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Gyankosh: An Interdisciplinary Journal ISSN : 2581-8252
Volume II, December 2019
GROWTH OF PRIMARY EDUCATION WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE
PROVINCE OF PUNJAB 1854-1914
Dr. Shikha Sharma
The proposed research paper, “Growth of Primary Education in the Province of Punjab from
1854-1914” seeks to trace the development of primary education in Punjab in the light of
recommendations made by the Wood’s Despatch (1854) and the Hunter Commission (1882).
The Wood’s Despatch (1854) heralded a new era in the history of education in India.
From top to bottom i.e. from the universities to the elementary schools, the scheme left
nothing untouched and dealt with each and every branch of education in a very judicious and
effectual manner. Following were the recommendations of the Despatch: (a) the provision of
a separate department of administration for education; (b) the establishment of institutions for
training teachers for all classes of schools; (c) the institution of universities at the presidency
towns; (d) the maintenance of the existing government colleges and high schools and to
increase their numbers where and when necessary; (e) the increased attention to vernacular
schools for elementary education; (f) the introduction of grant-in-aid.
After having received the Wood’s Despatch by John Lawrence and his team in
Punjab, an Education Department was established there in January 1856. A Director of Public
Instruction; two Inspectors of schools, 10 Deputy Inspectors of schools and 60 Sub-Deputy
Inspectors were appointed. Mr. Arnold who was an Assistant Commissioner in the province
was appointed the Director of Public Instruction in January 1856. A large number of schools
were opened in the district towns and at tehsil headquarters.1
In the first year of its operation the Department started one normal school for the
training of teachers and also opened as many as 107 schools at tehsil headquarters. A cess of
1% was levied on the assessed land to raise funds to open schools in the villages.2 An amount
of Rs. 1,38,000 was collected and 456 schools were opened in the villages. Government paid
special attention to impart practical knowledge to the general masses due to which, provision
for teaching English was made in district schools. But in the tehsils schools, medium of
instruction was Urdu and the subjects taught were History, Geography, Arithmetic and
Grammar. Two normal schools for teachers’ training were established in Lahore and
Rawalpindi. At least 24 zillah schools and 100 tehsil schools were directly supported by the
* Assistant Professor, The Goswami Ganesh Dutt Sanatan Dharama College (GGDSD), Sector-32, Chandigarh.
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Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh
Gyankosh: An Interdisciplinary Journal ISSN : 2581-8252
Volume II, December 2019
government.3 English was to be taught wherever there was a demand for it, but it was not to
be substituted for the vernacular languages of the country. In the words of John Lawrence,
It is neither our aim nor desire to substitute the English language for the vernacular dialects
of the country. We have always been most sensible to the importance of the use of the
languages which alone are understood by the great masses of population.4
Instead of these declarations, the Despatch supported the superiority of western
learning. “One can see the conflict between the claims of government and claims of
supremacy in the fact that vernacular education was necessary for needs of mass education
but English was retained as the medium.”5
In 1860, however, a radical change was experienced in the system of administration.
The control of vernacular schools was transferred to the Deputy Commissioner. Next year a
qualified official was appointed under each district officer for supervising the educational
needs of these schools. Finally, the Director of Public Instruction was placed in direct
communication with the government.6 In 1863-64 a reallocation of the districts was made
among the four inspectors who in 1884 held respectively the charges of Ambala, Lahore,
Rawalpindi and Frontier circles. In each circle an Indian Deputy Inspector was appointed in
1863-64. An Indian inspecting officer, called the Chief Schools’ Muharrir was also appointed
in each district. The Chief Schools’ Muharrir were very useful public servants but they were
inferior both in attainments and in social position and did not maintain the desirable standard,
which persons discharging such important duties should maintain. Eventually, from 1870-71
onwards, they were gradually replaced by District Inspectors on higher salaries, i.e. Rs. 100/-
per men sum or upward. Upto 1876-77, there were 14 District Inspectors, one Inspectress and
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sixteen Chief School’ Muharrirs.
