திண்ணைக் கல்வி பற்றிய வரலாற்று உண்மை

 

Can you believe our “Thinnai palli”/ Veedhi Badilu system of elementary education was the foundation stone of worldwide school education?!

Yes the Madras system / Monitor methodology followed from ancient times in India, where a single teacher (Asan/Vathiyar) educated entire village school age kids with help of senoir students( Monitors/ Sattampillai) with the basic curriculum of language (Alphabets and grammar) basic arithmetic and basic logic/reasoning for all caste and cadres!

This system was prevalent throughout the country particularly was observed in Madras presidency. It was the most effective and efficient method of universal education across a vast area educating a majority of the population!

Yes we were more literate than the colonisers with this system!

During the 17th and 18th centuries the British had no universal board education system! It had Dame schools( informal , low quality) Sunday schools ( once a week more likely bible and basics) and Grammer schools for the elite kids !

The Harvard and Oxford University had 1200 students and that was 0.01% of the population and only the elite baron’s send their kids from grammer school or private tutoring to this university, But overall the general population had no system of organised education !

Andrew Bell who was stationed by East India company to manage an orphanage of European kids, observed how the Gentoo kids got basic education in language and maths!

In his observation he found a single teacher educated an entire village with help of his own senior students !

This teacher was called as Asan/ Vathiyar( upadhyaya) / Battulu and the monitors were called as Sattampillai/Sattampillalu. The student teacher ratio was 300 to 1000 in big villages ! The most economical efficient method of mass education was happening before his own eyes ! A teacher taught group of senior/ advanced students called as monitors and these guys taught their juniors and this chain made the system to teach huge mass of students without deploying huge numbers of teachers and funds

He took that system and adopted the same with help of the church and founded the Mass education movement in Britain and later along with Lancastor’s improved method it spreas all around the world!

It became the human history’s mass education movement !

This kind of education was more democratic and widespread but it doesn’t produce the elite kind of education, where a colonial power wanted a system where the educated students will become the servant clerks of the ruling class !

Thus a top down approach of board education system with universal fixed curriculum and salaried teachers who can teach what the colonisers wanted was brought in by Lord Macaulay !

The Asan who taught the entire village in his Thinnaipalli using his sattampillai was paid by land endowment and material support! The students came from all caste and creed but the Macaulay system became an elite venture where a salaried teachers taught in schools and school fees became the norm! Whoever can pay and wanted to become the bolts and bearings of the colonial administration took up the education!

So from 70% of Shudra literacy it fell down below 10 % with few decades and the entire educated class came from the Brahmins and Mudalis, who ever always in the job of administration!

The elite education which will have trickle down effect as claimed by Lord Macaulay never happened as the Thinnai pallis closed down and school education became luxury for the common man!

Thus a place where uniserval mass education system was born and prevalent became an illiterate society within a century of colonial rule!

“Englishman gave us education” is the most absurd BS statement! In fact we gave them the system of mass education!

Just google or use any AI app and find it out! Promt “Sattampillai and Madras system of education” and see what colonial power did to us !