A 178-year-old school in Mumbai facing financial hurdles as it struggles to stay afloat

The Students Literary and Scientific Society School, which operates out of a building more than a century old, is located in Thakurdwar in Girgaon.

A 178-year-old Marathi-medium girls’ high school in Mumbai, started by visionary reformers including Jagannath Sunkersett, is struggling to survive. Once known as a pillar of women’s education in Mumbai, the school faces an uncertain future due to social and policy changes.

City’s oldest girl school in Girgaon is struggling for survival. Trustee Surendra Sunkersett, Prakash Chikhalikar, Vrinda Bhagwat, Archana Thite, and Mrudula Chikhalikar of S L & S S Girls' High School (Kamlabai High School) at Girgoan in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, April 23. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The Students Literary and Scientific Society School (SL &SS girls), which operates out of a building more than a century old, is located in Thakurdwar in Girgaon. The management has made an emotional appeal to citizens and the government, asking for support to protect the historic institution.

The society that runs the school was established in 1848 by social reformers such as Dadabhai Naoroji, Bhau Daji Lad, Jagannath Sunkersett, Justice K T Telang, Raosaheb Madlik and Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar. Their aim was to empower women through education and help them become self-reliant at a time when such opportunities were rare. Today, many of its classrooms are empty and laboratories that once thrived are now silent.

Over the years, a consistent drop in student enrolment has thwarted teacher recruitment because recruitment is linked to student numbers.

Bhagwat said the school has tried to adapt to changing times. In 2022, it became a co-educational institution. Earlier, in 2015, the management had proposed opening an English-medium section, but the plan was turned down by the government, which said there were already English medium schools within a one-kilometre radius.

“We tried very hard to bring in more students,” said Bhagwat, adding that teacher numbers have also fallen. Things are so dire that there are informal discussions among the school management and officers of the state education department, of shifting students to other schools and shutting the institution. Naturally, this has upset the management.

With teacher recruitment linked to student enrolment figures, there has been a significant drop in both. While there were 20-25 teachers in 2014-15, today there are only six, including the school’s principal. The number is set to drop by two more owing to the state’s policy of one teacher for every 20 students.

Despite the challenges, the school continues to observe time-tested traditions. It still bestows British-era awards such as the Lady Frier and Sayajirao Gaikwad awards to outstanding students.

The school also provides free food, school bags and other support to students, many of whom come from poor backgrounds. Some of these students don’t have Aadhaar cards, which creates difficulties in enrolling them in systems like UDISE+. “To promote education in Marathi medium, the government must come up with a solution like Ladki Bahin, which gives a student’s family a fixed monthly sum as an incentive,” Bhagwat said.

Echoes of its heyday

For many former students, the decline of their alma mater is deeply painful. Mrudula Chikhalikar, 80, great-granddaughter of Sunkersett, recalled her time in the institution. “I remember completing my primary education in a Jagannath Sunkersett Marathi school, and later moving to this school in 1953. This school gave me everything.” She says seeing “vacant classrooms and the quiet building” makes her very sad, and she hopes the school can regain its old glory.

At the age of 93, Surendra Sunkersett, great-grandson of Jagannath Sunkersett, is doing all he can to save the institution. He has served in various roles in the school management and continues to work as a trustee.

He says “these schools are living history”, and if they disappear, a valuable part of Mumbai’s heritage will be lost. He suggests that the government recognise such institutions as special heritage schools and support them, even through CSR initiatives, to improve student admissions.

Some former students remember the school as a place of excellence. Archana Thite, an alumna and former professor at KC College, said the institution had strong facilities, including good laboratories, sports teachers, and even a special room for drawing. She also recalled the contribution of former principal Kamalabai Vaidya, who served for 33 years and helped build the school’s identity at a time when many students performed exceptionally well in the board exams.

The school building itself is a part of history. Built on a 20,000-sq ft plot, it was constructed in 1926 after the earlier structure was too small to accommodate the students. Funds were raised with the help of people associated with the institution. Today, however, maintaining the building is a challenge. Trustee Prakash Chikhalikar said that regular structural audits show the need for repairs, but funds are limited. “We want this legacy to survive,” he said, adding that appeals for fund-raising are ongoing.

Chikhalikar said that while Girgaon is changing, the school is prepared to adapt. But government support would be needed. He said there is a contradiction between slogans like “preserve the mother tongue” and the reality where Marathi medium schools are struggling to survive. “Saving the school is not just about one institution, but about preserving a culture,” he said.