A Study of Female Education in South West Bengal 1800- 1947
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 A Study of Female Education in South West Bengal 1800- 1947 Nimai Raul Research Scholar, Dept. of. History, C.M.J. University, Jorabat, Meghalaya, India. Dr.Yatish S. Research Guide, Dept. of. History, C.M.J. University, Jorabat, Meghalaya, India. Abstract: Historically, women have a much lower literacy rate than men in India. From the British Raj to India’s independence, literate women accounted for only 2-6% of the total female population. Women education is an essential need to change their status in the society. Educated women can play a very important role in the society for socio-economic development. The fundamental territories that have been considered in this examination paper incorporate status of ladies in the middle age period, position of ladies before the coming of Islam, common freedoms of ladies in Islam, position of ladies during the Mughal period, and position of ladies during the East India Company. This work shows the part of unmistakable western missionaries who were acquiring Christianity Colonized India as a way of female education, which embedded estimations of reorganizations', and person's right ‘among the locals. These missionaries under the standard of Civilizing Mission of White Men ‘instructed some modernizing cycle to the females of Indian refute system of the Acceptance of Imperial British Rule' Specifically, analyzed the job of recognized fans and private associations of European Missionaries occupied with giving female education in Bengal. Crafted by Christian missionaries in different pieces of India has been viable with no negative expectation. These missionaries offered desire to these individuals they have been attempting to help educationally, socially, monetarily and strategically. Keywords: Female Education, South West Bengal, British Raj, socio-economic development. INTRODUCTION Empowerment with education of the women is an essential parameter of judging the standard of a civilized society. The growth and development of a community or civil society depends upon the growth and development of its individuals in general and the women in particular. There is no doubt about the fact that men and women are equal, but women have a vital role in the over-all development of the society and the nation. Women are equal partners in the overall growth and development of the family, community, society and humanity. Women almost in every social set-up play an important role either it is economic or political or cultural life of nation. Women have been given a position of pride in every religion. In Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and other religions they are respected and due importance is given to their role and rights. In the Holy Quran a complete Sura, "Sura-i-Nisa" is devoted for the role, welfare, rights and duties of the women. So, it is true that to pave a way towards an Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1552 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 egalitarian society which based on gender quality, female education should be equalized with male education. But unfortunately, which was yet be visible in Indian society. From that notion or something else (that is to be discussed in), in India, particularly in Bengal, the primary movement for female education started by Christian missionaries of European countries. Christian missionaries have been working in almost all fields of tribal life, especially in education and health. They also introduced modern life and culture side by side with preserving the existing culture. The pattern of their work for tribal people is very innovative as they engage through dedicated and highly trained personnel by means of whom they gain confidence and willing cooperation and most importantly they do their work by considering it as service. The role of Christian missionaries has been extensive and highly visible in almost all areas of tribal development but education is one area in which it has given particular momentum to development. Its importance can be recognized from the words of Dominic Jala “If there is one field in which missionaries among the tribal’s have contributed in a very tangible way, it is education. It opened for the tribal people immediate access to ways of coping with a fast- developing world”. The Christian missionaries believe in the principle of maintaining the status quo of egalitarian society in which they involve themselves by looking at everybody as equal in society. In a speech delivered at the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribe Area Conference in 1952, India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, observed: “The Christian missionaries went to various tribal areas and some of them spent practically all their lives there. I do not find many instances of the people from the plains going to the tribal areas Missionaries did very good work there and I am full of praise”. The contribution of the Christian missionaries towards the education of the Adivasis (tribals) of West Bengal has been praised by many educationists. In the words of the anthropologist Sachchidananda who is very familiar with the work of the missionaries in the area, “the Christian missionaries have been pioneers in the field of tribal education. They have a rare sense of dedication to the cause. Their teachers learn the tribal language of the area. They gain the confidence of the villagers. The amount of labor they put in is very much greater than other teachers. They create in the heart of the tribal’s the zest for education. All these qualities must be emulated by teachers employed by other educational agencies”. Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1553 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 Even a staunch critic of Christianization in India, the historian Pannikkar honestly admitted: “the work of the missionaries among the aboriginal tribes may be said to have created a tradition of social service which modern India has inherited. If the Indian Constitution included special provisions for the welfare of the tribal communities, and Adivasis, and if the Centre and the State are making concentrated efforts to bring them up to the general level of India, much of the credit for such activities must be given to the missionaries”. A distinction needs to be made here between the church-related school and Christian education. A church related school is constrained to operate within the educational system and Christian education that reaches out beyond, to the least and last members of the marginalized communities who are waiting to be conscientized and liberated. Christianity in West Bengal, India, is a minority religion. According to the 2011 census, there were 658,618 Christians in West Bengal, or 0.72% of the population. Although Mother Teresa worked in Kolkata (Calcutta), Christianity is a minority religion in Kolkata as well. West Bengal has the highest number of Bengali Christians. Bengali Christians have been established since the 16th century with the advent of the Portuguese in Bengal. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, many upper-class Bengalis converted to Christianity during the Bengali Renaissance under British rule, including Krishna Mohan Banerjee, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Anil Kumar Gain, and Gnanendramohan Tagore. Aurobindo Nath Mukherjee was the first Indian to be Anglican Bishop of Calcutta. Bengali Christians are considered a model minority, due to their significant contributions to Bengali culture and society for the past two centuries. They are considered to be among the most progressive communities in Bengal, and have the highest literacy rate, the lowest male- female sex ratio, along with better socio-economic status. Christian missionaries run major social institutions dealing with education and healthcare, such as those run by the Jesuit Catholics, and the dominant Protestant Church of North India (CNI). LITERATURE REVIEW Sujit Kumar Choudhary and Taejin Koh (2019) in this article we try to show that crafted by Christian missionaries in different pieces of India has been compelling with no negative expectation. Any place missionaries are dynamic, individuals are discovered to be educationally grown, particularly among the denied, poor people, the misused and those Volume XII, Issue XII, DECEMBER 2019 Page No: 1554 JAC : A Journal Of Composition Theory ISSN : 0731-6755 rejected from standard society. These missionaries offered desire to these individuals they have been attempting to help educationally, socially, monetarily and strategically. This exploration, in light of the experimental investigations of two villages, specifically Itki and Bhagwanpur, in the Ranchi and Deoghar locale in Jharkhand State, concerning the part of missionary schools in tribal education, discovered numerous issues of pertinence. The information was gathered during 2006 – 2007 from understudies in the age bunch 6 – 14 years. Nonetheless, the information likewise incorporated the perspectives on different gatherings of individuals, for example, NGOs Representatives, tribal and non-tribals, nearby pioneers, executives and chose agents. It attempts to focus on neglected regions of study. The paper comprises the primary kind examination to zero in on the experimental examination of the part of Christian missionaries in educational advancement in the State of Jharkhand in India. This examination has strategy suggestions for understanding the different types of their commitment to instructing the tribals of Jharkhand. This examination likewise affirmed that in Bhagwanpur village, the education level among the tribals was a lot of lower in contrast with Itki, on the grounds that in this village, just a government school was available there. Farooq (2014) The Christian missionaries were the first to approach. The Baptist missionary William Carey came to India in the year 1793 A.D and he alongside his companions set up a Baptist mission in Serampore (1800 A.D.). [2] Choudhary (2006) regardless of having a little level of Christian populace in India and it being a nation with a bigger grouping of Hindus, Christians' inclusion was profoundly established in all pieces of the nation.