tion of March 11, 1904. After a brief review of the progress of education in British India the Resolution outlines the policy upon which the government had decided as a means of correcting existing evils and promoting greater progress in the future. The main points of the document are here briefly summarized:

Education and government service.-The institution of special examinations for admission to government service is condemned. Such examinations, it is urged, would necessarily be held in subjects differing from those prescribed by the university, and two distinct courses would thus exist side by side, only one of them leading to government service. If students attempted to compete in both lines the strain of excessive examination, already the subject of complaint, would be greatly intensified; while, on the other hand, if the bulk of them were attracted by the prospect of obtaining government appointments the result would be the sacrifice of such intellectual improveinent, as is achieved under the existing system.

On the abuse of examinations in general the resolution says:

Abuse of examinations.-Examinations, as now understood, are believed to have been unknown as an instrument of general education in ancient India, nor do they figure prominently in the Despatch of 1854. In recent years they have grown to extravagant dimensions, and their influence has been allowed to dominate the whole system of education in India, with the result that instruction is confined within the rigid framework of prescribed courses, that all forms of training which do not admit of being tested by written examinations are liable to be neglected, and that both teachers and pupils are tempted to concentrate their energies not so much upon genuine study as upon the questions likely to be set by the examiners. These demoralizing tendencies have been encouraged by the practice of assessing grants to aided schools upon the results shown by examination. This system, adopted in the first instance on the strength of English precedents, has now been finally condemned in England, while experience in India has proved that, to whatever grade of schools it is applied, it is disastrous in its influence on education and uncertain in its financial effects. It will now be replaced by more equitable tests of efficiency, depending on the number of scholars in attendance, the buildings provided for their accommodation, the circumstances of the locality, the qualifications of the teachers, the nature of the instruction given, and the outlay from other sources, such as fees and private endowments or subscriptions. The educational codes of the various provinces are being revised so as to embody these important reforms and to relieve the schools and scholars from the heavy burden of recurring mechanical tests. In future there will be only two examinations preceding the university course. The first of these, the primary examination, will mark the completion of the lowest stage of instruction and will test the degree of proficiency attained in the highest classes of primary schools. But it will no longer be a public examination held at centers to which a number of schools are summoned; it will be conducted by the inspecting officer in the school itself. The second examination will take place at the close of the secondary, usually an Anglo-vernacular course, and will record the educational attainments of all boys who have completed this course. In both stages of instruction special provisions will be made for the award of scholarships.

In giving effect to this change of system, it will be necessary to guard against the danger that the subordinate inspecting agency may misuse the increased discretion intrusted to them. The principles upon which the grant to an aided school is to be assessed must therefore be laid down by each local government in terms sufficiently clear to guide the inspecting officer in his recommendations. Precautions must be taken against the abuse of authority or the perfunctory performance of the duties of inspection, and in those provinces where the application of standards of efficiency other than those afforded by written examinations is a novelty it will be incumbent upon the education department, by conferences of inspecting officers and by other means, to secure a reasonable degree of uniformity in the standards imposed.

Primary education is defined in the resolution as "the instruction of the masses through the vernacular in such subjects as will best stimulate their intelligence and fit them for their position in life. *

*

The subjects of primary instruction, so far as specified, are reading and writing (in the vernacular) and arithmetic. In view of the success of kindergarten methods

a Indian Educational Policy, being a resolution issued by the governor-general in council on the 11th of March 1904.

and object lessons as employed in Madras and Bombay, the government of India, it is declared, “look with favor upon the extension of such teaching, where competent teachers are available, as calculated to correct some of the inherent defects of the Indian intellect, to discourage exclusive reliance on the memory, and to develop a capacity for reasoning from observed facts." Physical exercises should also, it is said, find a place in every primary school.

