GIS Business ISSN: 1430-3663 Vol-15-Issue-1-January-2020

Educational Status Of Christian Missionaries To The Upliftment Of Dalits In Tinnevelly-Tuticorn District R. BERSIA LOYISAL* (RESEARCH SCHOLAR) RANI ANNA RESEARCH CENTRE, MSU ABSTRACT: Education to all was the primary aim of the Christian missions in Tamil Nadu and particularly in Tinnevelly-Tuticorin region. Missionaries took a great deal of effort in the field of education by focusing their attention on the illiterates, also in keeping with their Gospel work, because the institution founded by them enabled them to share their religious views directly with the young people of the society. In those days, the downtrodden and the depressed classes (dalits) in the society were totally denied education. But the Christian missionaries came forward to educate them and to give a lift to their status. This article highlights the deep devotion to educate dalits and their awake over Christian mission. KEY WORDS: Dalit, Education, Gospal work, transformation INTRODUCTION At the present stage of development of our country, a planned and an immediate expansion of the pre-primary education are essential.1 Nurseries and nursery schools are important because little children need guidance.2 The primary education is considered to be the basis for both secondary and collegiate education. The idea of making primary education compulsory gained momentum in 1882.3 The Christian missionaries found education to be the most suitable media for spreading Christianity and to propagate the teachings of Jesus Christ. Hence they started a number of primary schools in and around Thoothukudi. They were in Alvanari, Christianagaram, Dohnavur, Idaiangudi, Kovilpatti, Kulathur, Megnapuram, Mukuperi, Mudalur, Nagalapuram, Nallur, Nalumavady, Nazareth, Pannaivillai, Pottalpatti, Puducottai, Puthiamputhur, Radhapuram, Sattankulam, Sawyerpuram, Tuticorin, Ukkirankottai, Vagaikulam and Vellalanvillai. Among them C.M.S Mary Arden Middle School, Adaikalapuram Primary School, Market Primary School, Montegomary Primary School, Usbourne Memorial Children School and Samadanapuram Primary School are important.4

Further secondary education is the super structure built over the plinth of the Primary education. An era of rapid growth of secondary schools5 dawned with the creation of the Department of Public Instruction in 1855-56 as a consequence of the Woods Despatch.6 Their contribution to the educational development was immense in the south.7 The Christian missionaries who imparted education irrespective of caste and religion took the lead in the promotion of education among the Tamils.8 Schools in the Nineteenth Century in the Tiruneveli District. Among them were St. John’s High School for Boys at Palayamkottai, Schaffter High School at Palayamkottai, Caldwell High School at Thoothukudi, St John’s High School for Girls at Nazareth and Sara Tucker High School for Girls at Palayamkottai. The origin and growth of these schools prove the achievement of the missionaries in the field of secondary education. Simultaneously upon the plinth of the elementary education and the superstructure of the secondary education raised the structure of the collegiate education.9 The collegiate education is the last and final stage in the three -tier system of academic curriculum. With the establishment of the University of Madras in 1857 began the growth of collegiate education in the Presidency of Madras.10 On account of their tireless work two incomparable institutions of collegiate education were founded. The first one was named St. John’s College and the second was called Sarah Tucker College.11 These two colleges were in Palayamkottai. Apart from these there was a college in Thoothukudi.12 The school masters were paid in accordance with the ‘result system’ developed by Caldwell under which teachers were paid in proportion to the number of pupils who passed a prescribed examination. This method was reported to have proved successful throughout the district. The system involved extra application and work on the part of the teachers with the result that there was an increase in the promotion of the children from the lower to the higher classes.13 However, the result system affected the backward mission districts financially, particularly when the people suffered from famine or cholera. For instance, the local priest at Christianagaram related that because of the failure of the monsoon, parents did not send their children to schools regularly.14

In the village the dalits depend on agricultural, where the livelihood of the population depended on field labour which at certain seasons demanded the help of the children, the ‘result system’ was not suitable. It was introduced in agricultural and backward villages with the result that most of the villages of the dalits and many villages of toddy tappers could not make advantageous use of the education provided and remained poor and oppressed.15In spite of these, the missionary education gave the dalits access to new knowledge and fresh information by providing a wider perspective to think beyond the boundaries of their caste and village loyalties, and to become ambitious and adventurous in their lives.

