- Army Burn Hall College
The Army Burn Hall College (ABHC) is a situated in Mandian region of
Abbottabad city. It is divided into two separate colleges for boys and for girls. The girls branch is located on the Mall Road near the city center, and the boys' branch is in near Mandian. Originally these were Junior Burn Hall and Senior Burn Hall Schools respectively. The junior school starts from Prep class goes up to the Masters level for girls, and the boys go to the senior school after finishing their sixth grade. The name of the school and college is recognized all overPakistan for excellent education and physical training, providing both day-schooling and boarding system for the students. HistoryBurn Hall traces its History back to 1943 when a team of missionaries from Mill Hill, London, established the school in Sri Nagar. It was named after an English Manor House, which had a hall with a stream (Burn)running through it hence the name 'Burn Hall'.The school was administered by the Fathers in English public school tradition.
Some time in 1948, after Pakistan and India gained their Independence from the British Empire in 1947, a few Fathers moved to Abbottabad with a handful of students, and the help of Brigadier Aslam Khan (a brother of Air Marshal retd. Asghar Khan who also went under the name of Brigadier Pasha) and set up the school in a small hotel building, the Abbot Hotel. The school was among the best in the country and soon more buildings were added to accommodate the increasing number of students. The school was under the control of the Dicosesan Board of Education, Rawalpindi.
In 1956, a new school was constructed a few miles outside the town, on the GT( Grand Trunk) road,to provide more room for the seniors and became known as senior Burn Hall.The new school was designed to allow for adequate sports facilities and included playgrounds for all games, including swimming pool.
Ideally located at 4300 feet above sea level in natural surroundings, coupled with the zeal and fervour with which the Fathers and school staff administered the school, it became one of the leading schools of the country. It excelled in academic and literary activities and encouraged competition in sports by having House games between St Michaels and (St Andrews) later to be named St Gabriel's. The high standard achieved were in keeping with the school motto 'Quo non Ascendum' latin for 'To what heights Can I not rise'.
(The above has been taken from the Burn Hall Alumni Association which comprises of Burn Hall students from past years.Association address; Grey House, 30 Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.)
The only missionary left in Burn Hall School,Srinagar moved Burn Hall School to another location,Gupkar Road in Srinagar, Kashmir in 1956. The first principal of the school was Father Boerkamp.
Additional comments;
The Fathers who came to set up the School in Abbottabad realised that if Pakistan as a nation was to do well then it needed men of high calibre, intelligent, strong willed, determined, nationalistic and with the highest level of integrity. The British Empire was built on men who came from the English Public schools and therefore the Fathers replicated that system. They were successful because Boys from Burn Hall achieved distinction in the civil service, Armed Forces and Business and other fields. Old Burn Hall boys who revisited Burn Hall School, always got special reception and were honoured by the Fathers by being invited to lunch and sitting with the Fathers at the Dinning Table on the dias and the Fathers took great pride and revelled in stories and achievement's made of other old boys.
The Fathers promoted sports as a means of making a boys character believing that characters are made on the sports grounds. St Michaels was represented by a black shield with gold boarder, crossed white lance and sword. St Gabriels, were represented by a Lion Holding a fiery torch.
There were 7 games exercised; Cricket, Hockey, Football,Basketball, Tennis,Swimming, and athletics.
In 1966/67 There were foreign experts who had come to assist in building the Tarbella Dam and generally their families stayed in Abbotabad.The daughters of one of the consultantsi.e 2 sisters joined Burn Hall and were the first girls to enroll in Senior Burn Hall. Foreign students came from Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Hong Kong,Kenya, US, Britain.
List of Principals Of Burn Hall.
1948 Rev Father ThysenTo Rev Father G.Shanks 1956 Rev Father Burns Rev Father F.Scanlon
SENIOR BURN HALL SCHOOL
1956-64 Rev Father F.Scanlon1964-65 Rev Father E.Foord1965-71 Rev Father F.Scanlon1971-72 Rev Father N.Turner1972-73 Rev Father j.van Schagen1973-74 Rev Father M.Conroy1974-76 Rev Father J.Klaver
ARMY BURN HALL COLLEGE
Dec 1976-83 Brig Bashir Ahmad Malik1983-87 Brig Abdul Sattar1987 Brig Zahur Ahmad
Academics
The college shows outstanding results in O Levels, Matriculation, and F.Sc Intermediate examinations. The total strength of Burn Hall is over 3,000 students and 200 faculty members. Physical training is usually provided by retired/serving trainers from the Pakistan Military.
The students of Burn Hall are known as 'Hallians' and have risen to prominence both in Pakistan and overseas.
The motto of the College is "Quo Non Ascendum"i.e."To What Heights Can I Not Rise"
Every year a magazine is launched by the college, the magazine for girl section is called "HALLIAN" and that of boy section is called "HALLMARK". Last year,a student of class 1st Year "Miss Javeria Qazi", launched her own official-student-run-magazine, with the consent of the principal, Brig. Noor Sultan Lali, known as "HalliZine", which has been appreciated by all faculty members. The url of the magazine is http://hallizine.blogspot.com
Infrastructure
Senior Burn Hall is divided into three houses. Day scholars are enrolled in STS House and boarders are enrolled in to SIS and SAS houses. The houses are named after the
Muslim heroes of Indian subcontinent.
*Shah Ismail Shaheed House. colour is Red
*Syed Ahmad Shaheed House. colour is Blue
*Sultan Tipu Shaheed House. colour is GreenAlumni
Students from Burn Hall have reached high levels in Politics, Armed Forces and Civil Services. Notable among these ex Burn Hall students are;
*Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed (Nawab of Amb, Ex Federal Minister )
*Omar Asghar Khan [late] (Politician, founder of Sungi, son of Air Marshal Asghar Khan)
*Prof Dr Akbar S.Ahmed-1954-1959, Cambridge University, PCS,Author, Film Producer of Movie' Jinnah'.
*Wasim Sajjad-1948-59 (Did Law from Cambridge University, England,Member Pakistan Senate)
*Farooq Rahmatullah Khan (ex Chairman Shell Pakistan, and ex DG CAA. Brother of Air Marshal Asghar Khan)
*Gohar Ayub (Politician, son of Late President Field Marshall Ayub Khan)
*Maj Gen Mahmud Ali Durrani -1959 (Armed Forces. Ex Ambassador to the US, Security Advisor to Present Govt)
*Nisar Ali Khan-1968, Member National Assembly, Political Party PML-N
*Maj Richard Francis-1963-67, Armed Forces.
*Lt.Gen (R) Munir Hafeez (Ex Chairman NAB)
*Maj Gen (R) Ali Hamid
*Brigadier (R) Muhammad Marghub Awan
*Omar Ayub Khan (Politician, son of Gohar Ayub)
= Also visit http://mail.hallianzlive.co.cc and register your self there =
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