(i) The British officials considered the Eastern literature to be lighthearted and non-serious. Moreover, they were of the opinion that Indian knowledge was full of errors and unscientific thoughts.
(ii) The aim of the Act of 1835 was:
(a) To make English as the medium of instruction for higher education, and
(b) To stop the promotion of Oriental institutions like the Calcutta Madarsa and Banaras Hindu College.

After 1854, the Company gave a lot of responsibilities to Pandits such as:
(i) The Company appointed a number of government pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools.
(ii) Pandits were made responsible to improve the standard of teaching in their respective pathshalas. They were asked to visit the pathshalas on regular basis.
(iii) Each guru had to take classes according to a regular timetable and submit periodic reports.

The three remarks given by Adam in his report on Vernacular education in India were:
(i) There was flexibility in the approach and conditions of the educational institutions. There were no fixed fee, no printed books, no separate school building, no annual examinations and no regular time table.
(ii) Classes were held under a banyan tree, or at a corner of a village shop or temple, or at the guru's place. During the harvest time, classes were not held.
(iii) Fee of the students was entirely dependent on the income of the parents. Rich students had to pay more fees than the poor ones.

In British India, there was a controversy over the language to be used for Indian higher education. On one side, there were British Orientalists who wanted to use Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic language; whereas, on the other side, there were the Anglicists who wanted to enforce English Lord Macaulay who favoured Anglicists' view put this controversy to an end by introducing English Education Act of 1835.

From the early 19^th century, the Orientalists' vision of learning was criticized by many British officials. They held the view that oriental education is unscientific and full of errors. They considered Eastern literature as non-serious and light-hearted. So they were of the opinion that it was wrong on the part of the British to spend so much in encouraging the study of Arabic and Sanskrit language.

Various steps were taken to improve the system of vernacular education after 1854. Order was introduced within the system of vernacular education. Routines were imposed and rules were established. It was ensured that inspections were conducted at regular intervals.

William Adam was a Scottish missionary who toured the districts of Bengal and Bihar. He was asked by the Company to report on the progress of education in vernacular schools.

They felt that institutions should be set up to encourage the study of ancient Indian texts and teach Sanskrit and Persian literature and poetry. The officials also thought that Hindus and Muslims ought to be taught what they were already familiar to and what they valued and treasured and not those subjects that were alien to them. Only then, they believed that the Britishers could hope to win place in the hearts of the "natives" and only then they expected that the alien rulers would be respected by their subjects.

The English Education Act was introduced in 1835. It was introduced by Thomas Macaulay.
Its features were:
(i) English was made the medium of instruction for higher education. English textbooks began to be produced for schools.
(ii) It was introduced to stop the promotion of Oriental Institutions like the Calcutta Madrasa and Banaras Sanskrit College. These institutions were seen as "temples of darkness that were falling of themselves into decay."

Rabindranath Tagore's experiences as a student were not pleasing. As a child, he hated going to school. He found the atmosphere in school was suffocating and oppressive. The school appeared to him like a prison, where he could not do what he felt like doing. His mind wandered away while other students listened to the teacher.

Gandhiji was highly critical of Western civilisation and its worship of machines and technology.
He emphasized the need to teach science and technology at Santiniketan, along with art, music, and dance.

The term 'vernacular' is generally used to refer to a local language or dialect as distinct from what is seen as the standard language of a country. In colonial countries like India, the British used this term to mark the difference between the local languages of everyday use and English, the language of the colonial masters-Britishers.

Mahatma Gandhi thought that Western education was sinful, there was poison in this education.
Colonial education created a sense of inferiority in the minds of Indians. Indians educated in these institutions started appreciating everything that came from the West and began admiring British rule. It made them see Western civilisation as superior. This education destroyed the pride they had in their own culture and country.

Mahatma Gandhi wanted to teach children handicrafts for the following reasons:
(i) Education ought to develop a person's mind and soul. Simple learning to read and write by itself did not count as education.
(ii) If children are allowed to work with hands, learn a craft and know how different things are operated, this would help their mind and their capacity to understand.

James Mill was a severe critic of Orientalists.
He thought that European education was essential in India because:
(i) The knowledge of the East was full of errors and unscientific thoughts.
(ii) The aim of education ought to be to teach what was useful and practical.
Thomas Macaulay suggested that:
(i) India was an uncivilised country that needed to be civilized.
(ii) No branch of Eastern knowledge could be compared to Western knowledge. Oriental learning was of no practical use.