<B>Filip Fanchette</B>

?I sincerely believe that we are all marked by several people since our childhood. I remember very well the two Portal ladies, two sisters who welcomed me at nursery level or even my Standard VI teacher, Mrs Godère, when I was at Beau-Bassin Government School. Furthermore, I have indelible memories of Daisy Quénette, my teacher for the junior scholarship as she was the one who instilled in me the desire to learn. But all of them had one thing in common; they would always congratulate me whenever I would do either the simplest or hardest things well. As a result, I always felt encouraged. In this respect, I consider myself as lucky to have come across them. In fact, I believe I have succeeded thanks to them.

After the junior scholarship, I moved to Royal College of Port-Louis, called LA School at the time. There, I got to know fabulous teachers, such as Raymond Péril and Kemlal Gopaul who were teaching Latin and Greek, the great Frank Richard who taught English Literature or Georges Telescourt who taught English in Form IV. In addition, I cannot forget the French classes by Raymond Chasles.

When I recall my secondary school teachers, I realise that they also had a specific point in common. Indeed, while talking to us, they would not limit themselves to academic issues but would show us how much they cared about our future and prospective careers. Consequently, to our eyes, they became like our mentors and our guides.

Once, when I was at the end of my Lower VI, after one class, Raymond Chasles came to me and told me not to forget to do my BA after my studies. I was more than surprised because that showed me that he was thinking about my future and was always seeking to give me advice. By doing so, he aroused in me this desire to always look forward. Meanwhile, this would show me that he had a lot of hopes for me and that he believed in me. However, I can assure that he was like that with most students, if not all of them.

Whenever I think about Frank Richard, what comes to my mind is his capability of provoking with some particular questions. And these questions were always asked with the objective to make us aim for the top. However, one should understand that he knew how to ask those questions as he, just like the other above-mentioned teachers, was an extraordinary pedagogue. I would like to add that he was talented enough to make me fall in love with literature to an extent that I never imagined I would be able to.

The other thing that all those had in common was that they knew how to make us work without being tense. Consequently, we were never really in competition with our peers or classmates. I realised this when I came back from my further studies and when I heard that at Queen Elizabeth College, some girls were tearing up pages in books so that their classmates would not be able to improve their knowledge. In the days I was at school, there was nothing as such. If there was to be competition, it was always in good faith. We always managed to keep solidarity amongst ourselves and I believe that the teachers played a major part in encouraging us to preserve this solidarity. They would do so, as they always embodied this principle of fairness. I would not like to choose any ?best teacher? to avoid any injustice towards anyone. But I think that, in terms of influence and impact, Raymond Chasles had the biggest. Later on when I found that he had left Mauritius for Bruxelles where he had been offered a position, I thought: ?What a waste for the students of this country!? This was because I thought he had a lot to offer to the new generations and to the country! Nevertheless, I was quite lucky because in the 80s, I met him again within the Collectif d?ONG that supported ACP countries in Bruxelles? it was a great feeling to be by his side again.?