Shillong, April 6: From being the only school for girls in the Northeast over a century ago, K.J.P Girls' Higher Secondary School, Shillong, has overcome many hurdles and became a source of inspiration for women in getting access to better education, especially when sending girls to learn and write alphabets was not entirely appreciated.

K.J.P. Girls' Higher Secondary School, Shillong, which will conclude its celebrations of 125 years of existence on June 8 this year, was an offshoot of an erstwhile school established by the Welsh missionaries at Nongsawlia village in Sohra (Cherrapunjee), where it was converted into a normal school in 1864.

After a section of the school was shifted from Sohra to Shillong in 1887 under the supervision of Hugh Roberts, the K.J.P Girls' Higher Secondary School became an exclusive school for girls in 1892 when the Welsh Presbyterian Mission Society sent a lady missionary, Bessi Williams, to take over the administration of the school amid scepticism, since the school was administered by men only.

As the school prepares to conclude the quasquicentennial celebrations, authorities had something to share.

Speaking to reporters here today, the school's managing committee president, Rev. G.P.L. Gadew, narrated the history of the school in its 125 years of journey as an exclusive school for girls.

Talking about educating the girl child, Gadew said during undivided Assam, parents from places like Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Siliguri and other places sent their daughters to Shillong to study at K.J.P. school.

"Reading the history of the school, I feel emotional, as the school had been able to produce many women who are stalwarts and pioneers of society," Gadew said.

Asked about the challenges the school faced during those times, Gadew said managing a girls' school was a big challenge, both from social and financial perspectives.

"It was a challenge for girls those years. They did not go to school as parents would think that if they went to school to learn alphabets they would become sterile (barren). But missionaries educated the people and enabled girls to go to schools. The people were even sceptical whether the school under the leadership of Bessie Williams would survive, since many considered and believed that women were not good administrators, and fit only for rearing children and in the kitchen," Gadew said.

It took two years for people to see the rapid and successful changes that the school could bring about in imparting knowledge to the students under the able and effective leadership of Williams, who, thence was considered the founding headmistress of the school, he added.

Stating that the first Khasi headmistress of the school was Hilda Bhajur in 1945, Gadew said this year as a part of the celebrations, a lecture in memory of Bhajur would be organised, besides other activities, including a marathon for raising funds for the school.

Although the school was considered to be an offshoot of the normal school established at Nongsawlia, Sohra, the erstwhile Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian Synod, the sponsoring body of the school, unanimously accepted that the school was established in 1892.

The centenary celebrations were held in 1992 and in 1999, the school was upgraded to higher secondary.

At present, the school offers two streams - arts and commerce - at the higher secondary level. The school management committee is keen to offer science stream this year.

Throughout the years, the school has produced many eminent personalities.

Some of them are Silverine Swer (Padma Shri), E.N. Shullai (Padma Shri), Mavis Dunn Lyngdoh, the first Khasi woman minister in the then undivided Assam government, Bonily Khongmen, the first Khasi woman MP, Rose Milian Bathew Kharbuli, former chairperson of the UPSC, just to name a few.

All former headmistress and principals were also students of the school.

At present, the school has a hostel with about 250 students. It caters to the needs of children coming from rural and border areas as well as from other states of the Northeast.

As part of the celebrations, the Khasi Jaintia Welfare Association, along with the management of the school, will organise a marathon for different age categories in Shillong on May 27.