GOVERNMENT VERNACULAR SCHOOLS AT

THE PRESIDENCY.

75. These schools are seven in number, and are attended by 429 boys. Four are Marahti, two Gujerati, and one Hindustani. They have continued, since the date of our last report, under the superintendence of Mr. Green, who in January last favored us with a report on their condition. He says

"It will be seen, I think, that the teaching has not deteriorated in any of them during the year, while in two (the Central Marahti and the Vithalwadi schools) there is certainly considerable improvement. The master of the Vithalwadi school, Janardhan Narayan, although possessing no great amount of information, is a most excellent teacher of what he does know; and the first and the second masters in the Central Marahti school, Narayan Shastri and Bhikaji Bhasker, are both very good men. The Marahti school has made decided progress during the year. The masters have introduced History; not much of it, of course, but what they have introduced is very well taught. They have carried Geography much lower down the school, and paid much more attention to the reading lessons generally; notwithstanding which, the numbers have diminished from 195, present at the examination last year, to 133 at this. The inspector undertook to assign the reason for this diminution: "When,' said he, the admission to the Elphinstone Institution was gratuitous, we had 250 scholars in the Marahti school; when, for the purpose of discouraging English and forcing the Vernaculars, a fee of one Rupee was imposed, the Marahti school began to fall off; and now you have only to carry out the two Rupee tax on English to shut up the Marahti school altogether.'"

76. From this statement it will be seen that the numbers in the Marahti school have considerably decreased; and it is difficult to account for this satisfactorily. The following remarks by our colleague, Jagunnath Sunkersett, Esq., probably offer the best explanation we can afford :

"There is little doubt that the children of the poorer classes, which constitute the great majority of the Hindus, cannot afford to pay the monthly fee now exacted by the Board; hence they prefer sending their children to receive the gratuitous instruction given by the missionaries, while convenience, or some similar motive, leads them to send their children almost invariably in the first instance to the indigenous schools. Since the demand of a fee of rupees two monthly, a greater number of children have been kept back from the vernacular school, which they sought, more on account of its having been made a necessary medium of entrance into the English,

than on account of their own thirst for the vernacular; and, as neither the fee nor a good knowledge of the vernacular is demanded in the missionary schools, the children have flocked there in unusual numbers."

VERNACULAR SCHOOLS IN THE DISTRICTS.

77. These schools are arranged as before, in three divisions. The first division comprises the schools in the collectorates of Poona, Ahmednuggur, Khandesh, and Sholapoor. The second includes the schools in the collectorates of Ahmedabad, Kaira, Broach, and Surat. The third division those in the collectorates of Tanna, Rutnagherry, Belgaum, and Dharwar. We have thrown into a tabular form, which will be found in the Appendix (No. 9), a good deal of minute information respecting all our vernacular schools; and as we consider such a table will prove useful for consultation, we propose to give a similar one every year.

FIRST DIVISION.

78. This division remains under the superintendence of Dadoba Pandurang, who visited a large number of the schools during the last cool season, and concluded his tour the end of March. He has since sent us an able and carefully prepared report, which shows that the general result of the examinations was in all respects fully equal to that of the preceding year, while in some schools a very great improvement has taken place. On this subject we beg to quote the remarks of the Superintendent :

"I feel peculiarly gratified to report the great improvement which has taken place in the condition of the two schools in the city of Poona, viz. No. I. and No. II., which for the last two years, during which I had had any personal experience, and I dare say for many years previous, had been unfavorably reported on. Under these circumstances it is with the highest degree of satisfaction that I have to announce to the Board the sudden and vast transition which these schools have made during the last year. They have not exhibited the signs of improvement in the ordinary acceptation of the term, but improvement of the highest order, so much so that in one point of view it has had no parallel in the annals of the progress of our vernacular schools throughout. But the most distinguishing and hitherto unparalleled feature in the result of the examination of this and the other

school, No. II., which have hitherto been far inferior to a good many schools in the Deccan, is the production of original essays by the boys of the senior classes of these two schools, on different subjects, which they wrote in a style which, in point of elegance and plainness, astonished me very much, particularly considering the age of the writers, who were all of them not more than fourteen years old. One boy, named Vishwanath Ganesh Ránádé, wrote on the holidays of this country, and dwelt particularly on the obscenity and unholiness of the Holi holidays. The second boy, named Ganesh Dinkar Ránádé, of the school No. II., apparently of about thirteen years old, produced an essay on 'the inattention and negligence shown by the native youth towards the acquisition of knowledge. This was highly gratifying, both on account of its sentiments and style.

