The British colonial education policies in the Bombay presidency (1815-1840)

This thesis examines the British East India Company's education policies in the Bombay Presidency. Centering on why a commercial company patronizes and supports educational and cultural activities, this study aims to analyze the educational activities carried out by educational societies and governments in Bombay between 1815-1840. This thesis argues that Governor Mountstuart Elphinstone used the traditional education system as a political move to strengthen corporate dominance in Maratha and Deccan lands. This process, which started with the appointment of Elphinstone to the governorship in 1819, accelerated with the establishment of the Bombay Education Society and the Bombay Native Education Society. Endeavoring to promote educational activities among these two institutions and the indigenous inhabitants of the region, the new governor also attempted to build institutions that would win the heart of the Brahmin elite through the government. Although these moves of the governor were slightly shaken by a letter sent to Bombay by the court of directors of the company in London in 1823, Elphinstone did not give up on his goals. As this thesis claims, he continued to defend his policies against his opponents by writing a very detailed and comprehensive education report during the aforementioned period. This thesis aimed to evaluate the education policy of the post-Elphinstone governors and the controversial issues in the field of education in Bengal, London and Bombay between 1827-1840. In this context, the thesis study tries to analyze the reflections of the conflicts and decisions outside Bombay and tries to emphasize the originality of the education policies in Bombay.