St Gregory’s High School

St Gregory’s High School was first established in 1882 by Father Gregory De Groote, a Benedictine priest, for Eurasian students of Dhaka at Laxmi Bazar in the city. De Groote started the school, named after Pope Gregory I (from 590 to 604 AD), with a handful of boys in the beginning. But in its early years, the school was shut down twice for different reasons.

Firstly, De Groote, who was from Belgium, knew no other language than his native Flemish. That was one reason behind the poor enrolment of students in the beginning as guardians were just not interested.

In 1889, Father Francis Boeres took charge of the school and reopened it with the same name. The institution got a solid foundation and marked its name as a good school within 20 years of Boeres taking over.  

The school was initially open to only Eurasian (Anglo-Indian) and European children, both girls and boys. Local students were allowed admission only with special permission and strong references. Only 15 percent of the students were locals (from the Indian Subcontinent) at the time. Until 1898, there were only six Bengali boys and two Bengali girls studying in the school. In 1912, the authorities of St Gregory’s separated the girls’ section and established St Francis Xavier’s Girls High School.

In 1924, the school was granted recognition by the education board and students were allowed to sit for the public school examinations from 1928. From then all, the top positions in the board exams were mostly secured by the boys of St Gergory’s, and some records achieved by its students still remain unbroken.  

In 1947, during independence from British colonial rule, the school struggled as most of its students were British, though the top positions were always taken by local students. But soon after the British left, the school adapted to the new situation very quickly. It started a Bangla-medium section for local students and continued to maintain its brilliant results. In 1949, St Gregory’s College, an extension of the school, was established but later on, the college was moved to a new location and renamed as Notre Dame College.

After our Liberation War in 1971, the school continued its remarkable results. In 2016, the school was upgraded again to higher secondary level and renamed as St Gregory's High School and College.

Brother Prodip Placid Gomes, present principal of St Gregory’s High School and College, said: “The students are nurtured with values and morality that can turn them into examples to be followed. They shine not only in our county, but also in the world. We make our students ready to compete anywhere in the world.”

The students of this institution are known as Gregorians and it is a very honourable title for them. Abdullah Omi, a class-8 student of St Gregory’s, told this reporter: “All my brothers and cousins are Gregorian and it has become our family tradition to become a Gregorian.”

  “I am a businessman in Florida, USA. Even here, we have a Gregorian community. The name Gregorian is like a brotherhood for us and we feel proud to bear this title. It connects us with a long history of the school,” MA Kajal, a former Gregorian (class of 1986) said over the phone.

Over the past 136 years, many former students of St Gregory have made remarkable contributions in their respective fields and brought fame not only for the school, but also for the country. The school’s famous alumni include Tajuddin Ahmed, the first prime minister of Bangladesh, Kamal Hossain, lawyer and writer of our original Constitution, Fakir Shahbuddin, our first attorney general, and  Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

At present, about 3,000 boys are continuing their secondary education in both Bangla and English versions of the local board syllabus. The school, meanwhile, reintroduced English medium in 2000. In 2017, St Gregory’s College started functioning in the same compound and it has already become very popular in the area.  

Sports and co-curricular activities play an important part in the school curriculum and students are encouraged to participate in various clubs and associations. The first Scouts troop in Dhaka was started at St Gregory’s in 1914, and within a month, it had 40 members, according to the school’s website. By 1916, it had a flourishing Cadet Corps and many of the cadets received commissions as officers during the First World War.

The first club of St Gregory’s was Gregorian Science Club, which is attributed with arranging the very first science fair at an educational institution in this country. Besides, a debating club, quiz and math club, English club, cultural club, chess club, ecology club and many others are popular among the students, who associate with these clubs to pursue their interests outside text books. The school also has a good basketball team that competes with other schools.

“Only academic excellence is not enough for the school. Remarkable achievements in different co-curricular activities are equally important for our students. And we teach our students to follow rules to build a more structured life,” added principal Gomes.

Photos: Internet.