Page:Adam's reports on vernacular education in Bengal and Behar, submitted to Government in 1835, 1836 and 1838.djvu/53

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Night Schools—Female mixed Schools.
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as 400 Rupees per month, and are the only parties calculated to remedy the enormous evils inflicted by the kobiraj or native doctor, the source of death to thousands.

In the last Report of the Bengali Class of the Medical College, Dr. Chevers, Principal of the Medical College, states:—

“160 students remained over from the previous year, 97 were admitted into the Licentiate class, and 47 into the Apothecary class, giving a grand total of 304 students at the commencement of the session, against 242 at the beginning of the previous session. This shows an increase of 62, and may be regarded as an index of the popularity of this class among our students and the native community.

“Of the 144 new admissions nine of the Licentiate and 10 of the Apothecary class students, or 19, were stipendiaries on 5 Rupees per mensem; 18 Members of the Licentiate class were vernacular out scholarship-holders; 7 Licentiate class and 6 Apothecary class students, or 13, were free students; 63 of the Licentiate class and 31 of the Apothecary class, or 94 in all, were paying students.”

There are 94 students who pay. Government has lately established a Native Professor of Midwifery for them, and each student pays a fee of one rupee monthly for the instruction.

There is a Hindustani vernacular class in the Medical College which was established many years ago for students designed for the Army; there are 104 Musalmaus and 15 Hindoos studying in it.

The limits assigned to this introduction prevent our entering on the recent subjects of night schools and normal schools for the training of gurus, of the working of the circle system of schools, and above all of the important subject of female education which has taken firm root in the native mind. Babu Bhudev Mookerjee, one of the Inspectors, is now working out a plan for a class of boys, schools which may be attended by girls up to a certain age.

The course of vernacular education owes much to the labors of Babu Bhudev Mookerjee who organised and worked successfully the normal school at Hugly mainly on the principle of oral instructioitountr, pupils taking copious notes of the lectures. For his labors in connection with guru schools, female education, see the Education Report, for 1865-66, 1866-67, and 1868, Howell’s and Monteath’s Notes on Education.

Night Schools have been introduced in connection with the patshalas for the instruction of adult day laborers as well as for those children who work in the day, but can attend only in the evening. The gurus are paid one rupee for every five pupils evincing due progress. Babu Bhudev Mookerjee has 250 night schools under him, attended by about 4,500 pupils, in Burdwan, Bancoora, Midnapore, Murshudabad, Jessore, and Nuddea Districts; the pupils are allowed to pay their fees in cash or kind or labor.

Girls’ classes were started in 1866, in schools in which the girls attend the classes along with the boys; at the close of March there were 2,500 girls connected with those classes.