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EDUCATION AND CULTURE
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INTRODUCTION
IN WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE BRIEF NARRATION of the history of education in the former princely state of Sangli [Based on the account given in Prof, P. M. Limaye's Sangli State, 1910-1948p. 60.]. Captain Burke's scheme of free and in certain conditions compulsory education remained in force in the early twenties of this century in the then Sangli State. The sanguine expectations of Captain Burke were not fulfilled. The benefits of education were not always appreciated and, in consequence, apathy, if not concealed opposition, were met with. To remedy this state of affairs all villages were made equally subject to compulsion. This showed results as is clear from the following table:-
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1910-11 |
1915-16 |
1919-20 |
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Number of State primary
schools |
143 |
148 |
138 |
Number of pupils on the rolls |
9,231 |
6,824 |
7,993 |
At the end of 1919-20, there were the following educational institutions in the then Sangli State:-
College (private) |
1 |
High schools |
2 |
Anglo-Vernacular schools |
5 |
Girls' schools |
10 |
Sanskrit schools |
5 |
Night schools |
1 |
Low Caste schools |
5 |
Indigenous Vernacular schools, four of them (private) aided by the State. |
15 |
By the end of 1929-30. compulsion had been introduced in 71 school areas: the total number of Government primary schools was 166 and the number of pupils attending them 11,875, Other educational institutions-Government recognised and unrecognised
together-numbered 29, and had an enrolment of 2,309. There were
two Government High Schools and one aided High School-the City
High School, Sangli, managed by the pioneer
Sangli Education Society. A Training College for teachers was opened in 1942. The period between 1944-46 saw the opening of Shrimant Vijayasinha Montessori School, the Girls' High School conducted by the Women's Education Society, Sangli and the Engineering College conducted by the Maharashtra Technical Education Society, Poona and later christianed as the Walchand College of Engineering.
Beginning Westren Education.
The beginning of western education in Sangli district was made in 1884. The oldest secondary school in Sangli district was started at Sangli in 1884 as a State High School. It was managed by the then State Government. Pioneering work of introducing private enterprise in this field was done by the Sangli Education Society and the Women's Education Society, Sangli, the latter specially working for the spread of secondary education amongst girls.
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