"Gratifying as the account of the improvement of these hitherto neglected schools, which the examination for this year has shown to us in all the branches of their instruction, is, it is peculiarly so when the source to which this sudden change for the better is traceable is taken into our consideration; and in this point of view I cannot but flatter myself that it would never fail to prove a source of great self-satisfaction to the Board, who would perceive in it, at least in some measure, if not to the fullest extent anticipated, the successful effect of the plan organized by themselves about the year 1845. I beg permission here to allude to the late normal class, the pupils of which, who have completed their period of scholarship, and who are now temporarily attached to the zillah schools as a trial, have, I declare from personal experience during my two years' inspection, proved themselves highly instrumental in giving a most desirable and satisfactory turn to their routine. Keshava Shivram, of the late normal class, who was attached to the Poona school No. I. in 1842, and was desired by me to alternate his services between this and the school No. II., which I had found to be by far inferior in point of progress to a great many schools in the Deccan, claims the whole credit of having wrought the change referred to."

79. The Superintendent then says

"The two head masters, Dajiba and Dinkar Punt, are now getting too old to be expected to take any active and important part in the discharge of their duties, and are therefore necessarily restricted to the mere general superintendence over the attendance of the pupils and the daily routine of the business. Under this circumstance it cannot but be wished that the sooner such men as these, of whom nothing could now be expected, are allowed to retire, and their places supplied by active and abler young men like Keshava, the better; for I have reason to be afraid that their interference, which they would often be led to exercise from their sense of authority as head of the institutions, might sometimes do more harm than good to the interest of their schools."

We refrain from making any comment on this statement, as we have already, in a preceding part of our report,

alluded to the urgent necessity of being allowed to provide in some manner for our worn-out masters.

80. The.Superintendent then states

"That the remaining two schools in the city of Poona, viz. Nos. III. and IV., fully maintain the excellent character which they have already earned for many years past. The introduction of the History of England in the school No. III., and that of the Principles of Morality in the school No IV., are, I am happy to state, additional improvements which I have noticed this year."

81. The schools at Nassick and Dhulia also maintain their high reputation. Of the latter the Superintendent

says

"The first class, which contained eight boys, passed a most creditable examination in reading, explanation, Grammar, Geogaphy, and the outlines of the Marahti History. They have this year added to these the study of the Principles of Morality.' Three boys have also studied the first three Conversations in Hari Kesowjee's Translation of Natural Philosophy. Their knowledge of Mathematics has extended, as is usually the case, to the solution of Quadratic Equations; but three boys have advanced as far as Plane Trigonometry and ninety-four Propositions in Hutton's Geometry. From the progress of all the other classes, as far down as the 10th, as stated in full detail by the Shastri in his report, it appears quite evident that the head master, Balcrishna Trimbuck, and his assistant Vishnu Trimbuck Jambhekar of the late normal class, have devoted their attention not only to the improvement of the senior classes, as is usually the case with several schoolmasters, but have paid equal attention to the lower department of their school."

82. The schools we have hitherto mentioned are the best in the division. The following may be named as being generally in a satisfactory state, viz. at Sassoor and Jejuri, in the Poona collectorate; at Rahoori, Kopergaom, Puntambe, Chandore, and Sungumnair, in the Ahmednuggur collectorate; at Betawad and Erundole, in the Candeish collectorate; and at Sholapoor, Barsi, Mohol, and Karmale, in the Sholapoor collectorate.

83. Some of the worst schools are those at Chinchur, Soopeh, Indapoor, Loni, and Talegaom, in the Poona collectorate; at Korhole, Niphar, Pimpulgaom, and Dindori, in the Ahmednuggur collectorate; at Junneer, Naumpoor,

and Savade, in the Candeish collectorate; and at Churchun, Mangolee, and Modibehal, in the Sholapoor collectorate.

84. In concluding his report, the Superintendent gives the following table, showing at one view the number of schools and pupils in the division at the end of March

85. In June last this division was placed under the superintendence of Mr. Graham, who had previously passed examinations, both in Marahti and Gujerati. This appointment was made in consequence of Mr. Green's avocations, as acting Principal of the Elphinstone Institution, not allowing leisure for the performance of the duty of superintendence. During the last cold season Mr. Graham personally examined every school; and in February he favored us with a valuable report, giving minute particulars of the result of his examinations. His chief object was to convey an accurate impression of the precise state of each school; and he has fully succeeded in doing so.

86. The most efficiently taught schools in the division are those at Surat, No. I. and No. III.; at Ahmedabad No. I. and No. IV.; and the one at Dunduka. In all