108 DR. BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR : WRITINGS AND SPEECHES
Classes* of population in the Presidency
Order in respect of population
Order in respect of education
Primary Secondary Collegiate
Advanced Hindus .. 4th 1st 1st 1st
Intermediate Hindus .. 1st 3rd 3rd 3rd
Backward Hindus .. 2nd 4th 4th 4th
Mahomedans .. .. 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd
From this table, one notices a great disparity in the comparative advancement of these different communities in the matter of education. Comparing these classes of people according to the order in which they stand in respect of their population and according to the order in which they stand in respect of their educational progress, we find that the Intermediate class, which is first in order of population is third in order of college education, third in order of secondary education and third in order of primary education. The Depressed classes who are second in order of population, stand fourth i.e. last in order of college education, last in order of secondary education and last in order of primary education. The Mahomedans who are third in order of population are second in order of college education, second in order of secondary education and second in order of primary education ; while the “Advanced Hindoos” who occupy the fourth place in order of population stand first in order of college education, first in order of secondary education and first in order of primary education. From this we can safely say that in this respect there has been no improvement over the situation as it stood in 1882 relatively speaking.
The above statement which is based upon the Report of the Director of Public Instruction, Bombay Presidency for the year
1923-24 merely reveals the disparity that exists in the educational
- The Education Department of the Government of Bombay has divided the population of this Presidency for departmental purposes into four different classes. In one of them are put the Brahmins and allied castes, who are collectively called “Advanced Hindus”. The Marathas and allied castes are put in a separate class called the “Intermediate Hindus”. The rest of the population comprising the Depressed classes ;. hill tribes and the criminal tribes are placed in a class by themselves and are designated by the term “Backward class”. To these three classes there is to be added a fourth class which comprises the Mahomedans of the Presidency and Sind.