St. Francis’ Hr. Sec. School, Jehangirabad, Bhopal has an history dating back to the Begums of Bhopal Principality, during the time of the Britishers in India. Bhopal was a Princely State, ruled by the Muslim Nawabs and Begums of Bhopal. The cathedral church, named after St. Francis of Assisi, now a heritage building under the Archeological Survey of Inda, was built for the then Catholic officers of the Begums’ army. The first such officer is from a Bourbons family of France, who was the Commander of the Begums’ Army. It is through the influence of the Bourbon family a church was built at Jehangirabad. The diocese of Indore looked after the spiritual needs of the Catholics of Bhopal by coming from Indore to Bhopal to offer Mass and other church services.
It is recorded on the tomb stone of Mrs. Bonaventura Bourbon, who died in 1960, in the Cathedral church at Jehangirabad, that the land for St. Francis’ school is donated by her.
It was around the year 1961 the then Bishop of Indore, Rt. Rev. Francis Simon, expressed his desire to start a Hindi medium school for the poor children of Jehangirabad, Bhopal to the Provincial Superior of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, Rev. Sr. Francis James. She appointed Sisters St. Roch, Sr. Cosmos and one lay-catholic lady, Mrs. Teresa Francis, to start the school in the premises of the Cathedral Church at Jehangirabad. The Rev. Sisters came from Idgah hills to work in the school named after St. Francis of Assisi with about ten to twelve students. This arrangement went on for few years. The students in the small school started increasing.
Meanwhile the new diocese of Bhopal was erected and Most Rev. Dr. Eugene D’ Souza, from Nagpur diocese, was appointed the Bishop of Bhopal. The student strength in the school kept steadily increasing. He was a visionary and saw that the poor children of Jehangirabad area need a good school and started the construction of the ground floor of the first building in 1967.
On the transfer of Sr. St. Roch, Sr. Benchmen became the Headmistress and Fr. Jose D’ Cruz took over the administration of St. Francis church. Being a new diocese, Bhopal diocese was short of priests and Archbishop Eugene D’ Souza requested the Bishop of Jabalpur diocese to help the school by sending Fr. Bridichand from Jabalpur diocese to look after the school and the parish.
On the transfer of Fr. Bridichand, Fr. Samuel Kavil was appointed parish priest and sister Karuna and others worked in the school. He got the first and second floor of the school constructed as there was a need for more classrooms. The school grew from strength to strength and reached class XI of the M. P. Board. Meanwhile the diocese was also started new parishes and mission stations and there was lack of priests to work in parishes.
Archbishop Eugene was contacting different congregations to take over the administration of St. Francis school. In 1973 he met Bro. Ambrose, Provincial Superior, Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, Province of North India, who after discussing with his Council agreed to take over the administration of St. Francis school, Jehangirabad. Bro. K. T. Raja, Bro. Joseph Regis and Bro. Simon Peter arrived in Bhopal and they were accommodated in the side rooms of the Cathedral Church. The community building was being constructed.
With the arrival of the Montfort Brothers the school got a new lease of life. The Brothers being from the education field started developing the academic and non-academic aspects of the school. Co-curricular activities started and there was a new enthusiasm.
In 1975 Bro. K. T. raja was transferred and Bro. Paul Kodikulum took over as the Principal and Bro. Mathew Montfort as the Superior of the Community and Headmaster of the middle school. In 1975 St. Francis school started receiving the grant-in-aid from the government of Madhya Pradesh. This further helped in the appointment of qualified teachers and the school slowly started being known in the Bhopal city as a good Hindi Medium school.
In 1976 Bro. Mathew Montfort took over as the principal of the school at the departure of Bro. Paul Kodikulum. Bros. Joseph Regis, P.J. Abraham and Simon Peter were the other Brothers who worked during this period. After the Brothers taking over the number of students further increased and Higher Secondary classes both in Science and Arts stream were also started.
Various interschool and intra school activities were conducted, St. Francis school students and their sports and games teams were known for their good sports man-ship and it became one of the four prominent Christian schools of the city of Bhopal. In 1976 the first annual sports meet was organized in the Lal Parade ground of Police HQ, Bhopal.
