Visakhapatnam girls’ school marks 175 years of education

Fort Catholic Girls’ School in Visakhapatnam is marking its 175th anniversary, celebrating an institution that has educated generations of girls since its founding in 1852. The jubilee year runs from March 2026 to March 2027. Principal Sr.

Fathima Mary said celebrations formally began on August 5, with the closing ceremony planned for January 2027 because the earlier months coincided with holidays and examinations. The school began when French sisters established a primary school for girls near St Ann’s Cathedral in the Old Town. In March 1852, the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales entrusted Fort House to the sisters, who used it as their first convent in the city and opened a school with an attached orphanage.

The sisters had reached Visakhapatnam in December 1851 after travelling from France. Their arrival followed an appeal by Father Sebastian Neyret, who later became a bishop, to the Superior General of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy. The school received government recognition in 1856.

A larger building was acquired in 1884 as enrolment grew. It later expanded through the upper classes and adopted the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education syllabus. It was affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations in 1996.

P. Anuradha Padmavathi, who studied at the school and later became a teacher, said she was part of its first ICSE batch. Former student Matilda Francis recalled classrooms where teachers knew pupils individually and said the school felt like a home.

Ms Francis also remembered that girls were not turned away because their families could not afford uniforms. The school drew pupils from different communities and backgrounds, reflecting its long role in girls’ education in the city. The anniversary programme presents the school’s history as part of Visakhapatnam’s wider educational development.