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History
After Diu's liberation on December 19, 1961, it was found necessary to establish a secondary education institution in Gujarati. With this in mind, in the year 1962, Shri Ravishankar Saheb, Shri Vora Saheb, Shri Nathu Jiva Solanki and later Shri Ambalal J. Somani, with the guidance and support of Shri Virgiri Laxmangiri Goswami, started teaching the 8th and 9th grades in the Gujarati language in the building adjacent to Apasaro, in Cuxalpara.
In June 1963, Shri Balubhai Modasia joined the team and in July of the same year, this school was made official by the government and moved to a new location near Bandar, about two hundred metres southwest of the Customs Market. Shri Ambalal J. Somani was appointed as the Principal.
Government High School Girls Diu located near Bandar, about two hundred metres southwest of the Customs Market
There already existed a mixed-gender primary school in Gujarati for the 1st to the 7th grade on Fort Road. As the students at this primary school were young, their parents wanted them to study closer to the city. In 1970, Government High School Diu moved its facilities to Fort Road and as a result, this primary school was transferred to Government High School Diu’s former premises. Shri Ambalal J. Somani continued as Principal.
Shri Ambalal J. Somani
Photograph taken in 1971, at Government High School Diu, of the 11th grade students on their send-off day. In this photograph, one can see teachers seated in the middle of a batch of students. The teachers, from left to right, are: Shri Harendraprasad Trivedi, Shri Nandlal K. Dave, Shri Babubhai S. Patel, Shri Jasmat L. Sanja, Shrimati Hansaben Bhatt, Shri Mathurbhai Chaturbhai Patel, Shri A. V. Bakshi, Shri Ambalal J. Somani, Shri Ambalal S. Patel, Shri Pravinchandra H. Dave, Shri Nanji G. Chaniyara, Shri Nathalal K. Pateliya, Shri Shantilal Modasiya, Shri Laljibhai P. Patel and Shri C. M. Thakkar. Photo courtesy of Shri Jasmat Lavji Sanja
In 1972, due to the addition of technological subjects, this secondary school became known as Government Multi-Purpose High School Diu. After the passing of the school's Principal, Shri Ambalal J. Somani, in the same year, the administration fell to Shri P. H. Dave. He was later succeeded as Principal by Shri S. V. Rane.
Also in the same year, this previously coeducational school became gender segregated as the teaching of the 8th, 9th and 10th grades for girls was moved to the school’s old facilities near Bandar, leaving the education for boys in the 8th 9th and 10th grades at the school on Fort Road.
This site near Bandar, initially under the administration of Government High School Diu, came to be called Government Girls High School Diu. The Principal of this school was Shri Mahadev N. Vanesha. Government High School Diu has since opened a branch in Ghoghla, called Government High School Ghoghla.
Exterior view of Government Higher Secondary School Diu, situated on Fort Road
Interior view of Government Higher Secondary School Diu, situated on Fort Road
The Secondary School Certificate, also called SSC or Matriculation examination, is a public examination conducted by educational boards as the completion exam of secondary education. Up until the academic year 1974-1975, the Secondary School Certificate examination was conducted by the educational board of Gujarat for students in the 11th grade.
For the first time, from the following academic year 1975-1976 onwards, the Government Multi-Purpose High School Diu students in the 10th grade sat this examination instead. In 1975, as teaching for the 11th grade had already existed, it became known as Government Higher Secondary School Diu. The following year, teaching for the 12th grade was added. The Principal of the school at the time was Shri M. K. Apte.
