Karachi Grammar School

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The Karachi Grammar School (KGS) is a co-educational private school in Karachi, Pakistan and one of the country's top educational institutions. It was established in 1847 by the Reverend H. Brereton, the first Chaplain of Karachi as a school for "English and Anglo-Indian children" [2]. The school remained small initially, with about 300 students in 1940. Over the past fifteen years, however, the school has expanded rapidly and now occupies three campuses across Karachi with a total student population in the thousands.

The KGS Logo (courtesy:[1])

1 Curriculum
2 Extracurricular activities
3 The House System
4 Campuses
5 Social Role
6 External links

[edit] Curriculum

Like many private schools in Pakistan, KGS is geared, especially at the secondary level, towards preparing students for University of Cambridge International Examinations GCE Ordinary Level, Advanced Subsidiary Level, and Advanced Level examinations.

Subjects taught at KGS include world history, studio art, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer studies, Pakistani history and geography, Urdu, Islamic studies, english literature and language, economics, business management, environmental management, and sociology.

[edit] Extracurricular activities

Unlike many private schools in Pakistan, KGS offers its students a great number of opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities. These include, but are not limited to, drama, a large number of sports (including cricket, football, field hockey, netball, volleyball, and athletics), debating, writing for "The Grammarian" (the yearbook), and a number of student societies. Another annual publication associated with the school, is the magazine titled the "Pulse". Initially, two editions of the "Pulse" used to be printed annually but now only one edition is published.

[edit] The House System

The four school houses are Frere (for Henry Bartle Frere), Napier (for Charles James Napier), Papworth (for a former principal), and Streeton. The house colours are red, blue, cornflower blue, and green, respectively. Students are assigned to a house upon admission to the school (usually according to their family's house or randomly). Inter-house competition takes place in academic achievement as well as performance in official sporting tournaments, debating tournaments, and the annual sports day.

[edit] Campuses

The original campus, located at 94 Depot Lines in the Saddar area, now houses only classes seven to nine and is known as the Middle School. In 1991, the Kindergarten and Junior Section was opened on Khayaban-e-Saadi in the Boating Basin area of Clifton for nursery, kindergarten, and classes 1 to 6. The latest addition to the school, the College Section in 1999, is also located on Khayaban-e-Saadi a few hundred meters from the Kindergarten and Junior Section, and contains the 'O' and 'A' Level students.

[edit] Social Role

While the fees at KGS are modest compared to other private schools in Karachi, the cost does mean that attending the school is not a real option for most people. As a result, the school is attended by the children of some of the wealthiest and most influential families in the city. Amongst many, attendance at the school has consequently acquired a meaning that stretches beyond a measure of one's intellect, and is in fact used as a measure of social status.

For some, the school is a modern institution with a tradition of academic excellence, and its students are individuals with great strength of character. Amongst other members of society, however, the school is seen as disconnected from the rest of the city, and even the country. The school has often received criticism for a perceived readiness to overlook Pakistani culture and many believe that this school intentionally promotes decadence and a lack of values.This has caused the administration to toughen up on the perceived "antisocial" activities of students in recent years. Especially in the college campus of the school and has led to a degree of friction between the administration and the student body.

Notable Alumni of the school include Thomas W. Simons, Jr. ( Former US Ambassador, Professor at Brown, Cornell and Harvard); Benazir Bhutto ( former Prime Minister of Pakistan); Kamila Shamsie (author); Waheed Murad (silver screen idol); Chishty Mujahid (Cricket Commentator); Pervez Hoodbhoy (Educator andPolitical commentator) and innumerable luminaries in the fields of politics (ministers, advisors, members of parliament), business (CEOs, Entrepreneurs, executives), academia (professors, Deans, Chancellors, teachers), Arts (performers, artists) and any other profession imaginable. The school's reputation and its agenda of indoctrinating its alumni with a craving for success and prominence is evident within the socio-economic landscape of Pakistan. The cultural and social elite of Pakistan are dominated by the "old money" Grammarians.