University College, Thiruvananthapuram
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1866 |
|
Administrative staff
|
278 |
| Students | 3164 |
| Location | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Affiliations | University of Kerala |
| Website | [1] |
 |
|
Coordinates: 8°30′07″N 76°56′55″E / 8.50194°N 76.94861°E
His Highness Maharaja's University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala.
The college is located at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city called Palayam.
The institution, now called the University College, was founded in 1834 by the government of Travancore during the reign of his Highness Sri Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, one of the most illustrious rulers of the former State of Travancore, celebrated for his devotion and great contributions to art and culture.
The Maharaja had occasion to visit a school that was imparting instruction in English at Nagarcoil under the auspices of the London Missionary Society (LMS). He was impressed by the school and the quality of the education given there and was convinced that the new type of school held out great prospects for the people of the state. Shortly thereafter he invited Mr. Roberts who was in-charge of the school at Nagarcoil to come to Thiruvananthapuram and start a similar school there. The educationist, who was an Englishman, agreed and a new school was started in 1834. It was private institution, but the state government contributed the prescribed fees for 80 pupils who thereby got free tuition. The classes were conducted in an old building about half a mile to the south of University College, on the premises where the Govt. Ayurveda College stands today. In less than a year, the government took over the school and assumed full responsibility for its management. Roberts was appointed headmaster and it came to be known as the Raja's Free School. In the following year the institution was moved to a new building constructed for the purpose on the premises where the University College is now located. The school continued as a free institution till 1863-64. Those were days when education of the western type was being newly introduced in India and the Raja's Free School was one of the earliest institutions in South India established under the auspices of the government for imparting instruction to the children of the state. It attracted pupils from all parts of Travancore and many of its alumni rose to high positions in the public life of the state and distinguished themselves in may fields of cultural activity.
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