EDUCATION. Education on the part of England in India has been carried on in the face of many serious obstacles. and under complex conditions peculiar to the country. Social, religions, and racial distinctions, solidified in the system of caste, were so thoroughly interwoven with the whole of the life that they circumscribed the scope and modified the methods of English in struction. British education has never had to deal in India with the implanting of Western culture on an Oriental people having no culture of their own, but the superimposing of one sys tem of culture upon another more philosophically profound in its sphere, and upon a people who cherished an educational lore that antedated by far the one offered them in its stead. A sys tem of education such as it was and restricted to the sanctioned castes—chietly the Brahmin— had never been wanting in India. When the English began to introduce the new system, a bitter dispute arose as to how much recognition should be given this ancient and native learn ing: for instance. whether the English classics should supplant the Sanskrit and Arabic, and whether the English or the vernacular should be used as a medium of instruction. 'These ques tions were flintily decided in favor of European Oriental knowledge. and in favor of the vernacular as a medium, though English beeame prominent in tolvanced instruction. and generous provisions were made to bring it within reach of all who desired it.
This system, which was finally adopted. and which in the main continues to-day, was outlined by Lord Halifax in 1851. An investigating com mission, reporting in IS53. approved the system, but favored emphasizing certain feature:. such as the encouragement of native schools and of primary and female education, to the end that the masses might share more liberally in the benefits of learning. Religious instruction has never been permitted in the State schools—a policy different from that pursued by the Eng lish Government in the schools of England, and which has generally been opposod by the clerical and missionary interests. At the same time the State advances financial aid to missionary schools without discrimination as to sect, anal endeavors to avoid competition with them by not schools where the schools already provide adequate facilities. Both missionary and State school, are under the su pervision of State inspectors, and must to certain regulations. I:ra[ts in aid consist of salary grants, results' grants. building grants, etc. The state educational system is eomplete in scope, including primary, secondary, and col legiate hist met ion, and is systomat ica Ily or ganized and administered. Normal schools are
maintained in every province. There are tiro universit ics—Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, the Pint jab, and Ailahabad. They consist of examin ing bodies only, but have n large number of af filiated colleges. The number of persons receiv ing instruction has greatly inereased during the past half••entury. The field of education is, however. limited. The attendance is largely from the middle classes. especially in the State and while the missionaries rcaell a larger pro port ion from the lower castes, the entire number is small in comparison with the number of per sons to whom opportunities for education never come.
Two eriticisms in particular have been urged against the present system. The first is, the relative over-emphasis of higher edueation. This emphasis has been in accordance with the 'filter ing down theory,' tinder which it was thought that the masses could be reached best through the agency of a highly edueated native class. This theory in practice, however, leaves the masses untouched. The other criticism is that too much attention is given to classical and not enough to industrial instruction, and that, accordingly, the pupils are not lilted to take an active part in the industrial transformation which the country needs.
The figures taken from the last quinquennial review, reporting in IS'97, show that there were 1,236.000 pupils in the State schools, 2,019.000 in aided schools, 532,000 in unaided schools, and 568,000 in private schools. Of these only -102.000 were females, or 2.3 per emit. of all the females of school age in India, the male attendance bring 22.3 per cent. of all males of school age. The percent age of boys in attendance varied from 38.ti per cent. in the Province of Burma to 9.3 per cent. in the •nitcd Provinces of Agra and (Milli. The grand total of all pupils in public and private institutions increased during the decade Iti90 to 1900 from 3,692.000 to .1.162.000. Native Chris tian pupils represented 5.16 per cent.. Hindu 72.SO per cent., and :Mohammedan ]-1.(12 per cent. of the total attendance. In public institutions there were 97 per cent. of the pupils studying the vernacular language; the percentage of those studying the classical languages and the English language was small. t Iver a third of the proeee•ls used for education was derived from fees, the remainder being divided provincial, local. and municipal funds and other sources. The total expenditure on piddle instruction in creased gradually from 3.31.58.-1-17 rupees in 1S9-I•95 to 3,77,29,012 in I599-1900.