The Hindu : National : Winchester College — where tradition meets modernity

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Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

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Winchester College — where tradition meets modernity

Shonali Muthalaly

"It has always been there and has never been interrupted by civil war or plague or anything"

PHOTO: R. RAGU

D.J. Baldwin, former Registrar of the Winchester College, and his wife.

CHENNAI: Tradition is hard to beat. And that is probably Winchester College's biggest advantage.

Britain's oldest Independent school, Winchester is also one of the exclusive educational institutions, with students from around the world applying for seats in its majestic medieval halls.

"We have the longest continuous history in any school in the country. The school has always been there, and has never stopped being there. It has never been interrupted by civil war or plague or anything," says the former Registrar, D.J. Baldwin, speaking about what makes the 14th century boys' school so special. "A lot of the English public schools — as they used to be called, independent schools as we call them now — are very old. But the vast majority were founded in the 18th and 19th century and so the very old ones are few and far between."

The school, which gets two or three Indian students every year and counts India's former cricket captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi among its alumni, was founded in 1382 by the wealthy William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester and Chancellor to Richard II. "He had founded New College, Oxford, before that. And so, what I think he wanted to do was to found a school that would send boys to Oxford," says Mr. Baldwin.

"He [the founder] was very modern... he did not want to teach them just Latin, Greek and theology. He wanted them to learn the sciences, and math and foreign languages... His ideas have been passed on over the years," adds Mr. Baldwin.

The former Registrar toured India to meet parents who may want to give a good boarding school education for boys between ages 13 and 18, and prepare them for the best universities.

Today, students have a variety of subjects to choose from. Languages offered include Chinese, Japanese and German. There is also a strong emphasis on co-curricular activities. The prospectus lists the Japanese martial art aikido, water polo, fencing and fishing among the sports activities.

The school originally began as a foundation for 70 scholars and grew over the centuries into one with 700 boys and 100 staff. However, there are still just 70 scholars, all of whom take a tough scholarship examination at the age of 13 to get admission. They live in one house together, apart from the other boys, who are called the `Commoners'. "They are even distinguished by wearing a gown, which they are very proud of," says Mr. Baldwin with a smile.

Scholarships which used to be pegged at 50 per cent, are now down to 25 per cent "to release funds for more bursaries for more deserving pupils."

Discussing their new outreach programme for primary schools in Winchester area, which tries to identify talented boys, Mr. Baldwin says, "We want to try and broaden our social base. Independent schools simply are not socially broad, sadly. But it's just a fact of life."

Winchester College is rather elitist, costing £ 7,833 a year, as even Mr. Baldwin would admit. "It is very expensive," he says, adding, however, that it would be a good experience for more privileged sections of the Indian population. "Quite a lot of these Indian kids come from pretty wealthy backgrounds where they've been indulged considerably."

Many parents realise it is time their wards had a slightly tougher existence, where "they have to live a slightly more Spartan existence."

Explaining why a boarding school like Winchester would be an enriching experience for children, he says: "They are face to face with a new culture, and obviously, that's good for them. In addition, they are also in the rough and tumble of dealing with people from all sorts of different cultures. In a boarding school you live cheek by jowl and you've got to get on ... They'll learn to deal with positive things and negative things — to deal with prejudice and ignorance about their own country as well as learning about the culture of the country in which they are guests."

For more details about the school log on to www.winchestercollege.org. To join the class of September 2006, applications have to be in by end of November 2005.

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