Discuss in brief the contribution of missionaries toward educational development in north east india
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The formal or institutional education has a colonial origin in most parts of North East India, in the sense that the educational institutions started in this region during the British colonial rule. In the two valleys of Assam- the Brahmaputra and the Barak, and in the plains of Tripura and Manipur, the tols and moktabs or similar traditional institutions imparted learning to a very small section of the population in pre- colonial period. In these areas also the mass education made a beginning in the colonial period, although the British educational policy in India had a very limited objective of creating a lettered manpower to serve administration in the subordinate cadres. In the hill areas, the pioneers of progress in the field of education were, however, the western missioners who, along with reading and writing, emphasised training in useful art and crafts. The proselytisation was, no doubt, their main objective. Nevertheless the more significant contribution of these missionaries was that they converted the tribal dialects into written languages and prepared the primers for the schools. In this background, the progress of education in the hill areas of north- east in a short period since 19th century must be considered as spectacular by any standard. The development was more rapid in the post- independence period. There are now about five hundred colleges, including a few for legal, medical, technical, and teacher education, and nine Universities for the general education and two agricultural Universities. Needless to say that the primary, secondary and higher secondary schools are proportionate to the number of institutions for higher education. The literary rate in the region is also comparable with national average. Mizoram has attained the glory of the second highest literary rate in the country, although the first high school in Aizawl was established only in 1944. Arunachal Pradesh the land of rising sun or where sun rises first in India, was the latest among the seven sister states of North East India to be ruled by the British. The beginning of modern education in Arunachal was virtually after India's independence. The towang monestery had been imparting education since ancient time, but it was by and large limited to theosophical learning. The western missioners entered the field in British time, but the progress till 1947 was not very significant. However, in fifty years since independence the state has reached the highest stage of education with at least seven degree colleges, one University and a regional institute of science and technology. The state government is the main agency for promotion of education in Arunachal Pradesh, but the socio-cultural organisations like the Ramakrishna mission and the Dony-Polo mission are also doing excellent works in the state. A Ramakrishna mission School in Purushattamanagar is now one of the best schools in our country. Similarly, the schools managed by the Dony-Polo Mission in Pasighat and other places are rooted in the culture of the Arunachalis. It must be appreciated that despite geographical isolation and infrastructural and economic backwardness, education is one area in which the north-eastern region of India could make rapid strides towards progress in the post-independence period.
The development of education is an important area of research interest of our scholars. Besides reconstructing a complete profile of educational history, it is important to understand the extent to which education has been able to integrate the culture of the people into the contents and philosophy of learning and the nature of impact that education has been able to make on the socio-economic and cultural advance of the people. My colleague, Dr N B Biswas has made a serious attempt in this direction in the EDUCATION IN NORTH EASTERN INDIA. A Reader in education, Assam University, Silchar, Dr Biswas had earlier worked in Arunachal University. He utilised his stay in Arunachal in studying the role of education in the development of the people of Arunachal Pradesh in anthropological and historical perspectives. Therefore, his present study deals with the development of education in north-eastern region of India with special reference to Arunachal Pradesh. It covers a broad range of themes in education, and it is based on both primary and secondary data, including the personal experience of the author in the field. I am sure that the book will be appreciated by those for whom it is written. Nevertheless, there is no last word in research and a pioneering work is always improved upon between the editions. My colleague will welcome academic comments and suggestions for the next edition.