Michael High School, Kurla West, Mumbai: 40 years of spreading education

Catholic Education Society’s Michael High School, Kurla West, Mumbai, has entered its 40th year. Known for its creative and humane education, the school is run by an enthusiastic couple, Moses M. Gomes, the founder, and his wife Jean Gomes, the principal. The school caters to students of all castes and creed with more than 8500 students. Mr Gomes had a humble beginning in the Holy Cross Parish of Kurla where he was a gravedigger and then a peon of the parish school. Today he stands firm as the CEO and founder of Michael High School & Marceline Junior College, named after his parents. Mrs. Gomes has a passion and zest for education. Amongst many awards, she has also received the National Award for Best Teacher 2011 from Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the then President of India.

The school has a very different approach to education as it focuses on the all-round development of the students as well as making them socially and environmentally aware. It is an oasis in this concrete city of Mumbai, as it has more than 3500 different plants of fruits, flowers, vegetables and plants of healing nature. It encourages its students to participate in many co-curricular and social activities. From vermiculture to planting, saving electricity to fitness, the school is a budding house of activities for its students.

The school, on its 40th anniversary of its foundation, has organized a number of programmes involving the students, parents and teachers. From the first marathon in Kurla with more than 500 participants, cooking competitions for parents, rallies for students, to a number of workshops for teachers, the school has left no stone unturned to enhance the personalities of all those associated with it. The school also makes it point to visit many orphanages and old age homes so that students can spend time with them.