Who among the following was associated as Secretary with Hindu Female School which later came to be known as Bethune Female School?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2021 Prelims]

(a) Annie Besant

(b) Debendranath Tagore

(c) Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

(d) Sarojini Naidu

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

• John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune established the Hindu Female School in 1849, which was later renamed as Bethune School in 1856.
• In the same year, the Government took control of the Hindu Female School, which was eventually renamed as Bethune School.
• To manage the school, a committee was established, and Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was appointed as the Secretary.
• In August 1878, the Bethune School merged with Banga Maha Vidyalaya, which was founded by Miss Annette Akroyd with the support of Durgamohan Das, Dwarka Nath Ganguly, and Anandamohan Basu.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.