Archive · 16 Aug 2025
Lahore's Oriental College: A Multilingual Education Pioneer
Back in the 1860s in Lahore, a school called Oriental College taught many languages like Urdu, Persian, and Sanskrit all together.
They believed it was important to learn in different languages to help people from different backgrounds learn and work together.
The school had journals and books that talked about how to use language.
The school wanted to teach in local languages and also teach things like science and ethics.
After the area was split, the school changed and focused more on Urdu.
This school showed how languages could be learned together in a time when English was becoming more popular.
Oriental College in Lahore, founded in the 1860s, offered multilingual education in Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, and Arabic.
The college aimed to train administrators and build civic life through education in multiple languages.
GW Leitner, the first principal, advocated for regional language learning and founded the Anjuman-i-Punjab.
The college published journals and textbooks and hosted debates on grammar, literary style, and the purpose of language.
After the Partition of India, the college narrowed its scope, with the final Urdu Conference held in 1948.
- Who
- Founded by GW Leitner.
- What
- Oriental College in Lahore offered multilingual education in various languages, including Urdu, Persian, and Sanskrit, in the 1860s.
- When
- The college was founded in the 1860s.
- Where
- Lahore, now in Pakistan.
- Why
- To serve diverse communities, train administrators, and build civic life.
Advocates
Critics
Regional Language Education
Advocates
Supported regional language education and the establishment of the university.
Critics
Feared graduates would become alienated from their communities and from the British Raj.
- Location
- Lahore
- Founded
- 1860s
- Languages Taught
- Urdu, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Arabic
- First Principal
- GW Leitner
- Organization
- Anjuman-i-Punjab (Punjab Literary Society)
- Key Event
- Final All-Pakistan Urdu Conference in 1948