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Evolution of Education in Bangalore
History extracted from the Book A Handbook of Karnataka
Education in Ancient Times
Till the early 19th century, education in Bangalore was mainly undertaken in schools that were run by religious leaders and restricted to pupils of that religion. The western system of education came into vogue during the rule of Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the then king of Mysore State. Read on to see how the education evolved in the state of Mysore which is also the history of education in Bangalore.
Ancient educational institutions in the form of Agraharas, Brahmapuris, Ghatikasthanas and Mathas existed in the State of Mysore. They were following traditional methods of teaching. Mathas were residential schools where the teacher and the taught lived together. Agraharas, Brahmapuris were settlement of scholars seperate arrangements existed to teach the three "R"s in these villages. Ghatika was meant for conferring degrees or certifying scholarships. Rich families engaged teachers to teach their children in their own house. There also grew institutions like Koolimatha, Salimatha or Odisuvamatha where a teacher ran a school either in his house or in a public place like temple or choultry and was paid in cash or in kind during the harvesting season. Reading, writing and arithmetic were taught and much of the learning was memorising by repeating the sentences or verses collectively. The rod played a major role in discipling pupils including those who were slow to learn.
Vocational learning was mostly hereditary. A boy who was to pursue the career of an accountant or government servant was sent to a shop or government office after mastering the three "R"s. He was to be a probationer for long years. Government servants initiated their own young wards into their offices and were later absorbed into service. Administrative service was also hereditary before the advent of the British for long even after. The offices of a Shanbhag (Village accountant) is a case to remind the old practice.
Modern Education
The beginning of modern education could be traced to the establishment of Free English School at Mysore in 1833 by the palace of Mysore (for the erstwhile Mysore area); of the two Marathi Vernacular schools at Dharwad and Hubli in 1826 by the Bombay Native School and School Book Society respectively (for the Belgaum area); of schools in Mangalore, Udupi and Bellary in 1838 (for Madras Karnataka Area); of the Darul Uloom at Gulbarga in 1853 by Sir Salaarjung (for the Gulbarga area); of the two Anglo-Vernacular Schools at Madikeri and Virajpet and a Kannada School at Ponnampet by the Government in 1834 (for the Kodagu area). Christian Missionaries played a major role in starting schools and imparting English education during the 19th century.
Pre-primary Education
The Education Integration Advisory Committee constituted by the then Government of Karnataka in 1956 evolved a uniform system of education for the entire state.
The Kindergarten system of education or the pre-primary education that served as a stepping stone for primary education, had become popular as early as 1900. Children who had learnt to speak were admitted to these schools without much consideration of their age. Pre-primary education was generally imparted in nursery schools attached to a few primary schools. In erstwhile Mysore State it was done mostly by private agencies. In 1957 government constituted a committee to study the question of pre-primary education. As per the recommendations of the Committee, this education came to be imparted systematically in pre-primary schools. During 1979-80 there ware 3,118 pre-primary schools in the state with 1,90,737 children in them.
In the present system of pre-primary education, children who have attained 3 years and ten months of age are eligible for admission to Lower Kindergarten (L.K.G.), so that by the time they complete their Upper Kindergarten (U.K.G.)having attained 5 years 10 months of age, they become eligible for admission to the first standard.
Primary Education
Primary education was recommended to be an integrated course of seven years by the Education Integration Advisory Committee. The four years of Primary and four years of Middle School education was combined to form an integrated course of 8 years. A common syllabus was framed and introduced in a phased manner beginning with 1959-60, so that by 1962-63, all primary schools in the state had a uniform curriculum and syllabus. As per this revised syllabus, in addition to the inclusion of three languages as per the three-language formula, Kannada was introduced as a compulsory subject from standard 3rd to 6th for the non-kannada pupils. While Health education formed a part of science syllabus, moral education was made compulsory and physical education syllabus was strengthened. This revised syllabus was implemented from 1974-75.
