Who can forget the illustrious pre-partition personalities of 19th-century Hyderabad, who laid the foundations of welfare organizations and educational institutions to serve the people. Many of these historic buildings still stand today, but the teachers and quality of education that once defined them have faded away. Once offering free education for all, Hyderabad’s schools now mostly serve select, privileged groups.
Among these landmarks is the Hyderabad High School, established by the British in 1886 and renamed in 1924 by educationist Noor Muhammad Lakhair. Today, about 2,000 students study there. The Naval Rai Hiranand High School, founded in 1888 by the Hiranand and Naval Rai brothers, celebrated its 135th anniversary recently. Its iconic red-brick building, designed in the shape of an English “E,” remains a symbol of the city’s educational landscape. Nearby, the Hope School, built in 1886 to educate orphans and the poor, still continues its mission.
The rich tradition of quality education and character building needs ever more to be filled by philanthropists who want to see a new generation of educated girls and boys to help the nation prosper.
