Aitchison College is a public fee-charging and boarding secondary school for boys in Lahore, Pakistan.
It is a member of the G30 Schools of the World.Aitchison College is also the only school in Pakistan's history to be listed in the Carfax ranking of the top 125 institutions of the world[3] The principal of Aitchison is the LUMS professor, Sayed Muhammad Turab Hussain, after the former principal Sr. Michael Thomson resigned from political interference.
[4] On 3 November 1886, the Viceroy Earl of Dufferin and Ava laid the foundation stone of the main building.
Governor of the Punjab, Sir Charles Umpherston Aitchison, who, addressing the students in 1888, said:Much, very much, is expected of you.
This is an institution from which you will banish everything in thought and word and act that is mean, dishonourable or impure, and in which you will cultivate everything that is virtuous, true, manly and gentlemanly.
Established in 1868, it was originally intended for the education of young princes of the area but on the insistence of Sir Henry Davies - the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, it widened its scope in 1874 to cater for the education of all the other heirs of the Princely states living in other parts of Punjab.
The present constitution of Aitchison College is still based on the set of rules framed for the Wards' School.
North Mian Meer Road was initially selected as the new site for Chiefs College and collaboration between Bhai Ram Singh, Vice Principal of Mayo School of Arts and Colonel Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, Executive Engineer at Jeypore came up with an architectural design for the college.
Even at its beginning, the college was designed to have a science laboratory, library and museum besides classrooms and amenities for students.
Under the auspices of the new staff, including the first Principal W. A. Robinson and the famous Urdu poet Altaf Hussain Hali, Chiefs College began educating a modest first batch of 12 boys, who were temporarily accommodated at Abbot Road while construction was in progress.
Soon after that, the main building became the centre of academic life at Aitchison, moving classes away from their previous locations in the boarding houses and rented bungalows.
Swimming facilities were developed in 1923 and the Rani of Mandi Cup was established to honour the best swimmer of the year.
In the first half of the 20th century, the school began to offer awards to some of its top students, the most popular of which were those for best essay writer and best debater.
Additionally, the first Rivaz medal for a best-leaving boy at Aitchison College was created in 1906.
Until 1933, the school enforced a rule that separate boarding houses should exist for Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs.
A separate building for the Preparatory School, which now holds classes for grades 7–9, was constructed in 1915, and the prefects system was established two years later.
Classes for grades 9–13 were shifted from the main building to the newly constructed Barry Block (Senior School) in 1948.
Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was appointed Patron in Chief of the college in 1948.
A number of modern buildings were constructed on the campus near the end of the 20th century, including an amphitheatre, a large library, computer and science laboratories, housing for staff members, a riding school, and squash and basketball courts.
The college has been honoured with the commemorative postage stamp by Pakistan Post, for successfully completing the 125 years of excellence.
[8] Aitchison College is divided into 3 major divisions, Junior, Prep, and Senior School.
Senior school focuses on the Cambridge IGCSE and AS/A2 Level studies for external exams, as well as offering Matric and FSc (FISE) and Aga Khan.