During 1955-56 there ware 22,803 primary schools (including Senior Primary and Basic Schools) with a total student strength of 19,17,258. By 1981-82, the total number of Primary Schools was 35,549 with a total enrolment of 51,73,621 children in them. They were taught by 1,17,686 teachers of whom 1,05,751 were trained and the rest, under trained. In the next decade the number of schools was 40,345 with a total of 71,90,963 children who were taught by 1,35,609 teachers of the whom 1,30,987 were trained. During 1993-94 there was a total of 41,684 schools, where a total of 77,56,598 children studied. The total number of teachers for the said years was 1,45,068 whom 1,39,331 were trained.
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Secondary Education
In the princely State of Mysore, the first Government High School was started in 1858 in Bangalore, affiliated to the University of Madras. Later, the Mission schools at Tumkur, shimoga and Hassan and Maharaja's Schools in Mysore were taken over by the Government. The Secondary Education consisted of two stages - Middle Schools stage and High School state. The District Boards started a number of High Schools in Madras Karnataka area. The A V School in Gulbarga was upgraded into High school in 1875, and the Central High School at Madikeri was raised to the status of a High School in 1879.
After Re-organisation, the term Secondary Education gained a different connotation. While in Old Mysore it applied to schools with a three-year course after the eighth standard, in Bombay Karnataka area. schools had a four-year Course after Seventh Standard or Mulki schools. In Dakshina Kannada there were Elementary (till 5th standard), Middle (till 8th standard) and High School till 11th standard. Similar was the case in the Hyderabad Karnataka area. By the time of Re-organsation, there were 537 Secondary Schools in the State (including two military schools) with a total strength of 1,25,645 students. A new curriculum was introduced for secondary education all over the State in 1960 and a uniformity in pattern, syllabi and examination was achieved by 1963. SSLC was uniformly made a course of ten-year duration with the eight, ninth and tenth being treated as high school classes.
The scheme of conversion of High Schools into Higher Secondary Schools with the introduction of standard-11 was implemented from 1964-65, upgrading 50 schools all over the State. This scheme of 11th Standard was drawn to a close when the 1st year PUC was introduced. This became a two year course in 1972.
During 1981-82, the total No. of High Schools was 2,416 and the number of children rose to 7.22 lakh. The total number of teachers working in High Schools during 1981-82 for the whole state was 22,407. for the year 1993-94 a total of 5,732 High Schools existed in the State of which 1,488 were Government Institutions, 2,111 were aided by the government, 2,106 were unaided and 27 came under Local Bodies. There were in all 46,527 teachers in them whose number respectively for the above category of institutions was 12,972 (with 1,314 SCs and 361 STs), 21,392 (1,254 SCs and 441 STs), 11,941 (with 700 SCs and 218 STs) and 222 (with 220 SCs and 2 STs).
Teacher's Education
In the erstwhile State of Mysore, steps were initiated as early as 1860 for the training of teachers with the establishment of a training school at Mysore. A normal school was also started at Darwad in 1867. It later became a post-matric training college. With the introduction of Hobli School System in erstwhile Mysore State, Normal Schools were established at all district headquarters (During the great famine of 1877, these schools were closed). One such school was established at Mysore in 1893 with Upper Secondary and Pundit courses. Two Normal Schools were opened in 1897 at Kolar and Tumkur, followed by three more at Bangalore, Hassan and Chitradurga. The Wesleyan Mission started a private school at Tumkur. Teacher's training classes were started for women at Maharani's College, Mysore in 1888. The Zanana Normal School for Urdu Teachers was begun at Mysore in 1916. The first course for training Middle School men teachers was started in Mysore in 1913 and a similar one for women was started in 1928 at Maharani's Women Training College. By 1931-32 there were eleven training institutions in the state of which nine were government ones, one aided and the other unaided. Of these 8 were for men and three for women.
