talent-kerala.net

38 years ago, when Dr.Grace George of Edayaranmula started a school in a rented room in Chennai with a single teacher and 14 students of LKG, many doubted the wisdom of starting such a venture in a city with numerous reputed schools. Today, with 4000 students and 125 teachers with classes from LKG to Plus 2, Alpha Matriculation School has indeed come a long way.

It was her father, himself a teacher, who guided her into the education field.  As the student-strength crossed 400, and construction for a new school building was ongoing at Saidapet, he predicted, “This school will grow and prosper”. 

Next year he died.  And the responsibility of developing the fledgling school came on her shoulders.  Having been brought up in Secondarabad and Mysore, she rose to the occasion and drove her car to the numerous Government offices to get different sanctions for the school.

Every year about 200 students of Alpha join B.Tech and another 15 MBBS.  But it is not only academic excellence that the school emphasizes.  Cultivation of positive attitude, communication skills, as well as personality development too are given due importance.

Old boys association of the school is functional in Germany and USA.  Once during a US tour she met a former Alpha student, who was running a software company in New Jersey with 500 employees under him.  “Out of them 10 are from Alpha,” he said with a smile.  “That was a day of satisfaction for me,” she says.

In 1990 her husband suddenly died.  Recovering from the shock, she rededicated herself to the task of developing the school.  As a logical expansion of the school, the Alpha Arts and Science College was started in Porur.  In addition, Dr.Grace George Hospital as well as Alpha Institute of Health Science and Research are other ventures of hers.  She is the Chairperson of Tamil Nadu Metriculation Schools Association also.

Courtesy: Staff Representative,  Vanitha October 15-31, 2005
Contributed by: Administrator 

"Faint heart never won fair lady."