The Genesis of English Education: the Role of Christian Missionaries in Bengal

Thakurdas Jana
Guest Lecturer, Department of English, Bhatter College, Dantan. Email: thakurdas0901@gmail.com

 Volume VII, Number 1, 2017   Full Text PDF

DOI:10.25274/bcjms.v7n1.en-v7-01-02

Abstract
English Language Education has been an important factor for the uplift and development of an individual in this twenty first century when English is regarded as a lingua franca in the countries formerly colonized by the British. In every stratum of the society we need to learn English to have an easeful life. But the vernacular elementary education provided by the Pathsalas earlier was inadequate as observed by British observers like William Ward, William Adam and Francis Buchanan. In this situation, the Christian missionaries established many schools in West Bengal from 1819 onwards with the aim of providing western education to the mass of Bengal for their socio-cultural betterment. At that time Christian missionaries like Alexander Duff, William Carey, established many schools for providing English Education in and around Calcutta. Again George Pearce founded an English school at Durgapur in 1827. In the late 1820’s the missionaries achieved more success with the teaching of English. They made social and educational reform after Charter Act 1813 which permitted and financially helped them to spread English education in Bengal. This paper aims at unfolding the role played by those missionaries in spreading English education in Bengal.

Keywords: English Language Education, well being, Christian Missionaries, West Bengal

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