Kolkata: The Genesis of Modern Education

Kolkata has played a pioneering role in the development of modern education in India. People like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, David Hare, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Shashi Bhusan Chatterjee, and William Carey were prominent figures in setting up modern schools and colleges in the city. They propagated their beliefs on infusing western education with Indian traditional education to set the groundwork for the modern education that we know today. The ideas of rational thinking, ethics, non-authoritarian, and social-reforms were rooted in the core principles of modern education that were brought to life through the forward thinkers of the city. They realized that education should be made necessary for all and that people and the system need to evolve with time to meet the newer challenges and constraints of modern society, under British rule.

Apart from this Kolkata is home to some of the most prestigious and oldest educational institutions. The Calcutta Medical College,The oldest medical school in Asia, was set up in 1835. In 1857, the University of Calcutta was established as the first full-fledged multi-disciplinary university in south Asia. Today it is amongst the largest multidisciplinary universities of India and offers some of the widest number of academic disciplines for study. In 1883 Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu became the first women graduates from the University of Calcutta. In the process, they became the first female graduates of the British Empire. After independence, Calcutta continued to be in the forefront of the educational scene.  Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, the first among the Indian Institutes of Management, was set up in 1961. The first, Indian Institute of Technology was set up at Kharagpur about 120 km from Calcutta. 

In modern times Kolkata still thrives with its educational landscape. The city offers a bunch of alternative courses that could be found only in the city of Joy. From fashion to engineering to media Kolkata has it all,  offering its students an unique experience and method of learning.