Ruling Through Education:The Politics of Schooling in the Colonial Punjab Author : Tim Allender ISBN : 1932705708 Price : Rs.900 Pages : 376 Category : Education
About the BookTracing the history of colonial education in the Punjab, the large province of Hindustan divided today between India and Pakistan, this book argus that the British-controlled system of colonial education in Hindustan failed well before the national movement challenged foreign educational practice in the early twentieth century. Drawing on extensive archival research in Great Britain, India and Pakistan,Allender shows how the early ideas of British officials generated a highly imaginative village system of schooling.Attempting to accommodate local language and religious sensitivities, this broad-based scheme oofered possibilities to improve the lot of village boys.The Revolt of 1857, and a well-meaning crusade against female infanticide, prompted officials to drop this scheme and to content themselves with city based schools.Christian missionary tensions with the government over their evangelising agenda also meant that their focus on poor students was limited to a mere 17 years. These developments helped to create a strong indigenous voice for educational innovation and change, notably represented in the Arya Samaj.In 1882, the Hunter Commision marked a recognition by Europeans that their endeavours over the previous 30 years made it impossible for them to reach the general population with an effective European-led scheme of education.
About the authorTim Allender holds a PhD from the University of Sydney. He teaches in the School of Policy and Practice.He is co-author of a local history of a region of western Victoria, Australia and has published a number of articles about European educators in India.In 2005 he was a visiting fellow at Winchester University in the United Kingdom.