Question

Who proposed the ‘Wardha’ scheme of Basic Education ?
1. S.N. Banerjee
2. Vinoba Bhave
3. Mahatma Gandhi
4. Lala Lajpat Rai

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Mahatma Gandhi

The correct answer is Mahatma Gandhi.

• In 1931, Mahatma Gandhi pointed out the ineffectiveness of primary education under British rule.
• He held the British policy responsible for the painful situation of mass education in India.
• Gandhi criticized English education as it had created a permanent bar between the educated few and the majority, who were mainly illiterate.
• Education can be traced back to the year 1937 when Mahatma Gandhi talked about this scheme of education in his weekly Harijan.
• New education scheme, an all India Education Conference was held in Wardha on 22nd and 23rd October 1937.
• The Wardha Scheme of Basic Education (1937) provided for free and compulsory education in the mother tongue.
• following resolutions were passed:
  • ​Nationwide provision of free and compulsory education.
  • The mother tongue should be the medium of instruction.
• Dr. Zakir Hussain was appointed under the chairmanship to formulate the scheme of basic education in India.
• Zakir Hussain's committee had pointed out the problems of overdoing craftwork. Thus it was modified to shift the emphasis from complete support to partial support.

 

• Salient features of Wardha Scheme of Basic Education:
  • Craft-centered education.
  • ​Free and compulsory education.
  • Self-supporting education.
  • The medium of instruction.
  • Flexible curriculum.
  • The idea of citizenship.

S.N. Banerjee	He founded Indian National Association on July 26, 1876, the first Indian political organization. A social and religious reformer, Banerjee advocated widow remarriage and raising the marriageable age of girls. He gave speeches about the racial biases in India penetrated by the British government. He founded the English language newspaper, The Bengali.
Vinoba Bhave	Vinoba Bhave was a nonviolence activist, freedom activist, social reformer, and spiritual teacher. He dedicated his life to serving the poor and the downtrodden and stood up for their rights. He took part in programs of non-cooperation and especially the call for use of Swadeshi goods instead of foreign imports.
Lala Lajpat Rai	During the independence movement, he was famous as the Lal Bal Pal trio. He earned the title of Punjab Kesari. He founded the Indian Home Rule League of America in New York in 1917. He led a protest against the British in Punjab for their brutal actions at Jallianwala Bagh. Lala Lajpat Rai in the 1980s was associated with the Punjab National Bank and Lakshmi Insurance Company.