In 1978 Bro. Mathew Montfort was transferred and Bro. Thomas Madapallikunnel replaced him. He continued with the various school and inter school activities. St. Francis school continued keeping up the name and fame and was considered a ‘good school’ of the city of Bhopal.
In 1976 the Scouts movement was started in the school. Ms. Asha Singh, the PTI and games teacher, after having taken training in Scouts and Guides movement, was the inspiration and main force behind the Scouts & Guides movement of St. Francis school. Later other teachers also got involved in this movement and many of the Scout boys and Guide girl students received Presidents and Governors’ awards and had represented in Republic day parade in Delhi on 26 January several times. These Scouts and Guide students on later years were also helping in the outreach programs of St. Francis’ school.
Later in 1990 NCC was also stared in St. Francis’ school. These two activities for the students are still going on with vibrancy and enthusiasm.
In 1982 Bro. Thomas Madapallikunnel was transferred and Bro. Barnabas Tete (1982-83) became the Principal and next year Br. Devassy Vaniapura (1983-84) headed the school as Principal. During these years Bros. Patras Kujur, Marcel Ekka, Santosh Kumar, Herman Tete were the other members of the school community.
In 1984 Bro. P. T. Joseph became the Principal of the school and he was assisted by Bros. David, N.T. Scaria, and Bro. K. T. John. I n 1979 the first Inter Montfortian school athletics meet known as ‘Montfort Olympiad’ was conducted in Montfort school, Delhi and the athletic team of St. Francis school were the overall runner up. During this period many intraschool and inter school activities took place and always the students of St. Francis outshine in most items. In 1979-82 period the Bhopal University Basketball team had five ex-St. Francis basket-ball players. Bro. P. T. Joseph was transferred in 1987 and he was replaced by Bro. Jose Thottiyil.
During his term as Principal, he got the present administrative and Science block built with the financial help received though foreign funding agencies. He got the whole campus enhanced with more facilities and a well set-up principal’s and school office. This building is standing on the same place, where once upon a time the convent of the sisters of Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Sisters)’s convent building was. The Missionaries of Charity acquired a new plot of land in the Bank Colony behind church area and shifted their convent and institution to that location and the space was available for the expansion of the school. Archbishop Eugene D’Souza, at the request of Bro. Jose Thottiyil, readily allowed the same space to be used for the school building. This building was inaugurated in November, 1989.
During this period St. Francis school had many firsts. The St. Joseph Sisters of Chambery came to help in the primary section. Sr. Stephanie was in-charge of the Nursery Section. When Sr. Stephanie was transferred Sr. Pretiasha helped as Head Mistress of the Primary section.
During these years the M. P. government was slowly withdrawing the grant-in-aid system of the minority schools and once a teacher retired from the school, no new post was allowed/approved. Hence, the school was facing financial difficulties in appointing and paying the salary of many ‘private’ teachers in the school, whose post was not approved.
The school became a Senior Secondary (plus two) school in 1990. The number of ‘privately paid’ teachers started increasing as teachers began to retire every year and newly appointed teachers were not getting salary from the government. This continued for some years.
To face the situation the only way left was to start English medium education, charge more fees and get out of the grant-in-aid system. So English medium in Kinder Garten was started in 2001 with the consent and blessings of the Archdiocese of Bhopal. Meanwhile Archbishop Eugene D’Souza retired and Archbishop Pascal Toppno became the Archbishop of Bhopal.
Meanwhile there was change of Principal. Bro. Jose Thottiyil was transferred in 1992 and Bro. M. O. Sebastian took over the responsibility. He was principal from 1992 to 1996. A person with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. He made quite a bit of changes. The building connecting the old building, where the toilet of the students once stood, was remodeled and a three-floor building was constructed with the help of foreign funding agencies. Now it is known as ‘Brother Ambrose memorial’ building. The English medium classes also started growing into higher classes and in order to meet the need of classroom every year one section of Hindi medium class was closed.
During this period Bro. Sebastian Azhiakunnek, a member of the community of Brothers, took initiative and started some ‘Out-reach-program’ of Adults’ Education and a School Drop-out children’ classes under leadership of St. Francis school teachers, students, and management.
