English Education, Macaulay, and Savitribai Phule: A Perspective
On 17 November 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing an audience steeped in Western education in the English language, stated that “Western education carries a slave mentality.” He then traced the roots of this alleged slavery to Macaulay’s education policy of 1835, which, according to him, launched a campaign to “destroy the Indian education system from its roots.” In his address to the nation, he appealed:
“Over the next ten years, we must resolve to free ourselves from the slave mentality with which Macaulay filled India.”
However, the historical reality is often viewed differently. The struggle against centuries of colonial rule was led largely by leaders educated in English. Major freedom fighters such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, and others were all educated in English.
On 3 January 2025, the Prime Minister also paid tribute to Savitribai Phule on her birth anniversary and honored her legacy in education and empowerment. This is significant because Savitribai Phule was a strong advocate of modern education, including English education. She used education as a tool for challenging social orthodoxy and empowering women and marginalized communities.
In this article, we look at her life and, in the context of Macaulay’s education policy, understand the broader vision of the Phule couple.
Savitribai Phule: A Brief Biography
Savitribai Phule was born on 3 January 1831 in Naigaon (Satara district), Maharashtra. As per social customs of the time, she was married at a very young age to Jyotirao Phule.
At the time of marriage, Savitribai was uneducated. However, Jyotirao Phule recognized her potential and personally taught her to read and write. With his encouragement, she later received teacher training in Pune and prepared herself for the profession of teaching.
At that time, a woman becoming a teacher was itself revolutionary. In 1848, Savitribai Phule and Jyotirao Phule established India’s first girls’ school at Bhide Wada in Pune. Savitribai herself taught at the school and is therefore regarded as India’s first woman teacher.
However, she faced severe opposition from orthodox sections of society. On her way to school, people threw mud, cow dung, and stones at her. She carried an extra sari daily so she could change and continue teaching despite humiliation.
During this struggle, she was supported by companions such as Fatima Sheikh, one of India’s first Muslim women teachers. When Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule were ostracized, Fatima Sheikh even provided them shelter so they could continue their work.
Within a few years, Savitribai and Jyotirao Phule established more than 18 schools in Pune and surrounding regions. These schools provided education to girls, Dalits, and backward communities, without discrimination based on caste, religion, or gender.
Social Reform Work
In 1863, Savitribai Phule established the Balhatya Pratibandhak Griha (Home for the Prevention of Infanticide), aimed at opposing female infanticide, especially among Brahmin widows.
She actively opposed:
Child marriage
Sati system
Caste discrimination
She supported:
Widow remarriage
Women’s right to live independently
She also founded the Mahila Seva Mandal to spread awareness about women’s rights and fought against practices such as the forced shaving of widows’ heads.
Along with Jyotirao Phule, she founded the Satyashodhak Samaj in 1873 to promote social equality and oppose caste-based discrimination. It supported inter-caste marriages, abolition of child marriage, and widow remarriage.
Literature and Thought
Savitribai Phule was also a poet. Her works include:
Kavya Phule (1854)
Bavan Kashi Subodh Ratnakar (1892)
Her famous poem “Go, Get Education” highlights her belief in empowerment through learning.
She wrote:
“Without education, a woman is like a banyan tree without roots or leaves.”
Final Years and Legacy
During the plague epidemic in Pune (1897), Savitribai Phule served patients selflessly, personally carrying the sick to hospitals. While doing so, she contracted the disease and passed away on 10 March 1897.
Her life remains a symbol of courage, sacrifice, and social service.
Savitribai Phule, English Education, and Macaulay’s Policy
Macaulay’s education policy was introduced in 1835, while Savitribai Phule opened her first school in 1848.
She used modern education as a tool for empowering oppressed communities and women. For her, education was not just literacy but a means to escape social oppression.
She supported:
Rational education
Universal access to education
Modern knowledge systems (including English education)
Macaulay is not directly mentioned in her writings. Therefore, her position is understood through the impact of the education system rather than explicit commentary.
Her aim was an education system that:
Was accessible to all castes and genders
Promoted employment and dignity
Removed superstition and inequality
In this sense, English-based modern education appeared useful because it:
Was not rooted in caste-based religious instruction
Encouraged scientific thinking
Broke monopoly over knowledge
Created opportunities for women and marginalized communities
However, it is important to note that she did not support British colonial rule—only education as a tool for social reform.
Macaulay’s Education vs Traditional Indian Education
Science
Traditional systems included practical knowledge in agriculture, Ayurveda, metallurgy, astronomy, and architecture. However, knowledge was often caste-restricted and not systematized.
Modern education introduced structured disciplines like physics, chemistry, and biology with laboratory-based learning.
Mathematics
India contributed concepts like zero, decimals, algebra, and trigonometry. However, access to formal education was restricted.
Modern education made mathematics part of an open, structured curriculum used in engineering and administration.
Philosophy
Traditional philosophy emphasized spirituality, karma, rebirth, and varna hierarchy.
Modern European philosophy emphasized reason, individualism, and scientific thinking, challenging inherited hierarchies.
Social Structure
Traditional education often reinforced caste hierarchy and limited education to privileged groups.
Modern education, though not fully egalitarian in practice, opened access to broader sections of society and expanded opportunities beyond birth-based roles.
Conclusion
Traditional education largely reinforced inherited social roles, while modern education—introduced through colonial systems—created new pathways of mobility and opportunity.