Presentation Convent High School

Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School is a selective K-12 independent day school for girls in Rajbagh, on the banks of Jhelum River, Srinagar. It was started in 1936 and run by the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as Presentation Sisters. It was started to educate Dr. Karan Singh, then Crown Prince of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Presentation Convent is one of the most prestigious institutions in the state owing to its rich history and notable alumni. It was started in 1936 by Mother Peter Conway, Mother Sacred Heart, Mother Annunciata, and Mother Xavier. The nuns travelled to Srinagar from Rawalpindi upon the request of the Maharaja Hari Singh.

Presentation Convent is one of the only premier all-girls institutions in Kashmir (the other being Mallinson Girls School).

The school was started to educate the Crown Prince of Jammu and Kashmir, but grew to educate the local elite population as well as children of British bureaucrats settled in the valley of Jammu Kashmir.

History

The school was founded by the venerable Nano Nagle in Cork, Ireland.

The founding members of the school in Srinagar were Mother Peter Conway, Mother Annunciata, and Mother Sacred Heart. The valiant nuns from Presentation Convent High School, Rawalpindi travelled to Kashmir via Uri, in a journey of three days, on the invitation of the Maharaja, Hari Singh. The Maharaja had requested the Bishop of Srinagar to invite the nuns to set up a school in Kashmir for the education of his only son and the Crown Prince, Dr. Karan Singh. The sisters rented a building on the banks of the Dal, and started their school on 17 March 1936, while the construction of the actual school was underway at Rajbagh, on the banks of River Jhelum. The Maharaja granted the school a number of endowments including the 12 acres of land on which the school is built. The cost of building the school was borne by the ruler. On 15 June 1939 the school building was officially inaugurated.

In its initial days the school was boarding and had a separate building for a boys school. The school was co-educational until 1977, when all male pupils were transferred to Burn Hall School, Sonwar. Most of the pupils were children of the Britishers settled in the valley, along with a few students from distinguished Kashmiri families.

The school was granted recognition for providing Bachelor of Arts degrees for women, but the college department was closed down in 1947, after the Indian government took over the administration of the valley.

The school was devastated by a fire on 12 January 1965 that completely destroyed the school building and part of the sisters’ residence. The impressive clock tower remained to tell the tale. The school was rebuilt and flourished as the leading girls’ school of the valley.

Presentation Convent celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 2011 when the school was upgraded from a high school to a secondary school in the academic session 2009–2010.

The Nagle Block was inaugurated in 2009 and the Jubilee Block was started in 2011 to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of the school.

Curriculum

Presentation Convent School currently implements the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education curriculum from Year 8 to Year 12. From kindergarten up to Year 7, the school implements its own unique curriculum based on the guidelines set out by the NCERT.

The was affiliated with the National Board of Education in England until 1947, and all of the answer scripts were sent to England via ship for marking. In 1947, it adopted the Jammu and Kashmir Board of Education curriculum.

The school offers only science and maths subjects in Year 11 and 12.

Co-curriculum

Presentation Convent offer many co-curricular sports, performing arts, art, music, and other general activities. In the past, the school also held various swimming and equestrian competitions for its students.

The school hosts cross-country races, badminton, cricket, and football matches, and a plethora of plays and performances. The school also hosts the annual Inter-School Nano Nagle Debate, in which the top independent schools of Kashmir are invited to participate.

The school also has several holiday programmes during the winter and summer holidays, where pupils participate in a variety of sports including martial arts, golf, and several winter sports.

The school organises summer camps and excursions to various spots within and outside the valley.

During the summer, pupils from the school can attend golf lessons at the Royal Springs Golf Course, in Srinagar. The school also hosts winter camps in Gulmarg, where students can participate in winter sports such as skiing and snow boarding.

Pupils from the school have won gold and silver medals in international tournaments in wushu, kickboxing, taekwondo, and skiing.

Coat of Arms

The Presentation Sisters adopted the Nagle coat of arms with some modifications.

The cross and the effulgence found on the logo is the symbol of faith and strength. In heraldry, gold denotes generosity and elevation of mind. Green signifies hope and joy. The crown signifies Mother Mary, mother of Jesus, who is the Patron of the school. The two sprays of oak are symbolic of growth and two skeins binding them together denote union.

The motto of the school is Hindustanas Trath.

Houses

The school has a house system of four houses. These are:
* Jyoti – Red and represented by an oil lamp
* Nirmal – Blue and represented by a Calla Lily
* Neeti – Yellow and represented by a weight balance
* Shanti – Green and represented by a dove

Uniform

The school is stringent on uniform policies with only one dressmaker in the city authorised to produce the uniforms. All uniforms are made to order.

Former pupils

Former pupils of the school are called Conventees.

The school has educated daughters of the most prominent members of Kashmiri society, such as members of the royal Dogra family, daughters and granddaughters of formers Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers.

*Dr. Karan Singh, former Crown Prince of Jammu and Kashmir and other members of the royal Dogra Dynasty.
*Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the Jammu and Kashmir.

Controversies

In 2020, Dr. Riyaz Ahmad Daga filed a lawsuit against the school after the school denied admission to his ward. The litigant claimed that the school denying his daughter admission despite fulfilling requisite criteria was an outright display of elitism. The litigant further claimed non-deserving candidates secured admission and criticised the school for "anti-poor" behaviour.cite= https://kashmirreader.com/2020/12/12/presentation-convent-denies-admission-to-girl-in-lkg-court-asks-to-reconsider/amp/
cite= https://www.newsclick.in/private-school-12-acres-government-land-srinagar-claims-public-authority?amp

In April 2021, an RTI inquiry was launched against the school when it was revealed the school paid only INR 12,000 (USD 162) in taxes annually, despite the property being worth over INR 4 billion.

See also

* Nano Nagle
* Presentation Convent High School Rawalpindi

References

External links

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Schools in Srinagar
Private schools in Jammu and Kashmir
Girls' schools in Jammu and Kashmir
Christian schools in Jammu and Kashmir
Catholic schools in India
Catholic secondary schools in India