By Dr Charles V Furtado
Associate Professor of English
St Aloysius Evening College, Mangaluru

(An article written for Suvarna Sandhya the Golden Jubilee Souvenir of St Aloysius Evening College, Mangaluru)

Mangaluru, Mar 6: The quality of education imparted by a higher education institution is determined and assessed by not only the infrastructure and quality of teachers and students but also, to a larger extent, by the innovative best practices, traditions and its response to the civil society in and around its campus. While the curriculum inspired and guided by the vision and mission of the college is the frame of reference of all that happens in the campus, the image and character of the institution is constantly built by its best, unique and innovative best practices. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the best practices of an institution are what the students always remember nostalgically years after they leave the portals of the college. These have a tremendous and life changing impact on the students’ lives.

Education can be viewed from many different perspectives. Education is no longer seen as an end in itself; rather, it is seen as a means to an end. Therefore any change in the end aimed at will necessarily be reflected in the means of education selected. If our goal is only to produce good graduates who will work to their full potential and cause no serious problems, then their means of education will be a simple affair. If, however, the goal of education is to produce well-rounded, cultured citizens, capable of not just addressing any problem or situation in life with the maximum likelihood of success and personal happiness, but also of empathizing with their fellow beings and accompanying them in the business of living, then the means of education to do so will be a much more complicated affair.

It was with great apprehension and palpable self-doubt that I walked into the portals of St Aloysius Evening College, somewhere in November 2007. In sharp contrast to the confident beginning I had made 16 years previously in July 1991, when I made my debut as a full time teacher of English in St Aloysius College, Mangalore, this time around, I was on tenterhooks because of the drastically different challenges that I was sure I would encounter in the Evening College. The ominous ‘rumour’ that there was literally a day and night difference in teaching in the ‘Evening College’ had already resounded on my ears on more than one occasion. This included the ‘eye witness accounts’ of some colleagues who had actually experienced the so called insurmountable ‘challenges’. I was also told, in no uncertain terms, by many well-meaning friends that after serving in the ‘Day’ college for 16 long years, there was little doubt that I would feel like a fish out of water in the Evening College. But more than all these, what really troubled me was suspense of the kind of reception I would get from the staff and most importantly the students of the Evening College. Will I be accepted as a teacher or will I be treated as an outsider? Will I be able to be effective, deliver the goods, rise to the different challenges and enjoy the same kind of job satisfaction I had enjoyed all through my career as a teacher? I am delighted to state that my transition from the ‘Day’ college to the ‘Evening’ college was seamless, smooth and exhilarating. From the very early days, I enjoyed excellent rapport and mutually supportive healthy relationships with the staff, both administrative and teaching and the students. In fact I have no hesitation in declaring that St Aloysius Evening College is an apt example of a small but proactive family working together for the betterment of the student community that walks through its hallowed portals.

I would now like give a brief overview of how the process of Teaching/learning is different in the ‘Evening College’. Perhaps I have an advantage because ofmy unique position as an insider/ outsider, having served both in the ‘Day College’ and now in the ‘Evening College’. Nearly 50% of the students in St Aloysius Evening College are ‘First – generation learners’. First-generation students come from families with low incomes or from middle- or higher-income families without a college-going tradition. Some have parents who support their plans for higher education; others are under family pressure to enter the workforce right after high school. Often these students have absolutely no idea of what their options are regarding higher education, and have fears about going to college and misconceptions about college and its costs. Most ofthese students come from families who speak languages other than English at home. Another unique feature of our students in the ‘Evening College’ is that many of them ‘earn’ during the day and ‘learn’ during the evenings. This drastically changes the very complexion of the kind of ‘education’ sought after and provided in the ‘Evening College’.

Before I move on to some of the specially designed or customized strategies used to make education more meaningful and effective in the ‘Evening College’, I would like to highlight the role played by ‘Sahodaya’, the outreach programme of St Aloysius College (Autonomous) in training and equipping me with the crucial skills needed to deal with students hailing from a variety of backgrounds, especially those who are without the basic skills which are usually taken for granted in most colleges in today’s globalised world. ‘Sahodaya’, is a unique outreach programme born in St Aloysius College in the millennium year. Etymologically, ‘Sahodaya’ means ‘blossoming together’, in other words, both the ‘benefactor’ and the ‘beneficiary’, blossom together in the very act and resulting process of mutual interaction.The philosophy which drives ‘Sahodaya’ is the belief that the arena where education happens is not only in the class rooms but in the whole campus and outside. Education through outreach is a training to see things and persons differently. Being a passionate ‘Sahodayan’ helped me to imbibe skills like active listening, empathy, accepting others in their ‘as is where is’ condition, skills which today stand me in good stead when I go about the mission of teaching English in the ‘Evening College’.

In the Evening College, it is crucial that we identify with our students as early as possible so that we can begin to talk to them about the demands of college life and the curriculum.When working with these students it is necessary to cover the basics of self-assessment, college and careers. First-generation students may never have been encouraged to assess their talents and weaknesses with a view toward higher education. They are also likely to have a minimal knowledge of what education requirements are needed for certain professions.First-generation students need to be helped to understand how their interests and abilities can connect to a career and higher education options. The teacher has to assess the aptitudes of his students and be honest with them about where they are in their education and what they should focus on.

Getting to know the families of first-generation students is another pre-requisite in an ‘Evening College’. While some families are extremely supportive,others could inadvertently throw impediments in the paths of their wards.In such situations the teacher has to double as a counselor andconvince the students of the need and value of higher education.

In addition to kindling the interest and sustaining it in the class-rooms,the teacher has to invariably be prepared to step into the shoes of a facilitator. Many first-generation students from families with low incomesqualify for waivers or reductions in tuition fees as well as examination fees. The teacher has to not only create awareness regarding these benefits but also assist them in filling the requisite forms properly and before the prescribed deadlines.This aspect has become all the more challenging with the recent technological revolution which necessitates doing most of the office work, online.

In the pedagogical front, teachers, English teacher included, have to be bilingual in their classes, be willing to provide tailor-made notes and conduct rigorous remedial classes. Students need to be constantly encouraged to attend classes regularly, notwithstanding the various constraints they face like non-cooperative employers, heavy workload in the job front and other problems. Conducting extra-curricular and co-curricular activities have to be given top priority in spite of the limited time available. Teachers are conscious of the numerous benefits these activities bring to the holistic development of our students. The annual Sports Day, Talents Day and College Day bear ample witness to the talents, organizational skills, leadership qualities and enthusiasm of the students of the Evening College. To fall back upon a much used cliché, last but certainly not the least, the Evening College students have their own outreach programme where they visit homes catering to the old, the destitute and the disabled and spend quality time with the inmates, entertaining them, empathizing with them and accompanying them. The students are also encouraged to generously give from their limited resources to worthy social causes through the ‘One Rupee Revolution’, a novel endeavour initiated during the Golden Jubilee year.

We are living in a context where the higher education scenario in India has been changing significantly in terms of its approach. Colleges and universities are faced with the challenge of producing graduates who are not only academically excellent but also socially sensitive, morally upright, emotionally balanced and most importantly, efficient and competent in life skills, ready for a gainful employment. An Evening College is not an exception to this expectation. In fact, I would say this is more pertinent to the Evening College students. In keeping with the ideals of Jesuit education, St Aloysius Evening College has been passionately trying to form men and women for others for the past half a century. We are confident that the Golden Jubilee will act as a catalyst and spur us on towards a better and glorious future. We hope and pray that all our students and alumni/ae proactively utilize the values they have imbibed during their college days in their respective careers and become worthy citizens of our great nation.