Artisans and Technical Education in Lucknow, United Provinces: c. 1880-1940

Abstract

This article attempts to argue that the trail of emphasis on technical skill education as part of the larger education system can be traced to the 19th century. An important element of this programme was the attempt to connect the structure of the classroom-based formal education system to industrial production in a country. Along with that, the attempt was also to create a disciplined labouring class. Interestingly, as this article explores, the experiments that had begun in the British metropole and consequently were imported to India as per the requirements of the colonial context were not completely successful. In India, the identity of caste played an important role. But in many ways the design of the education system had the caste and class divide embedded within it. This article attempts to explore the ways in which this was done.