Teachers Day Special: Mrs. Hilda Aranha and Mrs. Sarojini Kamath: Dedicated and Committed Teachers

By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network

05 September 2014: Teaching is one of the most complicated jobs today. It demands broad knowledge of subject matter, curriculum and standards. It involves enthusiasm, a caring attitude and a love of learning. Moreover, the teachers are required to have knowledge of discipline and classroom management techniques and above all a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people. With all these qualities required, it is no wonder that it is hard to find great teachers.

 

As the students all over India observe 5 September as ‘Teachers Day’ on the occasion of the birth anniversary of India’s second President, Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who himself was a great  teacher and philosopher, it is important to recall the service of  teachers who have been responsible in shaping the lives and careers of many students. In this respect, Bellevision.com highlights the dedicated  and committed service of two teachers of St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School-Mrs. Hilda Aranha who retired on 31 August 2014, after a long teaching service of 39 years and Mrs. Sarojini Kamath who has also put in 39 years of service and will be retiring on 30 November 2014.

 

Besides being colleagues in the same school, Mrs. Hilda Aranha and Mrs. Sarojini Kamath have been close friends and neighbours. Besides, their husbands, J.B. Miranda and P.D. Kamath respectively had been teachers in the same institution. While Mrs. Hilda Aranha has been recognised as an excellent English and Social Science teacher, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath has been an extraordinary Science  teacher who ignited a liking among the students for the subject considered to  be difficult by many.

 

The Catholic Board of Education (CBE) Mangalore observed the Teachers Day on 3 September 2014 during which both Mrs. Hilda Aranha and Mrs. Sarojini Kamath were honoured by the Bishop of Mangalore and the President of the CBE, Most Rev. Dr. Aloysius P. D’Souza.

 

Mrs. Hilda Aranha:

Born on 15 August 1954, to late Leo Aranha who had retired as Honorary Flying Officer in Indian Air force and  Martina Agnes D’Souza, had her Primary education in the Church Aided Higher Primary School and high school and PUC education in St. Lawrence Composite PU College, Moodubelle. She continued her college education in the Milagres College, Kallinapur from where she graduated with B.Com. degree.  As she was keen in taking up teaching profession, Hilda Aranha joined TA Pai College of Education, Udupi from where she secured the B.Ed. degree.

 

 

While Rev. Fr. V.G.F. Rego was the headmaster and Correspondent of St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School, Hilda Aranha joined the school as Graduate Assistant teacher on 1 June 1975. She continued as the teacher in the school till she retired on 31 August 2014 after putting in 39 years of fruitful service in which for 36 years she worked  as Graduate Assistant Teacher and since the last three years she had been Senior Assistant Teacher (High School Head). During these 39 years thousands of students had the opportunity of being the students of Mrs. Hilda Aranha.

 

 

Throughout her career as a teacher, Mrs. Hilda Aranha proved herself not only as an efficient teacher but also a fine human being and an organizer.  She excelled as English and Social Science teacher. In course of her career as a teacher, Mrs. Hilda Aranha shouldered some of the responsible positions such as SSLC Public Examination Centre Chief at Moodubelle and SSLC Social Science Evaluation Centre Chief at District level. As the Senior Teacher of the high school for three years, Mrs. Hilda Aranha manifested her abilities as an administrator.

 

In order to improve the quality of the students, Mrs. Hilda Aranha tried to reach out the slow learning students and took special care to see to it that they caught up with the rest of the class. She never shirked any responsibility and always cooperated with the principal and management in organizing programmes and events in the school. Whenever any student approached her with their problems, Mrs. Hilda Aranha acted as good friend, philosopher and guide.

 

Looking back at her long service in St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School, Mrs. Hilda Aranha has the satisfaction of maintaining good relation with the teaching and non-teaching  staff , students and their parents. As a disciplined person herself, she maintained good discipline in her classes. She had been sensitive to the needs of the students especially those economically disadvantaged and tried to help them in their education by providing fees, books and uniforms.

 

When asked about the decline in number of students in Kannada medium schools, Mrs. Hilda Aranha lamented the fact that when she joined St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School way back in 1975, there were more than 700 students in three classes of high school with on an average four divisions in each class. There was a time when there were six divisions in eighth standard. However, the trend towards gradual decline of the number of students began from around 1995 as a result of new high schools emerging in the neighbourhood such as Kanajar, Palli, Padubelle and Patla. Moreover, the families began to shrink with lesser number of children.

 

Added to these factors, the establishment of English medium schools and the craze of the parents to send their children to these schools greatly affected the Kannada medium schools and high schools and St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School also suffered due to these trends. As a result, at present there are only 191 students collectively in three classes from eighth to tenth.

 

Replying to a question on the nature of students then and now, Mrs. Hilda Aranha thoughtfully said that  during the last twenty five years of the twentieth century students were quite serious about their studies and other extra-curricular activities including games and sports. They had greater respect and affection towards their teachers. These students, though many of them are abroad working in big companies make it a point to meet their teachers whenever they come on holidays to their villages. However, time, circumstances and attitude of modern students has been gradually changing. Except few, large number of students nowadays do not manifest the required type of attitude towards learning as they are being distracted with modern technology such as mobiles and television.  They lack concentration on studies and tend to be indifferent regarding their performance in examinations.

