Indore, Jan 2 (PTI) RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat today claimed that Britain aped the traditional education system of India during the colonial era in order to establish a "county education system".
Speaking at the conclusion of 'Vishwa Sangh Shivir' here, Bhagwat said that while doing so, the British systematically destroyed the old education system in India to emasculate the Indians mentally.
"The British destroyed the traditional education system of India. But they took it to Britain with them and replicated it in the form of county education system there," he said.
Bhagwat also claimed that before the British came, 70 per cent of Indians were literate, while only 17 per cent of people in Britain were literate. Through the county education system, Britain achieved 70 per cent literacy, while Indians fell behind because of the education system imposed by the British.
The British believed that the education system in India should undermine the natives' confidence and they should become "mentally emasculated", the RSS chief said.
Former ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said in his speech at the function that India must exploit the science and technology more and more for the development of agriculture and the rural areas.
Nair also expressed concern about rising costs of medical treatment in the country.