# The Despatch of 1854, on General Education in India

THE DESPATCH Of 1854, on
“General Education in India.”
REPRINTED
by the
“General Council on Education in India,”
from
A “RETURN TO AN ORDER OF THE HONOURABLE
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.”
London: 7, ADAM STREET, STRAND.
NOTE.
This important despatch, which was sent out to the Indian Government 1854, by Sir Charles Wood (Viscount Halifax), then President of the Board of Control, and was ratified, after the mutiny, by the despatch of Lord Stanley (Earl of Derby) in 1859, is still the great Charter of Education for India.
It is reprinted by the “General Council on Education in India,” for the purpose of showing how admirably it is fitted to meet the great want of that country—a healthful and liberal education. Their only regret is, that its rules have been so little applied to the general education of the poor, for which it was specially designed, and that its principles have been, and still are, so largely departed from in regard to the higher education. And their great aim is, to press upon Government, both at home and in India, the importance of seeing to the faithful and adequate carrying out of its provisions.
They will be glad to be joined by any friends of India, who approve of the despatch, and are desirous of assisting in their object.
Names may be sent to the Secretary:
The Rev. JAMES JOHNSTON,
7, Adam Street, Strand.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EDUCATION (INDIA).
RETURN to an Order of the Honourable The House of Commons, dated 18 July 1854;—for,
A COPY “of a Despatch to the Government of India, on the Subject of General Education in India.”
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WM. LEACH.
Copy of a DESPATCH from the Court of Directors of the East India Company to the Governor-general of India in Council, dated July 19th, 1854, No. 49.
1. It appears to us that the present time, when by an Act of the Imperial Legislature the responsible trust of the Government of India has again been placed in our hands, is peculiarly suitable for the review of the progress which has already been made, the supply of existing deficiencies, and the adoption of such improvements as may be best calculated to secure the ultimate benefit of the people committed to our charge.
2. Among many subjects of importance, none can have a stronger claim to our attention than that of Education. It is one of our most sacred duties to be the means, as far as in us lies, of conferring upon the natives of India those vast moral and material blessings which flow from the general diffusion of useful knowledge, and which India may, under Providence, derive from her connection with England. For, although British influence has already, in many remarkable instances, been applied with great energy and success to ​uproot demoralising practices, and even crimes of a deeper dye, which for ages had prevailed among the natives of India, the good results of those efforts must, in order to be permanent, possess the further sanction of a general sympathy in the native mind, which the advance of education alone can secure.
3. Public letter to Bengal, 5 Sept., 1827We have, moreover, always looked upon the encouragement of education as peculiarly important, because calculated “not only to produce a higher degree of intellectual fitness, but to raise the moral character of those who partake of its advantages, and so to supply you with servants to whose probity you may with increased confidence commit offices of trust” in India, where the well-being of the people is so intimately connected with the truthfulness and ability of officers of every grade in all departments of the State.
4. Nor, while the character of England is deeply concerned in the success of our efforts for the promotion of education, are her material interests altogether unaffected by the advance of European knowledge in India: this knowledge will teach the natives of India the marvellous results of the employment of labour and capital, rouse them to emulate us in the development of the vast resources of their country, guide them in their efforts, and gradually, but certainly, confer upon them all the advantages which accompany the healthy increase of wealth and commerce; and, at the same time, secure to us a larger and more certain supply of many articles necessary for our manufactures and extensively consumed by all classes of our population, as well as an almost inexhaustible demand for the produce of British labour.
5. We have from time to time given careful attention and encouragement to the efforts which have hitherto been made for the spread of education, and we have watched with deep interest the practical results of the various systems by which those efforts have been directed. The periodical reports of the different Councils and Boards of Education, together with other official communications upon the same subject, have put us in possession of full information as to those educational establishments which are under the direct control of Government; while the evidence taken before ​the Committees of both Houses of Parliament upon Indian affairs has given us the advantage of similar information with respect to exertions made for this purpose by persons unconnected with Government, and has also enabled us to profit by a knowledge of the views of those who are best able to arrive at sound conclusions upon the question of education generally.
6. Aided, therefore, by ample experience of the past, and the most competent advice for the future, we are now in a position to decide upon the mode in which the assistance of Government should be afforded to the more extended and systematic promotion of general education in India, and on the measures which should at once be adopted to that end.
7. Before proceeding further, we must emphatically declare that the education which we desire to see extended in India is that which has for its object the diffusion of the improved arts, science, philosophy, and literature of Europe; in short, of European knowledge.
8. The systems of science and philosophy which form the learning of the East abound with grave errors, and Eastern literature is at best very deficient as regards all modern discovery and improvements; Asiatic learning, therefore, however widely diffused, would but little advance our object. We do not wish to diminish the opportunities which are now afforded, in special institutions, for the study of Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian literature, or for the cultivation of those languages, which may be called the classical languages of India. An acquaintance with the works contained in them is valuable for historical and antiquarian purposes, and a knowledge of the languages themselves is required in the study of Hindoo and Mahomedan law, and is also of great importance for the critical cultivation and improvement of the vernacular languages of India.
9. We are not unaware of the success of many distinguished Oriental scholars in their praiseworthy endeavours to engraft upon portions of Hindoo philosophy the germs of sounder morals and of more advanced science; and we are far from underrating the good effect which has thus been produced upon the learned classes of India, who pay ​hereditary veneration to those ancient languages, and whose assistance in the spread of education is so valuable, from the honourable and influential position which they occupy among their fellow-countrymen. But such attempts, although they may usefully co-operate, can only be considered as auxiliaries, and would be a very inadequate foundation for any general scheme of Indian education.
10. We have also received most satisfactory evidence of the high attainments in English literature and European science which have been acquired of late years by some of the natives of India. But this success has been confined to but a small number of persons; and we are desirous of extending far more widely the means of acquiring general European knowledge, of a less high order, but of such a character as may be practically useful to the people of India in their different spheres of life. To attain this end it is necessary, for the reasons which we have given above, that they should be made familiar with the works of European authors, and with the results of the thought and labour of Europeans on the subjects of every description upon which knowledge is to be imparted to them; and to extend the means of imparting this knowledge must be the object of any general system of education.
11. We have next to consider the manner in which our object is to be effected; and this leads us to the question of the medium through which knowledge is to be conveyed to the people of India. It has hitherto been necessary, owing to the want of translations or adaptations of European works in the vernacular languages of India, and to the very imperfect shape in which European knowledge is to be found in any works in the learned languages of the East, for those who desired to obtain a liberal education, to begin by the mastery of the English language as a key to the literature of Europe; and a knowledge of English will always be essential to those natives of India who aspire to a high order of education.
12. In some parts of India, more especially in the immediate vicinity of the Presidency towns, where persons who possess a knowledge of English are preferred to others in many employments, public as well as private, a very mode​rate proficiency in the English language is often looked upon by those who attend school instruction, as the end and object of their education, rather than as a necessary step to the improvement of their general knowledge. We do not deny the value in many respects of the mere faculty of speaking and writing English, but we fear that a tendency has been created in these districts unduly to neglect the study of the vernacular languages.
13. It is neither our aim nor desire to substitute the English language for the vernacular dialects of the country. We have always been most sensible of the importance of the use of the languages which alone are understood by the great mass of the population. These languages, and not English, have been put by us in the place of Persian in the administration of justice, and in the intercourse between the officers of Government and the people. It is indispensable, therefore, that in any general system of education the study of them should be assiduously attended to. And any acquaintance with improved European knowledge which is to be communicated to the great mass of the people—whose circumstances prevent them from acquiring a high order of education, and who cannot be expected to overcome the difficulties of a foreign language—can only be conveyed to them through one or other of these vernacular languages.