The necessity of adapting the instruction in rural primary schools to local conditions is specially urged upon the provincial authorities. Attention is called to the action of Bombay in prescribing a separate course of study for the rural schools and to the system of rural half-time schools, which is working successfully in the Central Provinces. These schools provide "simple courses of instruction in the mornings for the children of agriculturists, who work in the fields during the rest of the day." In this connection the resolution says:

The aim of the rural schools should be, not to impart definite agricultural teaching, but to give to the children a preliminary training which will make them intelligent cultivators, will train them to be observers, thinkers, and experimenters in however a humble manner, and will protect them in their business transactions with the landlords to whom they pay rent and the grain dealers to whom they dispose of their crops. The reading books prescribed should be written in simple language, not in unfamiliar literary style, and should deal with topics associated with rural life. The grammar taught should be elementary, and only native systems of arithmetic should be used. The village map should be thoroughly understood, and a most useful course of instruction may be given in the accountant's papers, enabling every boy before leaving school to master the intricacies of the village accounts and to understand the demands that may be made upon the cultivator. The government of India regard it as a matter of the greatest importance to provide a simple, suitable, and useful type of school for the agriculturist and to foster the demand for it among the population. This and other reforms in primary schools will involve some revision of the pay of primary teachers, which varies greatly, and in some provinces is too small to attract or to retain a satisfactory class of men. Thus, in Bengal the rates fall as low as 5 rupees per month, while the average pay in the Bombay presidency rises to 17 and 18 rupees. The matter has been under consideration, and improvements will be made where they are most needed.

Secondary education. The growth of secondary instruction, which is one of the striking features of the history of education in India under English auspices, is attributed in part to the eager desire of parents that their sons shall be taught the English language.

Complaint is made that the courses of study in secondary schools are too literary in character, but so far attempts to correct this defect have not been successful. The government of India, however, will not abandon this purpose. "In the present stage of social and industrial development," says the resolution, "it appears to them essential to promote diversified types of secondary education corresponding with varying needs of practical life. Their efforts in this direction will be seconded by that large body of influential opinion which has supported the recommendation of the universities commission that the entrance examination should no longer be accepted as a qualifying test for government service."

It is advised that instead of the university entrance examination a form of leaving examination be adopted for secondary schools, which would not dominate the courses of study but arise naturally out of them. Such examinations, it is urged, should "be of a more searching character than the present entrance test, and the certificate given at their close would be evidence that the holder had received a sound education in a recognized school, that he had borne a good character, and that he had really learnt what the school professed to have taught him. It would thus possess a definite value, and would deserve recognition not only by the government and the universities, but also by the large body of private employers who are in want of well-trained assistants in their various lines of activity."

Education of girls.—With respect to the education of girls, which is one of the most difficult problems the government of India encounters on account of the social customs of the people, the resolution says in part:

The measures which are now being taken for further advance include the establishment in important centers of model primary girls' schools, an increase in the number of training schools, with more liberal assistance to those already in existence, and a strengthening of the staff of inspectresses. The direct action of government will be exerted in cases where that of the municipalities and local boards does not suffice. Nearly one-half of the girls in public schools are in mixed boys'-girls' schools. Their attendance along with boys is often beneficial to them, especially in village schools, and nothing in the report of the commission of 1882 need be taken as indicating that such attendance ought to be discouraged. Great assistance is rendered to the cause of female education generally by missionary effort, and in the higher grades especially by zenana teaching. The government of India desire that such teaching shall be encouraged by grants in aid.

University and technical education.-Under the head of university education the government announces its purpose to attempt certain reforms in the constitution of those bodies with a view to increasing their administrative efficiency, and, further, to conferring upon them teaching functions and larger control of the colleges affiliated with them.

The need of increased provision for the industrial and commercial training of the people is pointed out, and the importance of a comprehensive system of agricultural education as an essential factor in the development of the agricultural resources of the country.

With respect to technical education the resolution, after brief reference to the engineering and science colleges in actual operation, which are all doing valuable work, continues:

The first call for fresh effort is now toward the development of Indian industries, and especially of those in which native capital may be invested. Technical instruction directed to this object must rest upon the basis of a preliminary general education of a simple and practical kind which should be clearly distinguished from the special teaching that is to be based upon it and should, as a rule, be imparted in schools of the ordinary type. In fixing the aim of the technical schools the supply or expansion of the existing Indian markets is of superior importance to the creation of new export trades, and a clear line should be drawn between educational effort and commercial enterprise. As a step toward providing men qualified to take a leading part in the improvement of Indian industries, the government of India have determined to give assistance in the form of scholarships to selected students to enable them to pursue a course of technical education under supervision in Europe or America. They hope that the technical schools of India may in time produce a regular supply of young men qualified to take advantage of such facilities, and that the good will and interest of the commercial community may be enlisted in the selection of industries to be studied, in finding the most suitable students for foreign training, and in turning their attainments to practical account upon their return to this country. The experience which has been gained in Japan and Siam of the results of sending young men abroad for study justifies the belief that the system will also be beneficial to Indian trade.

