Hundred Years of the University of Calcutta (1857-1956)

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In the ensuing pages a band of competent scholars tells the story of the development of a centre of learning during a whole century. The establishment of this University marked the beginning of modern higher education in India and the century covers the period from the first indications of a new national consciousness to the attainment and consolidation of freedom. We now know the pattern of society planned for our country we are conscious of the ideals set before us which the educational institutions have to help in attaining. The celebration of the Centenary of the oldest University in the country is not only an occasion for retrospect ; it is not only an attempt to assess its achievements or measure its failure ; it is at the same time an effort to look forward, to estimate the nature of the work ahead and to think of the outline as well as the details of what has yet to be done. The problems before this University are numerous and the solutions arc difficult to find.

In the enthusiasm gene-rated by the Centenary celebrations we should not only have an awareness of our difficulties but we must propose tentative solutions. These latter may prove on closer examination to be wrong but the heart-searching preceding the proposals is of value and it is this which we attempt to prompt through the volume we are bringing out.

The magnitude of the task before us has to be remembered. We have now 85,147 students, thereby gaining the doubtful distinction of being the largest University in the country, perhaps the largest in the world. The undergraduates are accommodated in 117 colleges and 3,357 post-graduate students in Arts, Science, Commerce and Technology, as also 1,900 Law students are concentrated in the University. Our University colleges have established their reputation as centres of learning and research, but our undergraduate colleges have been trying to accomplish their task in the face of tremendous odds. It is interesting to survey the increase in the number of college students from one decade to another ; from 8,150 in 1902 it mounted up to 28,618 in 1919, to 30,202 in 1927, 35,357 in 1937 and 45,608 in 1947. With the partition of the province, with the attenuated sphere of activity, this number has been nearly doubled during the last eight years.

The institutions which are responsible for their education are maintained almost entirely with the fees paid by students and hence the salaries of teachers are lamentably low and the teacher-pupil ratio extremely unsatisfactory. It has been contended that large numbers in one institution need not necessarily be bad if we can have a sufficient number of teachers and contented teachers on an adequate salary. That there is something in this contention must be immediately conceded. But we must be fully aware of the implications of the proposal. Even if we accept the scales of salary and teacher-pupil ratio pro-posed by the University Grants Commission, each institution will require about three times their present income. Looking at it from another angle we may point out that at the University stage the present per capita annual expenditure for the whole country is over Rs. 400 whereas in West Bengal colleges it is below Rs. 200. That the expenditure has to be incurred if university education is to be worth anything admits of no doubt.

Provision of funds there will be room for improvement. In the heart of Calcutta it is difficult to get adequate building accommodation and until the transport system of the city is trans-formed we must have institutions in every zonal area to supply its needs. It may thus be necessary for one building to house two colleges at different times of the day but an educational unit of a very large size suffers from inherent drawbacks. The college is a community centre ; the people participating in its work form a fraternity. The cohesive nature of the organization depends on intimate contact between the administrators, teachers and pupils ; the ties become loose and the units drift apart when opportunities for constant communion are absent. If the numbers in the University could be equally distributed between all its affiliated colleges each of them would have a manageable number. But this is impracticable on account of reasons into which one cannot go here. Still an effort can be made to ensure that each institution in its pyramidal structure is an organic unity which alone can ensure healthy growth and development of all parts.

For several decades we have been talking of diversification of courses and institutions so that after leaving school every one need not flock to an Arts or Science college. Some efforts have been made ; centres of vocational training and multi-purpose schools are being started. But with the extension of primary and secondary education we have to visualize increase of numbers at the higher stages at a quicker pace than before and it will be difficult for the growth of new institutions to keep pace with this natural increase. It seems that in the foreseeable future We can-not think of any appreciable reduction in the number of university students and all our development plans must be based on the present enrolment with an annual increase in intake.

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