The education landscape in Bengaluru may currently be defined by a wide range of institutions – from public schools to state-of-the-art private schools, international schools, private universities and colleges and many more, but turning to the pages of history, the city It was home to some of the oldest educational institutions in India.
Most of such historical institutions, some of which have heritage value, continue to provide education to students even today. Many such institutions are also bound by a common thread – the patronage of the erstwhile Wadiyar dynasty.
In the budget presented recently, the state government announced that a feasibility study would be carried out to create a heritage and educational district within a five kilometer radius of the central business district, which would include all historical educational institutions in the area. Hindu Visited five such prestigious institutions that stand proudly in the heart of the city to check their current status.
Famous Alumni and Legacy of Central College
In 1858, to promote education, the British government established the Bangalore Central High School, which later came to be known as the Central College, one of the oldest colleges in the country. While it was first affiliated with the Madras Presidency University, by 1917, it became a constituent college of the University of Mysore and was later brought under the umbrella of Bangalore University.
Bangalore City University (BCU) has been established in the same campus. Lingaraj Gandhi, Vice-Chancellor, BCU, described it as a mix of the old and the new. The departments of Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Zoology, Botany and Life Sciences have been housed in this campus for more than 100 years. There are also nine different laboratories in the Department of Chemistry. The campus also houses a 100-year-old library.
The 160-year-old red heritage building is now being restored by the BCU for ₹155 crore. “A hall of fame, good drainage system, roads, a thematic park and a huge sports complex are among the things to come here,” Professor Gandhi said.
Though there is construction activity going on around the huge complex, one cannot help but admire the building for its beauty. Speaking about the historical events and alumni of the Central College, Professor Gandhi said, “CV Raman made his Nobel Prize-winning discovery on this very campus. Homi J. Baba was the nuclear teacher here. Poet laureate Kuvempu was a teacher here. Both Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail graduated from here, and so did other notables such as C. Rajagopalachari, CNR Rao, Sant Shivakumar Swamy and Justice MN Venkatachaliah.
It is also noteworthy that the more than a century-old building is currently being used to teach age-old subjects such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which shows that the campus has always attracted students of every generation. adapted to the needs. ,
Visvesvaraya College of Engineering University
Visvesvaraya College of Engineering University, Bangalore. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
With the scheme matching the color of the High Court and the Central College, the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) followed the same red color scheme. The heritage building was inaugurated in 1917 by Sir M. Visvesvaraya, who also planned its architecture under the name Government Engineering College. It was the first engineering college in the state and the fifth engineering college in the country.
Today, about 4,100 students study on this campus in eight undergraduate, 24 postgraduate and several PhD programs. “Sir M. Visvesvaraya had this rule where he said that nothing should be named after him while he was alive. It was only after he passed out that the name of the college was changed to UVCE,” said Professor HN Ramesh, principal of UVCE.
He said that during the recent construction of the canteen, it was observed that the UVCE building was built on a stone, which was sloping in an architecturally beneficial manner. “All this shows how brilliant was Sir Visvesvaraya’s plan.” The heritage value of the building is being preserved thanks to a grant by the state government.
What has changed in the span of 100 years? Prof Ramesh said, “At that time there was neither placement nor research. Today, we have about 98% placements, and we conduct extensive research, publish papers and also provide consultancy services to various government departments Now, we also have faculty who have completed PhD from IITs, IISc and foreign universities, who can provide hands-on experience to the students.”
UVCE was also in news recently for paucity of funds as the government did not allocate money after it was granted autonomous status in 2022. Bangalore University had also rejected UVCE’s request to maintain status quo as a constituent college till March 2023. However, after much outcry, earlier this month, the government approved the release of ₹35 crore for UVCE to operate, while also expanding its status quo with Bangalore University.
SJ Government Polytechnic College
Sri Jayachamarajendra Government Polytechnic, Bangalore. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
During Wadiyar’s reign, the Bhadravati Steel Company was sinking into losses, and Sir M. Visvesvaraya was entrusted with the responsibility of its revival. He turned it around in such a way that the company recovered from its losses and registered a profit.
Thereafter, he was given an honorarium of ₹ 2 lakh by the king. Refusing to take it personally, he diverted the same amount towards setting up a vocational institute, which was later renamed the Sri Jayachamarajendra Government Polytechnic (SJP).
One of the largest polytechnic colleges in South East Asia, SJP now has over 2,000 students enrolled in 16 technical courses. The college has also established two twinning programs with the University of Athens in the United States where students will be sent next year.
Though the college has a spacious campus, which is adjacent to a huge playground, like any old building, it also needs some infrastructural improvements. Some students in the campus revealed that the number of toilets was not sufficient for the strength of the college and said that there was an urgent need for more toilets. A management official supported this and said that the laboratories also needed upgradation.
Government Polytechnic for Women
Government Women’s Polytechnic College, Bangalore. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
Located behind SJ Polytechnic College is the Government Polytechnic for Women, which was established in 1963. In the midday heat, young women with great aspirations roamed the campus in their bright uniforms.
With the objective of providing an educational institution for women to study technical courses, Queen Tripura Sundari Ammani of the Wadiyar dynasty provided the land and also inaugurated this college. From 30-60 students enrolled in four courses to 1,160 students in seven courses now, the institute is thriving. Not only in the country, but this women’s polytechnic college was the first in Asia.
Within the long corridors of the building was the principal’s office, where Pavana P. explained how the infrastructure in the college needed to be upgraded. “We need more buildings on campus with advanced labs, restrooms and water facilities. We are now reaching out internationally with our students, and we need facilities like smart classrooms and more to help them compete outside There is a need for a common resource center.
Like any other institute, there is a lot of improvement in the syllabus and curriculum here. The Principal said that the recently introduced Gaming and Animation course has attracted a lot of students.
Sri Krishna Rajendra Silver Jubilee Institute of Technology
Sri Krishna Rajendra Silver Jubilee Institute of Technology, Bangalore. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
In honor of Nalwadi Krishnarajendra Wadiyar completing 25 years of reign, Sir M. Visvesvaraya and Sir Mirza Ismail established the Government Sri Krishna Rajendra Silver Jubilee Institute of Technology (SKRSJTI) in 1938.
“It was a premium institute for textile technology in India from the British era,” said MB Patil, head of the civil engineering department. He said that Textile Technology was the first course that was started there, followed by the Department of Silk Technology. Pro. Patil said that even today students of textile technology course get maximum placements here, but the government is not recruiting any new teachers for this course.
About 850 students are now studying in the institute in various branches including civil, electronics and computer science. The classrooms are spacious and cement bags and other construction materials are lying around in the corridors.
The textile technology workshop here is being renovated by the state government at a cost of ₹38.5 crore. A new building is also coming up which is expected to accommodate several laboratories and new age machinery procured by various departments. Pro. “The new building is under construction, but we feel happy when we are sitting inside this architecturally fine stone building,” Patil said with a smile.