Ex-students forum should help their alma mater wholesomely

Ranjit Podder :
The grand reunion of the Pogosians as well as the formerly and current teachers of the school was celebrated on 6th June 2014 in a festive enthusiasm. The school has a glorious past in producing famous personalities such as epic-poet kaikobad, the first Bangla translator of the holy Quran Girish Chandra Sen, formerly Chief Minister of West Bengal Profulla Chandra Ghosh, formerly Prime Minister of Bangladesh Ataur Rahman, famous comedian Bhanu Bandopadhay, famous poet Shamsur Rahman. Everyone knows that all those mentioned are late but some of the living famous Pogosians such as film star Probir Mitra, cartoonist Rafiqunnabi, Golam Dastagir Gazi, Bir Protik and sitting MP of Narayangonj -1, Borkat Ullah Bulu, Jt secretary of BNP, Peter dePogose, great greatgreat grandson of the founder headmaster Nicolas Peter Pogose, and some other eminent Pogosians were present to celebrate the first ever reunion with friends and teachers. It is difficult to make an exhaustive list of the renowned Pogosians as the school started providing quality education long ago in 1848. The centenary booklet available in the school office can provide the readers with more detailed list of the celebrated Pogosians. Of course the centenary, too, does not contain the list of those who became famous through their contribution to different fields in the past five/six decades. It is said that the school started spreading the light of education in 1835 as an Anglo Vernacular School at the residence of Nicolas Peter Pogose. It started its journey at 6 Chitta Ranjan Avenue in the donated house of zeminder Mohini Mohan Das. So far my knowledge goes, Pogose School is the oldest non-government secondary educational institution in Bangladesh.
However, this famous seat of learning has started to limp in the recent years for some reasons well-known to the Pogosians, local people, and the teachers. There was a time, not long ago, when there were around 2500students in this school but the number of students has come down to around 1000 in the last ten years or so. What are the reasons for this deterioration? Is it because the teachers do not take proper care of the students or because there is no congenial environment in the school? Some guardians alleged that most teachers of the school were seen reluctant in classroom teaching; they were more interested in private coaching; the classrooms and the school campus remained dusty and dirty most of the time; and there were seemingly none to look after those matters. “Being annoyed, I have transferred my son to another school although I was not sure about the overall cleanliness and quality maintained in the new school” said a guardian. Whatever the reason is, it should be found out and addressed for the betterment of the junior citizens of the locality. A loving, caring, and honest head teacher with leadership quality can change the current situation. The first responsibility goes to the School Managing Committee (SMC) since the SMC enjoys huge power to recruit, motivate, and sack teachers if situation dictates. Has the present SMC thought about why guardians do not like this school for their children’s education? Why do guardians and students living close to this school opt for other remote schools? Are the teachers working hard to make the school a place where students (and guardians) would love to come in? It is known to all that teachers play a vital role to take a school to an honourable height; they do it through hard work, honesty, culture sensitive behavior with the clientele group, friendly attitudes towards students, humility in dealings, and being co-learners of students, not providers of knowledge. Thus teachers teach to change the society; they try to make a society where we will love to live in. In order to do that, teaching should be taken as a vocation; teachers can avail the ample opportunities to change the younger generation into a loving, caring, and more humanized section of people who can contribute to the building of the nation. The SMC and the teachers need to find out the reasons why the school is being degraded. Only 96% or more pass rate in the PSC, JSC, and SSC and achieving three or four GPAs does not mean that the students are receiving quality education or reversely that it does not prove that the teachers are providing quality education to the students. Moreover, the mentioned results are in no way laudable for a school like Pogose which has a glorious past. The frustration of the local Pogosians whose siblings and children have been admitted in this school indicates that they expect improved performances of the school, by performances they mean quality of education and overall management; they love to see their alma mater functioning well. The school authority can, no way, avoid their responsibility. The recent past headmaster of the school Zulfa Mohammad, died of cardiac failure in June 2010, ran the school for considerably a longer period of time; he worked as the headmaster from 1974 to 2010. He was lovingly called Khaja Baba by students for his humane qualities. He listened to everybody patiently and would give a reasonable solution. Students and guardians used to love and support him for his generous behavior and witty humour with all; they did not have to come back in empty hand after approaching him with a demand or prayer.
Pogosian Professor Dr Mostafijur Rahman, Departental Head of Textile Engineering, AUST, wrote in memoir published in the reunion souvenir that the then headmaster Mr Monindra Chandra Bhattacharjya was a famous headmaster who could be a college principal with the educational qualifications and knowledge he had but he remained a headmaster; the job of the school was a passion to him. It is heard that the period in office of Monindra Chandra Bhattacharyya saw a golden time in the known past. Although it is difficult to find a passionate headmaster like Mr Monindra Chandra Bhattacharyya nowadays, if really searched, there will be someone who can salvage the school from the falling situation.
The tenure of the present headmaster is almost over; he is at the end of his extension period; now it is time for the SMC to look for a new suitable headmaster. In this case, we love to believe, the SMC will take a wise decision to recruit an able head teacher who will work day and night to improve the teaching-learning situation and thus happily shoulder responsibility to rescue the school from further falling and work for its development. The new headmaster is expected to speed up and supervise the academic and co-curricular activities of the school; he/she will not just count days and wait for the salary at the end of the month. Of course the chief responsibility of the SMC is to work for the well being of the institution, not to see the decline of an established institution. If the SMC fails to do that, they will have to be accountable to the students as well as the guardians. It is good for a declining school to choose a head teacher from outside, as almost everyone in such a school is usually involved in grouping and internal conflicts. It sometimes becomes difficult for an insider headmaster to manage his/her colleagues. It becomes comparatively easier for someone new to implement decisions.
There could be a question why I am interested in the well being of Pogose School? The straight answer could be ‘because as a teacher educator it gives me pain to see a school declining; because I love Pogose School; I taught in this school for some years and I tried to improve the quality of teaching and learning at the school. Additionally, I will feel better if the school running better.
Finally, I would like to request the ex-Pogosians to come forward to work for the improvement of their beloved school. They can form a committee to find out the reason for decline and thus can help the school academically and administratively. To work for the school would not be difficult for them as there is a good mixture of differently experienced personalities who are established in their own fields and celebrated locally, nationally, and internationally but the question is “Will the present school administration including the teachers love to see an initiative from the ex-Pogosians”? If the answer is “Yes”, Pogose School is expected to see better days in no time. Peter de Pogose an able descendent of Nicolas Peter Pogose, the founder headmaster of Pogose School, can also come forward to do something for the school established by his forefather. He promised that he would consult with his parents and the other Pogoses back in the UK to see if something could be done for the school from their side. Of course, if such an initiative is taken, I would like to request the descendent of Nicolas Peter Pogose and the ex-Pogosians to work together for the school.
(The writer is an Assistant Professor currently posted at Govt. Teachers’ Training College in Faridpur and formerly English teacher at Pogose School, Dhaka. He can be reached at email: [email protected])