A 150 years ago, education for girl children in Visakhapatnam was a forbidden affair. It was considered taboo and the elders in the family questioned the necessity of educating a girl child. People who tried to start a school faced resistance and left disappointed.
But all did not lose hope. In 1853, Harriet Mary Hay, the wife of Rev. John Hay, who was then managing the London Mission High School for boys, started a school for ‘native caste girls’. The move was questioned, and caste prejudices entrenched at that time prevented people from upper castes sending their daughters to school.
Thus began the only school launched exclusively for girls, which still stands tall on its foundations but is in a shambles due to want of repairs.
The school was started in Chengalrowpeta by Mary Hay, and braving resistance, the then woman missionaries went from door-to-door urging parents to send their daughters to school.
Apart from getting small funds from the London Mission, the school was supported by the Godey family, said Edward Paul, a chronicler of local history.
The school began functioning with just two admissions, and in 1898, Rev. Morris Thomas, with funds from the London Mission, built a hall and named it ‘Hope Hall’. The school then came to be known as ‘Hope Hall London Mission Girls School’.
In 1911, the school with 40 students was taken over by the Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) and in 1914, it was raised from primary to a higher elementary school with government recognition.
Till date, the school is housed in the hall that was built by Morris, and is called CBM Aided Hope Hall Upper Primary School.
Twilight years
Today, the school that was started in Old Town area with a mission to educate local girls, is tucked away in a slum and is in bad shape, a far cry from its glorious history.
Till 20 years ago, there were about 650 students in the school, but at present, the number has dropped to 42.
The teachers’ strength was around 20 till a decade ago, but now there are only two teachers, including the headmistress. All are aided teachers and with retirements over the years, the government has failed to recruit or develop this historic school.
No aid from govt.
Though the 15-inch brick-and-mortar wall and the cobbled-stone flooring stand the test of time, the old tiled roof gave way during Cyclone Hudhud in 2014. The tiles have been replaced by asbestos sheets and apart from the salaries of the two teachers, the school receives no aid from the government.
Even the watchman’s salary, the family which has been on the campus for the last 50 years, is borne by the teachers from their salary.
The teachers bear the stationery costs and depend on donations from alumni, philanthropists and NGOs.
“Many of our students have become doctors and are in good jobs. They come to our rescue at times,” said Mr. Krishna, who has been teaching at the school for the last 25 years.
“The endeavour to start schools for girls started in 1867, with G.L. Narasinga Rao’s daughter Godey Surya Prakasha Rao, starting a school, but they are non-existent today. Only Hope Hall still stands tall, but for how long?” lamented Mr. Edward Paul.
