'Report on the Persian Army' [‎79r] (157/170)

147
CHAPTER VIII.
Military Schools.
The Military College, Darul Fanoun. Budget. Students and Curriculum.
Present Condition of College. Foreign Instructors. The Nasiri
College. Foundation and General Notes.
The Military College, Darul Fanoun.
The career of this college, which dates from the early years
of Nasr-ed-Din (1850) has been very chequered. It passed
successively under the regime of the first Austrian, the Italian,
the French, and second Austrian missions, and in 1882 was re
organised on a Prussian model by the Prussian officers Weth
and Felmar, during whose direction the college has become a
recognised training ground for military cadets.
The family of the late Moukhbar-ed-Douleh has for many
years been identified with the administration of this college,
and one of the members of that family is at present its director.
A sum of 37,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. is said to be set aside annually in
the Government budget as a grant for public instruction, and it
would appear that about 27,000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. is reserved for the
expenses of the Darul Fanoun, the balance of 10.000 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value.
being allotted to a similar institution at Tabriz.
The students of the Darul Fanoun consist of Persians
and Turks, who are entered at the age of fourteen after passing
a very simple examination in elementary subjects. They
receive one free meal a day, two suits of uniform of Prussian
pattern, and a small salary varying from 12 to 50 tomans 10,000 Persian dinars, or a gold coin of that value. per
annum.
The curriculum of study embraces the following subjects :—
For infantry:—Tactics, fortification, surveying, military
exercises, science of arms.
For artillery:—Science, drawing, military exercises.
Civilian classes are also formed for the study of geology,
medicine, mathematics, Persian, Arabic, French, English,
Russian, music, physics, geography.
The military classes are maintained at the nominal strength
of 45 students for infantry, 30 students for artillery.
A complete course of study theoretically covers a period of
eight years, pupils passing from the lower classes, where they
learn Persian and Arabic, to the higher, where they are in
structed in military science or the subjects above enumerated.
General Weth speaks highly of the intelligence of the
students, but adds that the interest which they feel in their
History of.
Budget.
Students
and curri
culum.