SUNITA Durgah, headmistress for the 133-year-old St. Stephens Primary School, believes that a successful teacher must be very patient, fair and dedicated in order to achieve positive results from students.
Durgah, a relatively young headmistress, was raised at Louisiana Village on the beautiful island of Leguan, in the Essequibo River. She spent 12 years with her grandparents before moving to the city to complete her secondary education.
At just the age of 37, she was appointed headmistress of St. Stephens and has been in this post for the past two years. Though there is the possibility of her serving in the secondary education field, she is quite comfortable at the primary level and has ensured that she took the time to qualify herself.
Durgah attended Louisiana Nursery before pressing on to Success Primary and Leguan Secondary. After coming to Georgetown to live, she was transferred to Campbellville Secondary and this is where she completed her secondary education. After CXC, she taught for one year at the Redeemer Primary School and then left to be trained at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE). She afterwards went back to Redeemer Primary and taught until 2013 when she was appointed to her post at St. Stephens Primary.
In 2003, Durgah enrolled at the University of Guyana and spent four years. She did the Bachelor’s Degree in Primary Education and was one of the youngest members coming out with a ‘Credit’ in Primary Administration.
Furthermore, in 2010, she did a management course that was compulsory by the Ministry of Education. Hence, she now has a certificate in management.
Durgah is currently pursuing her ‘Masters’ in Primary Administration.

A SIMPLE LIFE

Durgah has been a teacher for the past 20 years and this is the dream she nurtured as a child. “Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. I am satisfied and contented. I think that personally, I did well for myself.
“Growing up, we didn’t have access to luxuries that children would normally have in Georgetown. We had a simple life and we had our books. In my time, you just had to listen to the teacher, go home and revise. You didn’t have access to all the text books available now and the television. We listened to the radio. And that was it. In my time, you had to have self-motivation. You had to want to do it,” she related.
“Growing up in the country was a beautiful experience. You had so much freedom. You go into the backdam when it was rice cutting season, went and pick the fruits, go in your neighbours’ yard and climb their trees, catch shrimps in seine…”
Durgah is of the belief that to be a good teacher, one must be fair, patient and very dedicated to their job. “Children know what we are thinking; they know if we like them or not; if you are genuine; if we are lying to them. Do the best you can for them and you will get results,” she urged.
“I always tell my staff that human relationship is very important but it must not make us compromise our duties and responsibilities on the job.”
As for complaints of a small salary in the teaching profession, Durgah said: “The money part is just an excuse because once you have the basics, you can achieve things in life.”
She appreciates the following quote from a Chinese philosopher: “You have to watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; what your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

THANKFUL FOR A FAMILY

Durgah, a committee member for the regional and national science fair, said her life would be complete only after her kids, Janet, Mohamed and Arshad, complete their university education. Janet attended Queen’s College and Mohamed was the valedictorian for Campbellville Secondary last year. They both were successful at their CSEC exams and are currently law students.
“My husband is from a family of lawyers. You need to guide your children. It’s always good to have a plan. It may not always work out in your favour but you may get ideas from it to branch out into other areas.”
She credits her dedication and hard work to her mom Deorani and dad Jeewan. “Growing up, I saw my mother working very hard and she is from the old school where they really had to work hard. She got me at 16 and had to work on a chicken farm and this was a lot of work for a young person.”
“My mother was my pillar of strength. She taught me that you have to work hard to achieve things in life. I am also thankful to my husband Abdul Ali. He was my neighbour when I came to Georgetown. He is the best father the kids could have ever wanted. He does everything for them.”

By Telesha Ramnarine