53 years of sterling service as an educator, Philip Deobhajan, MS, is a ‘Special Person’

Apr 28, 2013 News

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 “Our purpose on earth is to give service to man…and a great thought by a teacher is the hands that do are holier than the lips that pray—be of service…that is our purpose in life.”

 

By Leon Suseran
Philip Deobhajan began life as a pupil teacher way back in January 1953, and even though he retired from the public school system in 1989, he continued serving in the field of education until December 2006 – a whopping 53 years serving in that sector, quite an achievement.
Early life and teaching
He is a well-known name in the small sugar estate community of Gangaram Settlement in East Canje, Berbice. Born and bred there, the development of the tiny, close-knit community really and truly rested on the shoulders of Mr. Deobhajan, who over the years has played an integral role in its development. For his community service, he was recognized nationally and awarded the Medal of Service in 2000.
He was born in New Dam, East Canje, about three miles east of Rose Hall Estate. This area no longer exists today since it was developed for the expansion of sugar cultivation. His parents were indentured labourers. His father arrived in British Guiana in 1889.
“He was very fluent in Hindi and my mother was locally-born. She died at an early age.”
Philip attended the New Dam Canadian Missionary School and passed the Pupil Teachers’ Appointment Exam.
“I couldn’t get a job, so I worked in the cane fields after which I worked at the Rose Hall Estate as a clerk and finally I got into teaching in 1953.”
“As a young boy, I played cricket and went fishing. Eventually at the school, we were able to have a good playground and pavilion. We had some good cricketers, one who was leading—Benjamin Moses—Senior Master, so we played cricket for a long, long time and eventually in 1960, they demolished the whole area for a sugar plantation, so I had to be transferred from school to school,” he recounted.
He met a lovely young lady named Savitrie, in 1957, and they got married. Moving from school to school while being married, did prove to be a bit difficult. He would go home on weekends, “but eventually when we established ourselves in 1964 in Gangaram…it was sometimes very expensive, but it was worth the experience”. The union bore two daughters, Rubina (Jairam) and Sunita (Mahabir).
Mr. Deobhajan taught at the New Dam Canadian Missionary School and enrolled in the Government Teachers’ Training College. He wrote the competitive exam to enter the college which he passed and entered in 1960. Afterwards, he continued to teach, and was transferred to Wash Clothes CM School in Mahaicony.

He had the vast experience of working in several primary schools across Berbice, including Mortice, Gangaram, Belvedere and Blairmont. Also, he became Headmaster and worked in several schools: Gangaram Primary, Reliance Primary, Fort Ordnance Primary, Sheet Anchor Primary and Cumberland Primary, where he resigned in April 1989.
During those times, Mr. Deobhajan was a part-time lecturer at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) New Amsterdam Centre (from 1976 up to 1989).During that period, he also read for his Bachelor of Education Degree and graduated from the University of Guyana in 1979.
But his service to the nation was not over there. Now that he was not into teaching in the public school system, he joined CPCE on a full-time basis from 1990 to 2002 where he played an integral role in training young teachers. From 2002 to 2006, he was a part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana Berbice Campus, where he lectured in the School of Education and Humanities.
At the training college, he reflected how pleasant it was to meet and interact with teachers from various locations. He reflected that it was a challenge training young teachers.
“Sometimes they have their own kind of behaviour and I think that is a reflection of the classroom.” When asked what makes a good teacher, he replied by saying, “A good teacher? First…establishing trust in relationships is how you can win children, and parents…your interaction with them is also important. Your skills in teaching and training, as well as being fair to all the students, are equally vital. “
He recalled fond memories in the education sector.
“We were very much concerned with the behaviour of children which is still very much a problem in Guyana. Much depends on the parents and the community, because the way you train them at home will be a reflection of the community.”
He does not support the use of corporal punishment, rather the use of special sessions to “motivate and change children’s behaviour—counseling and guidance is very important in schools…we had it years ago but I doubt whether we still have this today”.
“When we were young teachers, every week we visited the parents, especially of those children who were absent frequently. The teachers formed themselves into groups and traveled into the communities to meet parents, but I don’t see this happening today.”
Community Service
Mr. Deobhajan headed what was called the Rotary Village Corps, the first of such groups in the Berbice area, in the early 1990s. This group proved to be a springboard for his community work pursuits.
In 1991, the New Amsterdam Rotary Club became aware, he said, of the difficulties under which residents of East Canje communities lived.

“There was no potable water supply, no electricity, poor drainage facilities, and roads and streets were in deplorable states. The Club felt that the Village Corps could assist in that regard.  The Corps, with the assistance of N/A Rotary Club, GuySuCo, Futures Fund and Guyana Water Authority, was able to set up the water well, and this was commissioned by Former President Desmond Hoyte.”
The Corps also receives bursary awards which Mr. Deobhajan received at a value of $78,000 and this was given to students of the Gangaram Primary School who excelled at the Common Entrance Exams.
Mr. Deobhajan said that he strongly believes in community service.
“Our purpose on earth is to give service to man…and a great thought by a teacher is the hands that do are holier than the lips that pray—be of service…that is our purpose in life,” he said.
He was instrumental in the formation of a vibrant community group in the village, “and through that we were able to have support in sinking a well, which was something in dire need in this community—people had to fetch water from the creek and some from the estate trenches”.
He noted that the group got that done with the assistance of Futures Fund and the community, spearheaded by the Rotary Club of New Amsterdam.  The project was completed in 1993 with voluntary labour from the community.
Additionally, he was able to voice the need for a community centre in the area which, after construction, saw numerous cricket matches being played. “From that, we had the streets in the village repaired and prepared nicely, but because of heavy traffic from contractors with heavy-duty equipment, we are hoping that they will resurface them due to the damage done.”
As Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC), Mr. Deobhajan is also working diligently with the rest of his community to build speed humps in the area to lessen the speed at which motorists traverse the area.
“That will be done soon and the materials will be provided by the NDC with help from the Regional Administration and done by the people in self-help”.
Our ‘Special Person’ believes that persons should not leave everything up to the government to be done in their communities; rather they should get actively involved and help themselves.
“I think so, because in the interest of your community, you have to help yourselves. If you look at our community here in Gangaram, most of the drains are being dug by the people themselves,” he said.

Mr. Deobhajan also served as a member of the Local Board of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, in Berbice, overseeing persons’ eligibility for social services assistance. This he has been doing since 1996. He is also a member of the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) Board up to this day.
ADVICE, ACCOLADES AND INSPIRATION
In his home, one can see religious pictures pertaining to Hinduism as well as Christianity and when questioned, Mr. Deobhajan stated an interesting fact. He embraces all the world’s religions and follows the teachings of Satya Sai Baba. On a trip to India, he recalled how this way of life embraces Christianity, Hinduism and Islam.
He looked up to some of his headmasters such as Cyril Kanhai. “He was a preacher and a member of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and won a lot of awards in art. He was a very good teacher. Also Harold Lloyd… these are persons I admired”.
His advice to teachers: “Show more dedication. When I was young, teaching was not only for money…teaching is really helping with the development of society, but now we see the race for it [money].”
Mr. Deobhajan received a plaque from the N/A Rotary Club for his contribution to the field of education in 2010. The Department of Education in Region 6 awarded him also for his outstanding contribution to education in October 1994. One member of the Gangaram community stated this about Mr. Deobhajan. “He inspires everyone to develop themselves and the community.”
Philip Deobhajan also played an important role in the planning and coordination of a special commemoration ceremony, in 1988, for the 15 Rose Hall Estate Martyrs who were shot and killed by colonial police 100 years ago.

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