abstract

The Matua community holds a significant place in the social history of Bengal because its religious awakening, caste protest, refugee experience, and educational aspirations evolved in a deeply interconnected manner. Emerging in nineteenth century eastern Bengal under the leadership of Harichand Thakur and receiving more organized institutional direction through Guruchand Thakur, the Matua movement viewed education not merely as literacy but as a practical instrument for dignity, self-respect, and collective social advancement. After Partition, large sections of Matua Namasudra families migrated to West Bengal, particularly to Nadia and North 24 Parganas, where displacement, poverty, caste-based stigma, and documentary insecurity significantly influenced educational opportunities and outcomes. This article examines the educational significance of the Matua community in West Bengal through a historical and analytical reading of community histories, official educational records, census-based evidence, and recent studies on gender and higher education. It argues that Matua educational culture has shown notable resilience because community memory continues to uphold schooling as an important path toward social emancipation and collective progress. At the same time, this promise remains only partially fulfilled, as rural inequality, the challenges faced by first generation learners, gendered barriers, and uneven access to institutions continue to restrict sustained educational mobility. The article concludes that education policy in West Bengal must move beyond symbolic recognition and instead prioritize school retention, transition support, women’s higher education, scholarships, mentoring, and stronger community linked public institutions.