14. In any general system of education, the English language should be taught where there is a demand for it; but such instruction should always be combined with a careful attention to the study of the vernacular language of the district, and with such general instruction as can be conveyed through that language. And while the English language continues to be made use of, as by far the most perfect medium for the education of those persons who have acquired a sufficient knowledge of it to receive general instruction through it, the vernacular languages must be employed to teach the far larger class who are ignorant of, or imperfectly acquainted with, English. This can only be done effectually through the instrumentality of masters and professors, who may, by themselves knowing English, and thus having full access to the latest improvements in knowledge of every kind, impart to their fellow-countrymen, ​through the medium of their mother tongue, the information which they have thus obtained. At the same time, and as the importance of the vernacular languages becomes more appreciated, the vernacular literatures of India will be gradually enriched by translations of European books, or by the original compositions of men whose minds have been imbued with the spirit of European advancement, so that European knowledge may gradually be placed in this manner within the reach of all classes of the people. We look, therefore, to the English language and to the vernacular languages of India together, as the media for the diffusion of European knowledge, and it is our desire to see them cultivated together in all schools in India of a sufficiently high class to maintain a schoolmaster possessing the requisite qualifications.
15. We proceed now to the machinery which we propose to establish for the superintendence and direction of education. This has hitherto been exercised, in our Presidencies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, by Boards and Councils of Education, composed of European and native gentlemen, who have devoted themselves to this duty with no other remuneration than the consciousness of assisting the progress of learning and civilisation; and, at the same time, with an earnestness and ability which must command the gratitude of the people of India, and which will entitle some honoured names amongst them to a high place among the benefactors of India and of the human race.
16. The Lieutenant-governor of Agra has, since the separation of the educational institutions of the North-western Provinces from those of Bengal, taken upon himself the task of their management; and we cannot allow this opportunity to pass without the observation that, in this, as in all other branches of his administration, Mr. Thompson displayed that accurate knowledge of the condition and requirements of the people under his charge, and that clear and ready perception of the practical measures best suited for their welfare, which make his death a loss to India, which we deplore the more deeply as we fear that his unremitting exertions tended to shorten his career of usefulness.
​17. We desire to express to the present Boards and Councils of Education our sincere thanks for the manner in which they have exercised their functions, and we still hope to have the assistance of the gentlemen composing them in furtherance of a most important part of our present plan; but, having determined upon a very considerable extension of the general scope of our efforts, involving the simultaneous employment of different agencies, some of which are now wholly neglected, and others but imperfectly taken advantage of by Government, we are of opinion that it is advisable to place the superintendence and direction of education upon a more systematic footing, and we have therefore determined to create an Educational Department, as a portion of the machinery of our Governments in the several Presidencies of India. We accordingly propose that an officer shall be appointed for each Presidency and Lieutenant-governorship, who shall be specially charged with the management of the business connected with education, and be immediately responsible to Government for its conduct.
18. An adequate system of inspection will also, for the future, become an essential part of our educational system; and we desire that a sufficient number of qualified inspectors be appointed, who will periodically report upon the state of those colleges and schools which are now supported and managed by Government, as well as of such as will hereafter be brought under Government inspection, by the measures that we propose to adopt. They will conduct, or assist at, the examination of the scholars at these institutions, and generally, by their advice, aid the managers and schoolmasters in conducting colleges and schools of every description throughout the country. They will necessarily be of different classes, and may possess different degrees of acquirement, according to the higher or lower character of the institutions which they will be employed to visit; but we need hardly say that, even for the proper inspection of the lower schools, and with a view to their effectual improvement, the greatest care will be necessary to select persons of high character and fitting judgment for such employment. A proper staff of clerks and other officers ​will, moreover, be required for the educational departments.
19. Reports of the proceedings of the inspectors should be made periodically, and these again should be embodied in the annual reports of the heads of the educational departments, which should be transmitted to us, together with statistical returns (to be drawn up in similar forms in all parts of India), and other information of a special character relating to education.
20. We shall send copies of this despatch to the Governments of Fort St. George and of Bombay, and direct them at once to make provisional arrangements for the superintendence and inspection of education in their respective Presidencies. Such arrangements as they may make will be reported to you for sanction. You will take similar measures in communication with the Lieutenant-governors of Bengal and of Agra, and you will also provide in such manner as may seem advisable for the wants of the non-regulation Provinces in this respect. We desire that your proceedings in this matter may be reported to us with as little delay as possible; and we are prepared to approve of such an expenditure as you may deem necessary for this purpose.
21. In the selection of the heads of the educational departments, the inspectors, and other officers, it will be of the greatest importance to secure the services of persons who are not only best able, from their character, position, and acquirements, to carry our objects into effect, but who may command the confidence of the natives of India. It may perhaps be advisable that the first heads of the educational departments, as well as some of the inspectors, should be members of our civil service; as such appointments in the first instance would tend to raise the estimation in which these offices will be held, and to show the importance we attach to the subject of education, and also as amongst them you will probably find the persons best qualified for the performance of the duty. But we desire that neither these offices, nor any others connected with education, shall be considered as necessarily to be filled by members of that service, to the exclusion of others, Europeans or natives, ​who may be better fitted for them; and that, in any case, the scale of their remuneration shall be so fixed as publicly to recognise the important duties they will have to perform.
22. We now proceed to sketch out the general scheme of the measures which we propose to adopt. We have endeavoured to avail ourselves of the knowledge which has been gained from the various experiments which have been made in different parts of India for the encouragement of education; and we hope, by the more general adoption of those plans which have been carried into successful execution in particular districts, as well as by the introduction of other measures which appear to be wanting, to establish such a system as will prove generally applicable throughout India, and thus to impart to the educational efforts of our different Presidencies a greater degree of uniformity and method than at present exists.
23. We are fully aware that no general scheme would be applicable in all its details to the present condition of all portions of our Indian territories, differing, so widely as they do, one from another, in many important particulars. It is difficult, moreover, for those who do not possess a recent and practical acquaintance with particular districts to appreciate the importance which should be attached to the feelings and influences which prevail in each; and we have, therefore, preferred confining ourselves to describing generally what we wish to see done, leaving it to you, in communication with the several local Governments, to modify particular measures so far as may be required, in order to adapt them to the different parts of India.
24. Some years ago, we declined to accede to a proposal made by the Council of Education, and transmitted to us, with the recommendation of your Government, for the institution of an university in Calcutta. The rapid spread of a liberal education among the natives of India since that time, the high attainments shown by the native candidates for Government scholarships, and by native students in private institutions, the success of the medical colleges, and the requirements of an increasing European and Anglo-Indian population, have led us to the conclusion that the time has now arrived for the establishment of universities in ​India, which may encourage a regular and liberal course of education, by conferring academical degrees as evidences of attainment in the different branches of art and science, and by adding marks of honour for those who may desire to compete for honorary distinction.
25. The Council of Education, in the proposal to which we have alluded, took the London University as their model; and we agree with them, that the form, government, and functions of that university (copies of whose charters and regulations we enclose for your reference) are the best adapted to the wants of India, and may be followed with advantage, although some variation will be necessary in points of detail.
26. The universities in India will accordingly consist of a chancellor, vice-chancellor, and fellows, who will constitute a senate. The senates will have the management of the funds of the universities, and frame regulations for your approval, under which periodical examinations may be held in the different branches of art and science, by examiners selected from their own body, or nominated by them.
27. The function of the universities will be to confer degrees upon such persons as, having been entered as candidates according to the rules which may be fixed in this respect, and having produced, from any of the “affiliated institutions,” which will be enumerated on the foundation of the universities, or be from time to time added to them by Government, certificates of conduct, and of having pursued a regular course of study for a given time, shall have also passed at the universities such an examination as may be required of them. It may be advisable to dispense with the attendance required at the London University for the matriculation examination, and to substitute some mode of entrance examination which may secure a certain amount of knowledge in the candidates for degrees, without making their attendance at the universities necessary, previous to the final examination.
