?There are several teachers I have come across during my years at school who have in one way or another exerted some influence upon me and on my intellectual growth.

The names that immediately come to mind are those of Michael Atchia, Swaleh Bolaky and Dev Virasawmy.

Michael Atchia was my biology teacher in my early years at secondary school. He made a major impression upon me when he took our whole class under a tree in the school yard for a biology lesson. In those days it was something unheard of!

Another name that comes to mind is Swaleh Bolaky, who was my history teacher. He made me become passionately interested in the subject. He was always ready to answer my numerous queries regarding issues that had nothing to do with our syllabus. He was always very receptive to my questions.

The third name that comes to mind would certainly be Dev Virasawmy. He was my English literature teacher outside school hours. I owe him a lot regarding, on the one hand, the discovery of William Blake who has remained one of my favorite poets. On the other hand, in those days I was grappling to understand the Marxist approach to the study of literature. And Dev Virasawamy was a very interesting personality in my educational experience.

But one name that remains constantly in my mind and in my my heart is Guy Runghen. He was my French teacher at Royal College Curepipe. He was a typical product of the sixties generation?s revolt in Europe. One important thing is that when he was teaching me he was holding a PhD which was rare in those days.

?Guy Runghen was a non-conformist. There was nothing taboo. Questions could go to the bottom of things?

Guy was a non-conformist and his way of thinking was different from most people?s. He was a well respected figure in his circle. In those days it was very rare for adolescents to be listened to by adults. Talking to Guy, there was nothing taboo. Questions could go to the bottom of things. One felt that he could understand and to a certain extent share the spirit of revolt and the questioning attitude of youth.

I also considered Guy as a friend because of his very outgoing approach. He played a major role in my ideology. Indeed, in those days I was in search of an ideology. Furthermore, I was very interested in French Literature. Then, Guy walked into my life as my French Literature teacher. I was trying to make sense of all the different schools of thought within the Left. In form six, it was a particular juncture in my intellectual development. Through Guy, I came across the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. This raised fundamental philosiphical questions about human existence and our relationships with others. From those years I believe I acquired a humanistic streak and a refusal to conform to any pre-established dogma. This is why I believe this was a crucial time in my intellectual development. I owe my discovery of these literary figures I have just mentioned to Guy Runghen ! Looking back over the years, I think Guy did exert, through the way he behaved with us, through his philosophical thinking and the way he exposed us to things, a lasting influence upon me. And the influence was essentially intellectual.

I personally believe there are two characteristics about teachers nowaydays that are to be taken into consideration. The first thing is that for some teachers, learning stopped when they left University. The second thing is the learning-by-heart issue. In fact children are asked to learn everything by heart, and it is not related to the realities of life. They are taught in a bookish manner and are given very little preparation for real life.

The four teachers I mentioned before were completely different. For them, knowledge was boundless. For them, asking questions was legitimate, natural and something to be encouraged. They felt they had to motivate students to learn new things ! For them, literary criticism, historical analyis and scientific issues had to be taught in a very uncommon way.?