Education and Information in Punjab Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh
There’s a common misconception that before the British arrived, Punjab didn’t have educated people and a proper education system.
This is not true and Maharaja Ranjit Singh is the witness of that.
Although he was uneducated and had no formal education he understood its significance.
He committed to educating his people irrespective of religion.
- During the reign of Ranjit Singh education in schools was encouraged and supported.
- In Amritsar and Lahore, professional people managed many schools that everyone in Punjab could attend.
- Religious learning for both boys and girls was free.
- Rich people and upper-class folks had their special schools and hired teachers to teach their kids at home.
Education Freedom for Each Religion
Each mosque, temple, dharmsala, and Gurdwara had a school where students learned about their religion.
The Muslim schools and madrassas operated successfully without interference from the state.
Muslim students had the freedom to study and advance in life and society.
Add-Ons and Improvements in Education and Information
Ranjit Singh stood wise and current with educational trends.
He actively supported advancements in education during the later years of his rule and took a progressive step by promoting the learning of English.
Historical records suggest that he enlisted the expertise of Christian teachers who employed to establish English-medium schools in Lahore.
It showcases that Punjab under Ranjit Singh’s Governance embraced diverse educational methods.
Moral Value Teachings.
These tutors didn’t just teach reading and writing; they also educated students about good behaviour and social values.
There was a strong connection between these social places, families, and religion.
Different School categories under Maharaja Ranjit Singh Governance
Various Types of Indigenous Schools during Ranjit Singh’s Reign:-
- Maktabs: Persian schools open to all, not limited to Muslims.
- Madressahs: Arabic schools providing education from basic to advanced levels.
- Patshalas: Primarily for Hindus but accessible to all, focusing on Sanskrit for religious purposes.
- Gurmukhi Schools: Gurmukhi schools were for Sikh students, teaching them in their script.
- Mahajani Schools: Made for the business or economic community.
Mathematics, Arabic and Astronomy in Ranjit Singh Reign
In Ranjit Singh’s court, many Sikh leaders were educated.
For example, Lehna Singh was good at math and engineering.
Kunwar Nau Nihal Singh, Ajit Singh, and Lehna Singh learned advanced math and astronomy from a famous teacher named Akhvand Ali.
They also knew Arabic well.
Education in Persian, Urdu and Gurmukhi
In Ranjit Singh’s time, education wasn’t the same for everyone.
It was based on what people needed to learn.
Persian was crucial for official jobs, so many schools taught it regularly.
The data on language learning in Maharaja Ranjit Singh Darbar according to historical records are as follows:
– 37% learned Persian and Urdu.
– 41% learned Arabic.
– 8% learned Nagri.
– 6.7% learned Gurmukhi.
– 7% learned Hindi or Nagri.
These languages were essential for religious education and jobs.
These schools received support through donations and land for their management.
Quality Teachers in Ranjit Singh Empire
Teachers were highly respected, and it was the duty of wealthy villagers to give them everything they needed.
Also, they were well-educated with handsome salaries, and every institute had good strength of required teachers.
In this way, the education system under Sikh rule, especially in the years before 1857, was excellent, even better than what the British had. Surprisingly, women were more educated than men.
Ranjit Singh made sure that everyone could learn in different ways, supported learning English, and cared about good teaching and other subjects & languages.
This shows that before the British came, there was a good education system in the Governance of Punjab under Ranjit Singh, even better than what the British did later.