Political agenda of education : a study of colonialist and nationalist ideas

225 Pages·2005·1.22 MB·English

by  Krishna Kumar

P A
OLITICAL GENDA
E
OF DUCATION
P A
OLITICAL GENDA
E
OF DUCATION
A study of colonialist
and nationalist ideas
S E
ECOND DITION
K K
RISHNA UMAR

SAGE Publications
New Delhi Thousand Oaks London
P A
OLITICAL GENDA
E
OF DUCATION
A study of colonialist
and nationalist ideas
S E
ECOND DITION
K K
RISHNA UMAR

SAGE Publications
New Delhi Thousand Oaks London
Copyright © Krishna Kumar, 1991, 2005
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in 1991
This second edition published in 2005 by
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss IIIIInnnnndddddiiiiiaaaaa PPPPPvvvvvttttt LLLLLtttttddddd
B-42, Panchsheel Enclave
New Delhi 110 017
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss IIIIInnnnnccccc SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss LLLLLtttttddddd
2455 Teller Road 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320 London EC1Y 1SP
Published by Tejeshwar Singh for Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd,
To the memory of J.P. Naik
phototypeset by S.R. Enterprises in 10/12 Usherwood Medium and printed
at Chaman Enterprises, New Delhi.
LLLLLiiiiibbbbbrrrrraaaaarrrrryyyyy ooooofffff CCCCCooooonnnnngggggrrrrreeeeessssssssss CCCCCaaaaatttttaaaaalllllooooogggggiiiiinnnnnggggg-----iiiiinnnnn-----PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnn DDDDDaaaaatttttaaaaa
Krishna Kumar, 1951–
Political agenda of education: a study of colonialist and nationalist ideas/
Krishna Kumar.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes biblio graphical references and index.
1. Education—Political aspects—India—History. 2. Education—Social
aspects—India—History. 3. India—History—British occupation, 1765–
1947 I. Title
LC94.I4K75 379.54—dc22 2005 2004028975
IIIIISSSSSBBBBBNNNNN:::::0-7619-3316-6 (Hb) 81-7829-446-X (India-Hb)
0-7619-3317-4 (Pb) 81-7829-447-8 (India-Pb)
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPrrrrroooooddddduuuuuccccctttttiiiiiooooonnnnn TTTTTeeeeeaaaaammmmm::::: Shinjini Chatterjee, Rajib Chatterjee and Santosh Rawat
Copyright © Krishna Kumar, 1991, 2005
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher.
First published in 1991
This second edition published in 2005 by
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss IIIIInnnnndddddiiiiiaaaaa PPPPPvvvvvttttt LLLLLtttttddddd
B-42, Panchsheel Enclave
New Delhi 110 017
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss IIIIInnnnnccccc SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnnsssss LLLLLtttttddddd
2455 Teller Road 1 Oliver’s Yard, 55 City Road
Thousand Oaks, California 91320 London EC1Y 1SP
Published by Tejeshwar Singh for Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd,
To the memory of J.P. Naik
phototypeset by S.R. Enterprises in 10/12 Usherwood Medium and printed
at Chaman Enterprises, New Delhi.
LLLLLiiiiibbbbbrrrrraaaaarrrrryyyyy ooooofffff CCCCCooooonnnnngggggrrrrreeeeessssssssss CCCCCaaaaatttttaaaaalllllooooogggggiiiiinnnnnggggg-----iiiiinnnnn-----PPPPPuuuuubbbbbllllliiiiicccccaaaaatttttiiiiiooooonnnnn DDDDDaaaaatttttaaaaa
Krishna Kumar, 1951–
Political agenda of education: a study of colonialist and nationalist ideas/
Krishna Kumar.—2nd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Education—Political aspects—India—History. 2. Education—Social
aspects—India—History. 3. India—History—British occupation, 1765–
1947 I. Title
LC94.I4K75 379.54—dc22 2005 2004028975
IIIIISSSSSBBBBBNNNNN:::::0-7619-3316-6 (Hb) 81-7829-446-X (India-Hb)
0-7619-3317-4 (Pb) 81-7829-447-8 (India-Pb)
SSSSSaaaaagggggeeeee PPPPPrrrrroooooddddduuuuuccccctttttiiiiiooooonnnnn TTTTTeeeeeaaaaammmmm::::: Shinjini Chatterjee, Rajib Chatterjee and Santosh Rawat
C
ONTENTS
(cid:87)(cid:153)(cid:88)
Preface to the Second Edition 9
Preface to the First Edition 11
I Introduction 13
Part I: Dynamics of Colonization
II Colonial Citizen as an Educational Ideal 25
III Appropriate Knowledge: Conflict of
Still more important than Wordsworth, or the eminent Curriculum and Culture 49
authors, Burke and Hare, was the art and science of IV Meek Dictator: The Paradox of
mensuration. A boy who had passed his examination in Teacher’s Personality 73
these branches—for which, by the way, there were no
cram books—could, by merely marching over a country Part II: Dynamics of the Freedom Struggle
with a compass and a level and a straight eye, carry away V Pursuit of Equality 97
a picture of that country which might be sold for large VI Quest for Self-Identity 123
sums in coined silver. VII Meanings of Progress 156
VIII Conclusion 195
Rudyard Kipling in Kim
Bibliography 204
Index 212
About the Author 224
C
ONTENTS
(cid:87)(cid:153)(cid:88)
Preface to the Second Edition 9
Preface to the First Edition 11
I Introduction 13
Part I: Dynamics of Colonization
II Colonial Citizen as an Educational Ideal 25
III Appropriate Knowledge: Conflict of
Still more important than Wordsworth, or the eminent Curriculum and Culture 49
authors, Burke and Hare, was the art and science of IV Meek Dictator: The Paradox of
