Rajamahendravaram: 137-year-old training college still going strong

Rajamahendravaram: Sri Garimella Satyanarayana Government Institute of Advanced Studies in Education popularly known as 'Training College' (and also boys' high school) is one among the few notable colleges in the country.

The college has a history of 137 years which came into existence in 1883 and the centenary celebrations were held in the year 1987.

The more than century-old educational institution gave life to many persons and who settled as renowned scientists, doctors, and lawyers across the world and some towering personalities also worked as faculty in the institution.

The institution came into existence in the year 1883 as local fund elementary normal school, later elevated into government secondary normal school in the year 1892, as training college in the year 1894 and introduced B Ed course, in the year 1919 and converted into model school. In 1932, the college was affiliated to the prestigious Andhra University. In the year 1947 training in Telugu was introduced and in the year 1954 M Ed course was introduced and in the year 1958 it became multipurpose school with vocational courses.

In the year 1995, the then Chief Minister NT Rama Rao named the educational institution as Sri Garimella Satyanarayana Government Institute of Advanced Studies in Education. The institution was situated in spacious six acres of land in the heart of the city.

Garimella Satyanarayana was a freedom fighter and a great poet who studied in the same institution. His poem 'Maa Koddi Tella Doratanam' evoked tremendous response during the freedom struggle. He belonged to Narasannapeta in Srikakulam district.

Former President of India Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan worked as faculty in the institution and taught Philosophy to B Ed students and at the same time he also worked in the historical government college also as Philosophy lecturer.

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School headmaster Dr N Venkateswarlu said the construction of the main building was started in the year 1896 and completed by 1899. It was inaugurated in the year 1900. Centenary celebrations were conducted on April 7, 1987 in which former President of India Gyani Zail Singh participated.

At present, the training college has the strength of 160 B Ed students, 25 M Ed students, 50 Telugu language students. As many as 551 students study in the high school. Full-fledged laboratories for Physics, Chemistry and Biology are equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment. Noticeably, there is language laboratory also on the premises.

Special coaching for 116 tenth class students is given up to 7.30 pm after school hours by providing snacks to them to get 100 percent results as against of 96 percent of last year, he said.