For more advanced studies, the girls at Government Girls High School Diu had to attend Government Higher Secondary School Diu. The teachers who taught at Government High School Diu and its site in Bandar were: Shri Ambalal S. Somani, Shri Pravinchandra H. Dave, Shri R. J. Maheta, Shri Nathu Jiva Solanki, Shri Ambalal S. Patel, Shri Dharamsinh Thakarsinh Kanjia, Shri Avinash V. Bakshi, Shri Vyas, Shri D. V. Chitre, Shri Kantilal A. Upadhyay, Shri Mathurbhai Chaturbhai Patel, Shri N. D. Vaja, Shri N. K. Dave, Shri C. M. Thakkar, Shri Nanji G. Chaniyara, Shrimati Hansaben Bhatt, Shri Jasmat L. Sanja, Shri Babubhai S. Patel , Shri M. K. Apte, Shri S. V. Rane, Shri Mahadev N. Vanesha, Shri Jayram Ranoji Patole, Shri Premjit Baria, Shri Laljibhai P. Patel, Shri Dinesh B. Joshi, Shri Balvantsinh K. Jethwa, Shri Kishorbhai Chandarana, Shri B. M. Kazi, Shri Lalji Manji Solanki, Shri H. R. Trivedi, Shri H. L. Trivedi, Shri Virchand Naran Bamania, Shri B. M. Lokadia, Shrimati Saguna Kariya, Shri B. S. Panche, Shri R. L. Sanja, Shri Ismail Suleman Mansuri among others.
Photograph taken in 1974 of all of the teachers of the district of Diu, in the distinguished presence of Shri A. M. Deshprabhu, the Mamlatdar of Diu, Shri Narayan Srinivasa Fugro, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Goa, Daman and Diu and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Goa, Daman and Diu, Shri Pratapsingh Raoji Rane, the Minister of the Cabinet of Goa, Shri Egipcio N. Rodrigues, the Civil Administrator of Diu, and Shri Pravinchandra H. Dave, the administrator of Government High School Diu. Photo courtesy of Shri Jasmat Lavji Sanja
Photograph of the students and technical teaching staff in the second half of the seventies. One can see, in the back row, from left to right, the students: Quiran Lauchande Rathod, Bhaviyash Navalchandra Thar, Naresh Mulji Bamania, Manharlal Mohanlal Thakkar, Haresh Manikant Shah, Dignesh Surendralal Solanki, Mohan Vira, Vishnudas Manji Bamania, Mangesh Premji Arya, Rajendra Prabhashankar Pandya and S. M. Makwana. Seated in the middle row, from left to right, the teachers are: Shri Lalji Manji Solanki, Shri M. K. Apte (Principal), Shri B. M. Kazi and Shri Ismail Suleman Mansuri. Seated in the front row, from left to right, the students are: Jayantilal Bhagwan Hingu, Mukesh Dhanji Gohil, Satish Rampal Rathod and Parshotam Laxman Kapadia. Photo courtesy of Shri Jasmat Lavji Sanja
Photograph taken in 1980 of the students in the 12th grade and their teachers. In this photograph, one can see, seated from left to right, the teachers: Shri Ramesh Shirodkar, Shri Putilal Valmiki (Principal) and Shri Anil Pawar
Students and teachers during a trip to Udaipur, Rajasthan. One can see, in the back row, from left to right: Shri Babu Bica Makwana (Teacher), Shri Ramesh Shirodkar (Teacher) and Shri Ashwin Jani (Teacher). In the third row, from left to right: Manorama Visnulal Vaghela, Hasmukhi Krasnakumar Rathod, Divenda Navinchandra Solanki, Vandana Pushpesan and Hemaxi Manilal Vaghela. In the second row, from left to right: Kalpana Mohanlal Kataria, Naina Vinodchandra Vaghela, Jigna Kantilal Thar and Purnima Rameshchandra Parekh. In the front row, from left to right: Kokila Tulsidas, Padmini Dulabdas Chohan, Geeta Mayaram Joshi and Kalpana Kantilal Jethwa. Photo courtesy of Shri Sanjay Harquissandas
Photograph taken in 1979 of the students in the 12th grade and their teachers. One can see, from left to right, the teachers: Shri Nandlal K. Dave, Shri Balvantsinh K. Jethwa and Shri Kantilal A. Upadhyay. Photo courtesy of Shri Vijai Natvarlal
In 1984, Government Girls High School Diu, located near Bandar, became independent and came to be known as Government High School (Girls) Diu, where education was only for the 8th, 9th and 10th grades. Later, the 8th grade began to be taught in Government Middle School (Girls) Diu.
