What kind of education system did Thomas Babington Macaulay help introduce in India?

Thomas Babington Macaulay was instrumental in shifting the focus of Indian education toward a Western-oriented model. Through his influential 1835 Minute on Education, he successfully advocated for the promotion of Western knowledge through the medium of the English language, rather than supporting traditional Oriental learning in Sanskrit or Arabic.1

This policy, which was adopted by the government under Lord William Bentinck, effectively determined the character of higher education in India for the next century. As a member of the Supreme Council of India, Macaulay helped inaugurate this national system of education, which prioritized English-language instruction and Western subjects. Subsequent government measures, such as the 1844 resolution by Lord Hardinge that gave preference to English speakers for government appointments, further solidified this system's dominance. While this approach expanded Western-style schooling, it notably neglected primary education and marginalized the use of indigenous languages in formal instruction.12