mensuration. A boy who had passed his examination in Teacher’s Personality 73
these branches—for which, by the way, there were no
cram books—could, by merely marching over a country Part II: Dynamics of the Freedom Struggle
with a compass and a level and a straight eye, carry away V Pursuit of Equality 97
a picture of that country which might be sold for large VI Quest for Self-Identity 123
sums in coined silver. VII Meanings of Progress 156
VIII Conclusion 195
Rudyard Kipling in Kim
Bibliography 204
Index 212
About the Author 224
P S E
REFACE TO THE ECOND DITION
(cid:87)(cid:153)(cid:88)
A lot seems to have changed since the early 1990s when this book
was first published. Considerable policy-level interest has been in
evidence on the matter of universalization of elementary educa-
tion. An amendment in the Constitution has been made in order to
make elementary education a fundamental, justiciable right of every
child. This is no small measure, even though the precise meaning of
this measure will only emerge when suitable laws and procedures
are put in place in every state, enabling citizen groups to seek justice
when children are deprived of their fundamental right to education.
This book concludes by arguing that the utilitarian doctrine of
the colonial state kept India divided between elites and masses.
Liberal democratic procedures were set in motion in the late colo-
nial period, but liberalism as a political and social perspective failed
to develop, especially in the context of education. And now, in the
early twenty-first century, India finds itself facing the onslaught of a
harsh, neo-liberal doctrine. Implicit in it is the idea that the process
of building the state is no longer necessary, that the market would
serve better where the state has failed. At a time when the state
seemed to have developed at least the urge, if not a plausible plan
and credible commitment, to universalize elementary education,
the popularity of neo-liberal ideas does not augur well. And these
ideas are already influencing policy quite negatively. Privatization
is rampant and spreading further at great speed; teachers are losing
what little status they had; and the humanities are losing out in
competition with high-income-oriented forms of knowledge. As the
second edition of Political Agenda of Education goes to press, one
does wonder what the changes mentioned in the first paragraph of
this preface mean.
In the book itself there are many changes. The most important
one is the inclusion of a section on girls’ education in the discussion
on equality in Chapter V. The absence of this topic in the last edition
was a major lacuna, reflecting both a limitation in my awareness
and in the discourse of the 1980s. Rarely does one know the precise
source and moment of awareness: in my case it was a visit to the
P S E
REFACE TO THE ECOND DITION
(cid:87)(cid:153)(cid:88)
A lot seems to have changed since the early 1990s when this book
was first published. Considerable policy-level interest has been in
evidence on the matter of universalization of elementary educa-
tion. An amendment in the Constitution has been made in order to
make elementary education a fundamental, justiciable right of every
child. This is no small measure, even though the precise meaning of
this measure will only emerge when suitable laws and procedures
are put in place in every state, enabling citizen groups to seek justice
when children are deprived of their fundamental right to education.
This book concludes by arguing that the utilitarian doctrine of
the colonial state kept India divided between elites and masses.
Liberal democratic procedures were set in motion in the late colo-
nial period, but liberalism as a political and social perspective failed
to develop, especially in the context of education. And now, in the
early twenty-first century, India finds itself facing the onslaught of a
harsh, neo-liberal doctrine. Implicit in it is the idea that the process
of building the state is no longer necessary, that the market would
serve better where the state has failed. At a time when the state
seemed to have developed at least the urge, if not a plausible plan
and credible commitment, to universalize elementary education,
the popularity of neo-liberal ideas does not augur well. And these
ideas are already influencing policy quite negatively. Privatization
is rampant and s preading further at great speed; teachers are losing
what little status they had; and the humanities are losing out in
competition with high-income-oriented forms of knowledge. As the
second edition of Political Agenda of Education goes to press, one
does wonder what the changes mentioned in the first paragraph of
this preface mean.
In the book itself there are many changes. The most important
one is the inclusion of a section on girls’ education in the discussion
on equality in Chapter V. The absence of this topic in the last edition
was a major lacuna, reflecting both a limitation in my awareness
and in the discourse of the 1980s. Rarely does one know the precise
source and moment of awareness: in my case it was a visit to the