28. The examinations for degrees will not include any subjects connected with religious belief; and the affiliated institutions will be under the management of persons of every variety of religious persuasion. As in England, various in​stitutions in immediate connection with the Church of England, the Presbyterian College at Caermarthen, the Roman Catholic College at Oscott, the Wesleyan College at Sheffield, the Baptist College at Bristol, and the Countess of Huntingdon's College at Cheshunt, are among the institutions from which the London University is empowered to receive certificates for degrees, so in India, institutions conducted by all denominations of Christians, Hindoos, Mahomedans, Parsees, Sikhs, Bhuddists, Jains, or any other religious persuasions, may be affiliated to the universities, if they are found to afford the requisite course of study, and can be depended upon for the certificates of conduct which will be required.
29. The detailed regulations for the examinations for degrees should be framed with a due regard for all classes of the affiliated institutions ; and we will only observe upon this subject, that the standard for common degrees will require to be fixed with very great judgment. There are many persons who well deserve the distinction of an academical degree, as the recognition of a liberal education, who could not hope to obtain it, if the examination was as difficult as that for the senior Government scholarships; and the standard required should be such as to command respect, without discouraging the efforts of deserving students, which would be a great obstacle to the success of the universities. In the competitions for honours, which, as in the London University, will follow the examinations for degrees, care should be taken to maintain such a standard as will afford a guarantee for high ability and valuable attainments; the subjects for examination being so selected as to include the best portions of the different schemes of study pursued at the affiliated institutions.
30. It will be advisable to institute, in connection with the universities, professorships for the purpose of the delivery of lectures in various branches of learning, for the acquisition of which, at any rate, in an advanced degree, facilities do not now exist in other institutions in India. Law is the most important of these subjects; and it will be for you to consider whether, as was proposed in the plan of the Council of Education to which we have before re​ferred, the attendance upon certain lectures, and the attainment of a degree in law, may not, for the future, be made a qualification for vakeels and moonsiffs, instead of, or in addition to, the present system of examination, which must, however, be continued in places not within easy reach of an university.
31. Civil engineering is another subject of importance, the advantages of which, as a profession, are gradually becoming known to the natives of India; and while we are inclined to believe that instruction of a practical nature, such as is given at the Thomason College of Civil Engineering at Roorkee, is far more useful than any lectures could possibly be, professorships of civil engineering might perhaps be attached to the universities, and degrees in civil engineering be included in their general scheme.
32. Other branches of useful learning may suggest themselves to you, in which it might be advisable that lectures should be read, and special degrees given; and it would greatly encourage the cultivation of the vernacular languages of India that professorships should be founded for those languages, and, perhaps, also for Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian. A knowledge of the Sanskrit language, the root of the vernaculars of the greater part of India, is more especially necessary to those who are engaged in the work of composition in those languages; while Arabic, through Persian, is one of the component parts of the Urdu language, which extends over so large a part of Hindostan, and is, we are informed, capable of considerable development. The grammar of these languages, and their application to the improvement of the spoken languages of the country, are the points to which the attention of these professors should be mainly directed; and there will be an ample field for their labours unconnected with any instruction in the tenets of the Hindoo or Mahomedan religions. We should refuse to sanction any such teaching, as directly opposed to the principle of religious neutrality to which we have always adhered.
33. We desire that you take into your consideration the institution of universities at Calcutta and Bombay, upon the general principles which we have now explained to you, and ​report to us upon the best method of procedure, with a view to their incorporation by Acts of the Legislative Council of India. The offices of Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor will naturally be filled by persons of high station, who have shown an interest in the cause of education; and it is in connection with the universities that we propose to avail ourselves of the services of the existing Council of Education at Calcutta, and Board of Education at Bombay. We wish to place these gentlemen in a position which will not only mark our sense of the exertions which they have made in furtherance of education, but will give it the benefit of their past experience of the subject. We propose, therefore, that the Council of Education at Calcutta, and the Board of Education at Bombay, with some additional members to be named by the Government, shall constitute the Senate of the University at each of those Presidencies.
34. The additional members should be so selected as to give to all those who represent the different systems of education which will be carried on in the affiliated institutions—including natives of India, of all religious persuasions, who possess the confidence of the native communities—a fair voice in the senates. We are led to make these remarks, as we observe that the plan of the Council of Education, in 1845, for the constitution of the Senate of the proposed Calcutta University, was not sufficiently comprehensive.
35. We shall be ready to sanction the creation of an university at Madras, or in any other part of India, where a sufficient number of institutions exist from which properly qualified candidates for degrees could be supplied; it being in our opinion advisable that the great centres of European government and civilization in India should possess universities similar in character to those which will now be founded, as soon as the extension of a liberal education shows that their establishment would be of advantage to the native communities.
36. Having provided for the general superintendence of education, and for the institution of universities, not so much to be in themselves places of instruction, as to test the value of the education obtained elsewhere, we proceed ​to consider, first, the different classes of colleges, and schools, which should be maintained in simultaneous operation, in order to place within the reach of all classes of the natives of India the means of obtaining improved knowledge suited to their several conditions of life; and, secondly, the manner in which the most effectual aid may be rendered by Government to each class of educational institutions.
37. The candidates for university degrees will, as we have already explained, be supplied by colleges affiliated to the universities. These will comprise all such institutions as are capable of supplying a sufficiently high order of instruction in the different branches of art and science, in which university degrees will be accorded. The Hindoo, Hooghly, Dacca, Kishnagur, and Berhampore Government Anglo-vernacular Colleges, the Sanskrit College, the Mahomedan Madrissas, and the Medical College, in Bengal; the Elphinstone Institution, the Poonah College, and the Grant Medical College, in Bombay; the Delhi, Agra, Benares, Bareilly, and Thomason Colleges, in the North-western Provinces; seminaries, such as the Oriental Seminary in Calcutta, which have been established by highly educated natives, a class of places of instruction which we are glad to learn is daily increasing in number and efficiency; those which, like the Parental Academy, are conducted by East Indians; Bishop’s College, the General Assembly's Institution, Dr. Duffs College, the Baptist College at Serampore, and other institutions under the superintendence of different religious bodies and missionary societies; will, at once, supply a considerable number of educational establishments, worthy of being affiliated to the universities, and of occupying the highest place in the scale of general instruction.
38. The affiliated institutions will be periodically visited by Government inspectors; and a spirit of honourable rivalry, tending to preserve their efficiency, will be promoted by this, as well as by the competition of their most distinguished students for university honours. Scholarships should be attached to them, to be held by the best students of lower schools; and their scheme of education should provide, in the Anglo-vernacular colleges, for a careful cultivation of the vernacular languages; and, in the Oriental ​colleges, for sufficient instruction in the English and vernacular languages, so as to render the studies of each most available for that general diffusion of European knowledge which is the main object of education in India.
39. It is to this class of institutions that the attention of Government has hitherto been principally directed, and they absorb the greater part of the public funds which are now applied to educational purposes. The wise abandonment of the early views with respect to native education, which erroneously pointed to the classical languages of the East as the media for imparting European knowledge, together with the small amount of pecuniary aid which, in the then financial condition of India, was at your command, has led, we think, to too exclusive a direction of the efforts of Government towards providing the means of acquiring a very high degree of education for a small number of natives of India, drawn, for the most part, from what we should here call the higher classes.
