Asia’s first school being pushed to the corner
In 1715, the Rev. W. Stevenson, the Chaplain of Fort St. George, started a charity school with 18 boys and 12 girls. Thus was born the first school in India and South Asia, St. Mary’s Charity School.
The school relocated to North Black Town, subsequently shifting to Broadway, Egmore and then Chintadripet before settling on its present location in Shenoy Nagar in 1904. Today, the school in its present avatar, St. George’s Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School and Orphanage, is struggling for its historical significance to be recognized in an ever-changing, fast-paced industrial city, even as it gears up for its tercentenary celebrations on April 23.
As we approach Shenoy Nagar, the thought of visiting India’s first school is very exciting. The mental image formed beforehand is that of an old, creaky building filled with cracks, peeled-off plasters, nostalgia and heritage. As we catch a glimpse of the board with the school’s name, the excitement hits fever pitch.
But this feeling is temporary as the ‘Chennai Metro Rail’ hoardings lend an unsightly look to this academic marvel. It is ironical that the school had shifted its base from Egmore to Shenoy Nagar because the South Indian Railways had decided to extend the Egmore Station.
Janaki (14), a student of grade nine, tells us that the metro is responsible for increasing pollution in the area. She says, “It used to be cleaner before the construction started. The noise in this area has gone up too. Sometimes, the metro workers stray into the school and it causes us discomfort.”
The principal, N. George, is almost submissive when it comes to the construction. He tells us that he had approached the authorities with this issue. “I talked to the authorities regarding this and they told us that this station needed to be constructed here due to the large number of students plying to Shenoy Nagar every morning, especially to this school and Pachaiyappa’s college. So we’ve decided to remain quiet until the construction finishes.”
As we make our way through the hoardings, the first building we come across is the beautiful ‘St. Mary’s Chapel’. We quietly walk along the path leading to the school, without disturbing the Mass going on inside the chapel.
A building of red bricks and bars with a tinge of green, known as ‘Central Hall’ is to our right. This building which used to be the central building of the school, now hosts the primary division of the school.
As we reach the middle of the premises, we see children practising hockey, football and cricket. St. George’s is also known for its sportspersons, who have gone to excel in hockey at the national and state levels.
We enter the higher secondary section and hear lots of shouts and screams. Princess Silva, mathematics teacher at the school for 11 years, talks about the demographics of the school. She says, “There are 1,400 students at the school. However, the Anglo-Indian population is very low, close to 10%. However, the original purpose of starting the school was to start an orphanage and it is still active. There are currently 70 children in the orphanage.”
The school has had its share of other controversies in the past. Nasreen Fathima (14), who’s been studying here since Lower Kindergarten, talks about the misuse of the school grounds, “Under our previous principal, Paul Victor Samuel, we had functions in the open shed in the school. Most of these functions, like book launches and movie releases, were unconnected to the school. These used to generate a lot of noise and disturb school proceedings. After our parents complained, these functions stopped taking place.”
We reach the administrative department of the school, where all faculty and stuff alike are gearing up for the tercentenary celebrations. We catch the principal just as he’s about to leave for the day. He smiles when he talks about the celebrations, “It is going to be a four day event starting from April 23. We are planning a lot of festivities including stalls, games and a memorial programme.”
As we leave the campus, we come across Saranya Devi (13), who’s just finished her volleyball training for the day. She smiles broadly as she says, “I tell all my friends about my school, about the fact that it’s the oldest school in India. I feel proud.”
For almost three centuries now, St. George’s has withstood all adversities and still stands strong today as an important symbol of India’s education system. The question is whether it will continue doing so for the next three?