Photograph taken in 1988 of students and their teachers. In this photograph, one can see, seated from left to right, the teachers: Shri Babubhai S. Patel, Shri B. M. Lokadia, Shri Babubhai Bhikha Makwana, Shri Rameshchandra Dabhi, Shri Dineshbhai B. Joshi, Shri Mathurbhai Chaturbhai Patel, Shri Kishorbhai G. Chandarana, Shri Jasmat Lavji Sanja, Shri Jayram Ranoji Patole and Shri Amratlal J. Solanki. Photo courtesy of Shri Jasmat Lavji Sanja
Teaching staff of Government Primary School Ghoghla. Photo courtesy of Shrimati Saryubahen Dave
Sports and cultural activities
Intra and inter-school sports competitions and cultural activities were held in the playground outside the gateway of Diu, Zampa on the school’s annual Sports Day where Government Higher Secondary School Diu would compete against other secondary schools in a number of sports.
Vijay Natvarlal being awarded by the Collector of Diu, Shri M. S. Khan, for winning the table tennis and badminton competitions in 1987. Photo courtesy of Shri Vijay Natvarlal
Students playing volleybal
Extracurricular competitions in activities such as elocution, painting, essay writing, calligraphy, poem reading, patriotic song singing, storytelling, mehndi drawing, rangoli making, hair styling, mono acting, group song singing, science quizzing, general knowledge quizzing, debating, reading, drama and more are held by Government High School (Girls) Diu after which the winner and two runners up are awarded.
Photograph taken of students who performed at the Diu Clube during the Annual Day celebration. Photo courtesy of Shri Rajesh Joshi
Republic day, Independence day and Liberation day
The Republic Day of India on the 26th of January, India Independence Day on the 15th of August and Diu Liberation Day on the 19th of December were celebrated annually, not only in government offices, but also in primary and secondary schools.
The flag-raising ceremony and cultural programs took place in government and non-government institutions across the country, including all schools. The main government buildings used to be adorned with lights. A week before the day of the celebration, students began preparations at their schools. Missing classes due to practice was a joy for them, but they were simultaneously excited about preparing for their performances. They spent more than half of the school day practicing speeches, dances, sports, cultural activities and much more. They would also take part in a ceremonial parade through the streets of Diu where people would gather to cheer for them.
Ceremonial March Past on Liberation Day
Former teachers of Government High School Diu
Shri Dinesh B. Joshi was appointed as an economics teacher at Government High School Diu in 1976. He provided his services until 1989. As a teacher, he was awarded with the best regional award in 1998 and the best national award in 2004
Shri Sanja Lavji Jasmat was a physical training teacher appointed at Government High School Diu on the 25th of July, 1970. He provided his services incessantly at the school until 2007
Miss Chandrakala Lavchand Makwana, daughter of Lavchand Trikamji Makwana and Kamlavanti Maganlal Madaliya, was born in Diu. She then went on to become a determined teacher who provided schools with her services for more than two decades. The schools that she taught at and the time period during which she taught at these schools are as follows:
- Government Primary School No. 2 Diu, English Medium: 1974 – 1977
- Government Primary Boys School, Ghoghla, Gujarati Medium, Standard 1 to 7: 1977 – 1982
- Government Middle School Diu, Standard 5 to 7: 1982 – 1987
- Government Primary School Bucharwada, Standard 1 to 4: 1987 – 1993
- Government Primary School No. 1 Diu, Gujarati Medium, Standard 1 to 4: 1993 – 1998
