( 33 ) II 7 THE HEAD MASTER, GoverNMENT HIGH SCHOOL Sylhet. Babus Rabindra Nath Tagore, Gurudas Banerjee, Nanda Krisna Basu, Rajani Kanta Gupta, Hirendra Nath Datta. Dated, Sylhet, the 25th January, 1895. From To GenreuteN, I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your Circular letter, dated 5th January, 1895, and in reply beg to say that for the present the proposal to make the vernacular languages the medium of the instruction should, I think, be restricted up to the standard of miudle English examination. It would, in my humble opinion, be a mistake to extend it to the Entrance examination without making at the same time corresponding changes in the curriculum of the college course, for which I am afraid the time is hardly ripe yet in the present condition of the vernacular literature of our country. Students learning History and other subjects in their vernacular will, after passing the Entrance Examination, find it rather difficult, in the beginning at any rate, to follow the college lectures if English continues to be the medium of instruction there. If the University desires to encourage the vernacular literature, and thus prepare the way for a sounder system of education, the best thing in my opinion would be to prescribe an Anglovernacular course for the several arts Examinations, not as a substitute for the present English Course, but as an alternative to it, making the vernaculars, as far as practicable, the medium of instruction in History, Mathematics, and other subjects. a. In reference to your second proposal I believe that at the F. A. Examination candidates have already got rather too many subjects to learn, and I would not add another subject to it; but there can be no objection to prescribe vernacular text-books, as a separate subject, for the B. A. Examination in the Arts course, at least for those candidates who take up a classical second language as an optional subject. have the honour to be GENTLEMEN, Your most obedient Servant DURGA KUMAR BASU, Head Master, Sylhet, Government. High School. |
