Elementary Education for All Sections
The first striking point from this broader survey is the wide
social strata to which both the taught and the teachers in the
elementary schools belonged. It is true that the greater propor-
tion of the teachers came from the Kayasthas, Brahmins, Sadgop
and Aguri castes. Yet, quite a number came from 30 other caste
groups also, and even the Chandals had 6 teachers. The
elementary school students present an even greater variety, and
it seems as if every caste group is represented in the student
population, the Brahmins and the Kayasthas nowhere forming
more than 40% of the total. In the two Bihar districts, together
they formed no more than 15 to 16%. The more surprising figure
is of 61 Dom, and 61 Chandal school students in the district of
Burdwan, nearly equal to the number of Vaidya students, 126,
in that district. While Burdwan had 13 missionary schools, the
number of Dom and Chandal scholars in them were only four;
and, as Adam mentioned, only 86 of the ‘scholars belonging to
16 of the lowest castes’ were in these missionary schools, while
674 scholars from them were in the ‘native schools’.