3 days ago
Mumbai: In a first, Campion School opens doors for girl students
For the first time since it was founded in 1943, Campion School in Mumbai, which has been well-known as a premier all-boys institution opened its doors to girl students on Monday.
Starting with Nursery and Junior Kindergarten (KG), the popular South Bombay school began the transition from an all-boys to a co-educational institution from this academic year, which commenced on Monday.
A total of 38 girls have taken admission to Campion school in these two classes, as the school plans to follow a 50-50 ratio of boys and girls for admissions.
The day was marked by a joyful ceremonial welcome for young girls by school staff along with two reputed government officials as guests — Prashant Narnaware, secretary, Governor of Maharashtra and Ragasudha R, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mumbai.
Fr. John Rose, chairperson of the school management, said, 'This is a historic beginning, one that reaffirms Campion's commitment to progress, equality, and holistic learning.'
As per information shared by the school's management, to ensure a smooth and sensitive transition to a co-educational environment, Campion has undertaken a comprehensive readiness plan that includes infrastructure enhancements such as secure, separate washrooms and privacy-conscious facilities; recruitment of female educators, counselors, and support staff; gender-neutral classroom design and mixed-seating arrangements.
The school has also modified its anthem and other prayers to replace words such as boys and sons with more inclusive words, to welcome girls.
As Campion school welcomed its first batch of girls, the school which is historically led by male principals, particularly Jesuit priests will now be headed by Sarah Justin Thomas, a woman principal.
'It is very exciting to be in this space at this moment, which marks a historical milestone with girls entering an all-boys school for the first time. I am looking forward to working with the Campion community which is extremely adaptive and committed to this transition along with preparing our students for the real world,' she said.
Campion has also begun adoption of the Cambridge Early Years Curriculum, which will start with these two classes.
