This monograph on the 'Rate Schools of Gadavari is in other words an account of the beginning of English Education in the district and covers the period from 1850 to 1870. The present two districts were a single district of Godavari at that time.
The effort of Sir Thomas Munro to improve general education, forms the backdrop to Primary Education in the Presidency.
In these days when the term 'Educational cess' is heard more frequently than ever before, it is hoped that this monograph will give an idea of how such a cess had worked in the past. This monograph on Rate Schools shows how far the imposition of such a cess was a sucess.
When the ryots grew richer with the newly provided irrigation facilities, they wanted to give English Education to their children. The Government was invited to inspect these schools. The self-imposed rate proved a burden in no time and the system was not a success. A study of the causes of its failure will be helpful in evolving new schemes suited to the present day.
In the absence of a common policy for the whole Presidency, the officers were free to try their own experiments in the administrative divisions under them.
In this monograph an attempt is made to generalise from all the available sources in presenting a balanced picture. As the unexplored source material is vast, an attempt is made to consult all the immediately available material. The material from the National Archives of India, New Delhi and the Record Office, Madras (the present Tamilnadu Archives, Madras) is used.
Most of the place names have undergone orthographical changes and to avoid confusion the names of villages as per the 1961 census are used. When such names occur in quotations, their spellings as mentioned in the records are maintained and their present-day equivalents are given in the footnotes. A list of the village names is appended to the work. A glossary of non-English words is given.
Relevant and copious appendices are also given.
It is my pleasant duty to thank the State Archives of Andhra Pradesh, Tarnaka, Hyderabad for giving me this opportunity of working on an interesting and useful subject under their Monograph Series Scheme. This scheme provides encouragement to those with a bent of mind for research and helps in bringing valuable material to light.
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