Indian Muslims Encouraged Co-Education - 150 Years Ago
By
Saquib Salim, New Age Islam
10 March
2023
"The Education Of The Girls Among
Mohammadans Is Not A Very Unusual Thing. Those Of The Upper Class Among Them,
When There Are No Schools To Go To, Are Taught At Home Privately. It Also Seems
That They Have No Objections To Letting The Girls Study Along With Young
Boys."
------
"The
education of the girls among Mohammadans is not a very unusual thing. Those of
the upper class among them, when there are no schools to go to, are taught at
home privately. It also seems that they have no objections to letting the girls
study along with young boys." This was reported by Bajaba R Pradhan,
Deputy Educational Inspector of Bassim District (now Washim in Maharashtra), to
the Assistant Commissioner on 5 January 1870.
Muslim
girls in India (Courtesy: Modern Diplomacy)
-------
The British
Resident at Hyderabad had asked the education department to implement
co-education in Indian vernacular schools. Nobody was sure how the people would
react. Pradhan reported that under his jurisdiction Muslims were not averse to
the idea and were sending girls to the Boys' schools. He reported that 45 girls
were attending these schools in the district while 11 were admitted to
Girls-only schools. According to the report, "leading men of the villages
were the first to set an example to the other people" by sending their
daughters to school.
The report
noted, "Among Hindus, it is thought quite a novelty to see the girls in
school. The majority of those that send their girls to Boys' Schools do so at
present more out of curiosity than with any real sense of the benefit that will
accrue from female education." Several people believed that by mixing with
boys the girls would "acquire rude habits".
The
experiment of co-education was launched in all the districts of Berar province,
which was then ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad and is today a part of Maharashtra.
Interestingly the British government wasn't very excited about this experiment
and E. C. Bayley, the secretary to the Government of India, remarked, "For
myself, I would rather prefer to see separate teaching". Village heads,
orthodox Muslims, and Hindu priests readily sent their daughters to these
schools.
Students
at a madrasa in Manimajra. (HT Photo)
----------
According
to a report submitted on 25 February 1870: eight girls were attending
co-education schools in Akola, four in Buldhana, and 45 in Washim, Achalpur,
Yavatmal, and Amravati also had a good response to this experiment. Deputy
Educational Inspector of Buldhana noted, "The people are quite satisfied
to let their girls attend the Boys' School under the conditions
prescribed". He also hoped that the number of girls in these schools would
increase with time.
Assistant
Commissioner of Bassim (Washim) reported: "The Mussulmans with whom I have
conversed allow that for little girls to go to Boys' Schools is all right and
proper". He also noted, "The prejudice is strong, but not stronger
than time will do away with". The report specifically praised a Muslim woman
teacher for bringing about this revolution in the district.
About the
district which returned the most positive results of this experiment of
co-education, Assistant Commissioner wrote, "The mistress is a Mussulman,
and collected a class without difficulty."
The reports
were positive but the British Government was not much keen on letting Indians
develop and thus the Resident and Secretary asked the Education Department to
stop the experiment. It is noteworthy that the Director of Public Instructions
contested this view and wrote, “They (reports) show that mixed schools are
generally beginning in the Berars with good results." Like any good
government servant, he didn't argue further and said, "I beg to submit
that I did not venture to doubt the propriety of the Resident's order simply on
my own opinion."
This
experiment paved the way to further development of female education but here I
haven’t written this episode to stress the British attitude. My idea is to
highlight the attitude of Indians in general and Muslims in particular towards
co-education in 1870. Around 150 years later, are we moving forward on women's
education is a question for the community to ponder over.
URL: https://newageislam.com/interfaith-dialogue/indian-muslims-co-education-/d/129286
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