The first educational work of the United Presbyterian Mission was started when E. H. Stevenson took over the Primary school in Sialkot from a C.M.S. missionary in 1856.

From the beginning, the missionaries of the Sialkot Mission had an interest in the people of the rural areas. The mission found it necessary to devote the major part of its educational and evangelistic efforts to village people, the majority of whom were of the "untouchables" class, and extremely poor. In 1873, village primary day schools consisting of eight classes were established. From these village schools, the children most promising in point of character and talent were promoted to Christian Training Institute or Girls Boarding School in Sialkot.

In 1881, the Christian Training Institute (C.T.I.) was opened in Sialkot as a primary school and as a feeder for the seminary. Other boys schools at that time were Rawalpindi Boys High school, Martinpur Boys High School, and for girls Haji Pura High School, Pasrur Boarding School, Sangla Hill boarding School, Sargodha Boarding School, Rawalpindi City Girls School, Gujranwala City Girls School, Lyallpur City Girls School.

In the face of much opposition and greater indifference, the missionary women pioneers, Elizabeth Gordon, Eliza Calhoun, Elizabeth McCahon and Cynthia Wilson gave themselves unreservedly to this form of service, the teaching of women and girls.