On December 12, 1839, over 200 years after the British set foot near Fort St. George, an educational revolution of sorts began in Madras, which would later lead to the city becoming a seat of renowned institutions and reform.
It was on that day that the city got its first University, where English literature, regional languages, philosophy and science would be taught. It was then decided by the government that the students would be prepared for higher education, and then step into college to pursue further studies.
On September 5, 1857, the University of Madras was incorporated by an Act passed by the legislative council of India. By the time the University celebrated its 25th year, several colleges were set up in the Madras presidency, which included parts of Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The University was known for its high standards in examination.
Slowly, engineering colleges and medical colleges were established and affiliated to the University. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, as V-C of the University of Madras, is best known for having nurtured higher education in basic sciences in the city after he took over in 1942. It was only in 1978 that Anna University was established for engineering education and in 1988, Dr. MGR Medical University came into being. “Madras University was always an affiliating university focused only on research. When Malcolm S. Adiseshiah was the Vice-Chancellor, he started postgraduate courses. We started distance education and correspondence courses in the 1980s. In the 160th year now, we are going to move to online education from the next academic year,” said Madras University Vice-Chancellor P. Duraiswamy.
General secretary of Madras University Teachers Association G. Ravindran recalled the relationship A.L. Mudhaliar, a former V-C had with different Chief Ministers. “Dr. Mudhaliar did not entertain politicians on the university premises. He once made CM M. Bhakthavatsalam wait for him outside the office despite being told of his presence. In another instance, when K. Kamaraj was the Chief Minister and was seeking donations during the Indo-China war, he respected Dr. Mudhaliar’s dictum and ensured it took place outside the the University gates,” he said.
Though the University of Madras was always headed by an eminent academician, in the past decade and a half, political interference in the appointment of V-Cs and academicians has tarnished the reputation of the institution. There were accusations of corruption and during the last few years, even allegations of nepotism surfaced. Anna University also suffered. The government has now framed stringent rules for V-C appointment to State universities. Presidency College that was started 17 years before the university, produced two Nobel laureates but is now a shadow of its former self.
The Madras Medical College that began as a hall attached to the GH in 1835 gained affiliation to the University of Madras in 1857. In the 20th century, it became a premier institution producing some of the finest physicians and surgeons the country has seen. Then, there is IIT - Madras, with its sylvan campus, where initially research in the fundamental sciences was taken up, followed by technology and eventually, the humanities.
Pioneering initiative
In school education, one of the pioneering initiatives in the field had its beginnings in Madras at the Hindu Theological School in Mint Street, George Town. In 1918, Kurichi Rangaswami Aiyangar, a teacher, initiated the idea of having a kitchen in the school to provide meals for poor students, who had to remain hungry in the afternoons as they couldn’t afford to bring food.
While the mid-day meal scheme was first introduced in 1920 by the Madras Corporation as breakfast in a Corporation school, K. Kamaraj, as Chief Minister, took the initiative forward in the 1960s by extending it across State-supported schools with a view to reducing dropout rates, improve attendance and bring about better nutrition levels.
At present, the city has plenty of schools and institutions of higher learning, including numerous private institutions and remains among the most preferred destinations, especially in higher education.
