Huzurpaga

About Huzurpaga

According to Wikipedia, Huzurpaga is the oldest Indian run girls' high school in India. History The school was established by the Maharashtra Girls Education Society in 1885. The school's founders included noted social reformers Vaman Abaji Modak, Justice Ranade and historian Dr. R. G. Bhandarkar. Ranade's then young wife, Ramabai Ranade had presented a petition to the governor of Bombay, James Ferguson in 1884 about the desirability of opening a high school for girls. Ferguson inaugurated the school in 1885. The school was originally called the Poona Native Girls High School . It was the first Indian-run school to offer education to girls to the level of matriculation. The school started with twelve girls, two of them widows. Mary Sorabji, sister of social reformer, Cornelia Sorabji was one of the first teachers. The subjects taught included those required to appear for the matriculation examination such as English literature, arithmetics, geometry, Marathi, and science. Sanskrit was an optional language on the syllabus. The establishment of the school and its curriculum were vehemently opposed by Lokmanya Tilak in his newspapers, the Mahratta and Kesari. A play disparaging the English language curriculum went to second edition. The play also on ran on stage in Pune for many performances. In 1887, the ruler of the Princely state of Sangli, Tatyasaheb Patwardhan, offered land on Laxmi Road in Pune, where the high school is based. The girls' hostel and the elementary school were established later on the same campus.