Education Entrepreneurs of Missionaries for Women’s Education in Punjab

Abstract

In the context of present portrayal of modern education, the implicit and unswerving contributions of Missionaries are unprecedented. The present research investigates the role of Christian missionaries as educational entrepreneurs in the Punjab. It moves beyond the conventional narrative of missionaries as mere religious propagators to analyse their work through the lens of social entrepreneurship. This study seeks to reframe the narrative by investigating the specific role of missionaries in launching educational infrastructure for women education. It argues that missionaries were visionary institution builders who identified critical social gaps, mobilized transcontinental resources, and introduced innovative pedagogies and administrative systems for the women education. The missionary curriculum was a product of strategic adaptation. While initially focused on Bible studies and vernacular languages, they quickly pivoted to meet market demands. They became purveyors of coveted Western knowledge, introducing English, mathematics, history, and the sciences. The girl child was the most vital enterprise of Missionaries. It not only challenged the darkness of societal male hegemony but also paved the way for the modern education of the most underprivileged partner of the society. Several reports had consolidated the untiring efforts of Missionaries in girls’ education.