Question

English education started in Travancore at the time of

• A. Visakham Tirunal
• B. Swathi Tirunal
• C. Uthram Tirunal
• D. Dharmaraja

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Swathi Tirunal

• English education in Travancore started during the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma (reigned 1829–1846).

• Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma: He established the first English-medium school in Thiruvananthapuram in 1834 under the headship of John Roberts. This institution later evolved into the Raja's Free School and eventually University College Thiruvananthapuram.

• Expansion: By 1835, the administration opened additional English schools in regional hubs like Alappuzha, Thakkalay, Nagercoil, and Kayamkulam.

• Prior Foundation: Earlier in 1817, Queen Gowri Parvathy Baby had laid the groundwork for state-supported modern public education by issuing a historic royal proclamation for free primary education.