OTHER UNIVERSITIES
1. Early Bengal Colleges. 2. Government and Missionary efforts. 3. Indian private effort. 4. Benefactions of philanthropists. 5. Encouragement of private Colleges. 6. Growth of numbers. 7. Overcrowding. 8. Post-Graduate education in Arts and Science. 9. Conditions since the Calcutta University Commission: (i) Disparity between Government and private institutions; (ii) University control on private colleges nominal. (iii) Stagnation of Government institutions. 10. Other defects : (i) Indiscipline; (ii) Location in congested area (iii) City congestion; (iv) Problems of discontented students and teachers; (v) Undemocratic Constitution. 11. Remedies: (i) Removal of Overcrowding in Colleges ; (ii) More varied opportunities for students; (iii) Remodelling of the crowded Colleges; (iv) Finances of private Colleges; (v) Management of private Colleges; (vi) Non-professional Government Colleges. 12. Constitution :(i) The Vice-Chancellor; (ii) The Senate; (iii) Other University bodies; (ii) Board of Students' Welfare; (v) Extension Board.
13. Establishment of the University. 14. Universities Act of 1904 and after. 15. Tile Act of 1928. 16. The future: (i) Establishment of Regional universities and its effect on Bombay University: (a) A teaching University with Constituent Colleges including Professional institutions; (b) The establishment of New Departments and Facilities; (ii) Government Colleges and the University ; (iii) Expansion of Teaching activities; (iv) Professional Colleges ; (v) Constituent Colleges; (vi) The system of elections.
17. The establishment of the University. 18. Changes introduced by the Acts of 1904 and 1923. 19. Development from 1923 to 1947. 20. The future : (i) The Recommendations of the General Inspection Commission of 1947 (a) Number of students in colleges; (b) Starting of new Colleges; (c) New subjects of Study ; (d) Honours studies; (ii) Plans for the Reorganization of the Presidency College ; (iii) Development of Professional Colleges.
21. Development of the University from 1887 to 1921. 22. Changes in, this University after 1921. 23. Plans for the future: (i) Additional accommodation; (ii) Honours Courses; (iii) Additional scholarships; (iv) Co-ordination of higher studies.
480
481
CRAP. XVI.] OTHER UNIVERSITIES
24. Establishment of the University. 25. Its work from 1916 to 1949. 26. Plans for the future : (i) Change of administration and grants for the University: (a) Additional `merit' Scholarships; (b) Additional residential accommodation, (c) Specialisation: (A) Oriental Studies; (B) Psychology; (d) Professors and laboratories. (ii) Arrangements for Secondary Education ; (iii) Affiliation of Colleges; (iv) The responsibilities of the Vice-Chancellor.
27. Establishment of the University: the Act of 1917. 28. Development: from 1917 to 1949. 29. Plans for the future: (i) Development of teaching activities ; (ii) Position of the Patna and the Science Colleges; (iii) B.N. College and the Women's College; (iv) Professional Colleges; (v) Administrative structure; (vi) The New Bill.
30. Establishment of the University. 31. Work from 1918=1948. 32. Plans for the future: (i) The University to be autonomous; (ii) Medium of instruction ; (iii) Women's College and Medical College; (iv) Needs of Science Department; (v) Honours Courses ; (vi) Research work.
33. Work since its establishment. 34. Plans for the future; (i) Concentration on higher work; (ii) Effective Honours Courses; (iii) Additional accommodation; (iv) Better tutorial instruction; (v) Library; (vi) Scholarships and Fellowships; (vii) Research work in the Medical Faculty.
35. Establishment of the University. 36. Functions of the University. 37. Work of the University front 1923 to 1949. 38. Plans for the future: (i) Position of Government Colleges; (ii) Laxminarayan Institute.
39. The University since its inception. 40. Plaits for the future: (i) Improvement of salaries and removal of other difficulties; (ii) Applied Science and Technology; New branches of study; (iii) Maintenance of standards in affiliated institutions.
41. Work since inception. 42. Plans for the future: (i) Ten-year plan for the development of a teaching University; (ii) University Library; (iii) University Laboratories; (iv) Honours Degrees ; (v) Inter-Collegiate teaching; (vi) Exchange of teachers ; (vii) New Universities and greater supervision of affiliated institutions.
482
OTHER UNIVERSITIES [CHAP. XVI.
43. Establishment of the University. 44. The work of the University from 1929 to 1949. 45. Plans for the future : (i) Improvement of teachers' salaries; (ii) Additional residential amenities; (iii) Scholarships; (iv) Engineering College; (v) Music and Oriental studies.
