Don Bosco School Guwahati is a Catholic institution affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). It was established by the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in February 1948 primarily for the education of Catholic children and the children belonging to the weaker sections of society. Don Bosco School belongs to minority community and enjoys the safeguards as enshrined in the Constitution of India. It is one of the premier institutions in the field of education in the North East.
The Salesians of Don Bosco (S.D.B.) were entrusted with the mission in Assam (which then comprised of the whole of North East) in 1922 by the Holy See in Rome. The first batch of Salesians arrived in Guwahati on the 12th February, 1922 led by Monsignor Louis Mathias S.D.B.D.D., Father Emmanuel Bars S.D.B.D.D., Father Joseph Gill, Father Joseph Huber Alsace, Father John Deponti, Father Paul Bonardi, Brother Gumersindo Cid, Brother Augustine Conti, Brother San Marino, Brother Laureas Santana, Brother Peter Aprile, and Brother Mario Calzi.
In 1923, Father Leo Piasecki S.D.B. from Poland was appointed for the Guwahati mission. He established “Our lady’s Orphanage” in 1926 and a carpentry school with just 12 students in 1928. The carpentry workshop was upgraded in 1938 and was named as Don Bosco Technical School. The Academic school was started for classes I to IV in 1937. The school was, however, taken over by the Army in 1942 at the outbreak of the Second World War and the school had to be closed.
The sad closure of the school owing to the outbreak of the Second World War did not dampen the spirit of the Salesians of Don Bosco from continuing with their mission. The Second World War ended in September,1945. The Salesians following the footsteps of Don Bosco and his pass word ‘at once’ restarted the school officially on 8th February, 1948 with a function presided over by Dr. Bhubaneswar Barua. It had a very humble beginning with only 92 students, studying in classes I to IV. During these years, parts of the school building were also being used by Assam Civil Engineering School and by Gauhati University.
The school was affiliated to Guwahati University in 1951. The first batch of 9 students appeared for the Matriculation examination in 1952 and out of which 8 had passed. One of the well-known faces of this first batch was Dr. Nirmal Kumar Choudhury, former Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University. In 1958, the English section was introduced from class VII and then to classes IV to VI in 1962. Thereafter, there was no looking back for Don Bosco school, Guwahati.
The school has initiated a series of novel and progressive steps to keep pace with the changing times to meet the needs of the students. As a first step, the primary school curriculum and teaching methods were totally revamped. The teachers of the primary school attended several workshops to familiarize and equip themselves with the child-cantered and activity-oriented teaching methods. The unit tests and examinations gave way to continuous evaluations through worksheets. Exercise books were replaced by loose sheets in order to reduce the weight of the school bag and reduce the waste of paper. In the primary section we follow the Xeed programme which reduces the use of textbooks and increased student participation in the learning process.
The school was affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2006 and upgraded to senior secondary (Plus two) level in 2009. The school was also changed from a hitherto ‘all-boys school’ to a co-educational school. The first batch of girls was admitted to Class XI in 2009 and to KG and Class I in 2010.
The school can take pride in the digitalised e-learning solutions in the classrooms and progressive use of student-centred learning processes where teachers are more of facilitators. The school has also set up a resource centre in view of providing the campus with WiFi. The school administration software “Campus Care” has automated the school office, the library as well as the school administration.
Don Bosco Guwahati has produced and continues to produce eminent personalities in all walks of life. It can boast of an enviable record of being a front-runner in every field of educational activity, be it academics or co-curricular. The performance of the students in the Class X & XII examinations under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) bears testimony to this.
The school administration is built on the pillars of change, innovation and dynamic growth with committed and sincere teachers and a managing committee. Don Bosco school, Guwahati will, therefore, continue to shine and excel in the years to come and be counted as a premier senior secondary educational institution of Northeast India.
Don Bosco School, Guwahati, is a school that imparts holistic, life-long learning which empower the child to be the architect of his own life and ambassador of good, compassionate, just and productive citizenship, deeply rooted in the values of St. Jhon Bosco.
Don Bosco School, a student-centred organization aims at fostering a holistic growth of its pupils by developing their physical, intellectual, emotional potential, their ethical sensitivity and sense of the transcendent. The Schools primary mission is to provide a dynamic learning space that is enjoyable, safe, happy, caring and stimulating.