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Report On The Inspection Of Chiefs College 1937PDF 6
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INSPECTION REPORTS.
AITCHISON COLLEGE, LAHORE.
I visited Aitchison Collogc, Lahoro, on Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday, January the 23rd, 24th and 25th, 1934. The statistical and other
information, which had been prepared by the Principal, Mr. C. H. Barry,
mauch facilitated my work, Nawabzada Mir Snced Alam Khan was associated
with the inspection in his capacity of a political officer.
2. Tho Collogs has many valuable assets. It is situated ina large ostato
of 175 acres; it possesses buildings and playing ficlds which, with certain
adjustments, could accommodate a much larger number of boys; though
“contiguous to a populous provincial capital, the beauty of its surroundings
cannot but delight overy visitor; its climatic conditions during the cold
weather can scarcaly bo surpassed, while even in the hot weather they are
proforable to those of most places in the northorn plains of India.
On, the other hand, the College suffers from many disadvantages. Its
buildings, though ornato, cannot be considored satisfactory on educational
grounds, At the time of my visit, in spito of the provision of fires, the class-
rooms were cold and cheorless to a degrec ; tho lighting (both natural and
artificial) was inadequate. My predecessor was similarly impressed by these
limitations and. suggested that, on cold mornings, the classes should be hold
outside in the sun, but the adoption of this proposal would be attended by
difficulties even groater than those which might be removed.
Though tho plinth area of the buildings is largo, the actual accommoda-
tion is limitod, as thore is much space which cannot be utilised. In conse-
quonce, tho science laboratory is inadequate ; and the library consists of a few
almirahs in a boarding house, in which are stored a fow not altogether suitable
books. Thoro is no masters’ common room, which is essontial to the building
up of a corporate spirit among the staff and to promoting discussions and in-
terchange of thought and expcrience.
The College is much handicapped by tho fact that many pupils do not
attend the summer session; not only is the progress of individual pupils
retarded, but olass-work is seriously ombarrassed. A large portion of the
autumn. session is sacrificed to ropeating the work of the previous session in
ordor to restore a semblance of equality botweon those who attended and those
who had not attended the provious session.
Though the boarding houses possess many attractions, they seom to be
moro in keoping with a commodious hotel than with on up-to-date school,
Apart from the inevitable oxtravaganco entailed, it must. be well-nigh impcs-
sible to build up the corporate life ,and tradition which are essential,
so long as boys reside cithor separately or in pairs in suites of rooms and also
provide separately for most of thcir goneral needs.
This dofect has been accontuated in tho rocont past by the vory prevalont
practice of supplementing class instruction by private tuition imparted by
private tutors who had no locus standt in the College. Tho moro the boys
dopond. upon extrancous aid for passing their examinations, the more do they
neglect their class-toeaching and the more do they tend to live isolated lives,
unaffected by collogo influences and by contact with each other. Anothor
unfortunate effect of this practice is that masters tend to regard private
tuition as of gronter importance than olass-teaching.
3. But tho main dicadvantage from which Aitchison Collego has always
suffered, and from which it now suffers in an even more merked degree, is
itp minute enrolment. At the time of my visit, there wero only 75 boys on the
_ tolland of those 25 were day pupils and 30 wore scholarship holders. It is
disturbing that, on account of many 1casona, the enrolmont has declined from
108 in 1929-30 to 75 in 1938-34, Evon more distutbing is the fact that,
during each of the lest six years, with one solitary oxcoption, the number of
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