These institutions imparted four kinds of training courses, viz.. Upper Graduate training course, Upper Secondary Training course, Lower Secondary Training Course (all three of one year duration) and the revised Vernacular Training Course of two years duration. The last three courses were revised in 1933 and a single course of Vernacular training extending over a period of three years was begun. It was reduced to two years duration in 1950 and was re-named as Teachers Certificate Lower Course (T.C.L.). The Nomenclature of Under-graduate training course was changed to Teacher's Certificate Higher course (T.C.H.) of one year duration. By 1956, there were seven TCH and SEven TCL institutions in the State with a Strength of 2,431 men trainees and 983 women strainees.
For the year 1992-93, there was a total of 49 Pre-primary T.T.I.s that comprised five Government, one aided and 43 Unaided institutions. There was a total of 1365 trainees in them for the same year. They were taught by 86 Teacher-educators, 25 craft instructors, 12 Music teachers, 11 Physical education instructors and 29 part-times for the said year.
The total number of primary T.T.I.s for 1992-93 was 126 of which, were 34 Government, 41 aided and 51 unaided ones. A total of 6,571 trainees for the 1st year and 13,186 trainees for the 2nd year were trained in them. The total number of staff was 1238 that included 636 Teacher educators, 108 Physical teachers, 39 Music teachers, 103 craft teachers and 147 part-times for the said year.
Training of graduate teachers: Before 1914, there was no provision in the state for the training of graduate teachers. They had to go to the teacher's College at Saidpet, Madras for L.T. course. A training course for graduate teachers was started in the Normal School, Mysore in 1914. The Mysore University which was started in 1916 introduced the B.T. degree in 1925. In 1947, a Teacher's college with a practising schools was started by the Government in Mysore. The faculty of education was begun in the Mysore University in 1952 and in 1956, MEd. course was also introduced. By the time of re-organisation of the state (1956) there were seven colleges of education in the state, one each at Mangalore and Mysore, with a total of 616 students in all, that included 121 women. By 1968, the total number of colleges went upto 17, including Regional College of Education Mysore. The total number of colleges was 48 in 1982, affiliated to the different universities of the state and had a total student strength of 4687 trainees.
During 1992-93, the total number of BEd colleges in the state was 64 of which, eight were Government institutions (that included the Regional College of Education, Mysore), 16 were aided institutions and 40 were unaided ones. The total number of trainees for the said year was 801 (540 men and 261 women) in Government institutions; 1551 trainees (737 men and 814 women) in aided institutions; 4172 trainees (2611 men and 1561 women) in unaided institutions. A total of 680 staff members including 64 Principals, 153 Readers, 387 Lecturers and 43 part-timers worked in these institutions for the said year.
Pre-University Education
The scheme of Pre-University stage was introduced in the state in 1957 as a substitute for the old intermediate. This was made into a two-year course in 1972, after the Board of Pre-University Education (PUC presently called the Department of Pre-University Education) was established in 1970. Schooling was reduced to 10 years (SSLC). The two-year PUC is now being imparted in PU colleges that are run by government and private bodies. The Composite PU colleges, Independent PU colleges and the PUC in the First grade colleges - all these impart this course of education. A step has been taken to separate PUC classes in First Grade Colleges and to attach them to the Department of PU Education.
For the Year 1994-95, there was a total of 1893 PU colleges in the state of which 220 (184 private and 36 government) are attached to First Grade Colleges; 313 (295 private and 18 government) were Independent colleges, 1360 (838 private and 522 government) were composite PU colleges.
From all the above institutions, a total of 3,58,225 students appeared for the March 93 PUC examinations of which 1,39,110 (38.83%) passed. For the April 94 session, for a total of 3,30,700 students, 1,24,462 (37.64%) and for the October session of the same year, for a total 1,43,593 that appeared, 38.432 (26.76%) students passed. This PU course with science subject qualifies a student to appear for the Common Entrance Test (CET) for Medical and engineering degree courses. This test has been started form 1986.