46. Establishment of the University. 47. The work of the University from 1937-1949. 48. Plans for future : (i) Promotion of Research work ; (ii) Oriental Manuscripts Library ; (iii) Marine Biology and Mineralogy ; (iv) Three-year Degree course ; (v) Cochin Colleges
49. The work of the University since its inception. 50. Plans for the future (i) Necessity of a teaching University; (iii) The position of the Ravenshaw College ; (iii) Consolidation and extension of Post- graduate teaching; (iv) Ancient History and Anthropology
51. The work of the University since its inception. 52. Plans for the future: (i) Suitability of Saugor as a University site ; (ii) The Non-recurring grants for new buildings mid equipment ; (iii) Necessity of a better paid staff; (iv) Scholarships ; (e) Ensuring better finances ; (vi) Concentration on higher work ; Difficulties of Professional Education.
53. Work since its inception. 54. Plans for the future; (i) Teaching work and research; (ii) University Library ; (iii) Fellowships and other facilities for higher work ; (iv) Specification in some sciences ; (v) More Professional Colleges ; (vi) Colleges for women.
55.Problems of the University. 56. Suggested solution of the problems): (i) Location of the University; (ii) Financial provision for new buildings; (iii)Provision for the recurring expenses of the University ; (iv) Post-Graduate teaching, in Arts and Science ; Oriental Studies.
57. The work of the University since its establishment. 58. Plans for the future : (i) Permanent buildings ; Financial provision for these ; (ii) University Library ; (iii) New subjects for advanced studies ; (iv) Professional College for Education and Engineering ; (v) Recurring grants
59. Establishment of the University. 60. The Act. 61. The relation- ship between the Poona Colleges and the University. 62. The future expansion of the University : (a) Sanskrit studies ; (b) Maratha history ; (c) The life and work of the sages and saints of Maharashtra ; (d) Fine Arts ; (e) Ayurveda ; (f) Other subjects for specialisation ; (g) The Women's University ; (h) Buildings.
483
CHAP. XVI.] OTHER UNIVERSITIES
63. The Act 64. Financial provision for the University. 65. Plans for the expansion of the teaching activities of the University: (a) Home Science (b) Fine Arts (c) Technology (d) Arts and Science chairs (e) Other professional institutions.
1. Early Bengal Colleges-In the first chapter we have referred to the establishment of the Calcutta University and to some of the colleges out of which it developed. For the first half of a century of its existence the University was a purely affiliating one and therefore the history of its activities was the history of its colleges. Of these the first institution was the Hindu College established in 1817 through the joint efforts of David Hare and Ram Mohan Roy which was carried on by a non-official body till 1855 when it was taken over by the Government and developed into the Presidency College. Three Missionaries, Carey, Marshman and Ward started the first Mission college at Serampore in 1818, and 9 years later it received a charter from the King of Denmark empowering it to grant degree. At Sibpur, a suburb of Calcutta the Church of England Mission established the Bishop's College in 1820, and 10 years later Alexander Duff started the General Assembly's Institution which soon grew into a college.
2. Government and Missionary Efforts- The earliest attempts for the extension of higher education were made by two agencies, the Government and the Missions. The former was responsible for the establishment of the Hooghly College in 1836, Dacca College in 1841, Krishnagar College in 1845 and Berhampur College in 1853. The Government was also responsible for the foundation of the Medical College in 1835. Missionary effort led to the creation of the Free Church Institution in. 1843, the St. Xavier's College in 1862 and the St. Paul's College in 1865. This last named institution was however soon discontinued and restarted in the closing years of the century.
3. Indian Private Effort- Indian non-official organisations did not play a leading part in the advance of higher education for nearly half a century after the establishment of the Hindu College. It was in 1869 that Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar founded the Metropolitan Institution and this was followed by the City College and the Albert College In 1881. The former owed its existence to the efforts of the Brahmo Samaj and the latter institution was wound up after functioning for a number of years. The College of Engineering was founded in 1856 by the Government and in 1872 a second grade college was established at Rajshahi in North Bengal which was developed a few years later into a first grade institution.
484
OTHER UNIVERSITIES [CHAP. XVI.
4. Benefactions of Philanthropists-For this as well as other Government colleges founded at Chittagong in 1869 and at Midnapur in 1873, local benefactions were obtained, the contributions being given on the understanding that the colleges would be managed by the Government. The colleges at Hooghly and Krishnagar had also received similar benefactions and the history of the development of each one of these colleges might be the theme of interesting narratives, illustrating the growth of higher education in Bengal through the joint endeavours of the Government and the philanthropists.
5. Encouragement of Private Colleges-The 1882 Commission advocated the transfer of Government colleges to non-official agencies and following this policy the college at Midnapur was transferred to the control of the Municipality in 1887 and that at Berhampore to the control of the Maharaja of Kasimbazar. The growth of new colleges under private management was encouraged and so in the last two decades of the century many such institutions were established. Among these may be mentioned particularly three colleges in Calcutta, the Ripon College (1884), the Bangabasi College (1887) and the Central College (1896). The Maharaja of Burdwan started a college in 1882 at Burdwan and colleges were started at Dacca, Cooch Behar, Barisal, Pabna, Mymensingh and other places.
