Alphonso D’Costa: Dedicated and Disciplined teacher and a versatile personality
By Dr. Eugene DSouza, Moodubelle
Bellevision Media Network
Moodubelle, 17 October 2010: Few people excel in multiple spheres of life and make a distinct mark in the chosen field of their career. Here is one such person, Alphonso D’Costa who not only earned reputation as a dedicated and disciplined teacher of Mathematics but also a multi-talented and versatile personality. Besides being an excellent teacher, Alphonso D’Costa has also proved to be a good administrator, meticulous organizer, social worker, writer, actor and above all a fine human being. He has rendered his service in various fields and has earned respect from all and honour from many organizations. His dedication as a teacher and discipline has been appreciated by one and all and he had the privilege of being conferred with the award of the ‘Best Teacher at the Udupi District Level’ on the Teachers’ Day on 5th September 2010.
Alphonso D’Costa was born on 23rd October 1952 as the eldest offspring among eight children, five sons and three daughters of Emmanuel and Gertrude D’Costa of Bellur in Bantwal taluka. Alphonso’s father-Emmanuel D’Costa had served in the artillery department of Indian Army and was one of the members in the first batch of parachute jumpers of the army. Alphonso’s mother-Gertrude had a long stint as a teacher and was the Headmistress of the Primary School in Bellur for thirty-seven years. Thus, Alphonso inherited the discipline of his father and teaching qualities from his mother.
The journey of education of Alphonso started from St. Michaels’s Higher Primary School in his native place, Bellur and continued high school studies in the Government High School at Benjanapadav in Bantwal from where he passed SSLC examination in 1967. As Alphonso was keen in continuing higher studies, his parents sent him to St. Aloysius College, Mangalore for the Pre-University and graduate courses. He acquired the BSc degree with Mathematics as the special subject in 1973. For a year after graduation, Alphonso wanted to acquire some skill which would help him to acquire a job and did short hand and typing which was a common trend at that time for those who wanted to secure a job in offices.
Mother being in the teaching profession for quite a long time, Alphonso was inspired to take up teaching as a career and joined the B.Ed. course in the Government College of Education, Mangalore which he completed in 1975.
As a student, Alphonso manifested his talents in many fields especially in games and sports. He was quite good in athletics and court and filed games such as kabaddi, volleyball, kho-kho, and cricket. Up to SSLC, Alphonso represented his school at these games and sports and even won a number of medals at the taluka level. While studying in the St. Aloysius College, Alphonse developed an interest in hockey, basketball and football and played these games at the college level. While studying for the B. Ed. course he developed interest in other sports such as ball badminton and table tennis and also represented his college in the inter-collegiate competitions and won individual medals in athletics and team games. Interest and participation in these various games and sports enabled Alphonso to develop discipline, hard work, dedication and team spirit besides maintaining himself physically fit.
After completing the B. Ed. course, Alphonso was sent by the Catholic Board of Education (CBE) to St. Joseph’s High School at Bajpe on his first teaching assignment where he worked for a year and was sent to St. Lawrence High School at Moodubelle where he started his long and memorable teaching career as the Mathematics teacher from 1st June 1977. Alphonso rendered 30 years of dedicated service in this institution and came to be known as an effective teacher of Mathematics whose simple methods of teaching the difficult subject seemed to work well and all students began to take greater interest in Mathematics.
The capability of Alphonso Sir in teaching Mathematics can be understood by the fact that while he was teaching in St. Lawrence High School, Moodubelle, the result in the Mathematics subject in SSLC was cent percent six times, above 95 percent seventeen times and between 85 and 95 percent at other times. The past students of St. Lawrence High School, Moodubelle still fondly remember the method of teaching of the Mathematics subject by D’Costa Sir and whenever they used to meet him would remind him that they have not forgotten the way he taught them Mathematics. They also appreciate the sense of discipline that he had instilled in them which has been of great help in their life and career.
After thirty years of long and dedicated service in St. Lawrence High School, Alphonso D’Costa was promoted and transferred by the Catholic Board of Education as the Headmaster of St. Mary’s High School, Udupi since 1st July 2007 where he has been recognised besides being a dedicated, discipline and versatile teacher, an efficient administrator and a fine human being.
Since three years as the Headmaster of St. Mary’s High School, Udupi, Alphonso D’Costa has been trying to improve the facilities to the students and the staff. He has made provision for clean drinking water, computer training, additional new books for the library and midday meal.
