NOTES
OF THE DACCA UNIVERSITY COMMISSION’S REPORT BY THE HON’ BLE Dr. DEVAPRASAD
SARBADHIKARI, M.A., LL.D.
The Report of the Dacca University Committee is a document alike instructive and interesting and is as comprehensive as it is painstaking. It contains much useful suggestion that ought to afford the basis of further careful examination of the Educational situation and requirements of the country and that will demand almost anxious consideration.
Thought it carefully avoids assuming such a character. it is as near a general and comprehensive review of the whole of the Universities system of India-in some instances deprecatory, often condemnatory by implication and rarely approving as a whole-as is permissible within the terms of the reference of the Government of India.
Indeed,
I am not quite sure that in some respects it does no to beyond such terms, to
the extent for example of condemning by more than implication existing methods
that were adopted after long and careful enquiries by successive Commissions
and Committees, whose range of work and investigation was applicable to the
whole of British India, With the wisdom of the action following such enquiries,
educated public opinion of India not and does not in all cases agree and
perfection can by no means be claimed for methods that were evolved as a result
of such enquiries. It may, however, with justice, be claimed, that these
methods have not had time enough to be elaborated to heirlogical sequence and
not resource enough to be duly developed, Their condemnation, therefore, is, to
say the least, premature and therefore un warranted. When lord Curzon’s recent
Universities’ Act came into force, in spite of protest of varied vigor and
range, Educated Indians, including those who felt it their duty to oppose the
Act and the regulations under it in their draft and discussion stages, loyally
and dutifully accepted the situational and have been working hard to make the
experiment a success. And our Universities have been essaying up to ideals and
standards laid down by or indicated.
517
under
the Act manfully, in spite of admittedly slender resources. If the Act and the
regulations under it are a failure and a mistake that should be openly stated,
after of course due enquiry, and the whole country should benefit by any
remedial measures that in the better light of the latter day, may be duly
evolved. A fairly radical reversion of ideals and standards so soon, by such a
. Machinery and with such materials, ail the report of the Dacca Committee
implies is alike an injustice to the system, as it is to the Governments
responsible for the Act and the orderings thereunder. This is particularly so,
because the Report purports to deal with no more than an isolated tract, to
which for reasons of State some sort of differentiated und
preferential treatment in matters educational, appear to have been promised. •
I do not claim that the Universities' Act demands or warrants cast
iron moulds of an immutable type, alike applicable to all Provinces and it is
not suggested that, suited to individual Provincial requirements, ideals and
standards are not largely to vary. I question however the expediency and
permissibly of large variations in standards and ideals within the same
Province and the same community, particularly after restoration of apparent
homogeneity due to clamant administrative reasons. While fully recognizing that
it is not open to go behind the terms of the Reference of the Government of
India, it is equally un permissible to go beyond them and to entertain
suggestions that would take the proposed Dacca Institute so far away from the
prevailing Calcutta standard and ideal as the Report suggests.
For administrative and general reasons far-reaching educational
improvement and revision of East Bengal were needed Ind promised. For similar
reasons and owing to limitations of distance from Calcutta a certain amount of
local internal autonomy was needed and promised and the Dacca Committee was
authorized to suggest ways and means. It is difficult however to think that so'
complete a parting of the ways and so thorough a lack of co-ordination were
permissible or contemplated. The report remotely recognizes this difficulty and
is good enough to leave school education in Eastern Bengal and Assam, (except
ill the city proper of Dacca), with all its difficulties, to Calcutta control.
It extends similar generosity in respect of the colleges in East Bengal and
Assam outside the bounds of this "no mean city," and handicapped with
difficulties, that are to disappear from the city circle. It recognizes the
possibility and permissibility of transfer of student;; from. one University to
another and for the present requires no inexorable territorial jurisdiction.
This seeming simplification of matters ha" introduced complexities and
difficulties in the situation, which have not been sufficiently apprised or
provided for. The ever growing difficult work of school education, which is, or
ought to be the backbone of true University work, will continue to be ours and
the Dacca University with its attractive novelties is to have the pick of our
Matriculates, in its neighborhood, far or near, from whom some of our best
University men have so long been drawn. This to it, would be a great advantage.
