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Government Brennen College,Tellicherry

The Government Brennen College, situated in Dharmadam, Tellicherry (Thalassery), of the Malabar district, is one of the oldest educational institutions in Kerala.
It was established by the English philanthropist Edward Brennen, who was the master attendant of the Thalassery Port. The college, which is now located in the Kannur district, is currently affiliated to Kannur University.
It offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programmes in languages, sciences, humanities, and social sciences, as well as commerce and management courses.

Background

The Government Brennen College in Tellicherry was established in 1862 with an endowment of Rupees 8900 from Edward Brennen, the Master Attendant of Tellicherry port. Brennen named the institution as ‘Brennons School’ and was meant to provide English education to people of all faiths.

The school was later merged with the Basel German Evangelical Mission High School and upgraded to a High School in 1868. In 1871, students were sent for the first matriculation examination.
Due to financial issues, the institution had to close in March 1872. The school was reopened in June as a Government Zillah School. In 1883, the Middle School and, in 1884, the High school departments were transferred to the Tellicherry municipality.

The institution continued to grow, and in 1890, FA classes were opened. It was affiliated with the University of Madras and offered Science and Arts courses with a combination of Indian History, Logic, and Malayalam under Group I, II, and III.

Due to the social situation that allowed only upper castes to achieve social and educational privileges, Brennen College had most of its teachers belonging to higher castes, including Pattars and Ayyars, which are some of the major branches of the Brahmin caste. Some Nairs also taught at the institution. The College had a Literary Society, which worked to provide facilities for the general advancement of the students, and College History Association, College Services Association, excursions and exhibitions, Co-operative Union and the College Magazine, paved paths for the transformation of its students into full-fledged intellectuals. Eventually, scholarships and endowments instituted by the Government and the public provided incentives to the students who excelled in their studies.

The increase in number of students from different parts of Malabar prompted the authorities to start a hostel for them, where there were separate facilities for the students of the Nair and Thiyya communities.

The fact that Brennen College was the only institution for higher education that existed in North Malabar between Mangalore and Calicut added to its significance.

In 1923, Vocational and manual training was introduced for students up to VI Form in woodwork. This helped develop a spirit of self-reliance among the students, which furthered the popularity of the institution.

The institution became a first-grade college in 1947, and it was shifted to the new building at Dharmadam in 1958.

The Brennen College Campus is currently located in Dharmadam Panchayat, on top of a hillside just 5 kilometres north of Thalassery town. It’s also only a kilometre away from the Kannur-Thalassery National Highway.

References