Sonadighi mor, Shaheb bazar, Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh,
00000000721
Rajshahi Collegiate School is the first and oldest school in the country and has a long tradition and reputation of spreading the light of education. Throughout the country the school has produced thousands of qualified citizens to serve the nation. The school has been fostering its tradition for more than 182 years. Lord William Benting from his personal effort and enthusiasm established this school in 1828 and named it “Bawlia English School” to spread English language all over the country. The activities of the school began on the verenda of a dochala room made of tile near Borokuthi on the bank of the river Padma. At the beginning it was a private and full free school. At that time there was no allocation of government fund for the school. So, the school continued with the assistance and cooperation from the European officers, lawyers, businessmen, men of other professionals, the rajas and zamidars of Puthia, Dubalhati, Dighapatiya, Bolihar and others living in Rajshahi. But the school received William Adam’s recommendation in 1835 after a visit to the school. The school was nationalized on 20 June 1836 after the recommendation had been sent to the government. After British colonial rule started in Bengal in 1757, the British started founding educational centers to create a body of (usually low ranked) officers from the native people. This led to establishment of a number of educational institutions throughout India, and Bengal in particular. A number of institutions were established in Kolkata and the western part of Bengal, but the first school in East Bengal was Rajshahi Collegiate School, followed by Jessore Zilla School, Dhaka Collegiate School, Chittagong Collegiate School and Rangpur Zilla School.