40. It is well that every opportunity should have been given to those classes for the acquisition of a liberal European education, the effects of which may be expected slowly to pervade the rest of their fellow-countrymen, and to raise, in the end, the educational tone of the whole country. We are, therefore, far from underrating the importance, or the success, of the efforts which have been made in this direction; but the higher classes are both able and willing, in many cases, to bear a considerable part at least of the cost of their education; and it is abundantly evident that in some part of India no artificial stimulus is any longer required in order to create a demand for such an education as is conveyed in the Government Anglo-vernacular colleges. We have, by the establishment and support of these colleges, pointed out the manner in which a liberal education is to be obtained, and assisted them to a very considerable extent from the public funds. In addition to this, we are now prepared to give, by sanctioning the establishment of universities, full development to the highest course of education to which the natives of India, or of any other country, can aspire; and besides, by the division of university degrees and distinctions into different branches, the exertions of highly educated ​men will be directed to the studies which are necessary to success in the various active professions of life. We shall, therefore, have done as much as a Government can do to place the benefits of education plainly and practically before the higher classes in India.
41. Our attention should now be directed to a consideration, if possible, still more important, and one which has been hitherto, we are bound to admit, too much neglected; namely, how useful and practical knowledge, suited to every station in life, may be best conveyed to the great mass of the people, who are utterly incapable of obtaining any education worthy of the name by their own unaided efforts; and we desire to see the active measures of Government more especially directed, for the future, to this object, for the attainment of which we are ready to sanction a considerable increase of expenditure.
42. Schools—whose object should be, not to train highly a few youths, but to provide more opportunities than now exist for the acquisition of such an improved education as will make those who possess it more useful members of society in every condition of life—should exist in every district in India. These schools should be subject to constant and careful inspection; and their pupils might be encouraged by scholarships being instituted at other institutions which would be tenable as rewards for merit by the best of their number.
43. We include in this class of institutions those which, like the zillah schools of Bengal, the district Government Anglo-vernacular schools of Bombay, and such as have been established by the Raja of Burdwan and other native gentlemen in different parts of India, use the English language as the chief medium of instruction; as well as others of an inferior order, such as the Tahsili schools in the North-western Provinces, and the Government vernacular schools in the Bombay Presidency, whose object is, however imperfectly it has been as yet carried out, to convoy the highest class of instruction which can now be taught through the medium of the vernacular languages.
44. We include these Anglo-vernacular and vernacular schools in the same class, because we are unwilling to ​maintain the broad line of separation which at present exists between schools in which the media for imparting instruction differ. The knowledge conveyed is, no doubt, at the present time, much higher in the Anglo-vernacular than in the vernacular schools; but the difference will become less marked, and the latter more efficient, as the gradual enrichment of the vernacular languages in works of education allows their schemes of study to be enlarged, and as a more numerous class of schoolmasters is raised up able to impart a superior education.
45. It is indispensable, in order fully and efficiently to carry out our views as to these schools, that their masters should possess a knowledge of English in order to acquire, and of the vernaculars so as readily to convey, useful knowledge to their pupils; but we are aware that it is impossible to obtain at present the services of a sufficient number of persons so qualified, and that such a class must be gradually collected, and trained in the manner to which we shall hereafter allude. In the meantime you must make the best use which is possible of such instruments as are now at your command.
46. Lastly, what have been termed indigenous schools, should by wise encouragement, such as has been given under the system organized by Mr. Thomason in the North-western Provinces, and which has been carried out in eight districts under the able direction of Mr. H. S. Reid in an eminently practical manner, and with great promise of satisfactory results, be made capable of imparting correct elementary knowledge to the great mass of the people. The most promising pupils of these schools might be rewarded by scholarships in places of education of a superior order.
47. Such a system as this, placed in all its degrees under efficient inspection; beginning with the humblest elementary instruction, and ending with the university test of a liberal education; the best students in each class of schools being encouraged by the aid afforded them towards obtaining a superior education as the reward of merit, by means of such a system of scholarships as we shall have to describe, would, we firmly believe, impart life and energy to educa​tion in India, and lead to a gradual, but steady, extension of its benefits to all classes of the people.
48. When we consider the vast population of British India, and the sums which are now expended upon educational efforts, which, however successful in themselves, have reached but an insignificant number of those who are of a proper age to receive school instruction, we cannot but be impressed with the almost insuperable difficulties which would attend such an extension of the present system of education by means of colleges and schools entirely supported at the cost of Government, as might be hoped to supply, in any reasonable time, so gigantic a deficiency, and to provide adequate means for setting on foot such a system as we have described, and desire to see established.
49. Nor is it necessary that we should depend entirely upon the direct efforts of Government. We are glad to recognise an increased desire on the part of the native population, not only in the neighbourhood of the great centres of European civilization, but also in remoter districts, for the means of obtaining a better education; and we have evidence in many instances of their readiness to give a practical proof of their anxiety in this respect by coming forward with liberal pecuniary contributions. Throughout all ages, learned Hindoos and Mahomedans have devoted themselves to teaching, with little other remuneration than a bare subsistence; and munificent bequests have not unfrequently been made for the permanent endowment of educational institutions.
50. At the same time, in so far as the noble exertions of societies of Christians of all denominations to guide the natives of India in the way of religious truth, and to instruct uncivilized races, such as those found in Assam, in the Cossya, Garrow, and Rajmehal hills, and in various districts of Central and Southern India (who are in the lowest condition of ignorance, and are either wholly without a religion, or are the slaves of a degrading and barbarous superstition), have been accompanied, in their educational establishments, by the diffusion of improved knowledge, they have largely contributed to the spread of that education which it is our object to promote.
​51. The consideration of the impossibility of Government alone doing all that must be done in order to provide adequate means for the education of the natives of India, and of the ready assistance which may be derived from efforts which have hitherto received but little encouragement from the State, has led us to the natural conclusion that the most effectual method of providing for the wants of India in this respect will be to combine with the agency of the Government the aid which may be derived from the exertions and liberality of the educated and wealthy natives of India, and of other benevolent persons.
52. We have, therefore, resolved to adopt in India the system of grants in aid, which has been carried out in this country with very great success; and we confidently anticipate, by thus drawing support from local resources, in addition to contributions from the State, a far more rapid progress of education than would follow a mere increase of expenditure by the Government; while it possesses the additional advantage of fostering a spirit of reliance upon local exertions and combination for local purposes, which is of itself of no mean importance to the well-being of a nation.
53. The system of grants in aid which we propose to establish in India, will be based on an entire abstinence from interference with the religious instruction conveyed in the schools assisted. Aid will be given (so far as the requirements of each particular district, as compared with others, and the funds at the disposal of Government may render it possible) to all schools which impart a good secular education, provided that they are under adequate local management (by the term “local management,” we understand one or more persons, such as private patrons, voluntary subscribers, or the trustees of endowments, who will undertake the general superintendence of the school, and be answerable for its permanence for some given time); and provided also that their managers consent that the schools shall be subject to Government inspection, and agree to any conditions which may be laid down for the regulation of such grants.
54. It has been found by experience, in this and in other countries, that not only is an entirely gratuitous education ​valued far less by those who receive it than one for which some payment, however small, is made, but that the payment induces a more regular attendance, and greater exertion, on the part of the pupils; and, for this reason, as well as because school fees themselves, insignificant as they may be in each individual instance, will, in the aggregate, when applied to the support of a better class of masters, become of very considerable importance we desire that grants in aid shall, as a general principle, be made to such schools only (with the exception of normal schools) as require some fee, however small, from their scholars.
