This order was managing the school for the past 50 years and the school saw several teachers from the order along with those outside
Former students of Salvation High School in Dadar have been writing to this paper since reading a report about the Irish Christian Brothers, a teaching order, leaving the school by the month end.
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This order was managing the school for the past 50 years and the school saw several teachers from the order along with those outside, giving it a unique identity. While the order is exiting Dadar itself, there is some concern about the direction this school will take once the Brothers leave.
The school's ex-students spoke about their alma mater's moral compass that gave direction to their life. This came from the Brothers who were concerned about the unprivileged. The school comprised the haves and have nots. The latter were given special attention by the Brothers, to the extent that they even visited the poorest of poor in their homes to check out living conditions, to ask why a particular student had not come to school.
With the change of reins, one hopes that the school retains this humane, compelling character. While the new management and some teachers may not emulate every deed of the Brothers, the cornerstone of their philosophy, give to the poor, one can only hope is retained.
Trepidation about change is a given, especially in these days when education has become the competitive cauldron that it is. Schools have also become hugely commercialised and today, learning is big, very pricey business with moguls owning schools and international teaching being the norm. In this atmosphere, it is important that schools retain their inherent, core values so that students can continue to imbibe those.
The Dadar institution, one of the bedrocks of learning in the area should hopefully cling to its empathy for the less privileged and as a result, socially marginalised. Change is inevitable but let some things stay the way they were.
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