Christian Missionaries’ Contribution Towards Women Education In The Colonial Punjab (1849-1882)

Abstract

In Punjab Women’s formal education is considered to be stemmed from colonial education system. The field of women’s education was a very sensitive one because of the attachment of the people of this region to different socio-religious customs and conventions which, in a sense, were in opposition to the education of the female population. The Colonial government decided to initiate its work in this field. Christian missionaries joined hands with the Government and started their efforts in the field. This research aims to explore the real contribution of Christian Missionaries in the field of Women’s education in the province of the Punjab. It attempts to bring forth the challenges of the field and the measures taken by the missionaries to cope with these challenges. Following the historical method of research, the data has been collected from different archival sources that help in drawing conclusions and findings. The data analysis goes on to explore the difficulties in the way of female education and also to bring forth the missionaries’ modes of action to cope with the challenges. The research shows the concrete contribution of Christian missionaries in the form of different types of missionary schools, and other innovative interventions in the field of female education. Their contribution was vital in preparing the base of an education system for the females of this region and they, with the support of the British Government, paved the way for the higher education of women in this region.