Note: The following article was published in ‘Our Magazine’ ( A magazine published by Pogose School Dacca) in Winter 1945. The original title of the article was Pogose School , Dacca: History in brief outline. Here we publish the article verbatim. 

Manindra Chandra Bhattacharyya

Foundation of Pogose School

Pogose School, Dacca, was founded in June, 1848 by Mr. N. P. Pogose, an Armenian gentleman. The school, which was then named Pogose AngloVernacular School, was housed in a rented building belonging to Mr. J. C. Panioty, probably an Armenian merchant, at a rental of Rs 10/- a month. The school at “Armenian Tollah” was next located in a house belonging to Mr. N. P. Pogose and had a garden and a cricket ground attached to it. As far as can be known now, the school was for some time shifted to the building now occupied by the Moslem High School and next to the building occupied at present by the Normal School, and came to its present site about the year 1865.

Management of the school

The management of the school passed from Mr. Pogose to Babu Mohini Mohan Das in 1871 or thereabout, to his widow in 1897, and then to a Committee in 1907. Mr. Pogose and Mr. Das spent at times considerable sums over the school. It is said that the first Head Master was Mr. Pogose himself. Soon after Mr. C. Pote came as Head Master. He drew a salary of Rs. 55/- a month. The total number of students in 1856 was 130 and the fee-rates varied from Re. 1/- to Re. 1/8/-. The school then received a monthly grant-in-aid of Rs. 75/- from “The Hon’ble East India Company.” Mr. Pogose paid a monthly subscription of Rs. 75/-.

The next Head Master was, besides one or two who officiated as such, Babu Gopi Mohan Basak who left to join the newly started “Jagannath School” in 1872. Babu Brindaban Dhar came during the eighties of the last century and was followed by Babu Prasanna Kumar Sen in 1906. There were several changes between 1872 and till Babu Brindaban Dhar came in.

Famous students of Pogose School

The galaxy of students who have passed out of this school include Sir K. G. Gupta, I. C. S., the first Indian Member of the Privy Council, Dr. P. K. Roy, D. Sc., the first Indian Principal of the Presidency College, Calcutta, Dr. Aghor Nath Chatterjee, D. Sc., father of Mrs. Sarojini Naidu, Mr. Nishi Kanta Chatterjee, sometime Editor, Lahore Tribune and many others who made or have made marks in various walks of life,

Many interesting facts come out from a study of the school records. In 1866 with 409 students on the rolls the school was stated to be the largest and best-aided school in Bengal,” in 1867 with 500 students to be “the largest aided school in Bengal” by one visitor and about the largest school that I have seen in India” by another.

About the sixties of the 19th. century quills were used in this school, as pens are now. Chalk was purchased at one anna a seer and 125 bundles of straw for one anna and nine pies. Eleven “ghurramies”  were paid Rs. 1-6as a day’s wages. Meetings were held in the school compound on behalf of the citizens of Dacca to welcome Michael Madhusudan Datta, Pandita Rama Bai and Swami Vivekananda.

Manindra Chandra Bhattacharyya was the President of Pogose School Students’ Union.