Hence, a large number of dalits of the Thoothukudi district migrated to Madras, Ceylon, Malaysia and Burma to seek better fortunes.16 Moreover, the Dalit Christians who migrated to Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, Mauritius, Nicobar Islands and South Africa began to live a free life. The dalits who migrated to different places made noticeable progress.17 Indeed education and migration were the important factors that brought social change among the dalits and other oppressed.18 The preaching and the formation of Christian congregations and villages contributed to the emergence of a new, alternative society. In many ways it was a society counter to the then existing violent Brahminical Hindu social order. Female education brought dignity and identity to future wives and mothers.

For the dalits, their new religious identity, that is, the association with Christianity had precedence over communal identity. They slowly learnt to live as a Christian family.19 The training and educating of native leaders enabled the dalit Christian communities to manage their affairs on their own; first in the Church and later in the larger society. Communitarian and congregational life such as worship, prayer and learning together facilitated mutual pastoral care.20 Also, this enabled them to develop leadership qualities to manage their affairs independently.21 The investigation of missionary strategy indicated that the missionaries believed in the direct relation between conversion to Christianity, new identity and awareness, and social transformation.22

At the end of the Nineteenth Century some of the methods, namely, preaching, education, training of native agents, and medical work, were identified most fruitful ones for transforming the lives of the dalit communities of the Tinnevelly- Thoothukudi district.23 The missionaries continued with these methods and enabled the poor and the oppressed dalits to develop a new consciousness and identity which induced social change. CONCLUSION:

However, there are some weaknesses which hindered the advancement of the dalits. In practice, the missionary who had better financial support was able to use these methods in full measure, while those missionaries who had less funds could not carry out all of them was in a short period. The social transformation the missionaries and the Dalit Christians ascribed leads to the impact of Christianityin these regions. Also the missionaries added the grievances of the dalit and provided welfare measures. The volunteers provided free medical camp aid, arranged loan facilities, awareness about the possibilities of government measures and betterment of them. Thus an unexpected growth and equality prevails among all section of the society.

REFERENCES: 1. Aggarwal, J. C., Modern Indian Education and its Problem. New Delhi, 1987, p. 268. 2. Ibid., p. 73. 3. Tinnevel1y Diocese Council Report 1947-1948, Palayamkottai, 1948, p.3. 4. Aggarwal, J. C., Modern Indian Education and its Problem. New Delhi, 1987, p.57. 5. Ibid., p. 60. 6. Henry Packianathan, V., Nellai Thirusabhai Irunurandu Charithram, 1780-1980, (Tamil) (Two 7. Hundred Years of Tirunlveli Church) Palayamkottai, 1980, p.36., p. 37. 8. Ibid. 9. Ibid.

10. Mary Haris, History of the Usbourne Memorial Middle School, Palayamkottai, 1978 , p.1. p.4. 11. Aggarwal, J.C., op.cit., p.268. 12. Ibid. 13. University of Madras, History of Higher Education in South India, Vo1.I, 1958, p.3. 14. Rajayyan, K.,op.cit., p.263. 15. Report of Mrs. Isabella Wyatt and Miss. Louisa Caldwell, Boarding School, Idaiyangudi, 1 October 1869. 16. Report of Church Missionary Society, September, 1858, p. 278. 17. Aggarwal, J.C., op.cit, p.268. 18. Ibid. 19. Bicentenary Souvenir of the Tirunelveli Church 20. Samuel Jayakumar, op.cit., p.242 21. Robert L. Hardgrave, Jr., op.cit., p.43., 22. Centenary Souvenir, Caldwell Hr. Sec. School, Tuticorin, 1983, p.1. 23. CaldwelI, R ‘Edaiyangudi Report’, in SPG Report , 1860, p.1641.