Colonizer’s objective of providing a Western Education was to promote cultural assimilation by introducing English way of life and English value system. Aim of such education system is to form a class of persons “Indian in colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and intellect.” (Coomaraswamy A: 1946) The colonial Government and Missionary education alienated the young generations from traditional cultures, including religion, value system, language, literature, social occupational structure, and dress sense, making them “captive minds” of colonizers. (Alatas: 1974)

As long as the colonized nations follow the western education system, they will not be able to revive traditional knowledge or to safeguard cultural identity.

How can we introduce alternative forms of education? Is it practical in a world of increased globalization and homogenization?

Notes and References-

Ananda Kethish Coomaraswamy (1946) ‘Indian Culture and English Influence: An Address to Indian Students and Their Friends’, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, January 1944. New York: Orientalia. (P:31)

‘The Captive Mind’ according to Syed Hussein Alatas (1974) is ‘uncritical and imitative mind dominated by external sources, whose thinking is deflected from an independent perspective (P: 692) Quoted in Alatas, Syed Farid (2006) Alternative Discourses in Asian Social Science: Responses to Eurocentrism. New Delhi: Sage Publications (P.47)

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