Shri Pravinchandra Harishankar Dave, former Headmaster of Government High School Diu and Trustee of Geeta Gyan Mandir Trust. Shri Pravinchandra H. Dave served as the cornerstone of Diu's secondary education until he retired voluntarily as Headmaster of Government High School Diu. His work includes teaching and helping young girls to become independent, as well as being placed in the committee of Diu Navodaya Vidyalaya and conducting the entrance examination for years. He was also selected as a member of the Goa SSC Board and served as a Paper Setter. His further achievements include making an important contribution to the foundation of the Diu Museum, and informing people about the proud history of Diu and its colourful culture by writing articles in many famous daily newspapers such as Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh, and Jayhind. For the last twenty-five years, he has been serving the Geeta Gyan Mandir Trust at Bhakti Nagar Circle in Rajkot, demonstrating excellent service in humanitarian work
Shrimati Saryubahen Dave, former teacher at Government High School Diu. Fifty years ago, women's education was not given much priority and it was rare for women to go out of the house to earn money. At that time, Shri Shantilalbhai Shivshankar Bhatt, popularly known as Shantilalbhai photographer, who bravely believed in women's freedom, inspired his daughter, Saryubahen, to study and gave her the opportunity to become an educated teacher. Impressed by Shrimati Saryubahen's noble work style, the Portuguese government praised her work in the Portuguese Gazette. She is fluent in Gujarati and Portuguese, while French and English also come instinctively to her
Post by Dipac Canacsinh
Scroll down to find a video on the history of Government High School Diu, also comprising of video messages recorded by the school’s former teachers where they describe their personal experiences at the school.
This is a brief history which is intended to provide a flavour of life at Government High School Diu during its first few decades. It does not aim to be exhaustive.
Acknowledgements
There are too many people to whom I owe my gratitude in the writing of this brief history, but I would be unforgivably remiss if I do not mention a few names specifically. I express my gratitude to Shri Vijay Natvarlal, who provided me with the contact information of Shri Sanja Lavji Jasmat, lovably known as Sanja Saheb, who enlightened me on the foundation and history of Government High School Diu, as well as his personal experiences. I also thank Sanja Saheb for providing me with a video message of himself outlining a brief history of the school. His perennial willingness to help, and his belief in my project is something that I can never ever reciprocate.
I am extremely grateful to Shri Bhupendra Kantilal Jethwa who, when I began to write this brief history, provided me with a summary which I was able to build upon.
I must record my sincere appreciation to Shri Balubhai Modasia, a pioneer in founding the school, who presented me with the information on the early years of its inception.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Shri Rajesh Joshi, Shri Chaitanyakumar Somani, Shri Vijay Natvarlal, Chandrakalabahen Lavchand Makwana, Yoginibahen Jayantilal Dave and Shrimati Saryubahen Dave for supplying me with numerous photographs.
I would also like to thank a handful of people for helping me to identify the individuals in various photographs, namely: Shri Sanja Lavji Jasmat, Shri Vijay Natvarlal Chudasama, Shri Dignesh Surendralal, Shri Quiran Lauchande Rathod, Shrimati Naina Vinodchandra, Shri Chaitanyakumar Somani, and Shri Mangesh Premji Arya.
My heartfelt thanks are also due to Shri Dinesh B. Joshi for making available to me a video message of himself describing his teaching years at the school, and to his son, Shri Jayesh Joshi, for interviewing his father in the video message.
My genuine thanks are due also to Chandrakalabahen Lavchand Makwana for supplying me with multiple photographs, as well as a video message of herself recounting her personal experiences as a teacher at various schools. A special expression of gratitude to the Late Dr. Narendra Puspaceno who took the time to film this video message.
I cannot but especially mention two former teachers, Shri Pravinchandra H. Dave and Shrimati Saryubahen Dave, who provided me with video messages of themselves bestowing their good wishes onto the students of the school.
Last but not least, I thank my daughter Diya Dipac for editing the video on the history of Government High School Diu.