 

 

 

Regarding her family, Mrs. Hilda Aranha said that she married John B. Miranda from Bellore Parish near Bantwal  in 1977. John B. Miranda had joined St. Lawrence High School, Moodubelle as Graduate  Assistant Teacher in 1972. Later, he was promoted as lecturer in St. Lawrence PU College in 1981. He was promoted and transferred as the principal of Sacred Heart PU College, Madanthyar in 1994. From there he was transferred as principal to St. Mary’s PU College, Shirva in 1997 from where he retired in 2005. He served as the principal of St. Lawrence English Medium High school, Moodubelle from 2005 to 2009.

 

 

Mrs. Hilda Aranha and J.B. Miranda are the proud parents of two sons-Johnson and Jason. After completing MBA studies, Johnson has been working for the Axis Bank as Relationship Manager NRI Department in the Mangalore Branch of the bank. He is married to Rashmi Lobo who is also MBA degree holder who works as Personnel manager in the Regional Office of the Vijaya Bank at Mangalore. They have been blessed with a daughter-Nicole who is one and half years old.

 

Jason, who is BE (Mechanical) works in the capacity of Deputy Manager for the ESSAR Company at Mumbai. His marriage with Florence Martis with MBA degree and working for the Taj Group of Hotels is being scheduled to be held in December 2014.

 

Felicitation by the Bishop of Mangalore on 3 September 2014

 

On reaching superannuation, Mrs. Hilda Aranha retired from service on 31 August 2014. On 30 August 2014, she was given a warm send off by the students and staff of St. Lawrence Composite PU College.

 

Mrs. Sarojini Kamath:

Mrs. Sarojini Kamath was born on 5 November 1954 as the last among six children, three sons and three daughters  of Devendra Nayak and Sanjeevi of Mattar in Shirva village. She had her primary education in Mutlapadi Hindi Primary School, Mattar, Secondary education in Hindu Composite PU College, Shirva and graduated with B.Sc. degree in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics from MGM College, Udupi. Later, she took up B.Ed. course in TMA Pai College of Education, Udupi.

 

 

 

Having found an opening in the teaching field in St. Lawrence High School, Moodubelle, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath joined as Graduate Assistant  Teacher on 9 June  1975 and since then has been serving the institution as science teacher with great dedication and sincerity and will be retiring at the end of November 2014, after putting in 39 years and 6 months as a teacher in one institution.
When Ms. Sarojini was in the Second Year B.Sc., her parents fixed her marriage with P.D. Kamath (17 May 1973) who was teaching in St. Lawrence High School. However, Ms. Sarojini had a strong  desire to be a teacher. With that determination and support from  her husband PD Kamath, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath continued her degree education and later completed B.Ed. course that was required to enter the teaching service.  Mrs. Sarojini Kamath says that she was fortunate to secure the teaching opportunity in the same institution where her husband too was working.

 

As a science teacher, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath has been quite popular among the students. By her simple language and easy approach, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath could make difficult science lessons comprehensible to even the average students.  She could remove the science phobia from the minds of the students and create an interest among them in that subject.

 

Mrs. Sarojini Kamath had an interest in making science models since her student days. Even as a teacher she used to guide the students to prepare various science models for competitions and many times the science models prepared by her students had won various prizes including first prize  in different  competitions.  Students trained by her in science quiz have been winning prizes in E-Quest as well as Brain Quest organized during Pratibha Karanji competitions.

 

With the retirement of Mrs. Hilda Aranha from 1 September 2014, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath has been designated as the Senior Teacher of St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School, the position that she will hold till her retirement by the end of November 2014.

 

With a caring and sensitive nature, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath has been helping a number of needy students in their studies as well as other material needs associated with the studies such as books and uniforms. Manifesting her mother-like affection towards the students, Mrs. Sarojini Kamath has won admiration and affection from thousands of students who have studied science subjects from her.

 

 

PD Kamath, husband of Mrs. Sarojini Kamath had been   teaching as Graduate Assistant in St. Lawrence Kannada Medium High School from 1965 to 1981, first as Biology teacher and later as English teacher. Later, in 1981, when St. Lawrence PU College was established,  he was promoted as a lecturer in the subject of Political Science and retired from service in 2003, thus serving in St. Lawrence Composite PU College for a total period of 38 years.

 

The Kamath couple has been blessed with three children-two sons and a daughter. Eldest son, Dr. Srinath with Medical degrees such as MBBS, DLO, DNB is an ENT Surgeon. He and  his wife Dr. Pretty  are presently providing medical service in KSHEMA, Derlakatte, Mangalore.

 

Felicitation by the Bishop of Mangalore on 3 September 2014

 

Daughter Amritha is married to Hariprasad Nayak. Both of them being Engineers are presently working and residing in Bangalore. Third, son Girish is married to Shruthi and they too being both Engineers are serving in Bangalore.