India Education Under the East India Company

East India Company came to India for exploring business possibilities but it ultimately thought to establish its own empire in the country. Towards the achievement of this goal, they mingled with the Bengal Politics. They obtained the Diwani powers in Bengal and acquired full control over the Nawab. All acquiring the Diwani powers and the political grip over Bengal they showed that they were progressive and that they wanted the welfare of the people. they wanted to prove that they could control the affairs of the government much better than the Nawab. They paid attention to education in order to show that they were really interested in the public welfare. They continued the government grants to educational institutions, though they did not think it wise to introduce any change in the educational set up. Able scholars, both Hindus and Muslims, continued to receive financial supports, which they were already enjoying. The Directors of the Company thought that they should win the support of influential people for consolidation their position. Hence they provided for higher education in india and better government services for such people. Towards this end a college was started each at Calcutta, Chennai and Benares (Varanasi).

The Calcutta Madarsa

The English people wanted to win the sympathy and support of influential Hindu and Muslim people. The higher-class section of the Muslim population demanded the establishment of a Madarsa for higher education in india. The English people accepted this demand at once. Warren Hastings laid the foundation stone of the Calcutta Madarsa in October, 1780. Its main purpose was to educate the higher class Muslim gentry and to make them faithful supporters of the English government by providing good government services.

Based on Muslim religious principles a seven-year curriculum was instituted in the Calcutta Madarsa. Law, philosophy, logic mathematics, astromomy and grammer etc. were included in this curriculum along with Islamic theology. Arabic and Persian were accepted as the chief media of instruction. The Madarsa soon attracted students from all the corners of the country. It received full financial support from the Company. The whole affair was very well organised and efficiently run Education Under the East India Company.

Through the Calcutta Madarsa the company succeeded immensely in winning over the Muslim gentry in its favour. As it as also necessary to influence the Hindu section of the population, so the political resident of Benares, Jonathan Duncan founded the Benares Sanskrit College in 1791. Hindu religious principles, jurisprudence and other subjects were taught here through the Sanskrit medium. The Calcutta Madarsa was given a much higher ginancial grant in comparison to the Benares Sanskrit College.

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