The Despatch of 1854 emphasized the importance of primary education as well as
secondary education. It had sanctioned the establishment of colleges for general and special
education in the various provinces. In the Punjab, however, it was considered appropriate to
postpone the establishment of a college at Lahore until students to avail of it were
forthcoming. A Government College at Lahore was established in 1864. In 1865, the
Anjuman-i-Punjab was organized and with it was formulated the scheme for the
establishment of an Oriental University at Lahore. The government considered the
establishment of the University for the Punjab as premature and sanctioned the establishment
of an aided institution ‘Punjab University College’ which later was to be expanded into a
university.8
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Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh
Gyankosh: An Interdisciplinary Journal ISSN : 2581-8252
Volume II, December 2019
Upto 1881, government was to provide chiefly for Higher School or Middle School
education while the people were to arrange funds for primary education. The fees were
charged from the students studying in the government tehsil and zillah schools. H. R Mehta
remarks,
The Primary schools were designed to serve the bulk of the population while a select few
availed themselves of the Middle and the High Schools. The distribution of expenditure on
the education of masses and of advanced classes which constituted respectively 90 percent
of the entire population was, even if we take into consideration the fact that the Secondary
education must naturally be more expensive palpably, disproportionate, being roughly in
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the ratio of 1.75:1.
The year 1882 was a momentous landmark in the development of education in India
in general and Punjab in particular. Lord Ripon passed Resolution No. 1/60 dated 3 January,
1882, appointing a Commission under the presidency of Sir William Hunter (a member of
Viceroy’s executive) with a panel of twenty other members to assist him.10 This was the first
Indian Education Commission that had ever sat in India.11 The members of the Commission
assembled at Calcutta. Mr. Parson, Inspector of Schools of the Ambala Circle, and Haji
Ghulam Hussain of Amritsar, were nominated by the Lieutenant Governor to represent the
Punjab in the sittings of the Commission.12 The said Commission had been instituted to
review the working of Wood’s Despatch. “The Commission was appointed to enquire
particularly into the manner in which effect has to be given to the principles of the Despatch
of 1854 and to suggest such measures as it may think desirable in order to further carrying
out the policy there in laid down.”13
The Commission advocated that the government should not only restrict the activities
of its own educational institutions but should also recede from direct enterprise. It accented
the need for organizing a proper system of grant-in-aid, so that the private enterprise might
get enough room to expand. As far as primary education is concerned, it suggested that the
government should handover all the state schools to the local boards while for the college and
the secondary schools; the Commission advocated gradual transfer to efficient private bodies
on certain conditions. “Thus the Commission showed the possibility of organizing a system
based on the happy blending of private and public efforts right from the primary to the
university stage.”14 Some prominent officials of the department and native men argued
strongly against any withdrawal as it would mean practically handing over the institutions to
the missionaries, these being the only non-official agency in the field. The Commission
therefore, observed, “We think it well to put on record our unanimous opinion that
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Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh
Gyankosh: An Interdisciplinary Journal ISSN : 2581-8252
Volume II, December 2019
withdrawal of direct departmental institutions of the higher order should be transferred to
missionary management”. It was made clear that the “institutions be transferred to bodies of
native gentlemen who will undertake to manage them satisfactorily as aided institutions”.15
The Commission also advocated improvements in the Department of Public Instruction. It
held that the native gentlemen of approved qualifications be employed as inspectors of
schools; in every province a code be drawn up for guidance of inspecting staff; voluntary
inspections by officers of government and private persons be encouraged, in addition to the
regular inspection.16
The subject of primary education figured prominently in the deliberation of the
Commission and as many as thirty six recommendations were made in the field. It was
recommended that “While every branch of education may justly claim the fostering care of
the state, it is desirable in the present circumstances of the country to declare the elementary
education of the masses, its provision, extension and improvement to be that part of education
system to which the strenuous efforts of the state should be directed in a still larger measure
than here to fore.”17 Thus, special attention was paid to the promotion of primary education
through vernacular language. Primary education was to be stretched to backward tribes and
aboriginal races by liberal grant-in-aid. The curriculum was not to be uniform throughout
India. Every municipal board was asked to keep a separate fund for primary education, with
the government assisting local bodies with grant-in-aid. Special attention was paid on training
of teachers.18 About the working and the timings of the primary schools also the Commission
was in favour of flexibility. It held, “that as much elasticity as possible be permitted both as
regards the hours of the day and the seasons of the year during which the attendance of the
scholar is required especially in agricultural villages and in the backward district”.19
The indigenous schools almost disappeared towards the close of the nineteenth
century from the surface of the country at a time when the demand for education was growing
but hardly met with. It was stressed that all indigenous schools should be recognized and
encouraged if they served any purpose of secular education what so ever. “Admitting
however, the comparative inferiority of indigenous institutions, we consider that efforts
should now be made to encourage them. They have survived a severe competition and have
thus approved that they possess vitality and popularity20.
PRIMARY EDUCATION
The Commission of 1882 had recommended that the primary education be regarded as the
instruction of the masses though the vernacular in the subjects will best fit them for their
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Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh
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