CSI Madhya Kerala Diocese

Baker Memorial Girls H.S.S., Kottayam

The Saga of Baker Memorial Girls’ Higher Secondary School goes way back to the year 1816, with the arrival of Church Missionary Society on the Indian soil. The missionaries set about lighting the beacon of Education. Amelia Dorothea Baker, wife of Henry Baker Sr, realizing that a whole society can be developed if its women are educated, lost no time in starting Female Education.

The history of education started with the visionary effort of Colonel Munroe. The first College, CMS College Kottayam was started in 1817 and the grid of educational institutions in the same year including CMS College High School for boys education. Discussion were in the air about starting a similar institution for girls’ education and the efforts were realized in the year 1818. It is the pioneering institution in girls education in South India.

Mrs.Henry Baker Sr.and later, Mrs.Henry Baker Jr. persuaded parents to send their daughters to school to avail the far reaching benefits of education. Henry Baker Sr. visited many slaves markets and preached “Goodnews”. He paid the price of slaves and liberated them. He paid ‘6-12 panams’ for the girl children and included them in the journey of a great pilgrimage of love. The efforts of Mrs. Benjamin Bailey were also beneficial to these efforts.

The School grew in number and strength and in 1865, it was shifted to the present premises. It was accorded the status of a lower secondary by the Department of Education in 1894 and became ‘Miss Baker School- a memorial to the early Mrs. Baker. The school was further upgraded into a Higher Secondary School in1998 with Mrs. Ponnamma Jacob as its Principal.

The benefits of the school has been enjoyed not only by Christians but also by people of all class and creed in and around Kottayam. The school still stands as a beacon of light and model for other institutions.

In the initial years the text for learning were prepared as pamphlets in the CMS Press by Rev. Benjamin Bailey. The teachers were trained in modern methods and techniques. South Indian literature was translated into Malayalam and the introduction text enhanced the potential of Education. Craft training was also introduced. The girls were trained in embroidery, needle work, moral education along with the advanced curriculum.

On 27th September 1947 Church of South India was born as a continuation of the missionary efforts in the land of letters. At present the school is managed by CSI Diocese of Madhya Kerala.

The motto’ Love Never Faileth’ which has been the theme of the school for a century and more, remains unchanged and will continue to be so for ages to come.

Bishop Hodges Higher Secondary School, Mavelikara

Bishop Hodges Higher Secondary School', is under C.S.I. Madhya Kerala Diocese in Alleppey District. The school is located at the heart of Mavelikara town (near to Kayamkulam-Thiruvalla highway).

The institution, which has a great legacy, was founded in the year 1839 as a high school. The school was upgraded to higher secondary in 1998. The school has classes from 5th standard to 12th standard. The school follows Kerala State Syllabus of Education (SCERT) for classes from 5th to 10th. Medium of teaching is both Malayalam and English.

CMS Higher Secondary School, Mallapally

Mallappally, known as the land of ‘Mallans’ and graduates has a wonderful history of student education. The very first rays of knowledge and English education in this nature-blest land has been imparted by Rev George Mathen, the vicar of the CMS Church at Mallappally. It was nearly two centuries back in 1854 that Mathenachan had started his Grammar school in the verandahs of his house. Fourteen years later, in 1858, a fully-fledged and the region’s first of its kind, CMS English Middle School, was founded. In 1920, undergoing a significant upgrade, a high school took its place. The School was wonderfully funded and had tremendous help and support from a large number of families in and around Mallappally.

Perhaps the most gratifying thing to note was the tremendous love and support the School received from all religious and social denominations in the region. The School was a personal pride of all people in Mallappally. The great institution continued to exist as the only High School in the entire district for a long time.

The School celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1981 and became a Higher Secondary in 1998 and is celebrating its magnificent 100 years of High School and the Silver Jubilee of the inception of the Higher Secondary School in the coming years.

This glorious citadel of proficiency and education continues to bless Mallappally and her neighbours, emanating the light of knowledge around. At present, with ten classes in the Higher Secondary Section and 23 classes in High School, the landmark continues to hold its head high with the strength of more than 1000 students. Boasting a sublime existence of 168 long years and an inspiring line of outstanding alumni and a plethora of talented students who have shone brightly in various professions, the School continues to nurture eminent souls for the betterment of the society and the nation.

The School has excelled in sports, cultural and co-curricular activities over the years and has produced excellent athletes and sportspersons at the state and national levels. The School has never fallen back on her objective to always impart value-based education with particular emphasis on personality development, character formation, and academic excellence.

