Fr. Ephrem de Nevers OFM.Cap - the Founder of English School in India

The First English School in India

            Fr. Ephrem de Nevers was kind, gentle and polite to every one. His fatherly affection drew children to him, he taught them music and catechism.[1] His love for them moved him ahead to open a public school. They were mostly English speaking children[2] and it was opened in 1642 within his residence of St. Andrews in the Fort of St. George.[3] Prior to Madras the English had a factory at Masulipatnam (Andhra) in 1619 but it was in Madras they started to make their settlements from 1639.[4] The English even did not have an idea at such an early date to open a school for their children.[5] Mgr. A. Pereira Andrade had affirmed that this is the First English School in India.[6] Thus Fr. Ephrem de Nevers, a French Capuchin Priest is credited to open the first English school for the English speaking children in the Indian soil. Santa Fe in 1540 was the First Christian School to be founded in Goa, India[7] and it was most probably a Portuguese school.

Fr. Ephrem – The Father of Education in India

            Today, English medium has become supreme and every one loves to speak in English, the founder of the English school in India is a French Capuchin priest Ven. Fr. Ephrem de Nevers. He opened the first English school in India and it functioned at his priestly quarters in 1642, St. George Fort, Madras.[8] He also had another school and taught Tamil, Portuguese and Latin to the students. This French Capuchin missionary was a true visionary in his mission field.

                                                                           - Fr. Thainis, OFM.Cap.,

                                                                              thainiscap@gamil.com

                                                                              thainiscap@yahoo.co.in

                     

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[1] Here and the following, Daniel D’Souza, 23.

[2] Srinivasachari, History of the city of Madras, Madras: P Varndacary & Co, 1939, 22f.

[3] Arulappa, 20. Peter Celestine, 104. S. Muthiah, 31&332.

[4] Majumdar, 637f.

[5] Arulappa, 20.

[6] Peter Celestine, 104.

[7] Donald H.R. De Souza (ed.), “Eighth General Body Meeting (Vailakanni), The Catholic Council of India, January 6-8, 2006,” NewDelhi: CBCI Centre, 2006, 48.

[8] Arulappa, 20.