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Calcutta School Society (1818) an independent educational institution set up in calcutta
on 1 September 1818. Like the calcutta school-book society (1817), it was established jointly by Europeans and educated Indians. The School-Book Society aimed to publish text books for schools, while the Calcutta School Society aimed to introduce identical teaching methods at different schools, reconstruct and develop old schools, and build new ones if necessary. In the beginning, the managing committee of the School Society consisted of 24 members, of which 8 were Indians like Moulvi Mirza Kazim Ali Khan (Mir Munshi of Secretary Office), Moulvi Belayet Hossain (a mufti or an expounder of Muslim law at the Calcutta Appellate Court), Moulvi Dervesh Ali, Moulvi Nurunnabi (the lawyer of the Nawab of Rampur), Babu Radhamadhab Bandyopadhyay, Babu Rasomaya Dutta, Babu radhakanta
deb, and Babu Umacharan Bandyopadhyay. Mirza Kazim Ali and M Montaigue were its secretary and corresponding secretary, respectively. At the inaugural ceremony, JH Harrington, in his presidential address, emphasised the need for skilled native teachers and translators so that European learning and knowledge could be imparted and disseminated through translation.
The society's first annual report stated the following
success stories: (1) 2400 students had been brought under the supervision
of the society; (2) The reconstruction of native educational institutions
in Calcutta had been undertaken; (3) An English school had been founded
for the purpose of teaching good students; and (4) A declaration was made
on adult education and technical training. Subsequently, the Dhaka School
Society (11 November 1818) and the Murshidabad School Society (16 June
1819) were founded, even though the Calcutta School Society did not grant
approval to schools outside Calcutta. After a few years of successful
running, the society fell into financial difficulties. However, it was
given a government donation of Rs. 6000 and managed to continue for some
time longer. In 1824, 66 schools with 3487 students were brought under
the supervision of the society. The change in government regulations concerning
language and teaching, the internal conflict among those following eastern
and western ideologies, and the lack of initiative and enthusiasm on the
part of Indians were some of the reasons why this private institution
lost its importance and eventually ceased to exist in 1833.
[Wakil Ahmed]
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