St. Gregory's High School, Dhaka celebrates 125th Anniv.

Bird's eye view - St. Gregory's High School campus at Laxmibazar, Dhaka

Church and St. Gregory's School

School gate and watchful gate-keepers

National anthem by students - old hostel in the background

Teaching staff participate assembly

Assembly


Moving into classes


Class room

Exam hall

IT room

Library


Assisting teacher

Recess hour

Majestic view of newly constructed Academic blocks


Darjeeling building on left

Sports on south of church buildings

Table tennis

Scout camp fire

Trophies

Old building - central hall



View of old building and church

F.A.Boeres - reopened School in 1889-1910




(Pics credit: SGHC DVD)

St. Gregory’s High School, Dhaka celebrated its 125th anniversary of establishment on Dec 13 and 14 last year.

History of this school goes back to 1882, when Belgian missionaries (Benedictine Father Gregory de Groote) founded the nucleus of this school. It failed to stand due to lack of public interest. Later, Francis Boeres reopened it in 1889 in the ground floor of the present St. Francis Javier's Girl’s School. The School started giving primary level education and received recognition of the European Schools. In 1892, the roll strength was 26 boys and 19 girls.

Francis. T. Crowley, took over as Headmaster in 1912 and abolished system of co-education. For girls, a separate section was made known as St. Francis Javier’s girls School. Bengali was introduced to replace Latin as second language. He was interested in Scouting and in 1923, introduced Basketball first anywhere in Bangladesh.

The school under Bro Bertin came under Country Education System in 1924. Bro Walter a dynamic and charismatic missionary joined school in 1929. The present hostel building went up in 1931. During his tenure the school saw phenomenal rise in all fields, such as, education, debating, cultural and sports. The school began to bag places in the Board’s Merit list. Next came Bro Jude, another dedicated educationist. During his time, 1940 to 1950, boys secured high positions in merit list of Board time and again.

After 1947 partition, medium of education of the school became English, Bengali section also ran side by side. From 1950 to 1975, the school performed brilliantly, winning exams, debating & science fair. The school became the most prestigious school in the city, enrollment in 1958 was more than 1000 boys.

On the one side of the playground, stand new buildings for school, classrooms, a library, a spacious teacher's room, a large IT room and an extensive assembly hall.

On the other side of the playground stand the old school buildings with the attached Holy Cross Church. Both buildings, however, are in urgent need of maintenance or else they will crumble away to nothing. When it rains, the church's roof leaks profusely.

The school celebrated its 100 years of establishment in 1982. Over 800 Grn from all over the Bangladesh, Pakistan and India attended the function.

The School has produced many faces renowned nationally and internationally, notably, Tajuddin Ahmed who stood 12th in merit list and became first Prime Minister of Bangladesh; former President of Bangladesh Prof Badruddoza Chowdhury who stood 2nd in combined Matric Exam of undivided Bengal; former Law Minister Dr. Kamal Hossain, international lawyer and jurist; former vice-President of Bangladesh Barrister Maudud Ahmed and Noble Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen and so on. A reception was accorded to Prof. Amartya Sen on Dec 19, 1998, in school campus. In 1999, SGHS drew global attention when one of its former students Osman Siddique (1967) became the first person to become US ambassador to Fiji.

In the School supplement for celebration of 125 years anniversary, one former teacher of 1957-67, from USA, Bro Donald writes “ The building was old, the class rooms small as well as playing field, but St. Gregory’s High School did not let these matters hold them back from achieving to the best of their ability and this carried them on in their later life in all ventures.”

St. Gregory’s High School Dhaka indeed is a great name in the arena of education of Dhaka.