55. Careful consideration will be required in framing rules for the administration of the grants; and the same course should be adopted in India which has been pursued with obvious advantage by the Committee of Council here, namely, to appropriate the grants to specific objects, and not (except, perhaps, in the case of normal schools) to apply them in the form of simple contributions in aid of the general expenses of a school. The augmentation of the salaries of the head teachers, and the supply of junior teachers, will probably be found in India, as with us, to be the most important objects to which the grants can ordinarily be appropriated. The foundation, or assistance in the foundation, of scholarships for candidates from lower schools, will also be a proper object for the application of grants in aid. In some cases, assistance towards erecting, or repairing, a school, or the provision of an adequate supply of school books, may be required; but the appropriation of the grant in each particular instance should be regulated by the peculiar circumstances of each school and district.
56. The amount, and continuance of the assistance given will depend upon the periodical reports of inspectors, who will be selected with special reference to their possessing the confidence of the native communities. In their periodical inspections, no notice whatsoever should be taken by them of the religious doctrines which may be taught in any school; and their duty should be strictly confined to ascertaining whether the secular knowledge conveyed is such as to entitle it to consideration in the distribution of the sum which will be applied to grants in aid. They should ​also assist in the establishment of schools, by their advice, wherever they may have opportunities of doing so.
57. We confide the practical adaptation of the general principles we have laid down as to grants in aid to your discretion, aided by the educational departments of the different Presidencies. In carrying into effect our views, which apply alike to all schools and institutions, whether male or female, Anglo-vernacular or vernacular, it is of the greatest importance that the conditions under which schools will be assisted should be clearly and publicly placed before the natives of India. For this purpose Government notifications should be drawn up, and promulgated, in the different vernacular languages. It may be advisable distinctly to assert in them the principle of perfect religious neutrality on which the grants will be awarded; and care should be taken to avoid holding out expectations which, from any cause, may be liable to disappointment.
58. There will be little difficulty in the application of this system of grants in aid to the higher order of places of instruction in India in which English is at present the medium of education.
59. Grants in aid will also at once give assistance to all such Anglo-vernacular and vernacular schools as impart a good elementary education; but we fear that the number of this class of schools is at present inconsiderable, and that such as are in existence require great improvement.
60. A more minute and constant local supervision than would accompany the general system of grants in aid will be necessary in order to raise the character of the “indigenous schools” which are, at present, not only very inefficient in quality, but of exceedingly precarious duration, as is amply shown by the statistics collected by Mr. Adam in Bengal and Behar, and from the very important information we have received of late years from the North-western Provinces. In organizing such a system, we cannot do better than to refer you to the manner in which the operations of Mr. Reid have been conducted in the North-western Provinces, and to the instructions given by him to the zillah and pergunnah visitors, and contained in the Appendix to his First Report.
​61. We desire to see local management under Government inspection, and assisted by grants in aid, taken advantage of wherever it is possible to do so, and that no Government colleges or schools shall be founded, for the future, in any district where a sufficient number of institutions exist, capable, with assistance from the State, of supplying the local demand for education. But, in order fully to carry out the views we have expressed with regard to the adequate provision of schools throughout the country, it will probably be necessary, for some years, to supply the wants of particular parts of India by the establishment, temporary support, and management of places of education of every class in districts where there is little or no prospect of adequate local efforts being made for this purpose, but where, nevertheless, they are urgently required.
62. We look forward to the time when any general system of education entirely provided by Government may be discontinued, with the gradual advance of the system of grants in aid, and when many of the existing Government institutions, especially those of the higher order, may be safely closed, or transferred to the management of local bodies under the control of, and aided by, the State. But it is far from our wish to check the spread of education in the slightest degree by the abandonment of a single school to probable decay; and we, therefore, entirely confide in your discretion, and in that of the different local authorities, while keeping this object steadily in view, to act with caution, and to be guided by special reference to the particular circumstances which affect the demand for education in different parts of India.
63. The system of free and stipendiary scholarships, to which we have already more than once referred as a connecting link between the different grades of educational institutions, will require some revision and extension in carrying out our enlarged educational plan. Minute, 24 Nov. 1839, paras. 32 and 33. We wish to see the object proposed by Lord Auckland, in 1839, “of connecting the zillah schools with the central colleges, by attaching to the latter scholarships to which the best scholars of the former might be eligible,” more fully carried out; and also, as the measures we now propose assume an organized form, ​that the same system may be adopted with regard to schools of a lower description, and that the best pupils of the inferior schools shall be provided for by means of scholarships in schools of a higher order, so that superior talent in every class may receive that encouragement and development which it deserves. The amount of the stipendiary scholarships should be fixed at such a sum as may be considered sufficient for the maintenance of the holders of them at the colleges or schools to which they are attached, and which may often be at a distance from the home of the students. We think it desirable that this system of scholarships should be carried out, not only in connection with those places of education which are under the immediate superintendence of the State, but in all educational institutions which will now be brought into our general system.
64. We are, at the same time, of opinion that the expenditure upon existing Government scholarships, other than those to which we have referred, which amounts to a considerable sum, should be gradually reduced, with the requisite regard for the claims of the present holders of them. The encouragement of young men of ability, but of slender means, to pursue their studies, is no doubt both useful and benevolent, and we have no wish to interfere with the private endowments which have been devoted to so laudable an object, or to withdraw the additions which may have been made by us to any such endowments. But the funds at the disposal of Government are limited, and we doubt the expediency of applying them to the encouragement of the acquisition of learning, by means of stipends which not only far exceed the cost of the maintenance of the student, but in many cases are above what he could reasonably expect to gain on entering the public service, or any of the active professions of life.
65. We shall, however, offer encouragements to education which will tend to more practical results than those scholarships. By giving to persons who possess an aptness for teaching, as well as the requisite standard of acquirements, and who are willing to devote themselves to the profession of schoolmaster, moderate monthly allowances for their support during the time which it may be requisite for ​them to pass in normal schools, or classes, in order to acquire the necessary training, we shall assist many deserving students to qualify themselves for a career of practical usefulness, and one which will secure them an honourable competence through life. We are also of opinion, that admission to places of instruction, which, like the medical and engineering colleges, are maintained by the State, for the purpose of educating persons for special employments under Government, might be made the rewards of industry and ability, and thus supply a practical encouragement to general education, similar to that which will be afforded by the educational service.
66. The establishment of universities will offer considerable further inducements for the attainment of high proficiency, and thus supply the place of the present senior scholarships, with this additional advantage, that a greater number of subjects in which distinction can be gained will be offered to the choice of students than can be comprised in one uniform examination for a scholarship, and that their studies will thus be practically directed into channels which will aid them in the different professions of life which they may afterwards adopt.
67. In England, when systematic attempts began to be made for the improvement of education, one of the chief defects was found to be the insufficient number of qualified schoolmasters, and the imperfect method of teaching which prevailed. This led to the foundation of normal and model schools for the training of masters, and the exemplification of the best methods for the organization, discipline, and instruction of elementary schools. This deficiency has been the more palpably felt in India, as the difficulty of finding persons properly educated for the work of tuition is greater and we desire to see the establishment, with as little delay as possible, of training schools, and classes, for masters, in each Presidency in India. It will probably be found that some of the existing institutions may be adapted, wholly or partially, to this purpose, with less difficulty than would attend the establishment of entirely new schools.
68. We cannot do better than refer you to the plan which has been adopted in Great Britain for this object, ​and which appears to us to be capable of easy adaptation to India. It mainly consists, as you will perceive on reference to the Minutes of the Committee of Council, copies of which we enclose, in the selection and stipend of pupil teachers (awarding a small payment to the masters of the schools in which they are employed, for their instruction out of school hours); their ultimate removal, if they prove worthy, to normal schools; the issue to them of certificates, on the completion of their training in those normal schools; and in securing to them a sufficient salary when they are afterwards employed as schoolmasters. This system should be carried out in India, both in the Government colleges and schools, and, by means of grants in aid, in all institutions which are brought under Government inspection. The amount of the stipends to pupil teachers and students at normal schools should be fixed with great care. The former should receive moderate allowances rather above the sum which they would earn if they left school, and the stipends to the latter should be regulated by the same principle which we have laid down with respect to scholarships.
