26 November,2016 11:02 AM IST | | Gaurav Sarkar
As the Matunga institution completes its platinum jubilee, we celebrate the school’s history, academics and its never-ending tryst with sports
What is it that makes an educational institute thrive for three quarters of a century? In the case of Don Bosco High School, Matunga, turns out it's a balanced combination of education and an equal emphasis on sports and extra-curricular activities that has made it one of the city's champions of all-round education.
Fr Bernard Fernandes, principal
At this significant milestone in the history of the Salesian Mumbai Province, Father Bernard Fernandes, the school's principal, turns back the clock. "The founding fathers created a remedial system of education based on love and kindness, which we follow even today," he says, adding, "All that we do, revolves around nurturing the all-round development of our students, so that they can grow up to be honest citizens and god-fearing men."
Leslie Machado, head coach of the school's football team
The secret ingredients
It's the school's staff - one that Fernandes describes as strong and cooperative - that forms one of the pillars of its success. The school is best known in city circles as one that dominates on the football field and hockey pitch. "Whenever we start a school, we look for a ground first," says Fernandes, whose institution boasts of a hockey pitch, basketball court, and a full-fledged football field in a city starved of open spaces. "We have dedicated coaches who, in spite of receiving offers for higher salaries from other places, will not migrate. These people have given their life to Don Bosco," adds a proud Fernandes.
The focus on sports hasn't been at the cost of academics. Over the years, the school has maintained a 100 per cent record in its SSC results consistently. "Even with new subjects such as Research, which is more commonly taught in ICSE and IGCSE schools, our students have made us proud. Last year, we had sent four research teams for various competitions and all of them managed to reach the state level," shares Fernandes.
A fine balance
The school's success in education and sports lies in a well-formulated plan that focuses on nurturing young sporting talent from second grade, along with providing remedial classes for students who need it. "We have a Sports Division - a facility wherein students from the 2nd to the 9th grade dedicate their last two periods to training in respective sports thrice a week," explains Fernandes. "Playing together for so many years forms a cohesive bond of team spirit among the boys. At the end of the year, coaches of various sports, along with teachers and counsellors, provide feedback to the vice principal. If the kids are not doing well academically, they cannot be a part of the Sports Division."
The school also employs special educators for children who find it difficult to cope with their academic performance. In Kindergarten, children are taught occupational therapy, which includes acts like learning how to balance, for which parents too are invited to come and watch.
