Beyond Macaulay: Towards Swadeshi Knowledge Framework by 2035

By: Deepak Sharma

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has repeatedly described Thomas Macaulay’s 1835 “Minute on Education” as the source of a lingering “colonial mindset” in India has Modi has set a ten‑year deadline (by 2035, the 200‑year anniversary of Macaulay’s Minute) to “free India from the slavery mentality” and to restore pride in Indian languages and knowledge traditions. The policy produced a narrow, English‑educated elite that served colonial interests and later perpetuated a “Lutyens‑style” power structure.  The English‑medium curriculum instilled a sense of inferiority, convincing many that progress could only be achieved through foreign methods. By privileging Western literature and science, the system de‑legitimised centuries of Indian philosophy, mathematics, medicine and jurisprudence.

Long before the British set foot in India, the subcontinent boasted a vibrant educational ecosystem. Gurukuls attached to temples, royal courts and monastic complexes taught Vedic recitation, grammar, logic, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. The famed Nalanda University, founded in the fifth century CE, attracted scholars from across Asia and offered courses in Buddhist theology, medicine, mathematics and linguistics. In the Islamic heartlands of Delhi, Lucknow and Hyderabad, madrasas combined religious instruction with Persian, Arabic, mathematics, astronomy and medicine. The medium of instruction was not a single language but a tapestry of Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Persian and regional vernaculars.

These institutions were not isolated; they were linked by travelling scholars, royal patronage and a culture that revered knowledge as a spiritual and social good. The concept of paṭha‑śālā (school) and vidyā‑pīṭha (seat of learning) reflected a societal commitment to education that transcended caste and occupational lines. Mathematics flourished—zero, the decimal system and algebra were Indian inventions that later travelled to the Arab world and then to Europe. In medicine, the Sushruta Samhita described surgical techniques centuries ahead of its time. In short, India possessed a living, dynamic educational tradition that was, in many respects, ahead of its European contemporaries.

The Swadeshi shiksha vyavastha was, therefore, not a single monolithic system but a mosaic of overlapping networks that emphasizing multilingualism (learning was conducted in the mother tongue as well as in classical languages such as Sanskrit or Persian, ensuring that knowledge was accessible to a broad cross‑section of society), holistic development ( the curriculum blended intellectual, moral and physical training; a student was expected to be a karnadhār (navigator) of both inner and outer worlds), social responsibility – education was seen as a means to uphold dharma (righteous duty) and to serve the community, rather than merely to secure personal advancement.

Macaulay’s Minute was not a neutral educational reform; it was a strategic instrument of colonial governance. The British East India Company needed a cadre of clerks, interpreters and administrators who could bridge the linguistic gap between the rulers and the ruled. Macaulay argued that “the great end of education is to fit the people for the duties of civil life,” and that English was the language of “the sciences, of the arts, and of the great works of literature.” This created a class of “brown sahibs” whose loyalty lay more with the colonial administration than with their fellow countrymen. The emphasis on rote learning and obedience over critical thinking produced subjects who were proficient at reproducing information but hesitant to question authority—an outcome that served colonial interests well.

English education was expensive and largely accessible to urban, upper‑caste families. Rural and lower‑caste communities were systematically excluded, reinforcing existing social hierarchies. The resulting disparity entrenched a class of English‑speaking elites who monopolised white‑collar jobs, while the majority remained trapped in agrarian poverty. This inequity sowed the seeds of social tension that persist in contemporary India.

India’s demographic dividend can become a lasting strength only if the education system equips students to create, rather than merely seek, employment. The following reforms aim to shift the focus from rote learning to skill‑building, entrepreneurship and practical experience. The system may be based on curriculum redesign for critical thinking and problem‑solving, and early exposure to vocational and technical streams.

Entrepreneurship as a core subject must be introduced right from school level. There should be industry‑academia partnerships for creation of  mandatory internships/apprenticeships for all undergraduate students, especially in STEM and vocational fields and encourage firms to co‑design courses and provide mentorship, ensuring that skills taught match market needs. Language flexibility and digital literacy can allow instruction in the mother tongue alongside English to broaden access. Ensure every student graduates with proficiency in coding, data analysis and digital tools. Assessment system should shift from marks to competencies. Implementing these reforms will reorient the education ecosystem from a pipeline of job‑seekers to a launchpad for job‑creators, turning India’s youthful energy into sustainable economic growth. In doing so, India can honour its ancient tradition of learning—a tradition that once illuminated the world—while shaping an educational system that is both globally competitive and rooted in its own cultural soil. The Macaulay system may have been a colonial imposition, but its ultimate impact will be determined by how India chooses to transform that inheritance into a force for inclusive, equitable and enlightened development.

[The author is Purvottar Sanyojak, Swadeshi Jagran Manch]