Barrackpore Government High School

Established in 1837 by George Eden, Earl of Auckland, during his tenure as Governor-General of India, this school was founded with an explicitly progressive purpose: to provide quality English education to Bengali boys from impoverished local families, funded entirely from the Governor-General’s own private income rather than Company funds. It stands as an interesting example of the complicated and contradictory character of the British presence in India: imperial power simultaneously exploiting and educating. The school remains an active educational institution today.