Annexure DExtracts From William Adam’s State of Education in Bengal 1835-
38I
W. ADAM ON INDIGENOUS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSGENERAL: (pp.6-9)
By this description are meant those schools in which instruction
in the elements of knowledge is communicated, and which have
been originated and are supported by the natives themselves, in
contra-distinction from those that are supported by religious or
philanthropic societies. The number of such schools in Bengal is
supposed to be very great. A distinguished member of the
General Committee of Public Instruction in a minute on the
subject expressed the opinion, that if one rupee per mensem
were expended on each existing village school in the Lower
Provinces, the amount would probably fall little short of 12 lakhs
of rupees per annum. This supposes that there are 100,000
such schools in Bengal and Bihar, and assuming the population
of those two Provinces to be 40,000,000 there would be a village
school for every 400 persons. There are no data in this country
known to me by which to determine out of this number the
proportion of school-going children, or of children capable of
going to school, or of children of the age at which, according to
the custom of the country, it is usual to go to school. In Prussia
(See Cousin’s Report on the State of Public Instruction in Prussia,
p.140) it has been ascertained by actual census that in a
population of 12,256,725 there were 4,487,461 children under
fourteen years of age; which gives 366 children for every 1,000
inhabitants, or about eleven-thirtieths of the nation. Of this
entire population of children it is calculated that three-sevenths
are of an age to go to school, admitting education in the schools
to begin at the age of seven years complete, and there is thus in
the entire Prussian monarchy the number of 1,923,200 children
capable of receiving the benefits of education. These proportions
will not strictly apply to