ctual
unless India enters the world movement for the advancement of knowledge.
And for this it is absolutely necessary to touch the imagination of the
people so as to rouse them to give their best energies to the work of
research and discovery, in which all the nations of the world are now
engaged. To aim at anything less will only end in a lifeless and
mechanical system from which the soul of reality has passed away. On
this subject I could have said much, but I will confine myself to one
point which I think at the present juncture to be of importance. The
Government of Bengal has been foremost in a tentative way in encouraging
research. What is necessary is the extension and continuity of this
enlightened policy.

83, 634. _Supplementary Note._--I would like to add a few remarks to
make the meaning of paragraphs 83, 627 and 83, 631 in my note more
explicit.

At the present recruitment in the Indian Educational Service is made in
England and is practically confined to Englishmen. Such racial
preference is in my opinion, prejudicial to the interest of education.
The best man available, English or Indian should be selected
impartially, and high scholarship should be the only test.

It has been said that the present standard of Indian Universities is
not as high as that of British Universities, and that the work done by
the former is more like that of a sixth form of public schools in
England. It is therefore urged that what is required for an Educational
officer is the capacity to manage classes rather than high scholarship.
I do not agree with these views: (1) there are Universities in Great
Britain whose standards are not higher than ours; I do not think that
the Pass Degree even of Oxford or Cambridge is higher than the
corresponding degree here; (2) the standard of the Indian Universities
is being steadily raised; (3) the standard will depend upon what the men
entrusted with Educational work will make it. For these reasons it is
necessary that the level of scholarship represented by the Indian
Educational Service should be maintained very high.

In paragraph 83,631 I have stated that even these Indians who have
distinguished themselves in European Universities have little chance of
entering the higher Educational Service. I should like to add that these
highly qualified Indians need only opportunities to render service which
would greatly advance the cause of higher education. As regards
graduates of Indian Univ