125th Anniversary Of St Scholastica's Girls' High School
<i>Memories flood back of schooldays </i>
(Clockwise from top right) Archbishop Paulinus Costa inaugurates the 125th anniversary of St Scholastica's Girls' High School lighting candles on the school campus on Sunday; students perform Tagore's classical dance drama Shyma and a section of the participants. Photo: STAR
The 125th founding anniversary of St Scholastica's Girls' High School was celebrated amid grandeur and festivity on the campus on Sunday bringing the students of several generations the rare honour of being part of a long and glorious history of the oldest academic institution for girls in Chittagong. Reverend Bishop Patrick D Rozario CSC of Chittagong Diocese inaugurated the daylong anniversary where around 2500 former and present students of the school gathered to dive into the sweet memories of school life. The participants at the ceremony recalled the academicians, teachers and those involved in establishing the school in the nineteenth century. Euphrasie Barbier along with five Sisters - Marie du Sacre-Copeur, Marie de la Nativite, Marie St Stanislaus, Marie Philppe and Marie St Verinique, left for India on a special mission (RNDM Mission) and arrived in Chittagong on March 24 in 1883 by an Austrian ship -- the Castor. They started living in a small bungalow in the bushy area of Patherghata at the request of the then local Bishop Ballsieper, said RNDM Superior General Sister Maureen McBride. Maureen said they had to adjust with the excessive heat and humidity, unfamiliar noise of the rickshaw bells and babble of foreign language here. But plights of the local women folk moved them much to do something for the latter, she added. She said fate of the young widows and the girls preparing for marriage at the age of five to six touched them much, which inspired the sisters to set up St Scholastica's Girls' High School. They also built an orphanage for the poor girls and a hostel for the young widows. The institution is now stands as one of the best schools in the port city, said Sister Mary Palma, headmistress of the school. Sultana Nizam, a former student of the school and a former teacher of the department of history at Chittagong University, said it was an English medium school and I was the only Bangalee student among 30 in my class. She said she gets admitted to class VII after returning from Kolkata in 1950 and completed Senior Cambridge in 1954. Sultana said with their distinctive teaching style the teachers, mostly nuns from different countries like Ireland, England and the New Zealand, helped them complete their daily studies during the nine-hour school periods that started at 9:00am. The students, most of them were children of senior government officials and foreigners, started leaving this land gradually, said Sultana, also founding president of Old Scholastica's Association. Tanzima Ali, director of Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industries, was admitted to class I in the school in 1974. She said the bell started ringing at the adjoining Catholic Church rousing a religious mood among the students when the clock struck 12:00 noon, said a nostalgic Tanzima, adding that being here after two decades she feels the same today. The school was turned into a Bengali medium one immediate after the War of Liberation as most of the foreign sisters started leaving the country. Standard and quality of education started declining at the school since then, said Mehbuba Ahsan, president of Old Scholastica's Association. Mehbuba completed her study at the school in 1974. Bridget Dias, a senior teacher of the school, however, said the school still has quality teachers and they are giving their best efforts in imparting quality education. But, the excessive number of students stands on the way to giving attention to every student required for better result, Bridget said, adding that 2185 students are now studying in the school. Headmistress Sister Mary Palma said alongside ensuring quality education the school emphasised building up moral and social characters to make the students worthy citizens when different cultural and extra-curricula activities also take a good care. Performance of the students at the cultural function on the day gave a testimony to the headmistress' claim. While enjoying the ceremony Sisterabonti Acharjee Sadia, Nijhum and Laboni of class VIII wished to celebrate the 150th jubilee of their school after 25 years.
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