India lost edge in education due to Macaulay's policy: Giriraj Singh

Macaulay had written 'Minute Upon Indian Education' ending years long debate about educational policy in India

India had an edge in education that it lost due to the western concepts introduced by Lord Macaulay which also affected the country's culture, Union Minister Giriraj Singh said on Tuesday.

The Nawada MP said had Ayurveda been the focus after Independence, all kinds of medicines could have been extracted from medicinal plants and the healthcare sector would not have turned into a business.

Singh was speaking at the launch of a range of herbal medicines based on the formulae developed by SM Raju, an IAS officer posted in Bihar.

The products have been approved under FDA parameters and tested under labs accredited with AYUSH Ministry, a statement claimed.

Union AYUSH Minister Shruipad Naik was also present on the occasion.

"After Independence, education was our USP across the world. But Macaulay's education destroyed it and we are suffering the consequences today. Our culture was destroyed through language. And secondly health. We are not short of a single medicinal plant but look what copying has done to us.

"If Ayurveda was taught after Independence then all the medicines could be extracted from plants. But that has been commercialised and unfortunately it slowly became a business," Singh said.

Macaulay had written the famous 'Minute Upon Indian Education' ending years long debate about educational policy in India. He had argued for implementation of western education over the traditional systems.

He was the President of the General Committee of Public Institution and he put forward his education policy in Governor-General in-Council in 1835.