6. Growth of Numbers-The Jurisdiction of the Calcutta University was not circumscribed by provincial limits and among the affiliated institutions were not only the colleges in Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Assam but also those in the United Provinces, Central Provinces, Burma and Ceylon. The establishment of new universities restricted its sphere of work but did not curtail its numbers. The increase in the number of students has been referred to in the first chapter and it may be emphasised here again. The total number of college students was 3,827 in 1882, 8,150 in 1902, 28,618 in 1917, 30,202 in 1927, 35,357 in 1937 and 45,008 in 1947. In the last mentioned year there were 2,41,794 students in the twenty universities of India taken together and of these nearly 20% was the enrolment of the Calcutta University. The partition of the province did not lead to any substantial decrease in the number of students, as in 1948 the University still had over 41,000 students, and today it has 74 affiliated colleges of which 36 are in the city of Calcutta. Five of the Calcutta colleges,-Vidyasagar College (formerly Metropolitan), Surendranath College (formerly Ripon), City, Bangabasi and Asutosh (formerly South Suburban) have between them an enrolment of 30,492 students.
485
CHAP. XVI.] OTHER UNIVERSITIES
7. Overcrowding-The building and equipment of these colleges are far from satisfactory, for they have not been able to keep pace with the increase in the number of students. The total area on which some of these colleges are built does not extend to even one acre and the rooms cannot accommodate more than a fraction of the students on the rolls. Lectures in double and treble shifts, practical work in 30 to 40 sections mark the Organisation of some of these institutions which have been carrying on without any help from the Government and have been mainly responsible for the higher education of the province. The conditions in which many of the students of these colleges live are extremely unsatisfactory-
8. Post-graduate Education in Arts and Science-Post-graduate education in the University is under its direct control. The Univer- sity Colleges of Arts and Science were started with high hopes and their early work largely justified the original expectations. Generous donations from philanthropists like Taraknath Palit, Rashbihari Ghosh and Kumar G. P. Singh were supplemented by Government grant for a few chairs but the mainstay of the University was its fee income, the income derived from the thousands of examinees flocking to its portals, anxious for a University certificate or diploma.
The University College of Science and Technology and the University College of Arts, are almost entirely devoted to post- graduate training and research in 14 different branches of science and a similar number in arts, though some departments do a certain amount of under-graduate teaching. The total budget is about 25 lakhs. Though graduate study in the American sense was first organised in these colleges in 1915, due to the initiative and foresight of the great educationist, Sir Asutosh Mukherji and though the Calcutta University Commission gave unstinted support for the philosophy and organisation of such studies, these university post-graduate colleges have not made satisfactory progress in the last 30 years. They have been, however, the centres of great research schools in fundamental sciences, arts, history, philosophy, and oriental studies. Some departments like Botany, Zoology, Anthropology, Physiology, Geography, Statistics and Geology have been housed in insufficient temporary buildings for the last 30 years. With adequate financial support the University College of Science might have developed along the lines of the Imperial College of Science in London, for after a long period of inactivity, a new scheme of expansion has now been launched; it has already organised, thanks to the liberal grants given by the Central Government, an Institute of Nuclear Physics, an Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics and has expanded its activities in Applied Physics and Chemistry.
486
OTHER UNIVERSITIES [CHAP. XVI.
There are other schemes of development in contemplation. The University has now got an Institute of Jute Technology, out of endowments given by the jute merchants and manufacturers of Calcutta, and an Institute of Social Studies endowed by the Central" Government.
9. Conditions since the Calcutta University Commission-In the first chapter we have mentioned the work of the Calcutta University Commission and its recommendations. During the thirty years which have elapsed since the publication of its report no steps have been taken to implement these recommendations and as a result of thirty years of inaction, the organisation and management of colleges have suffered.
(i) Display between Government and Private Institutions There is extreme disparity in equipment and efficiency. and in the salaries of teachers due to the differences in origin of the institutions. As teachers doing the same kind of work get widely different scales of salary there is a dangerous undercurrent of jealousy, suspicion and ill-will between teachers of government colleges and those of private colleges.
(ii) University Control on Private Colleges Nominal- The control of the university in enforcing standards of efficiency and reasonable scales of salary for the teaching profession in the colleges affiliated to it is in most cases merely nominal as it has no funds at its disposal to give effect to these proposals, and has no control over appointments other affiliated colleges. The Government of the country, though it is now national, has as yet assumed no real responsibility to improve the conditions of the private colleges by helping them to acquire land, for building places of instruction, residences for students and hostels, and to raise the scale of salaries of teachers to the standard of even living wages.