Rajkumar College - Raipur, Central Provinces; A Sketch #265324

Mr. Fraser, in writing to the then Chief Commissioner at the close of the year 1891, laid special stress on the importance of an improvement in mental training, moral training, and dress: and he attributed the failure of the institution in Jubbulpore to the following, amongst other, causes: to the pupils having their meals in their own separate rooms with no one near them except servants: to their spending their holidays, and Sundays in loafing about aimlessly or sleeping in their own rooms: and to their sleeping in separate rooms in the company of servants.<br><br>The only alternative that seemed to present itself to the authorities of that time was to abolish the institution altogether, and to send the young chiefs to Ajmere, to the Mayo College there. However, other counsels prevailed, and negotiations were commenced for its removal to another place more central and therefore more convenient for the chiefs.<br><br>Before coming to this, however, I have a few remarks to make on what I consider to have been the principal defect of the old institution apart from those already given: I have had an opportunity of meeting from time to time several of the alumni of the old institution after its removal; five of them, indeed, became my own pupils in the new institution, one I travelled with for some weeks as his guardian, and another used to pay me occasional visits: of one and all of these I have a very pleasing recollection: they were to all outward appearance gentlemen, and the majority of them manly withal, but there I must say their good points ended: what they were lacking in was morale, and on looking back I am bound to come to the conclusion that one if not the chief and only cause of this was their association with boys of a lower social order at the Government high school. It has been my experience gained in three Provinces that the morale of the average Government high school has not hitherto been of a high standard. And, parenthetically, I may here remark, that I have nothing but praise for the new regulations now being introduced by the Director of Public Instruction of these provinces, with the view of improving that morale.