Page:Isvar Chandra Vidyasagar, a story of his life and work.djvu/445

402 internal arrangements as far as they have come under my observation. There is one point, however, which appears to me to require a change; and it is this:—

Under existing arrangements, all the wards assemble in one hall and sit round one table for the purpose of reading. This arrangement struck me as unsatisfactory on the first day of my visit, and the impression has been strengthened by the successive visits which I have since paid to the Institution. The wards are divided into several classes, their studies ranging from the Spelling-Book to the Entrance Course. The classes, being obliged to sit together round one table, necessarily cause serious disturbance to each other; and those amongst the wards, who are not very attentive, generally neglect their studies. In the mornings, the Director sits in the hall and sees whether the wards have prepared their lessons for their schools. But his presence becomes an additional source of disturbance to the classes, owing to the ingress and egress of people who come to him during that time.

One private tutor assists all the wards in preparing their lessons in the evenings; but in my humble opinion, one teacher is quite inadequate for the purpose. He cannot possibly devote more than a quarter of an hour to each class and render any material assistance to them. As a necessary consequence, the progress and proficiency of the wards are generally not very satisfactory.

To remedy these evils, some arrangements seem to be absolutely necessary; and I would suggest the following:—

First. Each class should have a separate place and a separate reading table.

Second. Each class should be placed in charge of a separate private tutor.

Third. In the lower classes, the tutors should be made to attend both in the mornings and evenings; and in the higher classes, their attendance should be required once, either in the mornings or evenings.