(This article first appeared in The Darjeeling Times, March edition, 1938)
“During the last few years great stress has been laid on Indian Education and schools have sprung up in large numbers all around us. As a result, boys who in the usual way would have taken up a trade, feel that their vocation in life is either a clerk in an office, or to enter Government Service. We have now come to the pass that there are not sufficient of these posts to go round and as a result hundreds of youths are wasting their time without employment and will not accept a post in any of the trades as it means starting from the bottom of the ladder.
There are also many who have received an education but are much cleverer at manual occupations, than the pen; yet get very little chance of learning a trade properly or earning a living.
It is with this end in view that the Municipality is opening an Industrial School in Darjeeling on April 1st which we feel sure will be greatly appreciated by the local people.
A suitable building has been provided and three experts chosen by the Inspector of Industrial Schools will join the Staff in April.
At present classes will be held in –
- Woolweaving
- Machine Knitting
- Carpentry
- Blacksmithy
- Tin Smithy
- Brass work.
Tuition will be given free and application to join should be made to the Municipality.
Articles made in these classes will be sold in order to help in their upkeep and it is hoped that the public will whenever assist possible, by giving their patronage.
This scheme will fill a long felt want in Darjeeling and the Deputy Commissioner Mr. A. S. Larkiu I. C. S. who is keenly interested in the project, is to be congratulated on inaugurating a plan for the removal, to some extent at least of the unemployment among the youths of the District.”
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