MUSLIM EDUCATION IN BENGAL 1837-1937

MUSLIM EDUCATION 195
In 1915 out of 14,746 College students 1,154 were Muslims. In
Calcutta Medical College out of 81 1 there were 11 Muslims. In Sibpur
Engineering College out of 320 students only 7 were Muslims.
In 1913-14, Muslims were 7'8 % in colleges, in 1916-17 8'8 and 1921-
22, 12'8. In Primary Schools, they were 43'1 %, 46'9% and 48,5% res-
pectively.
In 1916 though Muslims formed 52 of the population, they were
42% in Schools. In Primary Schools they were 55'4% ,in middle 25'0%
and in High School stage 14'7 %.
In Bengal the efforts to convert Maktab into useful primary schools
began in 1904. The first step was the creation of model maktab under
Government control. Grants were made to Maktabs which adopted
the Primary Course. The number of such maktabs rose to 6,048 with
293,802 pupils in 1916- 17.
In 1921 Muslims were 54% in Bengal and the percentage of Mus-
lim Scholars was 46'6 %.
In 1926-27, they were 14'3 in colleges and in 1931-32, 13'7%. In
the Primary stage they were 50'5 and 53'6% respectively.
In 1936-37 Muslims formed 54'9:d of population of Bengal and
51'7% of students.
During British regime Muslims who made the greatest progress
in education were in U.P. and Punjab. The advantage in U.P. ws that
education was through the medium of Urdu. In that Province Muslims
lived in urban areas. They were well off. The Punjab University had
established Faculties of Oriental learning and recognised the Arabic
Madrassahs. The oriental students on their passing certain required exa-
minations were permitted to sit for examination in the English papers of
the Entrance, Intermediate and B.A Examinations and on their obtaining
pass marks in English, were declared to have passed the University exa-
minations. Thus without attending lectures in colleges and without
passing examinations in any subject other than English the students in
Faculty of Oriental Learning in the Punjab obtain Matriculate and I.A.
Certificates and even the B.A. Degree. Hence the Muslims suffered no
disadvantage and during the first ten years from 1882 Punjab University
produced many Muslim Graduates.