ABSTRACT
Though it is commonly believed that Macaulay’s Minute marks the beginning of English education in India, it can be seen as the culminating point of a series of events. In 1677 the first English teacher Ralph Orde was appointed to teach English to English children at the white town of Fort St. George in Chennai. He also taught Portuguese to Indian children. Between 1804 and 1816, a network of missionary schools were set up in the south of India in Vizagapatnam, Ganjam, Travancore, Bellary and Chennai. With the setting up of the Supreme Court in Kolkata in 1773, there was an increased demand for English and in 1817 the first college that later became the Presidency College was set up in Kolkata to impart English and European knowledge. In 1826 English became the medium of instruction in the Hindu College, Chennai. With such massive expansion of English, the stage was probably set for Macaulay to come and make the famous declaration of 1835.
