St. George's Girls' School

The history of St. George's Girls School stretches back to 1884, when Mrs. Biggs, wife of the Rev. Louis Coutier Biggs, began conducting informal classes within their residence, known as 'The Manse', at Farquhar Street.[3] Biggs was a British missionary who, at the time, was serving as a preacher at the nearby St. George's Church.[1][4]

St. George's Girls School was formally established in the following year, with R. A. Shackleford becoming the school's first principal. The school was named after St. George, the patron saint of England and principally funded by St. George's Church.[1]

The school started off with an intake of 40 students.[3] In 1888, increasing student enrollment led to classes being moved into a newly constructed bungalow next to 'The Manse'.[1][3] However, the school's "close proximity" to the Eastern & Oriental Hotel just across Farquhar Street was deemed "undesirable"; it was stated in an administrative report in 1899 that "keeping boarders... was a loss for the school's funds".[3]

In 1909, the British authorities took over the administration of St. George's Girls School and renamed it the Government Girls' School.[1][3] Subsequently, efforts were made to address the shortage of qualified teachers and the relocation of the school to accommodate more students.[3] In 1911, the Government Girls' School was moved to Northam Road, and further expansion occurred with the acquisition of two bungalows. The British authorities also proposed in 1916 to turn the all-girls school into a co-educational school, but this idea did not materialise.

The administration of Government Girls' School was handed back to St. George's Church in 1920, at which point the school's name was reverted to its original name, St. George's Girls School.[1]

In 1954, St. George's Girls School was shifted once more, this time to its present grounds at Macalister Road.[1] The school has since been renowned for the consistent academic achievements of its students. As a result, St. George's Girls School was named one of the Cluster Schools by Malaysia's Ministry of Education in 2008, as well as being listed as one of the country's High Performance Schools in 2010.[3]

• Tuanku Bainun - former Queen of Malaysia (1989-1994) and of the State of Perak (1984-2014)
• Eva Lee Kwok - Canadian businesswoman and investor
• Faridah Merican - actress, and founder of KLPac and PenangPac[3][5]
• Fatimah Abu Bakar - actress and journalist[4]
• Harbans K. Virik - Malaysia's first qualified paediatrician[3]
• Helen Chuah - former Mayor of Colchester in the United Kingdom (2011-2012)[6][7]
• Judy Cheng-Hopkins - United Nations Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the University for Peace
• Khoo Salma Nasution - Penang historian and councillor in the Penang Island City Council (2017-) [8]
• Ooi Chean See - Malaysia's first female orchestra conductor [9]
• Oon Beng Hong - first ethnic Chinese woman to be called into the English Bar[3][10]
• Poh-Sim Plowright - Noh researcher at the University of London[11][12]
• Shahrizat Abdul Jalil - former Malaysian Minister of Women, Family and Community Development
• Sun Jinwan - daughter of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China[3]
• Sun Jinyuan - daughter of Sun Yat-sen, the founding father of the Republic of China[3]
• Vicki Cheng Har Ooi - Hong Kong-based drama educator[11]
• Yeohlee Teng - American fashion designer
• Zaiton Othman - athlete and sports psychologist[4]
• Zubaidah Md Ismail - former Commissioner of Police Royal Malaysia Police

• Official website
• Casa Georgian Services