Collegiate Education
The first ever institution of higher education in the entire Karnataka territory was the Second Grade College started by the Madras Government at Mangalore in 1868. The Government High School of Bangalore was upgraded into a College in 1870 and was named "Central College" in 1875. The Mysore Maharaja's High School prepared candidates for the F.A. examination of the Madras University in 1879. The Jesuits started the St. Aloysius College at Mangalore in 1879 and the St. Joseph's College at Bangalore in 1882. The Maharaja's Second Grade College founded in 1864 at Mysore was upgraded into a First Grade College in 1894. The Maharani's High School, Mysore (1881) became a Second Grade College in 1902 and was affiliated to the Madras University. The Mysore University was established in 1916 and the First Engineering College was begun by this University in 1917 at Bangalore and a Medical College in 1924 at Bangalore. Subsequently it was shifted to Mysore in 1930. The Mysore Maharani's College, the only College for women in the state then, was upgraded into a First Grade College in 1920. Dharwad had Govt. Karnataka College in 1917 and Lingaraj College was started by the K.L.E. Society at Belgaum in 1933. The National College and the Basappa College were started by private agencies at Bangalore in 1945. By 1956, the erstwhile Mysore State had 14 First Grade Colleges, 14 intermediate colleges and 14 professional colleges.
The Directorate of Collegiate Education was established in 1960 to bring about uniformity in the administration of colleges of general education. By then, there was a total of 42 colleges of which 17 were Government and 25 were private, with a total of 27,338 students.
During 1994-95, there was a total of 679 degree colleges in the State. Among them were 136 Government Colleges, 267 Private Aided Colleges and 276 private UN-aided Colleges. The total number of students in them for 1992-93 was 4,81,920 (3,02,711 boys and 1,79,209 girls) and for 1993-94, the total was 4,36,128 with 2,70,536 boys and 1,65,592 girls. (This includes students taking BA, BSc, BCom degrees.)
University Education
The Mysore University (1916) was the First University to be started in Karnataka. This was followed y the Karnataka University (1949), the Bangalore University (1964), the Mangalore University (1980) and the Kuvempu University (1987). The two Universities of Agricultural Sciences - the one at Bangalore (1965) and the other at Dharwad (1986), cater to the needs of students aspiring after specialisation in the different branches of agriculture. Recently in 1991 Kannada University at Hampi has also been started to promote the study of the Kannada language, art and culture. The Manipal Academy of Higher Education has been granted the status of a Deemed University from 1993. Rajeev Gandhi University of Health Sciences, which covers all medical colleges in the state and Vishweshwaraiah Technical University, which controls all the Engineering Colleges in the state have also been founded.
There are other centres of higher learning like the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore (1911), Indian Institute of Management at Bangalore (1972) the National Law School of India University (1987) at Bangalore and Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore (1972).
Medical Education
The erstwhile State of Mysore started the Medical School in Bangalore in 1917. It was under the control of the senior Surgeon of the Medical Department. A training of four year's duration prepared candidates for the Licentiate in Medical practice (LMP) course. The first Medical College preparing students for the MBBS Course was begun in 1929 at Bangalore. These two institutions were run for the next six years with a common teaching staff. The Medical College was shifted to Mysore in 1930 and the school remained in Bangalore and was subsequently closed in 1956. The Mysore college was expanded in 1940.
The Bangalore Medical College was formed in 1954. Later the Kasturba Medical College at Manipal and the Karnataka Medical College at Hubli were started in 1953 and 1956 respectively. By 1980, there were in all 12 Medical colleges in the state, out of which four were Government and eight were private. The Government Medical Colleges, Bellary (1961) has been granted autonomous status in 1995. The All-India Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences at Bangalore offers PG Courses in MD (Pay.Md.) and MCh (Neuro-Surgery). The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing located at Mysore makes use of non-clinical facilities in the Departments of Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology at Mysore Medical College as well as clinical facilities in the Departments of ENT and Neurology at the Mysore K R Hospital.
