1836.] 



Native 'Education. 



108 



Rorul, or Mr. Stokes* of the Nidineri Vilaccum, in which 



also the original text is given in the native language. 

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st Of the Tahsildary or subordinate schools, 61 in the inte- 

 rior, and 9 at the presidency have been established, at the 

 expense of 9 Rupees each, for the teacher's salary, or Rupees 

 6,480 per annum for the whole. About 2,200 scholars were 

 stated, in our letter to Government of the 15th November 



1832, as then studying at these schools. 



****** 



<( j regret to be obliged to state my reluctant conviction, that 

 the establishment of these schools in the provinces, has been 

 entirely premature, if not prejudicial ; and that no further 

 steps should, for the present, be taken for their extension. 

 Until we are better provided with a stock of adequate teach- 

 ers for the superior or Collectorate schools, we cannot hope 

 with success to establish even these principal seminaries ; and 

 as it is to them, chiefly, we must look for the formation of 

 competent instructors to preside over the inferior schools, 

 it is straining in vain at an object beyond reach, to attempt 

 establishing them satisfactorily, before teachers competent to 

 preside over them are formed. 



" The premature establishment of these Tahsildary schools, 

 indeed, appears to me to have been even injurious to the cha- 

 racter which we should endeavour to create for all the Govern- 

 ment seminaries, and calculated to degrade them in public 

 estimation. They are, says the principal Collector in Tan- 

 jore, " some degrees worse than the common village schools, 

 " from which they differ in no respect, except that the mas- 

 ** ter is more careless from his independence of the scholars, 

 " whose parents are content that they should get a worse 

 " education at a cheaper rate, than the sons of their neigh- 

 te hours. Were a system of rational instruction established, 

 S( and strictly enforced by the constant supervision of a com* 

 " petent person, with authority to punish and reward the 

 " school-masters, according to the progress made by the 

 " scholars, the occasional visit of a Collector or other Euro- 

 (C pean functionary would have a useful effect ; but any one 

 t ( practically acquainted with the subject, must be aware of 



