It consists of three reports: the first, dated 1st July 1836, being a
survey of the available existing information regarding indigenous
education and its nature and facilities in the various districts of
Bengal (pp.1-126); the second, dated 23 December 1835, being a
survey of the prevalent situation undertaken by W. Adam in the
Thana of Nattore in the district of Rajshahy (pp.127-208,
pp.528-578); and the third, dated 28 April 1838, being a survey
of the situation in parts of Murshedabad, and the whole of the
districts of Beerbhoom, Burdwan, South Behar and Tirhoot,
ending with Adam’s reflections, recommendations and
conclusions (pp.209-467).
Adam’s Phraseology and Presentation
In spite of the controversies which Adam’s Reports have given
rise to—the most notable one being his mention of there being
perhaps 1,00,000 village schools still existing in Bengal and
Bihar in some form till the 1830s—the total impression
produced by them is one of extensive decay of these institutions.
Largely due to Adam’s evangelical, moralistic tone, reading them
is a rather depressing business. Adam himself was no great
admirer of the Indian teacher, or the nature and content of
Indian education. However, as Adam started from the view that
the British Government of the day should interest itself in the
sphere of elementary and higher Indian education and also
support it financially, he seemed to have thought it necessary to
use all possible arguments and imagery to bring home this
point. Under the circumstances, it was necessary for him to
dramatise the decay as well as the relative state of ignorance of
the teachers, as well as the lack of books, buildings, etc., in
order to evoke the desired sympathetic response. Furthermore, it
is important to note that W. Adam initially had come to Bengal
in 1818 as a Baptist Missionary. Though he left missionary
activity after some years, and took to journalism instead, he
remained a product of his contemporary British times, a period
dominated by two principal currents of opinion: one which saw
the necessity of evangelising