On the other hand, if it is not to have school control of areas from which its
materials are to be drawn, it will soon be handicapped in a variety of ways and
will in its turn seriously handicap schools and colleges within its "Zone
of influence." Educational concurrent jurisdiction is a double edged
weapon, that; needs cautious handling. Moreover by its questionably diversified
methods and standards-possibly improved in some instances, it will be seriously
reflecting on an affecting the work of the Calcutta University, if it does its
work well. It will equally affect the Calcutta work if it does its own work
ill. If Calcutta methods and ideals have demonstrable" failed, it would be
"kindness-and mom-to the whole of the Province and' the Community under
the same Government, to change them root and branch.
Considerable stress has been laid on the
need and value of University teaching, as such, different from College or even
Inter collegiate teaching. Such need and value have been emphasized by the
Universities' Act and the. Calcutta University is trying to work up to the
ideal, in spite of the cramped
resources, with vigour and mothodicalness hitherto un attempted. But to be reasonably effective, the system has to draw largely upon the resources of the colleges. Supposing that money resources were fairly abundant, lack of resources in men must, for a long while yet, be reckoned with Our own scholars are slowly but steadily coming to the fore; but aid from outside, whether in the Education service proper or elsewhere, is growing appreciably less. When the service of n, desirable professor can be arranged for on well-nigh prohibitive terms, prohibitive, that is to say from the point of view of our resources, something happens at the last moment that deprives ns of such services, as instanced in the case of Professor Pischel and Professor Frechet. When such services are secured at last they cannot be had long and cannot reach large areas and are devoid of permanent value, though they help in giving an impetus that can be availed of in organizing future work on similar lines. For our work we must largely he dependent upon our permanent men and their quality and adherence to their professions, suffer by reason of lack of inducement 'which is larger in almost every other profession. The wonder is not that so little is done but that so much is done in spite of our drawbacks and handicap,
I would discount the presupposition that even before the present Universities Act our existing Universities , were mere examining bodies. Though they are so in a much larger sense to-day, they were even under the ancient regime, teaching as well as examining bodies, in the sense that they taught through their Colleges. The Colleges are their integral components, which they controlled in various ways, such as by the machinery of affiliation and by their hall mark of examination, 'when periodical inspection and other more effective methods 'were not in vogue. Our Universities were never therefore, mere examining bodies (Federal Universities, as they are now being called) in the sense that we have been accustomed to hear of late. Federation and federal ideas , are the order of the day in other walks of life and, unless for strong clear and unquestionable reasons, isolated and “centralized decentra1ization," if -such an expression be permissible, ought not to displace them lightly. Brick and mortar that make up a Senate House or an Examination Hall, may be the visible sign and symbol of an University; but they do not and never did constitute an University, any more than its Senate and officers anything else, constituted and do constitute and do constitute the University. The Colleges and proposed Dacca Colleges will- the latter probably more effectively with their newer and costlier machinery. University Lecturers-senior and junior, occasional University Readers and University Professors furnish, and will furnish more, in the near future, direct “University teaching” in subjects that the Colleges cannot and ought not to furnish as insolated units. With gathering strength and resources there will be a greater degree of co-ordination and correlation. In this growing work the reformed and proposed Dacca Colleges could and ought to help largely, by way of lessening the whole of the country’s educational work. Local and Inter-Collegiate antinomy could regulate college and hostel work to the fullest possible extent and a we’ll thought out and well organized scheme could be devised to improve Dacca Education on new and improved lines, fully availing of all resources, and meeting changing requirements. But this could be done without causing divergence and isolation that cannot be justified, unless of course. There be more in the back ground than meets the eye in the pages of the Report or the Reference.
If abundant men of the right type and abundant money could be
guaranteed, as no doubt they will be under the Dacca Scheme, there is no reason
why fully equipped, finely house, well-manned Colleges, teaching different
branches of learning such as Law, Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture, Commerce,
Science, Arts and Technology in their varied aspects should not be established
in this ancient and important center. As much residential facility.
#Collected
কোন মন্তব্য নেই:
একটি মন্তব্য পোস্ট করুন