Thoughts of a Teacher: A Tribute to Sacred Heart, Parra (Tony de Sa) By Tony de Sa tonyde...@gmail.com
Ex-Arusha expat, Tony de Sa of Moira, spent a lifetime in teaching. Here he talks about the changes in the school he served, which completed its century some time back. It was on a sultry Monday morning in April 1970 that I first stepped into the campus of the Sacred Heart High School, Parra in Goa. My quest was to deliver my application for the post of Math-Science teacher. The Headmaster V.R. Shirodkar requested me to hand over the application to the Managing Trustee Ildefonso de Souza who told me that I would be interviewed by the Board of Trustees of the School. The interview was interesting in that the full Board comprising of Ildefonso de Souza, Assumção Almeida and Maria Ida D'Souza interviewed me. I was appointed subject to the condition that I would stay for a minimum of two years. I blithely agreed to the condition little realizing that I would spend the next major part of my life -- thirty seven and a half years in the school and marry Ms. D'Souza's daughter in the bargain! Accordingly I joined school when it reopened in June 1970. What was school like then? To be sure, it was much, much different from what it is now. To start with, the highest class in the school was the tenth which was then the pre-SSC class. The physical accommodation in the school was different from what it is now. The library room was there but minus doors and windows. The staff room was accommodated in the lab. The office was where the present staff room is. Since there was a dire need for having a separate staff room, various permutations and combinations were tried with the help of the students and staff. Finally the present configuration was arrived at by trial and error. During that year, the staff was a fraction of what it is now. As I recall, the staff consisted of V.R. Shirodkar (M.A, B.Ed) Headmaster, Ivan Rocha, Goving Chodankar, Richard Pawar (PE), Ms. Lucy Pereira, Ms. Maryanne D'Souza, Ms. Mavis D'Souza and myself. The primary staff consisted of Ms. Martha D'Souza, Ms. Sophie D'Souza and Ms. Cynthia Rocha. The atmosphere in the staff was one of utmost friendliness and unity. Accommodation in the school was different from what it is now. The library room was there but minus doors and windows. The staff room was accommodated in the lab. The office was where the present staff room is. Since there was a dire need for having a separate staff room, various permutations and combinations were tried with the help of the students and staff. Finally the present configuration was arrived at by trial and error. The substitution book was unheard of but we each volunteered to cover classes in the primary or secondary section of our absent colleagues. We shared snacks during recess and we had a crate of soft drinks in the staff room. Each one was free to pick up a bottle of soft drink and put the requisite amount for it (Rs. 3 at that time) in a box. We never found the money to be short! Working conditions for teachers at that time were abysmal. There was no security of service nor was salary assured from month to month. The pattern of Government assistance at that time gave the schools two-thirds of the expenditure and the management was supposed to make good the balance one-third by way of fees. Fee collection was dicey as the students did not all pay nor did they pay in time if at all they paid. Our school Trust, being a non-profit making Trust, had a hard time to meet salary obligations. What a vast contrast today. Working as a science teacher in the school at that time was pure fun. There was a whole lab to conduct various experiments. One difference in running a lab and doing experiments in a lab in college is that in college one gets all equipment ready made. One has to only perform the experiment. As a math graduate, I hadn't the faintest idea of preparing standard solutions. This had to be learnt by copious reference work from books in the school library. However, it was a policy of the school to keep the lab up to date and to see that each child does his or her own experiment individually. The highest class in the school being the tenth, the next logical step was to approach the Poona Board for recognition and have the eleventh (SSC) standard. But our Management was hesitant. This was because of the obligation of staff salaries and the cost of furnishing the school and purchasing equipment as per the Poona Board requirements. There was even talk of handing over the school to an Order of Brothers to run. However, a lot of urging on the part of various people including the staff and the deep sense of responsibility and loyalty of the D'Souza family towards the school, which is a family-run school, prevailed and the Management decided to seek recognition from the Poona Board. Accordingly, Walter D'Souza and Mavis D'Souza (now de Sa) went to Poona to meet the Board authorities. In this they were helped by a priest Rev. Fr. Sabino D’Souza (who was an ex-student of the school) to set up an appointment with the Board authorities.. Without the help of Fr, Sabino, this was well nigh impossible. In 1971, the Board inspectors from Poona inspected the school and recognition was granted to the school to permit the school to conduct classes upto Std XI (Old Course SSC). Our first batch appeared for the examinations in 1972 March. Since those old days, the school has undergone many changes. The first big change in the school came with the influx of students from the Marathi shalas. These students had absolutely no English learning in the primary school or if they had learned English, it was rather scanty as compared to our primary students. In the first year, the students from the shala were few so we accommodated them in the same Std V as our students. In subsequent years, our intake of shala students became very heavy and we had to have a special B division for them and even a C division in some years. The influx of the shala students had another effect. It put pressure on space. Various means were adopted by us to accommodate the students. The school hall was partitioned with movable wooden partitions. When required these could be moved and the hall used in its entirety. It was then that the Management of the school took the bold step of building two classes on the plinth which existed between the hall block and the lab block. Still there was pressure on space and the management built two more classes. Because of the space problem, at a certain stage, the primary school and part of the middle school was shifted to the afternoon. When the first set of two classes was built, the middle school was shifted back to the morning. It was only when the Government offered infrastructure loans to educational institutions, that the Management again rose to the occasion and decided to built five new classes. This enabled the whole school to function in one shift. Toilets were always a problem. However due to the generosity of well wishers, James and Larinka (niece of late Walter D’Souza) Wright, the school has now built a block of 14 modern toilets. On completion of 100 years, the school is eligible to get a special one time grant of Rupees 50 lakh towards building up the infrastructure of the school. Plans are afoot to construct a storey on the existing new block built under the infrastructure scheme. In the meantime, since the reopening of the school in 1965, the school has grown from strength to strength. Over time, it has excelled in various fields and today can boast of a fine laboratory (renovated and refurbished by Syngenta Ltd.), computer laboratory, and sylvan surroundings. Our ex-students have excelled in various fields of human endeavour. We are proud to boast of doctors, lawyers, engineers, software professionals, cooks, drivers, etc. No matter what they are, we hope the lessons they learned at Sacred Heart will persist. After completing a century, may the school continue in its quest of teaching not only academics, but also studies in various fields that will make our students complete human beings. -- The author of this article was appointed teacher in the school in June 1970. He was promoted to the post of Supervisor and after a stint of 15 years as a Supervisor, he was promoted to the post of Headmaster. He retired in September, 2010. More at http://sacredhearthighschoolparra.wordpress.com/