Indian students. The school was based on the "cottage"
idea of grouping young people in small "family units".
Each of these cottages had a "parent" figure. The
researcher lived on the campus and was given full access to
the students and staff of this Anglo-Indian school. The
school made an important contribution to the field study.
A brief history of Laidlaw Memorial school would not be out
of place at this point. The school was built with funds
from Sir Robert Laidlaw. It was a "hill-station school",
with Indians from the upper- and middle-classes. The fees
for tuition and boarding and lodging was approximately
Rs.10,000 per year. The school was in Ketti, State of
Tamil Nadu in the Nilgiri Hills. It had an excellent
plantation of eucalyptus trees, and enough acreage for
further development into a University College. The present
Principal and Headteacher were both visionaries, and wanted
to see Laidlaw Memorial School and Junior College extended
into the +3 years of the Indian Educational Formula 10+2+3.
See Appendix 3 for photographs of this school.
For a further discussion about extending further education
into higher education read DES (1966); Fowler, G. (1982);
Pratt, J. and Burgess, T. (1974) and the Robbins Report
(1963) Department of Education and Science (DES) (1966) A
Plan for Polytechnics and other Colleges : Higher Education
in the Further Education System Cmnd.3006 London: HMSO see
also, Fowler, G. (1982) 'May A Thousand Flowers Bloom: The
Evolution of the Higher Education System and of
Institutions within it' NEW UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY 36(2)
Spring Term; see also, Pratt, J. and Burgess, T.(1974)
Polytechnics: A Report London: Pitman (p.209); see also,
Report of the Committee on Higher Education Appointed by
the Prime Minister - Mr. Harold MacMillan (1963) Entitled:
Higher Education Chairman: Lord Robbins Vol. I Report,
Appendices I-V published separately in six additional
volumes. Cmnd.2154. London: HMSO (p.268)
(31) For a discussion of the teaching of English and
Christianity in Anglo-Indian schools see, Daniell, H.R.H.
(1941) op. cit., (p.64); see also, Law, N.N. (1915)
Promotion of Learning in India by European Settlers up to
1800 A.P. London: Longmans, Green & Co. (pp.6-7 and
pp.80-1); see also, Love, H.D. (1913) Vestiges of old
Madras Vol. I London: John Murray (p.499) ; see also,
Sinha, S.P. (1978) English in India: A Historical Study
with particular reference to English Education in India
Patna, India: Janaki Prakashan p.12, (p.50); see also,
Srivastava, B.D. (1963) The Development of Modern Indian
Education Bombay: Orient Longman (p.29). For a discussion
about elitism and privilege, see, Giddens, A. and
Stanworth, P. (1978) 'Elites and Privilege' IN: P. Jkbrams.
Work, Urbanism and Inequality: UK Society Today London:
Weidenfeld and Nicolson (pp.206-7).
(32) Tiwari, R. (1965) The Social and Political
155