For the year 1993-94 there were 19 Medical Colleges of which four were Government institutions. the number of Dental Colleges was 41, of which one was a Government institution. A total of 61 Pharmacy colleges including the government College of Pharmacy at Bangalore and the 11 Nursing colleges including the Government Nursing College, Bangalore were working in the state. In addition to them, there are Ayurvedic, Homeopathic and Unani Medical Colleges which have been offering degrees in the respective fields of medicine. There are 16 colleges of Ayurvedic medicine in the state of which the college of Indian Medicine, Bangalore (1967) are run by the government. Thirteen colleges are run by private managements of which those at Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli, Udupi and Dharmashtala are among the earliest. There are three Homeopathic Colleges in the State offering LCEH and GCE degrees. The only Unani College of Medicine (1975) is located at Bangalore and offers BUMS degree of 5 1/2 years.
Technical Education
The imparting of technical education as a part of curriculum made its beginning in the latter part of the 19th century, when the first technical institutes, the School of Engineering was established in 1862 at Bangalore, affiliated to the Madras University. Rai Bahadhur Arcot Narayanaswamy Mudaliar established a technical institution in the Civil and Military Station at Bangalore in 1873 where students were prepared for lower services of the PWD. The Industrial School Dharwad was established in 1873 respectively.
The one started at Bidar in 1905 taught Bidri work. The Mechanical Engineering School was started in Bangalore in 1913. These schools were later brought under the control of the Department of Industries and Commerce. In addition to the two major Industrial Schools Chamarajendra Technical Institute, Mysore, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Shimoga, Chitradurga Chikballapur, Doddaballarpur, Sagar and Nelamanala. The Zanana Home Industrial Institute, Channapatna was the only grant-in-aid institute imparting industrial training for women. At the time of integration, there were 14 Industrial Schools in the erstwhile Mysore area. The Mysore Government constituted a Council of Technical Education and a Syllabus Board in 1952. The DPI was appointed Ex-Officio Director of Technical Education Mysore. The State Board of Technical Examination also came into being in 1952 and awarded Diploma from 1953-54.
Engineering Degree Colleges
The first Engineering College was started by the Mysore Government in 1917 at Bangalore. After 1946, three more colleges were started - one by Government and two by private agencies. By the time of Integration of the State, there were totally five Engineering Colleges (two government and three private) in the state. They were, the Government Engineering College, Bangalore, Govt. B.D.T. Engineering College, Davanagere, BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore, National Institute of Engineering Mysore and BVB College of Engineering, Hubli, By 1993-94 there was a total of 47 Engineering Colleges in the State of which were four Government institutions, nine were aided and the rest unaided. The large number of professional institutions in Karnataka attracts students not only from the other parts of India but also from foreign countries.
Legal Education
The first Law College in Karnataka was started at Belgaum in 1939 by the Karnataka Law Society, a private body and the name of the college was Raja Lakmangauda Law College. There were four Law Colleges in the state at the time of reorganisation. two in Mysore area and two in Belgaum area with a total strength of 758 that included two women. The course was of two years duration, leading to BL degree of Mysore University and the LiB Degree of Karnataka University. The latter also conducted examination for the Master Degree in Law (LLM). By 1968, the number of colleges went upto the 13 with the region-wise beark-up as, eight in Mysore, three in Belgaum, (including the University Law College of Dharwad), one each in Mangalore and Gulbarga. The total enrolment in all the above colleges was 4,080, including 147 women. By 1981-82, there was a total of 32 Law Colleges in the State including the two University Law Colleges - one at Bangalore and the other at Dharwad. The rest were managed by private agencies, where classes were conducted either in the morning or in the evening to facilitate employed students.
The Law course which was to be previously taken up after graduation was changed and the Bar Council of India proposed a drastic change bringing legal education at par with the other professional courses. It was made a five year course to be taken up after the +2 course, common to students all over the country. However the old system still prevails in a majority of the law colleges.
