Shirly Rappai, Senior Vice-Principal at Birla Public School.
Doha: Shirly Rappai, Senior Vice-Principal at Birla Public School since 2004 and a mathematics teacher, is retiring at the end of this month after 35 years of laudable service in academics. Prior to her stint at Birla Public School, she was associated with MES Indian School for over 20 years where she taught mathematics to students of the ninth and tenth grade.
“Shirly is a gifted teacher whose commitment to the profession and passion for teaching is remarkable,” said a parent of a student who in the past was herself a student of Shirly at MES Indian School. Having joined the school at its inception in 2004, Shirly has contributed immensely to make Birla Public School one of the top schools in Qatar in academic excellence.
Birla Public School started with just 240 students and today 15 years later it has grown to more than 7,000 students, making it the largest reputable Indian school in Qatar. As the school grew over the years, so did her responsibilities and she gradually turned her focus towards academic affairs assisting the school principal in day-to-day administration.
During her tenure, the school has prepared and sent 10 batches over 1,400 students for the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) 12th year final exams. Almost every year it has achieved 100 percent results, with a majority of the students securing first classes and distinctions.
A feat, when compared with other schools, is that Birla Public School has always achieved the highest percentage in school average. Today the Birla Public School is ranked among the top in the education sector in Qatar.
“As a teacher, it gives me immense satisfaction and pleasure when I see the remarkable performance of our students in the academic sphere. This is what any teacher would consider as the pinnacle of their achievement in their career. I am also happy that I was able to make my humble contribution in academics in Qatar during my teaching years,” said Shirly.
Shirly has won recognitions for her remarkable service as a teacher among which is a Best Teacher Award conferred twice by the MES Indian school management. She considers the late Mohammed Kunhi, a long-time principal of MES, as one of her mentors in terms of discipline, qualities and achievements.
She believes in the popular proverb that, after a long innings it is good to retire at one’s peak before you are out. Her colleagues have stated that she has been a teacher who is always fully immersed heart and soul into her work, sometimes even to the extent of sacrificing her personal life but she has been blessed with the wholehearted support of her family, her greatest strength.
Shirly said: “One of the most rewarding experiences of being a teacher is being showered with the love of your students. What is very heartening for a teacher is that students, some of whose faces you cannot recollect, surprisingly meet, greet and introduce themselves wherever we travelled, even in the unlikeliest of places, whether it’s in the USA, Europe, Asia or in Australia. This is how students have shown their gratitude to me as a teacher by which we feel proud of our profession.”
Birla Public School, students and staff honoured her by giving an emotional farewell ceremony last week. The management committee is officially giving their farewell today at 6.30pm.
