UPSC CSE Prelims
Growth of Modern Education Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 4 — he wanted to train British civilians for administrative purpose in India

Lord Wellesley established Fort William College in Calcutta in 1800 primarily to train young British civil servants in Indian languages, customs, and administrative practices. The college aimed to create a cadre of well-trained administrators who could effectively govern British territories in India, as Wellesley was dissatisfied with the existing training provided by the East India Company in London.

📝 Short Notes: Fort William College

• Established: 1800 by Lord Wellesley (Governor-General, 1798-1805) at Calcutta
• Primary Purpose: Training British civil servants in Indian languages (Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi), customs, laws, and administrative practices
• Background: Wellesley believed the Company's Haileybury College in London provided inadequate training for Indian administration
• Curriculum: Oriental languages, Indian history, culture, legal systems, and administrative procedures
• Opposition: The Court of Directors in London opposed it due to high expenses and established Haileybury College (1806) as an alternative
• Later Status: Fort William College continued but was reduced to mainly a language school after 1854
• Significance: Promoted Oriental studies and helped create a professional civil service, though it also served colonial administrative interests

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 2 — 2 only

This question tests knowledge of educational institutions established during British colonial rule in India and their respective founders. Only the pairing of Calcutta Madrasa with Warren Hastings is correct among the given options.

❌ Pair 1 – Incorrect: Sanskrit College at Benaras was founded by Jonathan Duncan in 1791, not William Jones.
✅ Pair 2 – Correct: Calcutta Madrasa was established by Warren Hastings in 1781 for the study of Arabic, Persian, and Islamic law.
❌ Pair 3 – Incorrect: Fort William College was founded by Lord Wellesley (Richard Wellesley) in 1800, not Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington).

📝 Short Notes: Educational Institutions during Colonial Rule

Detailed Explanation:

Answer: Option 1 — 1, 2 and 3

All three factors played crucial roles in the introduction of English education in India. The Charter Act of 1813 provided the financial foundation, the General Committee of Public Instruction (1823) was established to implement educational policy, and the Orientalist-Anglicist controversy ultimately resolved in favor of English education through Macaulay's Minute of 1835.

✅ Statement 1 – Correct: The Charter Act of 1813 was the first official measure sanctioning one lakh rupees annually for promoting education and modern sciences in India, laying the financial foundation for British educational intervention.

✅ Statement 2 – Correct: The General Committee of Public Instruction was established in 1823 to implement the educational grant of 1813 and guide the East India Company's educational policy in India.

✅ Statement 3 – Correct: The Orientalist-Anglicist controversy between supporters of traditional Indian learning and Western education culminated in Lord Macaulay's Minute of 1835, which established English as the medium of instruction.

📝 Short Notes: Introduction of English Education in India