Schools for special classes.—The education of Europeans and Eurasians in India is one of the most important problems with which the government has to deal. In order to increase the efficiency of the schools maintained for this small but important portion of the population, it is announced that a single inspector in each of the provinces will henceforth be charged with their oversight. Similarly increased attention will be given to the special schools for the chiefs of the native states, which are maintained for the purpose of "fitting young chiefs and nobles physically, morally, and intellectually for the responsibilities that lie before them."

This brief summary of the chief topics covered by the official resolution of 1904 shows the comprehensive scheme of education which the Government seeks to foster in India, and indicates further the points at which more earnest effort is needed, and the problems of special difficulty which have to be considered.

The decided stand taken by the general government in this important matter has apparently roused the local governments to greater activity in the same direction, but sufficient time has not yet elapsed for the accomplishment of any very marked improvements in the educational systems.

STATISTICAL SUMMARY, 1904-5.

The chief facts with respect to attendance upon schools and higher institutions and the expenditure for education throughout this vast dominion are summarized in the following statistics from official sources. The fourth quinquennial review of education in India, covering the period 1897-98 to 1901-2,a was issued the same year as the resolution which has here been reviewed. It brought the statistical record to the close of 1901-2, for which year the total enrollment in schools and colleges of all classes was 4,521,893, of which number 4,077,185 were in institutions for boys and young men and 444,708 in schools for girls.

The following is a summary of the official report on education in India for 1904–5:0 A comparison of the number under instruction in public and private institutions in 1904-5 and the two preceding years indicates an advance to the highest number yet reached.

In the last decade the numbers have risen from 4,323,842 to 5,037,446, an increase of 713,604, being at the rate of 16.5 per cent. The increase in male scholars was at the rate of 14.3 per cent, and the females increased by 37.3 per cent, the relative numbers of males and females being

The proportion of females to males receiving instruction is now about 1 to 8, while at the beginning of the decade it was about 1 to 10. Not more than from 2 to 3 per cent of the girls advance beyond the primary stage of education.

Classification of institutions.-Most of the scholars are taught in public institutions, which are classified as regards their administration as follows:

a Progress of Education in India, 1897-98 to 1901-2, Fourth Quinquennial Review. Summary in manuscript of official report of education in India for 1904-5, forwarded by Mr. Wm. H. Michael, American consul-general at Calcutta, to the State Department at Washington.

ED 1906-VOL 1- -9

The number in private institutions amounted in 1904–5 to only 652,384, which is 13 per cent of the whole number under instruction, 87 per cent being taught in "public" institutions. About 73 per cent of the number under instruction are taught in schools managed or aided by the State or by local bodies-48 per cent in aided schools, and about 25 per cent in schools directly managed by government or local bodies, mainly by the latter, for management by government is now quite a small feature in the educational system.

The classification of educational institutions as regards the description of education imparted and the number of students in each class of institution is as follows:

Of the boys and girls in secondary and primary schools, amounting in number to 4,309,924, the great majority—as many as 84.2 per cent-are to be found in the primary schools. The middle vernacular schools contain a smaller number of boys than either the high schools or the middle schools, but they are more frequented by girls than the schools of either of the other two classes. It seems that the boys who pursue their studies beyond the primary stage prefer to go to schools where English is taught, for the numbers attending the high schools and the middle English schools-especially the former exceed the number in the middle vernacular schools.

University education.—In university education the colleges which train for degrees in arts contain about three times the number of students who are attracted to the colleges which train for special degrees. In these latter the students going through the course for a degree in law outnumber the students training for the attainment of degrees in all the other special courses combined.

In the last decennial period the universities have had 15,090 graduates in arts and 4,509 in law, a total of 19,599 graduates in these two subjects. Contrasted with this number we find that in the same period not more than 91 graduated in medicine and 135 in engineering, one reason for these very small numbers being doubtless found in