The Report of William Adam
- In 1830s William Adam, a Scottish missionary, was given the charge by the company to tour the district of Bengal and Bihar. He was asked to report on the progress of education in local schools.
- Adam found that the system of education in the local schools, known as pathshala, was flexible. There were no fixed fees, no benches or chair, no system of separate classes, no annual examination. In some places classes were held under a banyan tree, in other places in the corner of a village’s shop or temple, or at the teacher’s home. Teaching was oral and teacher decide what to teach.
New Routines, New Rules
- After the Company got Adam’s report, it immediately took decision to improve the system of vernacular education.
- The Company appointed a number of pandits, each in charge of looking after four to five schools. The task of the pandit was to visit the pathshalas and try to improve the standard of teaching.
- New routine and rules were introduced. Teaching was now to be based on textbooks and learning was to be tested through a system of annual examination. students were asked to pay regular fee, attend regular classes, sit on fixed seats and obey the new rules of discipline.
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