69. You will be called upon, in carrying these measures into effect, to take into consideration the position and prospects of the numerous class of natives of India who are ready to undertake the important duty of educating their fellow-countrymen. The late extension of the pension regulations of 1831 to the educational service may require to be adapted to the revised regulations in this respect; and our wish is that the profession of schoolmaster may, for the future, afford inducements to the natives of India such as are held out in other branches of the public service. The provision of such a class of schoolmasters as we wish to see must be a work of time; and, in encouraging the “indigenous schools,” our present aim should be to improve the teachers whom we find in possession, and to take care not to provoke the hostility of this class of persons, whose influence is so great over the minds of the lower classes, by superseding them where it is possible to avoid it. They should, moreover, be encouraged to attend the normal schools and classes which may hereafter be instituted for this class of teachers.
​70. Equal in importance to the training of schoolmasters is the provision of vernacular school books, which shall provide European information to be the object of study in the lower classes of schools. Something has, no doubt, been done, of late years, towards this end, but more still remains to be done; and we believe that deficiencies might be readily and speedily supplied by the adoption of a course recommended by Mr. M. Elphinstone in 1825, namely, “That the best translations of particular books, or the best elementary treatises in specified languages, should be advertised for, and liberally rewarded.”
71. The aim should be, in compilations, and original compositions (to quote from one of Mr. Adam’s valuable reports upon the state of education in Bengal), “Not to translate European works into the words and idioms of the native languages, but so to combine the substance of European knowledge with native forms of thought and sentiment as to render the school books useful and attractive.” We also refer with pleasure upon this point to some valuable observations by Mr. Reid, in his report which we have quoted before, more especially as regards instruction in geography. It is obvious that the local peculiarities of different parts of India render it necessary that the class-books in each should be specially adapted to the feelings, sympathies, and history of the people; and we will only further remark upon this subject, that the Oriental colleges, besides generally tending, as we have before observed, to the enrichment of the vernacular languages, may, we think, be made of great use in the translation of scientific works into those languages, as has already been done to some extent in the Delhi, Benares, and Poonah colleges.
72. We have always been of opinion that the spread of education in India will produce a greater efficiency in all branches of administration, by enabling you to obtain the services of intelligent and trustworthy persons in every department of Government; and, on the other hand, we believe that the numerous vacancies of different kinds which have constantly to be filled up, may afford a great stimulus to education. The first object must be to select persons properly qualified to fill these situations; second​ary to this is the consideration how far they may be so distributed as to encourage popular education.
73. The resolutions of our Governor-general in Council of the 10th of October, 1844, gave a general preference to well educated over uneducated men in the admissions to the public service. We perceive, with much satisfaction, both from returns which we have recently received of the persons appointed since that year in the Revenue Department of Bengal, as well as from the educational reports from different parts of India, that a very considerable number of educated men have been employed under Government of late years; and we understand that it is often not so much the want of Government employment as the want of properly qualified persons to be employed by Government, which is felt, at the present time, in many parts of India.
74. We shall not enter upon the causes which, as we foresaw, have led to the failure of that part of the resolutions which provided for the annual submission to Government of lists of meritorious students. It is sufficient for our present purpose to observe that no more than forty-six persons have been gazetted in Bengal up to this time, all of whom were students in the Government colleges. In the last year for which we have returns (1852), only two persons were so distinguished; and we can readily believe, with the Secretary to the Board of Revenue in Bengal, that young men who have passed a difficult examination in the highest branches of philosophy and mathematics, are naturally disinclined to accept such employment as persons who intend to make the public service their profession must necessarily commence with.
75. The necessity for any such lists will be done away with by the establishment of universities, as the acquisition of a degree, and still more the attainment of university distinctions, will bring highly educated young men under the notice of Government. The resolutions in question will, therefore, require revision so as to adapt them practically to carry out our views upon this subject. What we desire is, that where the other qualifications of the candidates for appointments under Government are equal, a person who has received a good education, irrespective of the place or ​manner in which it may have been acquired, should be preferred to one who has not; and that, even in lower situations, a man who can read and write be preferred to one who cannot, if he is equally eligible in other respects.
76. We also approve of the institution of examinations where practicable, to be simply and entirely tests of the fitness of candidates for the special duties of the various departments in which they are seeking employment as has been the case in the Bombay Presidency. We confidently commit the encouragement of educated in preference to uneducated men to the different officers who are responsible for their selection; and we cannot interfere by any further regulations to fetter their free choice in a matter of which they bear the sole responsibility.
77. We are sanguine enough to believe that some effect has already been produced by the improved education of the public service of India. The ability and integrity of a large and increasing number of the native judges, to whom the greater part of the civil jurisdiction in India is now committed, and the high estimation in which many among them are held by tbeir fellow-countrymen, is, in our opinion, much to be attributed to the progress of education among these officers, and to their adoption along with it of that high moral tone which pervades the general literature of Europe. Nor is it among the higher officers alone that we have direct evidence of the advantage which the public derives from the employment of educated men. We quote from the last Report of the Dacca College with particular satisfaction, as we are aware that much of the happiness of the people of India depends upon the honesty of the officers of police:—Report on Public Instruction, Bengal, 1851-2, p. 72.“The possible evidence has been furnished,” say the local committee, “that some of the ex-students of the college of Dacca have completely succeeded in the arduous office of darogha. Krishna Chunder Dutt, employed as a darogha under the magistrate of Howrah, in particular, is recommended for promotion, as having gained the respect and applause of all classes, who, though they may not practise, yet know how to admire, real honesty and integrity of purpose.”
78. But, however large the number of appointments ​under Government may be, the views of the natives of India should be directed to the far wider and more important sphere of usefulness and advantage which a liberal education lays open to them; and such practical benefits arising from improved knowledge should be constantly impressed upon them by those who know their feelings, and have influence or authority to advise or direct their efforts. We refer, as an example in this respect, with mingled pleasure and regret, to the eloquent addresses delivered by the late Mr. Bethune, when President of the Council of Education, to the students of the Kishnagur and Dacca Colleges.
79. There are some other points connected with the general subject of education in India upon which we will now briefly remark. We have always regarded with special interest those educational institutions which have been directed towards training up the natives of India to particular professions, both with a view to their useful employment in the public service, and to enable them to pursue active and profitable occupations in life. The medical colleges in different parts of India have proved that, in despite of difficulties which appeared at first sight to be insurmountable, the highest attainments in medicine and surgery are within the reach of educated natives of India: we shall be ready to aid in the establishment and support of such places of instruction as the medical colleges of Calcutta and Bombay, in other parts of India. We have already alluded to the manner in which students should be supplied to these colleges, as well as to those for the training of civil engineers.
80. The success of the Thomason College of Civil Engineering at Roorkee has shown that, for the purpose of training up persons capable of carrying out the great works which are in progress under Government throughout India, and to qualify the natives of India for the exercise of a profession which, now that the system of railways and public works is being rapidly extended, will afford an opening for a very large number of persons, it is expedient that similar places for practical instruction in civil engineering should be established in other parts of India, and especially in the Presidency of Madras, where works of irrigation are so ​essential, not only to the prosperity of the country, but to the very existence of the people in times of drought and scarcity. The subject has been prominently brought under your notice in the recent reports of the Public Works Commissioners for the different Presidencies; and we trust that immediate measures will be taken to supply a deficiency which is, at present, but too apparent.
