In the 1830s, William Adam, a Scottish missionary, toured the districts of Bengal and Bihar. He had been asked by the Company to report on the progress of education in vernacular schools. He created a report known as William Adams report.

William Adams report 1830:

• Adam found that there were over 1 lakh pathshalas in Bengal and Bihar.
• These institutions were set up by wealthy people, or the local community.
• The system of education was flexible. There were no fixed fees, no printed books, no separate school buildings, etc.
• Classes were often held under trees or in temples.
• The fee depended on the income of parents.
• Adam discovered that this flexible system was suited to local needs. For instance, classes were not held during harvest time where rural children often worked in the fields.
• Adam’s inquiries provide a fair picture of the indigenous system of education as it existed at the beginning of the 19th century.