The introduction of English in India was motivated by a mixture of anti-Orientalism, disdain for local culture as well as administrative pragmatism. The administrative needs of the company required Indians well-versed in the classic and vernacular languages. Further, speaking in English was not enough. Indians had to think and behave like Englishmen as well. This pedagogic enterprise of imperialism, therefore, was to inculcate a spirit of loyalty among its Indian subjects who would believe in its providential nature and its civilising mission.

However, the new system of education had far-reaching consequences on strengthening the anti- colonialism in India:

• As a moral study English did not function as effectively because there were not enough material rewards for liberal education in India. More importantly, the educated Indians selectively adopted this knowledge and deployed it to interrogate colonial rule itself.
• As government appointments were open only to people who knew English, two sets of people emerged i.e., those who knew English and a non-English knowing mass of people. The barriers of caste, conservatism and religious orthodoxy were hence dissolved, at least for the first set of people.
• The slow and gradual promotion of Western learning in India ultimately led to a new spirit of rationalism and a new critical outlook in the Indians which finally led to the emergence of a spirit of nationalism; championing of self-rule and self-reliance.
• English served as the main catalyst propelling the Indian nationalists to accept the Western model of nation-state as the defining principle of their nationalism. The early nationalists, who mainly came from the Western educated elite, ignored the inner conflicts within Indian society and assumed the existence of nation as a homogeneous entity with a single set of interests.
• As a consequence of the spread of Western educational system, new notions of reason, justice and utilitarian concerns of welfare began to mould the minds of the educated Indians in search of an answer to the problems of poverty and impoverishment that plagued Indian society of the late 19th century. It acted as a catalyst in fostering the awareness of colonial economic exploitation.
• A feeling of dissatisfaction also developed toward the existing governmental and missionary institutions. This led to the establishment of a few notable institutions aiming at imparting sound education to Indian youth on national lines such as the Anglo-Mohammedan Oriental College in Aligarh (1875), the D.A.V. College in Lahore (1886), and the Central Hindu College in Varanasi (1898).

The colonial administration was keen to promote an education policy, which served its own interests. It totally ignored the importance of mass education. More emphasis was given to Western literature, philosophy and humanities, technology and natural science was neglected. At the end of the British rule in India, the literacy rate of India stood at just 12%. However, the few educated elites helped in exposing the exploitation of India by the British and served as the leaders of masses who fought for Indian independence.