allAfrica.com: Mauritius: "Discipline is an essential ingredient in education" (Page 1 of 1)

"When I walk down memory lane, I recall that, at each stage of my time as a student, I have been lucky to come across excellent teachers. Before enumerating them, I would like to mention that I grew up in Rose-Hill and Port-Louis (Ward IV). Therefore, I began my education in a nursery school and I remember my teacher, Miss Bonne, very well.

Afterwards, I went to Champ de Lort Government School (today known as Raoul Rivet Government School) in Port-Louis. As far as I am concerned, I must say without a single hesitation, that I spent the best moments of my life over there, along with Satish Boolell - he is today the Chief Police Medical Officer and has remained since those days one of my best friends. Indeed, I have very good memories of my days at Champ de Lort.

Having said this, I must also say that I was very lazy, as all I liked was to play and mess around. But those days are still nice to remember thanks to the contribution of all the people forming part of the school environment, like the teachers, my mates and even the attendants namely Marcelin and Ferdinand. Coming to the teachers themselves, I would first like to pay a vibrant tribute to the late Mr. Periatamby who passed away recently. This great man will always be remembered for his way of instilling discipline. In fact, I must admit that it was due to his firmness that I was motivated to study. There was no private tuition at the time; nevertheless, he gave me private tuition for nothing. Mr. Periatamby was very strict and knew how to make himself respected by everyone. He was so respected that some people, including myself, were scared of him. The other person I would also like to mention was Mr. Ramdoyal, the head teacher of the school. He was a great guy and a well-known figure in the education field. He was the father of Ramesh Ramdoyal who was the director of the Mauritius Institute of Education several years ago. I will never forget the day when Mr. Ramdoyal (senior) passed away while I was still a pupil. That was harsh. But what I will best remember is definitely when I had to carry the wreath with some classmates.

One man whom I cannot forget, and who is still alive is Mr. Tirvengadum who was in charge of a school called Ecole de la Montagne. It was a handicraft school. Thanks to him, I managed to develop my manual skills and eventually went on to win a prize after having made a money box. I luckily got the chance to meet him thereafter in my political career. The two last ones I would like to pay tribute to are Mr. Ramuree and Mr. Ragoo to whom I owe so much respect.

I had to move on for my education at secondary level. At that time, life was extremely difficult. Although free education was not the order of the day, I still managed to continue my education thanks to my uncle, Mr. Shantilal Dhanjee who was heading a school carrying his name. I was not from a rich family. My father was an ordinary worker in jewels; as a result, my parents could not afford to send me to college. Thanks to my uncle, I managed to pursue my education without paying anything. Up to now I feel indebted towards him and I am grateful to him for what he did. I will never forget him walking around the school with his stick. (Laughter)

The last teacher I would like to thank is Mr. Banymandhub. He helped me pass my English by giving me tuition and I got the opportunity to make some good friends, among them two of the Adolphe brothers. Mr. Banymandhub was very strict and severe. Essentially, Mr. Dhanjee and himself were my two mentors for English and the two who managed to help me pass in English, which was my nightmare.

As I have said before, I was known to be very turbulent, in other words a defaulter. But I have managed to become the man I am today by receiving some fundamental values such as discipline and respect for elders thanks to the teachers I have mentioned. After all, when I recall those days I consider that the moments I spent in school were sacred. I am very thankful to all my teachers who have contributed to my success and shown me that discipline is an essential ingredient for the blossoming of any child."

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