81. We may notice, in connection with these two classes of institutions of an essentially practical character, the schools of industry and design, which have been set on foot from time to time in different parts of India. We have lately received a very encouraging report of that established by Dr. Hunter in Madras; and we have also been informed that Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, with his accustomed munificence, has offered to lay out a very considerable sum upon a like school in Bombay. Such institutions as these will, in the end, be self-supporting; but we are ready to assist in their establishment by grants in aid for the supply of models, and other assistance which they may advantageously derive from the increased attention which has been paid of late years to such subjects in this country. We enclose you the copy of a report which we have received from Mr. Redgrave upon the progress of the Madras school, which may prove of great value in guiding the efforts of the promoters of any similar institutions which may hereafter be established in India. We have also perceived with satisfaction, that the attention of the Council of Education in Calcutta has been lately directed to the subject of attaching to each zillah school the means of teaching practical agriculture; for there is, as Dr. Mouat most truly observes,Report on Public Instruction, Bengal, 1851-2, Appendix, page clxxi. “no single advantage that could be afforded to the vast rural population of India that would equal the introduction of an improved system of agriculture.”
82. The increasing desire of the Mahomedan population to acquire European knowledge has given us much satisfaction. We perceive that the Council of Education of Bengal has this subject under consideration, and we shall receive with favour any proposition which may appear to you to be likely to supply the wants of so large a portion of the natives of India.
​83. The importance of female education in India cannot be overrated; and we have observed with pleasure the evidence which is now afforded of an increased desire on the part of many of the natives of India to give a good education to their daughters. By this means a far greater proportional impulse is imparted to the educational and moral tone of the people than by the education of men. We have already observed that schools for females are included among those to which grants in aid may be given; and we cannot refrain from expressing our cordial sympathy with the efforts which are being made in this direction. Our Governor-general in Council has declared, in a communication to the Government of Bengal, that the Government ought to give to native female education in India its frank and cordial support; in this we heartily concur, and we especially approve of the bestowal of marks of honour upon such native gentlemen as Rao Bahádur Magaubhái Karramchand, who devoted 20,000 rupees to the foundation of two native female schools in Ahmedabad, as by such means our desire for the extension of female education becomes generally known.
84. Considerable misapprehension appears to exist as to our views with respect to religious instruction in the Government institutions. Those institutions were founded for the benefit of the whole population of India; and, in order to effect their object, it was, and is, indispensable that the education conveyed in them should be exclusively secular. The Bible is, we understand, placed in the libraries of the colleges and schools, and the pupils are able freely to consult it. This is as it should be; and, moreover, we have no desire to prevent, or to discourage, any explanations which the pupils may, of their own free-will, ask from their masters upon the subject of the Christian religion, provided that such information be given out of school hours. Such instruction being entirely voluntary on both sides, it is necessary, in order to prevent the slightest suspicion of an intention on our part to make use of the influence of Government for the purpose of proselytism, that no notice shall be taken of it by the inspectors in their periodical visits.
​85. Having now finished the sketch that we proposed to give of the scheme for the encouragement of education in India, which we desire to see gradually brought into operation, we proceed to make some observations upon the state of education in the several Presidencies, and to point out the parts of our general plan which are most deficient in each.
86. In Bengal, education through the medium of the English language has arrived at a higher point than in any other part of India. We are glad to receive constant evidence of an increasing demand for such an education, and of the readiness of the natives of different districts to exert themselves for the sake of obtaining it. There are now five Government Anglo-vernacular colleges; and zillah schools have been established in nearly every district. We confidently expect that the introduction of the system of grants in aid will very largely increase the number of schools of a superior order; and we hope that, before long, sufficient provision may be found to exist in many parts of the country for the education of the middle and higher classes, independent of the Government institutions, which may then be closed, as has been already the case in Burdwan, in consequence of the enlightened conduct of the Raja of Burdwan, or they may be transferred to local management.
87. Very little has, however, been hitherto done in Bengal for the education of the mass of the people, especially for their instruction through the medium of the vernacular languages. A few vernacular schools were founded by Government in 1844, of which only 33 now remain, with 1,400 pupils, and, upon their transfer, in April, 1852, from the charge of the Board of Revenue to that of the Council of Education, it appeared that “they were in a languishing state, and had not fulfilled the expectations formed on their establishment.”
88. We have perused, with considerable interest, the report of Mr. Robinson, Inspector of the Assam schools, of which there appear to be 74, with upwards of 3,000 pupils. Mr. Robinson’s suggestions for the improvement of the system under which they are now managed appear to us to be worthy of consideration, and to approach very nearly to the principles upon which vernacular education has been ​encouraged in the North-western Provinces. We shall be prepared to sanction such measures as you may approve of, to carry out Mr. Robinson’s views.
89. But the attention of the Government of Bengal should be seriously directed to the consideration of some plan for the encouragement of indigenous schools, and for the education of the lower classes, which, like that of Mr. Thomason in the North-western Provinces, may bring the benefits of education practically before them, and assist and direct their efforts. We are aware that the object held out by the Government of Agra to induce the agricultural classes to improve their education does not exist in Bengal; but we cannot doubt that there may be found other similar solid advantages attending elementary knowledge, which can be plainly and practically made apparent to the understandings and interests of the lower classes of Bengal.
90. We perceive that the scheme of study pursued in the Oriental colleges of Bengal is under the consideration of the Council of Education, and it appears that they are in an unsatisfactory condition. We have already sufficiently indicated our views as to those colleges, and we should be glad to see them placed upon such a footing as may make them of greater practical utility. The points which you have referred to us, in your letter of the 5th of May, relative to the establishment of a Presidency College at Calcutta, will form the subject of a separate communication.
91. In the North-western Provinces the demand for education is so limited by circumstances fully detailed by the Lieutenant-Governor in one of his early reports, that it will probably be long before private efforts will become energetic enough to supply the place of the establishment, support, and management, by Government, of places of instruction of the highest grade, where there may be a sufficient reason for their institution.
92. At the same time, the system for the promotion of general education throughout the country, by means of the inspection and encouragement of indigenous schools, has laid the foundation of a great advancement in the education of the lower classes. Mr. Thomason ascertained, from statistical information, the lamentable state of ignorance in ​which the people were sunk, while the registration of land, which is necessary under the revenue settlement of the North-western Provinces, appeared to him to offer the stimulus of a direct interest for the acquisition of so much knowledge, at least of reading and writing, of the simple rules of arithmetic, and of land measurement, as would enable each man to look after his own rights.
93. He therefore organized a system of encouragement of indigenous schools, by means of a constant inspection by zillah and pergunnah visitors, under the superintendence of a visitor-general; while, at the head-quarters of each tahsildar, a school was established for the purpose of teaching “reading and writing the vernacular languages, both Urdu and Hindi accounts, and the mensuration of land.” A school-house is provided by Government, and the masters of the Tahsili schools receive a small salary, and are further entitled to the tuition fees paid by the pupils, of whom none are educated gratuitously, except “on recommendations given by village schoolmasters who may be on the visitor’s list.” A certain sum is annually allotted to each zillah for the reward of deserving teachers and scholars; and the attention of the visitor-general was expressly directed to the preparation of elementary school-books in the vernacular languages, which are sold through the agency of the zillah and the pergunnah visitors. We shall be prepared to sanction the gradual extension of some such system as this to the other districts of the Agra Presidency, and we have already referred to it as the model by which the efforts of other Presidencies for the same object should be guided.
94. In the Presidency of Bombay the character of the education conveyed in the Anglo-vernacular colleges is almost, if not quite, equal to that in Bengal; and the Elphinstone institution is an instance of a college conducted in the main upon the principle of grant in aid, which we desire to see more extensively carried out. Considerable attention has also been paid in Bombay to education, through the medium of the vernacular languages. It appears that 216 vernacular schools are under the management of the Board of Education, and that the number of pupils attending them is more than 12,000. There are ​three inspectors of the district schools, one of whom (Mahadeo Govind Shastri) is a native of India. The schools are reported to be improving, and masters trained in the Government colleges have been recently appointed to some of them with the happiest effects. These results are very creditable to the Presidency of Bombay; and we trust that each Government school will now be made a centre from which the indigenous schools of the adjacent districts may be inspected and encouraged.
