Page:Adam's reports on vernacular education in Bengal and Behar, submitted to Government in 1835, 1836 and 1838.djvu/240

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The next class of schools is that in which the literature, law, philosophy, and religion of the Hindus are taught through the medium of the Sanscrit language; and with reference to the number of seminaries and students, the nature of the influence which learned Hindus possess, and the amount of the population over whom it is exercised, this can be considered inferior in importance only to the class of vernacular schools from which the great body of the people derive the chief part of the instruction they receive.

In twenty thanas of this city and district there are 24 Sanscrit schools with the same number of teachers, whose average age is 46·2 years. All the teachers are Brahmans, 18 being Varendra, 8 Rarhi, and 3 Vaidika Brahmans.

The various sources of income to vernacular teachers, as far as they could be ascertained, were reduced to a monthly rate; but the receipts of learned teachers, although generally larger in amount, are obtained at such uncertain intervals that they found it more convenient to give me an annual estimate. The average of the annual receipts of 24 teachers is 128 rupees, derived principally from the presents received on the occasion of ceremonial invitations, and occasionally from other sources. One teacher receives a pension from Government of five rupees per annum, paid quarterly. I could not ascertain the origin of this payment. Another teacher has a pension of 60 rupees per annum originally bestowed by and paid through the Government. The first order of Government on the subject is dated 12th November 1799; on the 17th July 1822 the Collector reported the institution to be well attended and the pensioner qualified, and on the 10th September of the same year the Board of Revenue authorized the present incumbent to receive the allowance in succession to his father. As far as I could ascertain, the sole object of the endowment is the encouragement of learning without any reference either to religious worship, or hospitality to strangers. A third teacher holds an endowment of ten bighas of land, yielding about one rupee per bigha per annum: it is the remnant of 100 bighas originally granted by Rajah Rama Kanta to his grandfather and subsequently divided and sub-divided amongst descendants who do not belong to the profession of learning, from which it would appear that the object of the endowment has been, in a great measure, defeated. It was stated to me that the original sanad for 100 bighas was lost,