Country’s first girls’ school in Kottayam dedicates new block to Mary Baker

Kottayam: In a heartfelt tribute to its pioneering legacy in women’s education, the Baker Memorial Girls Higher Secondary School in Kottayam has opened a new block named after Mary Baker, the granddaughter of its founder Amelia Dorothea Baker. The newly completed Silver Jubilee Memorial Mary Baker Block celebrates the family’s enduring contribution to empowering girls through education.

More than two centuries ago, in 1819, at a time when educating women was almost unheard of in Kerala, Rev. Henry Baker and his wife Amelia Dorothea Baker arrived in Kottayam. Amelia began teaching six girls in the Baker bungalow, an initiative that laid the foundation for India’s first school for girls.

Social barriers were high, with most girls married off by the age of 10 or 12, but within ten years, student numbers grew to 42. After Amelia’s death in 1888, her daughter-in-law Frances Ann Baker, along with her daughters Mary, Annie, and Isabel, took the mission forward. Mary Baker, in particular, became the first principal and played a vital role in the school’s growth.

To honour three generations of remarkable women missionaries in the Baker family, the institution was named as ‘Baker Memorial Girls Higher Secondary School’. Today, Mary Baker’s legacy lives on through the new block that bears her name.

The sacrament ceremony and the release of a special Baker Memorial Souvenir were led by CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese Bishop Dr. Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian. Kottayam Municipal Chairperson Bincy Sebastian inaugurated the block. The function was presided over by Rev. Jacob George, with speeches by Rachel Nissi Ninan, Prof. C.A. Abraham, Sincy Parayil, Jayamol Joseph, Rev. Jiji John Jacob, George Varghese, Shibu Thomas, and Binu Varghese.