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History
of Hindu High School |
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The Girls' School:
At about this time, the management of the school was handed
over to His Highness the Maharaja of Viziayanagaram and was
managed by him until his death. Then it came under the management
of a few public-spirited gentlemen in Triplicane, who kept it
going with the help of subscriptions. Finally it was taken over
by the government and it was developed into the present Government
Secondary and Training School of the L.W.T.C., Triplicane.
Hard times for the school:
If one problem was solved, there were two other problems requiring
immediate attention. The School had to compete at a great disadvantage
with the High School Department of the Presidency College and
desperate efforts had to be made to make both ends meet. The
Matriculation class had actually to be closed at one time and
the idea was seriously entertained of confining the school to
the Primary Department only. The School turned the corner when
the High School Department of the Presidency College was abolished.
It has been growing steadily ever since.
Accommodation a great problem:
In 1885 the trouble of finding adequate accommodation grew very
acute. The Government's grant-in-aid was stopped on the ground
that the accommodation was defective. In 1889 and in 1890, the
permanent recognition of the school was withheld in addition
to the stoppage of the grant-in-aid, although the school was
recognised temporarily from year to year. One can very well
imagine the plight of the Committee then, oppressed as it was
with two drastic steps taken by the Department of Education.
There was one important encouraging factor which was that school
enjoyed immense popularity. For the results at the Matriculation
examination were uniformly good. The following extract from
the Presidencian (Vol.1 No.1) will give an idea of the esteem
in which the school was held as early as 1892.
"The year 1892 happened to be the last year of Dr. David Duncan,
who had by then been the Principal of the College for nearly
eight years and was running the ninth year. In those days and
for long after, Presidency College had one well-known feeder
to it. It was the Triplicane Anglo-Vernacular High School, now
known as the Hindu High School, Triplicane. It had been founded
and managed by a few generous and public-spirited Hindu gentlemen
among whom some well-known Mandayam Iyengars of Mysore figured
most prominently. Its strong points were discipline and splendid
teaching. Dr.Duncan owned publicly to a great predilection for
the admission into his College of boys from this institution.
'I like to have boys of the Triplicane Anglo-Vernacular High
School. They are the purest gems of which this College has always
been proud!' This was no exaggeration whatever, for Presidency
College had owned by them many distinguished ex- pupils of the
Triplicane A.V.School." |
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