MUSLIM EDUCATION IN BENGAL 1837-1937

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SYED MURTAZA ALI "The Governor General in Council is desirous that further encouragement should be given to the classical and vernacular languages of Mohammedan in all Government Schools and Colleges. In avowedly English Schools, established in Mohammedan districts, the appointment of qualified Mohammedan English teachers might with advantage, be encouraged. As in the Vernacular Schools, so in this class also, assis- tance might justly be given to Mohammedans by grants in aid to create Schools of their own. Greater encouragement should also be given to the creation of a vernacular literature for the Mohammedans - a measure the importance of which was specially urged upon the Government of India by H.M's Secretary of State on more than one occasion." 24. Action on these lines were taken in the Province. In Bengal the Muslims have a grievance that the Mohsin Trust was applied to the main- tenance of an English College as the intention of the donor was to encourage Persian and Arabic learning. To do away with these grievances Government decided to found 3 new madrassahs and provide fund for scholarships and payment of the fee of Mussalman students in English Colleges and Schools. The three Madrassahs were started at Dacca, Chittagong and Rajshahi. Each was placed under an Atabic Scholar of repute. The Superintendent of Dacca Madrassah was MoulZnii' Obaid- ullah A1 Obeidi Bahrul 'UInm (grandfather of late Mr. H.S. Suhrawardy), an enlightened scholar and friend of Sir Syed. It was intended that in each of these the full course of Calcutta Madrassah should in time be taught. English was to be added to the course wherever the pupil showed a desire to learn that language. At Dacca a teacher of English was at once appoin- ted. To the payment of the scholarships tenable by Mussalmans in Mad- rassahs or in English Colleges and Schools there was allotted the sum of Rs. 9,000/- while 18,0001- went to payment of 2/3rd of the fees of Moham- medan pupils in Government Colleges and Schools outside Calcutta and also to the payment of the Moulvis in some schools. Moreover Govern- ment also incorporated hundreds of Maktabs in the primary system. 26. The Indian Education Commission of 1882-83 (Hunter Commi- ssion) made the following recommendations (1) The special encouragement of Mohammedan education be regarded as a legitimate charge on local and provincial funds. (2) The indigenous Mohammedan Schools be liberally encouraged to add secular subjects to their course of instruction. (3) Special standards for Mohammedan Primary Schools be prescribed. (4) A graduated system of special scholarship for Mohammedans be established.
<strong>MUSLIM</strong> <strong>EDUCATION</strong> 191 (5) That Mohammedan inspecting officers be employed more largely for inspecting primary schools. Lord Mayo requested Sir William Hunter to examine the question "Are Indian Mussalmans bound by their religion to rebel against the Queen". The result of the enquiry was "Indian Mussal- mans." Hunter forcibly pointed out that the English system of secular education had failed to attract the Muslims. He attributed the indifference of Muslims towards English education to (1) the absence of religious education, (2) want of provision for teaching Arabic and Persian and (3) absence of Muslims teachers. His diagnosis seems to have been quite correct. 27. The Government of Bengal admitted in 1872 that "Muslims had not been very fairly treated in the matter of manning the Government's educational machinery. Not a single employee of the Inspecting agency was a Muslim. There were scarcely any Muslim amongst the teachers of the Government Schools". About this time Government's attention was drawn by Nawab 'Abdul Laiif as to the misuse of the Mohsin fund. The proceeds of the endowment were being utilised for running Hooghly College. In 1850 out of 409 pupils in the College Department of this College only 5 were Muslims. It thus appears that Hindu community were getting the lion's share out of a pious endowment specially created for the benefit of the Muslims. 28. Muslims had almost a monopoly in the legal profession till Persian was replaced as a language of the Courts. According to Hunter there were 6 Muslims against seven Hindu Lawyers in 1838. Muslims held their own till 1851. Between 1852 and 1668 out of 240 pleaders enrolled only one was Muslim. One of the objects of the Calcutta Mad- rassah was to encourage the study of Mohammedan Law. But when with the change of the court language the Calcutta Madrassah became a useless institution no arrangement for teaching law through the medium of English was made in it. Instead appointment of a Professor of Law at Hindu College was sanctioned in 1842 and the first course of lectures was delivered by the Advocate General himself. It appears from the calendar of the Calcutta University upto 1868 only one Mussalman had passed the B.L. Examination of the Calcutta University. 29. Facilities for English Education were at first provided in urban areas like Calcutta, Hoogly and Dacca. The Muslim gentry were concen-
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MUSLIM EDUCATION IN BENGAL 1837-1937

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