'Barasat Peary Charan Sarkar Government High School' (
Bangla:
বারাসাত প্যারীচরণ সরকার রাষ্ট্রীয় উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়) in
Barasat (a suburb of
Kolkata in the state of
West Bengal,
India) was one of the oldest schools in
India.The school was established in
1846 by the efforts of luminaries like
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and
Peary Charan Sarkar. Prior to 1996, the school was known as, and still local people often call the school as, 'Barasat Government High School'.
History
Established in
1846, the school has witnessed array of changes and modifications.
Peary Charan Sarkar and
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were the patrons of the school since its conception. Initially the school was started at a different site not far from the present location. However, to accommodate the increasing number of students, soon a permanent building was built.
The original building persists till date, however it has been condemned since the early 1990s. The official name of the school was changed from 'Barasat Government High School' to 'Barasat Peary Charan Sarkar Government High School' in 1996, in the honour of the person who established the school.
Campus

the 2-storeyed northern block of the school.

The condemned old block.
The school has the following structures:
★ The historic old building, built in the 1850s, and associated with several legends among the students and patrons of the school, have been condemned since the early 1990s.
★ The North wing is a stretch of about 5 large classrooms and 2 small rooms. This section of the school is also quite old.
★ The southward double-storeyed main building, along with the annexe built almost 27/30 years back, houses the office of the headmaster, the laboratories, and several classrooms. A bust of the Peary Charan Sarkar, the founder of the school, welcomes the viditors at the entrance of this block.
★ The new block, completed about 5 years back, is just next to the main entrance of school. Structurally different from the rest of the buildings in the compound, it is a sort of ill-planned section hovering right in front of the visitors when they enter the school, lacking a good aesthetic cirrespondence with the rest of the school.
★ The Teachers' block lies south to the new block and houses the library besides the teachers' room where the teachers can be found during their recess.
★ The quarter of the resident Headmaster and other stuff is another old section of the school, dating back to the
British Raj. The quarters are towards the back (to the east) of the school premises. There is an old shooting range about 100 meters north to this quarters. American
G.I.s stationed at the barracks in the nearby ''Sethpukur'' field during the
World War II were said to have practised at that shooting range.
★ Inside the campus is a large pond, a large playing field (shared with the
Barasat Government College), several smaller playing fields and a small mango grove. Some seasonal orchids are often seen sweeping up the branches of the large and old mango trees in the grove.
Students
The school is a boys' school, meaning all the students are male.
Faculty
★ Tapan Kumar Shee - Headmaster
Extracurricular activities
The school offers students an extensive array of extra curricular opportunities, such as the creative arts and a wide range of sport.
Sports

Saraswati idol, 2005, in the school.
Besides the annual sports events, the school has regular
soccer team that participates in the District level championships. Cricket is a craze in the playing grounds.
Ceremonies
★ The
Saraswati Puja is a great annual ceremony.
★ An autumn-cultural ceremony ,including intra-institution award distribution.
Curriculum
This school is a higher secondary school (from class 1 to 12).
The curriculum is as per "
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education"(till class 10) and "
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education" (Class 11 and 12).
The common curriculum is followed till class 10. In class 11 and 12, there are 3 streams: Science, Commerce and Arts.
'Subjects offered: Grade1 to 5'
★ Bengali ★ English ★ History ★ Geography ★ Mathematics ★ Sciences ★ Art ★ Physical Education |
'Subjects offered: Grade 6 to 10'
|
★ English
★ Bengal
★ Mathematics
★ History
★ Geography
★ Physical Sciences
★ Life Sciences
★ Computer science
★ Physical Education
★ Work Education including arts
|
Additional subjects:
★ Additional Mathemetics
★ Physics
★ Chemistry
★ Mechanics
★ Computer science
★ Book kepping and accounts
★ Additional Biology
★ Pisciculture
★ Sanskrit
★ Arabic
★ Work Education & Physical Education
|
'Subjects offered:Grades 11 – 12 '
★ English ★ Bengali ★ Sanskrit ★ Geography ★ History | ★ Biology ★ Chemistry ★ Physics ★ Mathematics ★ Statistics ★ Computer Science | ★ Accounting ★ Business mathematics ★ Economic Geography |
Notable alumni