In 1996 Bro. M. O. Sebastian was transferred and Bro. Benjamin became the Principal of St. Francis school. He remodeled the already existing Basket Ball ground and got it resurfaced with cement concreting the court. The Silver Jubilee of the school was celebrated in 1998.
In 1999 Bro. Benjamin was transferred and Bro. P. T. Joseph came back a second time as Principal. The school grew in strength and the experiment in starting English Medium was a success and classes in English medium started moving upward and every year one section of Hindi mediums getting also closed.
Bro. P. T. Joseph started the old students’ association in 2001. It was named SFA (St. Francis’ Alumni) and many old students under the leadership of Madam Rehana and other teachers started becoming active. Although eventually the old students’ association had slow death and now it is non-functional, after the Golden Jubilee celebration of St. Francis school in 2011.
Many of the Alumni of St. Francis’ school today occupy prominent government jobs, have established themselves as renowned Doctors and Engineers. They are scattered around the city of Bhopal and other prominent cities of India and aboard.
In 2004 Bro. P.T Joseph was transferred and Bro. Jose Thottiyil came back a second time as Principal. He remained till 2006 as Principal and was replaced by Bro. John Minj in 2006.
In 2008 Bro. John Minj was transferred and Bro. William Paul, an old student of St. Francis school himself, became the principal.
Since being an English Medium school, and still under the M. P. Board of Secondary Education and after being out of the grant-in-aid scheme, St. Francis school followed the CBSE syllabus and as the English Medium class reached class IX level it applied for CBSE affiliation in the year 2009. CBSE Board affiliated St. Francis’ school from class IX to Class XII the following year.
In the year 2009 the FDM (Daughters of Mercy) Sisters started collaborating in the functioning of the school. They were accommodated in a near-by apartment. And every year at least three Sisters worked in the school always one of them as the headmistress and the other two as teachers.
The Hindi Medium classes had almost became extinct and only classes IX to Class XII were still in the M. P. board syllabus scheme. The first batch of CBSE Board exam was taken in 2011-12 by both of class X and class XII and the last batch of Hindi medium also took the 12th class exam the same year.
In the meanwhile, Bro. William Paul was transferred and Bro. Lucanus Lakra took over the leadership of the school. It was during the Principalship of Bro. Lucianus Lakra that St. Francis’ school celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the school.
In 2012 Bro. N. T. Cyriac replaced Bro. Lucianus Lakara and he is at the helm of affairs ever since (till date). During this time some more classrooms were added in the space between the Brother Ambrose memorial, building and the Brothers’ residence. There are six classrooms. Later from 2018 the diamond jubilee memorial building, along the church-road, was built. It is a four-floor building and has classrooms, new Principal’s office, school office and teachers’ rooms. This new building was inaugurated by Rev. Bro. John Kallarackal, Superior General, Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel, in 2022. The school had been progressing in leaps and bounds all through the tenure of Bro. N. T. Cyriac.
During the Covid-19 epidemic the school successfully conducted on-line classes all through the two Epidemic years. Now the school started normal off-line classes. With the addition of the new classroom facilities the afternoon pre-primary classes are also conducted in the fore-noon time along with the other classes.
During the span of these sixty years many of the teachers of St. Francis stood out as out-standing teachers, menders, and guides.
>In 1995 Ms. Asha Singh, PTI & Scouts & Guides teacher, received award from M. P. Government for ‘Disaster Management, and in 1999 the State Youth Festival Award. In 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2018 the State level Scouts and Guides Jamboree award.
In 2001 Dr. (Mrs.) Reh ana Siddiqui, the Biology Lecturer, was awarded “Master Trainer Award” by The International Teachers of the Future group. In 2011 Dr. Rehana Siddiqui was awarded “The Special teacher Award” by the AISECT University, Bhopal.
In 2018, the SAM group, awarded Ms. Rekha Bhargava the State Level Teachers’ award.
In 2019, the same SAM Group of Institutions, awarded Mr. Manish Patil with State level Teachers’ award.
Periodically some senior teachers were also part of the M. P. Board Syllabus, and Board Examination Question Paper Committees. Thus, even outside the school campus, the teachers were recognized and contributing their share of knowledge and expertise.
Compiled and written by:
Dr. Bro. Mathew Montfort/Chulaparambil
28-4-2023.