The School has provided an incredible platform for opportunities and improvement, with ample student-teacher interaction. Remedial classes and special attention is provided to students who require the same.

This institution which tells stories of the past and has been an alma mater to many generation, hopes to continue to render it's valuable contributions to the church, society and the nation.

CMS College Higher Secondary School, Kottayam

The history of the C. M. S. College Higher Secondary School begins from 1817. The School, which started functioning as a Grammar School in 1817, grew into a full fledged High School and has now graduated into a Higher Secondary School and has thrown its portals open to students hailing from every walk of life, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. It has now 1200 students on its rolls and 62 qualified and competent teachers as Staff members. Located at Chungam on a hill in sylvan surroundings beside Meenachil river, the School is functioning far from the din and bustle of the busy town, but easy of access, providing an air of eminence and elegance to the passers-by.

To tell the story of the beginning of English education nearly two centuries ago is to recapitulate the endeavours of Colonel John Munro a man of astounding energy and abounding ingenuity. There was no well-organized system in even elementary education in this part of the country. Colonel Munro requested the Church Missionary Society to send a few English missionaries to Travancore for educational work. Rev. Thomas Norton came in 1816 and stationed at Alappuzha (Alleppey). He was followed by the great visionary Rev. Benjamin Bailey.

Rev. Bailey stayed at Alappuzha with the Nortons and gained elementary knowledge in Malayalam language for interacting with the Community. He moved to Kottayam in 1817 and settled down on a hill later known as Bailey Hill. It was he who set up the first printing press (C. M. S. Press, Kottayam) and translated English Bible into Malayalam. He and Mrs. Bailey held regular classes in English at their bungalow. This school started in 1817 in Bailey's bungalow was the ancestor of the C. M. S. College Higher Secondary School of today. The classes soon grew into an English School by 1819 and was named as the Grammar School. The C. M. S. attached greatest importance to their Grammar School and gave Rs. 400 for erecting a building for the School and sanctioned a quarterly grant of Rs. 250/-. The Grammar School was maintained at much expense to teach English and Sanskrit besides Malayalam, Arithmetic and some General Science. The pupils had to be fed and clothed free and sometimes monetary inducements had to be given to parents to send their children to School.

Rev. Joseph Fenn was the first Headmaster who was followed by Henry Baker. During Baker's term of office there was an epidemic of Cholera in 1832 and the school had to be closed for a few months. In 1838 the Grammar School was upgraded into a public school called the C. M. S. College and was transferred to Fenn's Hill (now called the C. M. S. College hill). Fee was collected in the College for the first time in 1855. Every student had to pay a quarter of a rupee to be devoted to scholarships.

In 1857 the C. M. S. College was affiliated to the Madras University for Matriculation. The first student sent up by the College for Matriculation Examination was the late Archdeacon Chandy. In his memory "The Venerable Archdeacon Chandy Prize" is awarded in the School. The Maharaja of Travancore visited the College in 1880 and remarked in his address "Long before the state itself undertook the humanising task of Education, the Christian missionaries had raised the beacon of knowledge in the land".

In 1892 the C. M. S. College was raised from the standard of a High School to that of the Second Grade College (in the sense in which the term 'College' is used now). In 1907 the University Commission visited the College and recommended the separation of the School and the College departments for the further expansion of the College. Since then the School came to be known as The C. M. S. College High School. On 15th April 1950, the 133 year old C. M. S. High School bade farewell to its home on Fenn's hill and returned to the home of its childhood on Bailey's Hill.

The year 1967 was another important milestone on the onward march of the historic institution when the School celebrated the Tripple Jubilee (150th anniversary). One of the main projects to be taken up during the Jubilee year was the construction of a new Hostel building at the northern extremity of the school campus.

The year 1992 was celebrated as a jubilee to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the School. The development project in connection with the jubilee celebrations yielded good results in the form of a new Headmaster's room, School office, Computer lab, Library, Laboratory, a spacious Staff-room and 8 class rooms.

It has to be specially mentioned that all the teachers of the school voluntarily contributed their two month’s salary for the completion of the project. The project was completed with the strong support of students, teachers, former students, well-wishers and management. The school was upgraded as a Higher Secondary School during the year 2000. It was purely a boy's school till 2000. Since then, girls were also admitted. For the first time, lady teachers were appointed as staff in the year 1983.