95. As the new revenue settlement is extended in the Bombay Presidency, there will, we apprehend, be found an inducement precisely similar to that which has been taken advantage of by Mr. Thomason, to make it the interest of the agricultural classes to acquire so much knowledge as will enable them to check the returns of the village accountants. We have learnt with satisfaction that the subject of gradually making some educational qualification necessary to the confirmation of these hereditary officers is under the consideration of the Government of Bombay, and that a practical educational test is now insisted upon for persons employed in many offices under Government.
96. In Madras, where little has yet been done by Government to promote the education of the mass of the people, we can only remark with satisfaction that the educational efforts of Christian missionaries have been more successful among the Tamul population than in any other part of India; and that the Presidency of Madras offers a fair field for the adoption of our scheme of education in its integrity, by founding Government Anglo-vernacular institutions only where no such places of instruction at present exist, which might, by grants in aid and other assistance, adequately supply the educational wants of the people. We also perceive with satisfaction that Mr. Daniel Eliott, in a recent and most able minute upon the subject of education, has stated that Mr. Thomason’s plan for the encouragement of indigenous schools might readily be introduced into the Madras Presidency, where the Ryotwari settlement offers a similar practical inducement to the people for the acquisition of elementary knowledge.
97. We have now concluded the observations which we ​think it is necessary to address to you upon the subject of the education of the natives of India. We have declared that our object is to extend European knowledge throughout all classes of the people. We have shown that this object must be effected by means of the English language in the higher branches of instruction, and by that of the vernacular languages of India to the great mass of the people. We have directed such a system of general superintendence and inspection by Government to be established, as will, if properly carried out, give efficiency and uniformity to your efforts. We propose by the institution of universities to provide the highest test and encouragement of a liberal education. By sanctioning grants in aid of private efforts, we hope to call to the assistance of Government private exertions and private liberality. The higher classes will now be gradually called upon to depend more upon themselves; and your attention has been more especially directed to the education of the middle and lower classes, both by the establishment of fitting schools for this purpose, and by means of a careful encouragement of the native schools which exist, and have existed from time immemorial, in every village, and none of which perhaps cannot in some degree be made available to the end we have in view. We have noticed some particular points connected with education, and we have reviewed the condition of the different Presidencies in this respect, with a desire to point out what should be imitated, and what is wanting, in each.
98. We have only to add, in conclusion, that we commit this subject to you with a sincere belief that you will cordially co-operate with us in endeavouring to effect the great object we have in hand, and that we desire it should be authoritatively communicated to the principal officers of every district in India, that henceforth they are to consider it to be an important part of their duty, not only in that social intercourse with the natives of India, which we always learn with pleasure that they maintain, but also with all the influence of their high position, to aid in the extension of education, and to support the inspectors of schools by every means in their power.
​99. We believe that the measures we have determined upon are calculated to extend the benefits of education throughout India; but, at the same time, we must add that we are not sanguine enough to expect any sudden, or even speedy, results to follow from their adoption, To imbue a vast, and ignorant, population with a general desire for knowledge, and to take advantage of that desire when excited to improve the means for diffusing education amongst them, must be a work of many years; which, by the blessing of Divine Providence, may largely conduce to the moral and intellectual improvement of the natives of India.
100. As a Government, we can do no more than direct the efforts of the people, and aid them wherever they appear to require most assistance, the result depends more upon them than upon us; and although we are fully aware that the measures we have now adopted will involve in the end a much larger expenditure upon education from the revenues of India, or, in other words, from the taxation of the people of India, than is at present so applied, we are convinced, with Sir Thomas Munro, in words used many years since, that any expense which may be incurred for this object, “will be amply repaid by the improvement of the country; for the general diffusion of knowledge is inseparably followed by more orderly habits, by increasing industry, by a taste for the comforts of life, by exertion to acquire them, and by the growing prosperity of the people.”
We are, &c.
| J. Oliphant. | W. J. Eastwick |
| E. Macnaghten. | R. D. Mangles. |
| C. Mills. | J. P. Willoughby. |
| R. Ellice. | J. H. Astell. |
| J. W. Hogg. | F. Currie. |
APPENDIX.
The following brief summary of this despatch, has all the authority of an official document, being written by Mr. Arthur Howell, when “Acting Secretary” to the Government in India, for a Return, ordered by and presented to, the House of Commons, in 1870.
SUMMARY OF THE DESPATCH.
“The Indian educational code is contained in the despatches of the Home Government of 1854 and 1859. The main object of the former despatch is to divert the efforts of the Government from the education of the higher classes, upon whom they had up to that date been too exclusively directed, and to turn them to the wider diffusion of education among all classes of the people, and especially to the provision of primary instruction for the masses. Such instruction is to be provided by the direct instrumentality of Government, and a compulsory rate, levied under the direct authority of Government, is pointed out as the best means of obtaining funds for the purpose. The system must be extended upwards by the establishment of Government schools as models, to be superseded gradually by schools supported on the grant-in-aid principle. This principle is to be of perfect religious neutrality, defined in regular rules adapted to the circumstances of each province, and clearly and publicly placed before the natives of India. Schools, whether purely Government institutions or aided, in all of which (excepting Normal schools) the payment of some fee, however small, is to be the rule, are to be in regular gradation from those which give the humblest elementary instruction to the highest colleges, and the best pupils of one grade are to climb through the other grades by means of scholarships obtained in the lower school and tenable in the higher. To provide masters, Normal schools are to be established in each province, and moderate allowances given for the support of those who possess an aptness for teaching and are willing to devote themselves to the profession of schoolmasters. By this means it is hoped that, at no distant period, institutions may be in operation in all the presidencies calculated to supply masters for all classes of schools, and thus in time greatly to limit, if not altogether to obviate, the necessity of recruiting the educational service by means of engagements made in England. The medium of education is to be the vernacular languages of India, into which the best elementary treatises in English should be translated. Such translations are to be advertised for, and liberally rewarded by Government as the means of enriching vernacular literature. While, therefore, the vernacular languages are on no account to be neglected, the English language may be taught where there is a demand for it, but the English language is not to be substituted for the vernacular dialects of the country. The existing institutions for the study of the classical languages of India are to be maintained, and respect is to be paid to the hereditary veneration which they command. Female education is to receive the frank and cordial support of Government, as by it a far greater proportional impulse is imparted to the educational and moral tone of the people, than by the education of men. In addition to the Government and aided colleges and schools for general education, special institutions for ​imparting special education in law, medicine, engineering, art, and agriculture are to receive in every province the direct aid and encouragement of Government. The agency by which this system of education is to be carried out is a director in each province, assisted by a competent staff of inspectors, care being taken that the cost of control shall be kept in fair proportion to the cost of direct measures of instruction. To complete the system in each presidency, a university is to be established, on the model of the London University, at each of the three presidency towns. These universities not to be themselves places of education, but they are to test the value of the education given elsewhere; they are to pass every student of ordinary ability who has fairly profited by the curriculum of school and college study which he has passed through, the standard required being such as to command respect without discouraging the efforts of deserving students. Education is to be aided and supported by the principal officials in every district, and is to receive, besides, the direct encouragement of the State by the opening of Government appointments to those who have received a good education, irrespective of the place or manner in which it may have been acquired; and in the lower situations by preferring a man who can read and write, and is equally eligible in other respects, to one who cannot.”
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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