SPARE a thought for Sat Maharaj amid the historic successes of students of denominational schools.
Maharaj, the late renowned Hindu leader and advocate for academic achievement, would have been thrilled at the overwhelming triumphs of so-called prestige schools.
“Education should uplift human dignity,” Maharaj used to say, and stressed that denominational schools are “pillars of the education system.”
He stated that the local education system “would have crumbled with alarming swiftness if not for the enormous presence and contribution of the several denominational boards.”
You could picture his joy at the fact that 98 of the 100 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) scholarships went to such students.
Throughout his stout advocacy, Sat pushed back at what he termed “common myths” about denominational schooling.
For example, he said that some authority figures suggested that “prestige” schools were socially divisive and sectarian, and amounted to a modern form of apartheid.
Critics also contested the admission policies regarding students of faith-based schools.
There have also been claims that denominational institutions marginalise students of Government-operated schools.
Maharaj’s rejoinder was typically sharp.
“Those in positions of power and authority should not suppress excellence,” he said, “but rather assist those at the bottom in becoming fully integrated into society.”
He stressed: “The Government must develop and allow the space, religious freedom and choice for citizens to be denominationally educated.”
He spoke of the principle of pluralism.
“The imposition of one type fits all education system that does not accommodate religious people’s desires… promotes intolerance, ignorance and divisiveness in society,” Maharaj said.
He claimed that there was a plan “to assassinate the integrity and performance of denominational schools, to reduce them to the level of ordinariness of most Government schools.”
Maharaj declared that it is “foolhardy to believe that undermining the denominational schools would result in improvements in social and moral education and the all-round development of students.”
He was a harsh critic of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA), accusing the body of overlooking indiscipline in schools.
He also claimed that TTUTA attempted to create divisions between schools operated by the State and those run by denominational organisations.
He vigorously encouraged morality in the education system.
“Faith-based education offers society a renewed courage and divine knowledge in tackling issues with deeply-held convictions and strong moral standards,” Sat said.
Students must be taught the religious and the secular, he stated.
“What is the point if your child knows all the mathematical equations in the world but does not know how to live and how to pray?” Maharaj asked.
Denominational schools achieving CAPE successes included Shiva Boys’ and Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu Colleges, which captured four and three scholarships each respectively.
Swaha Hindu College at Sangre Grande won two schols.
Hillview College’s 13 scholarships were the best performance among all schools in the country.
Maharaj would have felt vindicated in his tireless support and promotion of faith-based institutions of learning.
The Hindu leader and education campaigner died in November 2019, at age 88.
At his passing, he was praised by many commentators for his contribution to, among other matters, the development of the education sector.
