Previous Year Question
Which of the following colleges was the first to be established?
Hindu College, Calcutta
Delhi College
Mayo College
Muslim Anglo-Oriental College
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Hindu College, Calcutta was established in 1817 CE. It was later transformed into the Presidency College of Bengal in 1855. It was one of the earliest and most important institutions in the development of modern Western-style higher education in India.
Delhi College had an older madrasa as its predecessor, but it developed as Delhi College in 1825 CE. Therefore, treating the much older history of the madrasa as the establishment date of Delhi College can create confusion.
Mayo College, Ajmer was founded in 1875 CE. It was initially established to provide modern education to the sons of the princely and aristocratic families of Rajputana.
The Mohammedan Anglo-Oriental College developed from the educational initiatives of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. Madarsatul Uloom was started at Aligarh in 1875 and the M.A.O. College was formally established in 1877. The institution later became Aligarh Muslim University in 1920.
Thus, the chronological order of the given institutions is — Hindu College (1817) → Delhi College (1825) → Mayo College (1875) → M.A.O. College (1877).