द ब्यूटीफुल ट्री: १८वीं सदी में भारत की स्वदेशी गुरुकुल शिक्षा (धर्मपाल)

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XV
COLLECTOR, NELLORE TO BOARD OF REVENUE:
23.6.1823
(TNSA: BRP: Vol.952, Pro.30.6.1823 pp.5188-91 No.26)

1. I would have replied to your letter of the 25th July last
   before now, had I not met with unavoidable difficulties in ob-
   taining the required information about the native schools they
   referred to, in the Zemindary talooks.
2. I herewith forward the statement A prepared according
   to the Form conveyed in your letter above mentioned, showing
   the number of schools, scholars, etc., in the district under my
   charge.
3. The statement B which accompanied this letter shows
   the number of persons, who teach Vedums, Arabic, Persian, etc.,
   on receiving allowances in money or land granted for the same
   by the Carnatic Government and continued by the Company,
   and it also shows the number of scholars as well as the amount
   of the said allowances.
4. It is to be observed that the schools mentioned in the
   statement A are not endowed by the public with any
   emoluments. They are partly established occasionally by
   individuals for the education of their own children and partly by
   the teachers themselves, for their own maintenance.
5. It is stated that the scholars in these schools continue
   therein from 3 to 6 years. The school master is paid from 2
   annas to 4 rupees monthly for each scholar, and the expenses
   for the subsistence of a scholar is about 3 rupees monthly, and
   one rupee for his writing things, etc., and 2 rupees if it is the
   English language.
6. The natives, I understand, send their children to school
   when they are about 5 years of age and besides the allowance
   mentioned in the preceding paragraph each scholar gives him
   about one seer rice once every fortnight, at the new and full
   moons. They also pay him some presents when they are first put
   in the school, and after they finish the reading of any of their
   introductory books, such as Baularamayanum, Amarum, etc.,
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and also pay a present to him when they complete their
education, and leave the school.
7. The native schools in the district are not permanently
held by the teachers; some people who are anxious to have their
children educated soon employ learned men to undertake their
children’s education separately in their own houses, settling with
them their wages from 2 annas to 4 rupees monthly, and also
give them victuals in their houses. Some who cannot sufficiently
pay the teachers out of their own money procure some other
children in addition to their own for being educated and get
adequate allowance to them by way of subscription from these
children, from one quarter, to one rupee each month. When they
see their children improved they give leave to the teachers and
consequently break up the schools.
I beg leave to subjoin a list of the description of the native
schools mentioned in the statement A adverted to:
Genttoo Schools 642
Vedum Schools 83
Astronomy Schools 5
Laws Schools 15
Astrology Schools 3
English Schools 1
Persian and Arabic Schools 50
Tamil Schools 4
Hindoostany Music Schools 1
Total native schools 804
Nellore, T. Fraser,
23rd
June 1823. Collector.
(Statement on following pages)
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XVI
FROM COLLECTOR, MASULIPATAM TO BOARD
OF REVENUE:
(TNSA: BRP: Pro. 13.1.1823)
To,
The President and Members of the Board of Revenue,
Fort St. George.
Gentlemen,
I have the honour to forward the statement of the number
of native schools and colleges and of the number of scholars in
each of the Collectorate under my charge in the Form which
accompanied your Secretary’s letter of 25th July last.
2. In order to render the information more complete under
the head of ‘schools and colleges’, the several languages and
sciences are distinguished, and one additional column is intro-
duced for Chatreya scholars next to that of the Bramins. The
scholars who are instructed in the Gentoo* language usually
enter the schools in their fifth year, and continue in them till
about the twelfth, or seventeenth of their age. The school hours
are from six to nine in the morning, and again from eleven to six
in the evening.
3. They are first taught to read the letters, spelling, and the
names both common and proper, writing on the sand with their
fingers. When they are perfect in that, they are taught the
reading of books (Balaramayanum, Amram, etc.), on cadjans
(useful for the boys) in Sanscrit and Gentoo as well as letters of
correspondence, books of mathematics, accounts, etc., etc.,
according to the pleasure of the relations of the boys.
4. As soon as the boys have learnt to write well on cadjans
or on paper they are removed from the schools to some of the
public or private offices of curnums, paishcar, or to be improved
in keeping accounts, or to schools of foreign languages such as
Persian, English, etc.
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5. If the boys are of Vydeea Bramins, they are, so soon as
   they can read properly, removed direct from schools to colleges
   of Vadums and Sastrums.
6. The former is said to be the mother to all the sciences of
   Hindoos, and the latter is the common term for all those scienc-
   es, which are in Sanscrit, viz., Law, Astronomy, Theology, etc.,
   etc. These sciences are taught by Bramins only, and more espe-
   cially Bramins holding Agrahrums, Mauneoms, Rozunahs, or
   other emoluments, whose duty it is to observe their religious
   obligation on all occasions.
7. In most of the towns, villages and hamlets of this
   country, the Bramins are teaching their boys the Vadums and
   Sastrums, either in colleges or elsewhere in their respective
   houses.
8. No school or college appears to have been ever built
   separately for that purpose, or to have been endowed by the
   public. Two years ago Vencatanarsimmah Appahrow, the
   zemindar at Ellore, caused a charity school for Gentoo scholars
   to be opened in that town by a school master on a fixed monthly
   stipend of 3 M. pagodas. The scholars instructed therein are 33
   in number, but they in general subsist upon charity.
9. With the exception of dancing girls it is very seldom that
   women of other castes are publicly educated in this part of the
   country.
10. The charges to a Gentoo scholar average 6 annas per
    month for papers, cadjans, books, etc., etc., besides food and
    raiment as well as the pay of their school master. Both of these
    charges of course depend upon the rank and circumstances of
    the relations of the scholars. The wages to the school master are
    commonly from ¼ to 2 rupees for each boy.
11. The colleges of Sanscrit, law and astronomy alluded to
    in the statement are opened by learned and charitable persons,
    some of whom have mauniums etc., and part are supported by
    charity or by presents from their own scholars but receive no
    fixed wages. Some few of the scholars have in like manner
    mauniums, etc., which they inherit from their forefathers, and a
    few are supported by some respectable teachers, or by charity
    subscriptions. The charges of each scholar are estimated upon
    an average at 60 rupees per year for their subsistence, books,
    etc.
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12. By the statement now submitted it appears that 4,847
    scholars are receiving education in 465 Gentoo schools, while
    only 199 are studying the Sastrums in 49 colleges.
13. The number of schools for teaching the Persian
    language are few in this part of the country. The Mussulman
    scholars (with the exception of the 41 who are learning the
    Gentoo language) are 236 in 19 schools, their continuance in the
    schools about 9 years (from 6 to 15 of their age), the monthly
    Pay to the school master is from a quarter to one rupee; and the
    charges for writing things are estimated at 4 annas each per
    month. Some of the learned Mussulmans are teaching a few of
    the scholars without receiving reward on account of friendship
    for their relations, and others for a charity; for instance Hussain
    Alli Fukeer son of Muhudeen Shaw at Ellore.
14. None of the institutions appear to have been regularly
    endowed, although probably encouragement and support was
    given to them by the more opulent and powerful natives of
    former days.
    Masulipatam, J.F. Lane,
    3 January 1823. Collector.
    (Statement on following pages)
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