Fr. Ephraim was the Boarding Headmaster of St. Anthony’s High School in Monte de Guirim. He was the one who always strolled up and down the corridors of the school with a book in one hand and a cane in the other.
It is true, we were not allowed to speak in Konkani and those who were caught were given cane-beating. Fr. Ephraim was a lefty. As soon as one was caught, he would ask him to stretch out his hand. He would then cane the student according to his mood. He mostly gave one cane on each hand, but if you moved away your hand and if he missed his shot, there was no count of canes – he would beat you everywhere! I was caught speaking Konkani only once. At around 8:00 pm, we were chatting in Konkani at the urinals which were quite far away from main corridors. We never expected Fr. Ephraim to come to that spot but there he was like a devil standing before us; his spectacles shining with reflection of light bulb. He looked at us and said: ‘Come on; come on; show me your hand’. He gave two canes to Michael Botelho but only one for me; maybe because I was caught for the first time. I am a great lover of Konkani. I was very sad when I was not allowed to speak or read Konkani novels in the school. When I was a boarder, I had to eagerly wait for the holidays to read Konkani “Romansi”. Contrary to what some have commented on this forum, I always felt the ban on Konkani was for our own good. No wonder, Monte de Guirim was the best school then in the whole of Goa! Sometime in the late Eighties, while I was employed with Aramco, one of the American colleagues showed me a Table of TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) results in which Goa had topped the list. He congratulated me on behalf of Goans on achieving the highest score, especially because it (the highest score) came from the smallest state in India. A decade ago, the minimum required TOEFL score at the end of the College Preparatory Program (CPP) in Saudi Aramco was 450. It was then changed to 500. Just before I left the CPP in last October, it was increased to 550. Besides other subjects - Algebra, Trigonometry, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science, etc. getting the required score in TOEFL is a must or else one is not selected to go to the US to continue further studies. English instructors at the CPP are mostly Americans followed by British and Irish. However, we also have Arabic-speaking teachers who hail from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, etc. These Arabic-speaking teachers are strictly instructed at the initial orientation program not to speak Arabic to students or explain lessons in Arabic. They are also forbidden from chatting with students in Arabic during intervals. The students are required to speak English at all times – no Arabic within the faculty. If any student is found violating the rules, he is pulled up and sent to the Academic Counselor/Advisor Trainees, who explains him the benefit of speaking in English only and the repercussions otherwise. He is also warned and the meeting documented. If a teacher is found explaining in Arabic, he too is pulled up by the Principal and issued a warning notice. All this in the interest of the student! The Saudi students respect their teachers very much even if they have been harsh with them in the classroom. When they return to Saudi Arabia after their graduation in the States, they pay a special visit to the CPP faculty, ask for their teachers, meet with them and thank them individually for their guidance. Even when they get employed in the Company, they never call their teachers by their names; they just say: ‘Hi teacher!’ Today happens to be the Teachers’ Day. It’s all about expressing your gratitude towards your guide and to the person who prepared you for the world. On the occasion of the Teachers’ Day, I extend my greetings and best wishes to the teaching fraternity of Goa. Happy Teachers’ Day! Moi-mogan, Domnic Fernandes Gaumvaddy, Anjuna _________________________________________________________________ Searching for the best deals on travel? Visit MSN Travel. http://in.msn.com/coxandkings
