Appendix D

Chief Collector Harris's Report on Education in Kanara

Excerpts of the chief collector's report, dated August 27, 1822

• In Kanara, there are no schools or colleges teaching science and other complex subjects. There are no established schools. There are no permanent teachers. There is no record of any government building or any educational institution.
• Upper class Brahmins receive some education in cities under a chief Brahmin. The teacher does not receive a salary except in the form of clothing. The Muslims follow a similar system, with the Mullas acting as the teachers. The education is fully private and does not follow a uniform curriculum. The children are taught reading, writing, and mathematics. Except for the uppermost caste, nobody studies Persian, Hindavi (old name of Hindi), and Kannada.
• There is no doubt that the education in this state has degenerated to the lowest level. The education is the monopoly of the Brahmins, Konkanis, and Shenvis.
• After I came to Kanara, I tried to encourage some farmers (Bunts) to acquire some education, but without any success. There is one Christian school in Kanara that teaches Latin and Portuguese.

In spite of my report, if the board wishes me to submit regular educational reports. I will try my best to do further research. There is only one employee, among the many who work for the collector, who knows the Farsi language. Others only know Hindavi and Kannada. There are many who know Sanskrit. However, they cannot read any inscriptions. They claim that the script they know is different.

See Also:

• Archives of Kanara Education Society