Understanding the problems of the students and their parents and suggesting appropriate remedies for these problems have been some of the important qualities of D’Costa Sir. He has been quietly helping the poorer students in many ways to enable to continue their studies. He is said to have enrolled in his school the drop out students from other schools and has seen to it that they did well academically by paying special attention to their needs. Since he had taken up the administration of St. Mary’s High School, the results in the SSLC examinations have been consecutively above 90 percent.
When asked about his success as a teacher and later as the Headmaster, Alphonso D’Costa said that maintaining good relationship with the students, their parents, teaching and non-teaching staff and the Correspondents is very essential for the smooth and healthy functioning of any educational institution.
Besides being an effective teacher and efficient Headmaster, Alphonso D’Costa has been known for many talents and qualities that set him apart from many others. While in Moodubelle, he was the Scout Master for three years, NCC officer for four years and Young Christian Students (YCS) Animator for 16 years. He has been an effective participant in various parish activities. He has rendered service to the Udupi Varado Pastoral Council as Secretary. He was the President of the Central Committee of the Catholic Sabha of the Diocese of Mangalore, Convenor the Konkani journals-‘Amcho Sandesh’ and ‘Ekvott’, one of the trustees of the Manasa-Rehabilitation and Training Centre at Pamboor, member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and Catholic Council of India, President of the District Minority Forum, President of the Don Bosco Club, Udupi and Director of the Youth Association.
In the professional field, Alphonso D’Costa has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Headmasters’ Association at the Udupi Taluka and District level. He has been a much sought after resource person in training camps and other fields.
In spite of his busy teaching profession, Alphonso D’Costa has been a good writer and dramatist in the Konkani language. Besides contributing articles in various Konkani magazines, Alphonso D’Costa has written three plays-‘Botler Pedru’, ‘Bosthuchi Khithafathi’ and ‘Vel-ghaddi’. He has also written nine skits and a number of programmes including skits, poems and stories. He has presented a number of Konkani programmes on the Mangalore all India Radio. He has not only written plays but also directed and acted in a number of other plays as well for which he has been honoured and felicitated. In order to bring the students in the mainstream, Alphonso D’Costa trained his students in Yakshagana and the students of St. Mary’s High School presented a Yakshagana play named ‘Meenakshi Kalyana’ in the Rajangana of Udupi Shri Krishna temple which was attended by the then Paryaya Swamiji, Shri Puttige Sugunendra Swamiji. As the Master of Ceremonies (MC) Alphonso D’Costa has been conducting a number of social as well as cultural programmes. He believes in training young people as MCs so that they can conduct programmes of different kinds.
For this great service as a teacher and Headmaster and other accomplishments, Alphonso D’Costa was felicitated and honoured by various associations and organisations such as Don Bosco Club, Catholic Sabha Udupi Varado, Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Udupi District Minority Forum and ICYM Moodubelle. In 2009, on the occasion of the Teachers Day Celebration, Alphonso D’Costa was honoured by the Udupi Rotary Club with the ‘Rotary Teacher Prashasthi’.
The greatest honour received by Alphonso D’Costa was the ‘Udupi District Level Best Teacher Award’ which was conferred on him on the Teachers Day celebration on 5th September 2010 along with other nine teachers from different parts of the district. His excellent teaching qualities, administrative capabilities as the Headmaster, rapport with students, parents, teaching and non-teaching staff, the management, education department and government officials and many other social and cultural activities earned him this prestigious award.
Alphonso D’Costa married Lucy Andrade of Kidiyoor, Kalmady on 6th May 1981. Lucy was working for the State Bank of India and has taken voluntary retirement. The D’Costas have been blessed with two children. Eldest son-Herman, after completing BHM course has been working in an American Cruise-line -‘Royal Caribbean’ and younger daughter-Hazel who has done B.Com and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration (PGDBA) has been working for DELL Computers at Bangalore.
It is indeed a matter of great satisfaction to Alphonso D’Costa, his family, friends, well-wishers and his institutions where he had served earlier and presently serving that his service as a dedicated and disciplined teacher and efficient administrator has been recognised.
In spite of his achievements and excellent track record as a teacher and administrator, Alphonso D’Costa manifests simplicity and down to earth approach. He says that he never did anything for honour or rewards, but believed in doing maximum according to his ability so that the talents that he possessed could be utilized for the maximum benefit of the students whom he taught and the institutions where he served. Moreover, he did not believe just in confining himself to his own profession of teaching, and did whatever he could in social service and cultural fields which gave him immense satisfaction and joy.