Scholastica (school)
Scholastica School was set up in 1977 with English as the medium of instruction but emphasizing equal proficiency in Bangla as a necessary prerequisite for a well rounded education for Bangladeshi students.
The School is registered with the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Dhaka. Scholastica is a coeducational school offering a complete pre-school, primary, secondary and high school program leading to examinations for the London University General Certificate of Education at the Ordinary and the Advanced Levels. In both these exams, Scholastica leads the merit list every single year with the sheer number of 'A' grades it's students bring back.
Currently there is a student body of over 5000, making it one of the largest private English-medium institutions in the country. The school has established numerous campuses specifically designed as Urban Education Facilities. Most students tend to come from an affluent background, with the school being a status symbol of sorts to many people and attracting the richest and brashest along with the best and brightest.
Scholastica is also in the process of further expansion of its facilities with an approximate investment of Taka 400 million in the infrastructure of the Education sector.
In recent news, the Scholastica Administration has declared February 'Discipline Month'.
Mission statement
- The development of the whole person by means of a well balanced and complete school curriculum;
- Imbue intellectual, creative, and moral qualities, a strongly rooted commitment to national heritage, culture and language, as well as practical skills of the highest possible level in all students;
- Train individuals to become lifelong learners;
- Become the center of excellence in teaching and education development in Bangladesh.
School Motto
"30 years of excellence in education." This despite the rather painful fact that Scholastica's standard is decreasing. A lot.
Controversies
POINT
Scholastica's recent development of a disciplinary month has been due to the large number of fights and other disturbing occurences happening in the school, Some time last year a student threw bricks through several windows before being expelled; fights and gangwars are a common occurences.
Yasmeen Murshed has also been puzzling. On February 20th 2007 she cracked down on students playing sports and warned them to not make noise while kicking the ball. Scholastica has also been increasing prices, this year students were even made to pay Taka 500 for their ID Card (Which has been given a makeover as a 'digitised card' and now bears the new school motto.)
Scholastica also has taken to bringing their young students to play football in an empty lot of untended grass which was previously waterlogged and served as a meadow for cattle. Playing football with a bull next to you is not a very comforting thing.
But the most recent and rather puzzling thing was a comment made by Mrs Murshed on 20th February during the school assembly. This was to the effect that the non-muslims should recite along to the bangla and english versions of the suras, on the grounds that all religions do believe in one main creator (Which may not be so). This despite the fact that the very first line of Surah Fateha is: "Praise be to Allah..."
COUNTER-POINT
The controversies are exaggerated to a great extent if not totally fabricated.Gang wars are not exactly the type of wars you see in movies but rather groups of students disagreeing with each other in a not too cordial manner.The prices have increased true but that does not reveal the fact that other schools have been increasing prices as well so scholastica should not be insinuated of wrongdoings in this regard. The football with a bull is quite entertaining , I have been an integral part of it. On the lighter aside however , there is no other alternative because free land is not available in the city .The school at least provides the opportunity to play outdoor sports. Other schools are restricted to table tennis and chess.
External links
- Scholastica School official webpage -Unavailable