Union College, Tellippalai

Prologue

His Excellency Robert Brownrigg, Governor of Ceylon, a British Colony at that time, was perturbed when the first batch of American Ceylon Missionaries of New England, USA, arrived in Colombo in 1813. The bitter experience of the ongoing American War against Britain [1812-1815] in Upper Canada, a British Colony at that time, made him chase the clergymen to the arid Jaffna peninsula and yell at them harshly to occupy only the Dutch church buildings and not to engage in missionary work in Jaffna town or Point Pedro. Also, he refused to grant a charter for higher education. When Rev. Samuel Newell, the head of the missionaries, arrived in the Jaffna peninsula and stepped into Tellippalai Union premises on September 7, 1813, there he found a dwelling-house, a large church without a roof and a hall with some small and large cobras coming out of anthills seen all over the dilapidated buildings built in the 16th century by the Portuguese. In three years time Rev. Daniel Poor of the American Ceylon Mission founded the first English School of Tamil Eelam in the Dutch Hall in the year 1816. Later it flourished to be Union College.

The First English School of Tamil Eelam

• 1816 Dec. 9: ‘Common Free School’ was founded on the Dutch Church premises by Rev. DANIEL POOR of the American Mission. It was the first pioneer English School founded in Tamil Eelam. Rev. Daniel Poor was the first head of the school from 1816 to 1823. Both English and Tamil languages were the media of instruction. Within a short period Daniel Poor started teaching religion in Tamil. Edward Warren, 26 years old bachelor, was his assistant teacher. He took special interest in educating the people of Tellippalai in both the English and Tamil languages. Mrs. Susan Poor was an assistant teacher and in charge of girls in the Hostel.
• 1818 July 20: Common Free School was converted into ‘Family Boarding School’, the first of its kind. This school started with 6 students. The first student Samuel Lochester completed his studies in *1828 and got an appointment as a teacher in the same school. It was the first school that admitted girls and minority class pupils. Among the five girls, who joined the school, one was Miranda Sellathurai from the minority class.
• 1820 August. Mr. James Garret approached Lieutenant Governor Sir Edward Warns to obtain permission to establish a printing press on the Union Campus. He was ordered to leave the island.[2] Rev. Henry Woodward, assistant teacher, transferred to Tellippalai School from Batticotta.
• 1821 Total number of students: 11 boys and 3 girls.

• 1823 June 30: Assistant teacher Rev. Henry Woodward assumed duties as the Principal of school, after Daniel Poor had been transferred to Batticotta [Vadukkoddai] Seminary. Mrs. Woodward was in charge of girls. Mr.M.Tumban, a native, was a teacher of English Language. Jordan Lodge and Leonard Woods were other native assistant teachers.

• 1824 Girls from Tellippalai Boarding School were transferred to the newly founded Girls Boarding School at Uduvil. 9 girls were handed over to the school head Mrs. Harriet Winslow.

• 1825 Boarding School was converted into a Preparatory School. Promising boys from other Day Schools were admitted into this school and the school attained such great success

• 1828 August 25: Rev. Levi Spaulding took over the Principal post of the school. Assistant teachers: Mrs. Spaulding, J.Codman and Champlia [3]
• 1832 Brilliant students were [Preparatory School} removed to Batticotta Seminary [4]. School lost its glory.

• 1833 March 8: Rev. Benjamin C Megis was transferred from Vaddukkoddai to take up the principal post of the school after Mr. Spaulding had been transferred to Uduvil. June: Mallakam court interpreter was baptized by Mr. Winslow and he embraced Christianity. Because of hostility several buildings on the Union Campus were destroyed.
• 1841 A printing press [American Ceylon Press] was founded on the school premises. It was the first press in the world that printed Tamil publications. The first Tamil newspaper ‘Uthayatharakai’ [cjajhuif] [5] was printed on the Union Campus and published by Mr.C.W. Thamotharampillai [6] was the first editor.

• 1856 The Anderson-Thompson Deputation of 1855 recommended that Tamil Medium Schools were the best for evangelical purposes and recommended to close down all its English schools. The English medium school at Tellippalai did not function during 1856 to 1871.

• 1869 Chellappa English School was founded on Union premises by Mr.Chellappa. Mr.Chellappa was its first principal.

• 1871 Vaddukkoddai Tamil Theological and Training School was shifted to Tellippalai.

• 1872 Rev.Wm.W.Howland assumed duties as the head of the school.

• 1875 The school became grant-in-aid school and earned Rs.300 annually from the government.

• 1878 Rev.T.S.Smith was appointed as the head of the school. The Tamil Theological department was closed down. An Industrial Department was added to the school and its name was changed into Tamil Industrial and Training School.

• 1882 Sanders Hall was constructed with the money provided by former students and well-wishers and opened by his Excellency Governor Sir Arthur Gordon.

• 1900 Rev.J.H.Dixon took over the reins as the head of the school.

• 1901 Chellappah English School was taken over by the American Mission and christened American Mission English School, Mr.A.T.Thuraiappahpillai took over as principal, on the demise of Mr. Chellappah.

• 1910 Mr.A.T.Thuraiappahpillai, the principal and poet, gave up the Christian faith and once again became a Hindu. He broke away from the American Mission English School and founded Mahajana English High School in October [7] with a view to providing English education to Hindu students in Hindu environment. Mr.J.V.Chelliah was the American Mission English School principal from 1910 to 1937. Rev. A.A.Ward was appointed as the principal of the Tamil Industrial and Training school

• 1916 The Tamil Training School was shifted to Kopay. The school was named Industrial and Primary School. In addition to the normal curriculum printing, book binding, gardening, basket weaving and furniture making were taught.

• 1929 Industrial and Primary School was converted into Bilingual School

• 1934 There were classes up to 8 standard. Eight teachers taught 150 students.

Though the American Missionaries did not succeed much in converting natives from Hinduism to Christianity for which reason they settled at Tellippalai, they did succeed tremendously in the matter of promoting English education.

References

21 - Annals of the American Pulpit: Or, Commemorative Notices of Distinguished American Clergymen by William B Sprague. Published by Robert Carter & Brothers 1857