Jinnah Islamia College and KMV (Kanya Maha Vidyalaya): As a Contribute to Social Mobility and Reform for Marginalized Women in Colonial Punjab

Abstract

The research presented here examines the Jinnah Islamia Girls College (Lahore), and Sikh Kanya Mahavidyalaya (Ferozepur) two pioneering women’s educational institutions in colonial Punjab, within the larger Muslim and Sikh educational movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although they had different goals yet both organizations were the result of reformist reactions to societal pressures and colonial policies. During the Pakistan Movement, Jinnah Islamia Girls College, founded by Fatima Begum, served as a hub for Muslim women’s education and a forum for political activism. On the other hand, the Singh Sabha reformist agenda was represented by the Sikh Kanya Mahavidyalaya, which was led by Takht Singh. It extended education to girls from all groups and combined modern secular topics with religious instruction in Gurmukhi. The similarities and differences between Sikh and Muslim approaches to women’s education are highlighted in this comparative study. Sikh institutions placed more emphasis on cultural revival, inclusivity, and gradual modernization than did Muslim institutions, which placed more emphasis on religious exclusivity, identity preservation, and political activism. Using this methodology, the study makes the case that women’s education in colonial Punjab was an essential instrument for social transformation, political expression, and community identity creation rather than only an academic endeavour.