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I HAVE CHOSEN BOMBAY AS A PLACE FOR THE COLLEGE FOR THREE REASONS
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar submitted an application to the Government of India for a loan for setting up a college in Bombay. This is the text of the application—Editors
To,
The Hon’ble Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh, Member-in-Charge of the Department of Education, Health and Lands, New Delhi.
Sir,
I beg to submit this application to the Government of India for a loan without interest Rs. 6,00,000 (Rupees Six Lakhs) for setting up College in Bombay for the promotion of Education among the Scheduled Castes and pray that it may be favourably considered.
- The Hartog Committee which was appointed in 1930 to examine the condition of education in India and its spread among the various communities summarized the position regarding the spread of education among the Scheduled Castes which were then called the Depressed Classes in the two following tables which are taken from its Report (page 220):—
TABLE—XCIV
Number of depressed classes (boys and girls) under instruction by stages and by provinces
Primary Middle High Collegiate Province stage stage stage stage
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Madras .. .. 224.873 (a) 2,647 (b) .. 47
Bombay .. .. 58,651 (a) 730 (c) .. 9
*Bengal .. .. 310,398 8,787 5,996 1,670
United Provinces .. 88,383 1,367 42 10
Panjab .. .. 14,284 914 110 Nil
Bihar & Orissa .. 24,574 52 7 Nil
Central Provinces .. 33,123 1,022 59 16
(a) Number in primary schools only. (b) Number in middle and high stages. (c) Number in primary , middle and high stages of secondary schools.
*In taking these figures for Bengal the Committee drew attention to the fact that they included class not ‘depressed’.