The Despatch is a very important educational document and holds a unique place in the history of Indian education. It placed the responsibility of education of the Indian people fully on the company and stated quite explicitly that it must never be neglected. The Despatch gave new direction to education in India and in a way this direction has its clear impact on today’s education in the country.
The provisions of the dispatch laid the foundation of English education in institutionalised way and hence it is called magna carta of English education. The Provisions were holistic in approach and are as follows:
- The main objective of the Wood’s Despatch was to educate Indian people inorder to create a class of civil servants.
- It also wanted to impart Western knowledge and information about Western Culture to the Indian people.
- The Wood’s Despatch recommended for the first time, the creation of Department of Education in Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Punjab and the North Western Provinces.
- The Despatch recommended the promotion of mass education by establishing schools, both public of and private.
- The Wood’s Despatch recommended the establishment of three universities in the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras on the model of the London University.
- The grant-in-aid system was recommended by the Wood’s Despatch
- The Despatch wanted to promote the study of English as well as Indian regional languages and classical languages like Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit.
- The Wood’s Despatch supported women education.
- Importance of training of teachers was realised by the Despatch and so it recommended the establishment of teacher training institutes. It also suggested the improvement of working condition and salaries of teachers.
- The Wood’s Despatch also encouraged professional education.