It introduced the idea of educating a small elite class to act as a bridge between the British administration and Indian society.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Answer: B
Notes:
Explanation:
- Macaulay’s Minute clearly emphasized teaching Western sciences and literature through the English language.
- The policy neglected mass education and did not establish elementary schools; instead, it focused on a few English-medium institutions.
- Macaulay proposed educating a small class of Indians who would serve as intermediaries—”Indian in blood and colour but English in tastes”—to act as interpreters between the British and the masses, a concept linked to the downward filtration theory.
Source: Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India
