Starting out from the corner of a residential bungalow with just six girls, it seemed destined for a failure under the social circumstances of the period. Women, in general, were held low in the social strata and the concept of ‘right to education’ for them was unheard of.
But thanks to the gritty persistence of its visionary founder Ms. Amelia Dorothea Baker, the Baker Memorial Higher Secondary School would not only survive but grow to become a pioneering institution for girl students in entire South India.
This January 29, on the grounds of the school in Kottayam, hundreds of people including former and present students, teachers and the public will gather to celebrate the institution’s rich 200-year history.
“The fact that it has stood all this while for just one purpose — education — sets it completely apart. Over the period, it has helped transform the lives of over a lakh women through education, which itself is a great achievement,” said Jegy Grace Thomas, the school Principal.
According to her, the institution’s adherence to the core value of women empowerment has helped it stand the test of time. From its humble beginning as a ‘Penpallikkoodam’ in April 1819, the school today has about 1,450 students and 80 teaching and non-teaching employees.
While the classes offered were English, stitching and embroidery in the initial days, the school eventually developed a curriculum of its own and prepared text books with the help of Benjamin Bailey, the missionary who was instrumental in establishing the first Malayalam printing press.
Upon growing in strength, it shifted to the Baker Hills in 1865 and the institution was accorded the status of a lower secondary school by the Department of Education in 1894. It was further elevated as a High School in 1903 and also opened a Higher Secondary division in 1998.
One unique thing about the institution is that it has maintained the ubiquitous ‘Baker Green skirt paired with white shirt and yellow–ribbon braids’ as its uniform since inception.
Governor P. Sathasivam will inaugurate the second century celebrations at 11.30 a.m. at a function to be presided over by Thomas K. Oomen, Bishop of the CSI Central Kerala diocese. Thomas Payikkad, treasurer, CSI Central Kerala diocese, Former Supreme Court Judge K.T. Thomas, and Thiruvanchur Radhakrishnan, MLA, will also attend.
