Never Give In

Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence

 Never Give In

“None like the Sanawar School in the World,” Sang the Old Students along with present generation of students of The Lawrence School, Sanawar.

These days IN September 2010, The Lawrence School, Sanawar is celebrating 163rd year of its foundation. Known as The Sanawar School, it is situated on an independent hill spread over 139 acres, about 3 kilometres from Kasauli in Himachal Pradesh, India, into the foothills of Himalayas and is sixty Kilometers from Chandigarh.

Old students who folded their Sanawar School uniform as far back as 1960 and 1985 and had celebrated the School’s Silver and Golden Jubilee, are back in great numbers in Sanawar, to their Alma Mater.

The Lawrence School, Sanawar was established on 15 April 1847, by Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence and Lady Honoria Lawrence. Sanawar is known to be the first co-educational boarding school in the world.

It was 15 April 1847, camping at the top of the foothills of the Himalayas were a group of 14 boys and girls. For some weeks they were living under canvas, anxiously waiting for the first buildings to be completed before the arrival of monsoon. Thus, did come into existence The Sanawar.

The school is a reputed and prestigious co-educational, residential public school of India and has graduated many dignitaries. There are many distinguished Old Sanawarians who prefer maintaining a low-profile.

Military training at Sanawar has traditionally been always strong; and was of such a high standard that several contingents of boys were enlisted from the School and sent straight to the battlefields of the Great War.

 Though, Sir Henry Lawrence was often unpopular with higher British authorities because of his insistence that government should pay most attention to the welfare of the Indian population; a grateful India, especially the students of The Lawrence School, Sanawar; past, present and of the future will always remember him respectfully.

Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence was killed ten years later in the Indian rebellion of 1857, also called India’s First War of Independence.

A British-era building, the Birdwood School, houses the classrooms. It covers an area of 1 acre approximately, with no bias over space share between boys and girls. Extra-curricular subjects like Art and Sculpture are taught in workshops, which are spacious and a little removed from the Birdwood School.

The teachi8ng faculty consists of 75 members. At the +2 level the subjects offered include Hindi, English Literature, Computers, Mathematics, Business Studies, Accountancy, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, Political Science, History, Geography, Economics, Art, Physical Education and Sculpture.

The number of students being around 700, the ratio of student, teacher far above the average in India. The normal strength of students per classroom varies from 10 to 25.

Each student is discussed individually and this forms a unique feature of the assessment system at Sanawar.

The school museum is not just a collection of articles but, an educational experience in much wider sense.

In 1985 several Punjabis and others opted for Punjabi as a Subject. And to the surprise of all the highest marks were scored not by any Punjabi, or other Indian…but by a student from England, Charles Karoki Lewis!

The Lawrence School Sanawar says NEVER GIVE IN on its coat of arms.

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