Ammembal Subba Rao Pai - Contribution To Education in Mangalore

Contribution To Education in Mangalore

Four young B.A. Graduates viz., Sriyuths U. Srinivas Rao, B. Padmanabha Baliga, B. Vaman Baliga and Arkal Vasudev Rao, when they were at Chennai developed an obsession of starting a school in Mangalore for the benefit of the Goud Saraswath Brahmin community to which they belonged. Most members of that community in the district of Dakshina Kannada at that point of time were uneducated. They were joined by one more teacher Sri. A. Padmanabhayya. In June 1891, they hired a building in Mangalore just opposite the Kodialbail Chapel and started the Canara High School as their proprietary concern with the proprietors themselves becoming the first teachers.

There were many opponents to the newly started school who complained to the Education Department that the school had no public support and that it was run by teachers for the sake of jobs. On account of this, in April 1893, the proprietor teachers gave up their proprietorship in favour of a board of Management consisting of reputed people from the community other than the teachers who had started the school. One of the important members of the said board of management was late Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, a reputed lawyer of Mangalore.

In June, 1894, the present Canara Girl’s school was started to educate the girls up to 5th Standard. It took more than a quarter century to raise the level of education of girls to higher classes. The 8th standard was introduced in the year 1932. Both these institutions were managed by a single Board of Management till 1922. In that year, the Canara High school Association was started as a Society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 to take over the management of both these schools.

The institution was started with the purpose of educating the members of the GSB Community, but later attained a secular status and the benefit of education is available to all, regardless of caste, creed or sex.