Tracing the Genealogy of Elementary Education Policy in India Till Independence

This article attempts to trace the genealogy of elementaryeducation policy in India under the colonial rule of the Portuguese, Dutch, French, andthe British till its independence in 1947. It records the development of schooleducation historically and the policy changes with regard to elementary education undervarious periods of colonial rule. The political economy of elementary education wastraced historically from the time of Portuguese arrival in India in the 1400s. Thepolicy changes and the public expenditure on education during the British colonialperiod have laid a strong foundation for the modern educational development of freeIndia after its independence. The contemporary school educational structure in India hasits strong roots in the colonial education structure and management. Despite elementaryeducation being considered as an important area to focus and develop during the colonialperiod, it has never received the needed resources to strengthen itself. This paper willlay the larger structural map of political economy of school education till the time ofindependence to understand the contemporary school education in a more nuancedmanner