Breaking News: Father Joseph Gough Talks to The Echo-Exclusive
No sooner had we published a chronicle of the history of Banjul’s Saint Augustine’s High school late last year, than a barrage of emails began hitting our mailbag. In a matter of three days it was saturated with messages filled with nostalgia from past students and good citizens expressing in great detail, their everlasting love, admiration and respect for Father Joseph Gough, a tough Irish Catholic priest who spent over a decade in the mini-West African state both as a missionary and educator. Before what many called his premature return to Ireland, Gough as he was affectionately called had become a household name. He was everywhere and every high schoolboy wanted to be a student at the once prestigious High school nestled at Banjul’s Box Bar Road. In this exclusive, our Editor-in-Chief, Ebrima G. Sankareh talked to this rara avis educationalist and legendary educator who was only last month, bestowed honorary Gambian citizenship and appointed Gambian Ambassador-At-Large. Today, he is called his Excellency, Father Joseph Gough. Below is our exclusive.
The Echo: Please begin by telling us who Fr. Joseph Gough is- your background?
I was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1944 into a family of nine children. We grew up on a farm, and that is where I learned to work hard.
I went to the local school till I was 13 and then went to Rockwell College for my secondary education for another five years. I then joined the Holy Ghost Congregation and in 1963 went to University College Dublin where I was awarded a B.A. Degree.
Then I did two years as a trainee teacher in Blackrock College.
In 1968 I returned to the seminary to complete my priestly studies and was ordained in 1971...I completed my Higher Diploma in Education in UCD again in 1972.
I was a keen sportsman and played Hurling, Gaelic football, rugby, soccer, volleyball, athletics and tennis.
How did you end up teaching in The Gambia and what was teaching English to non-native speakers like?
I was appointed to work in The Gambia in1972 by my Superior. Bishop Moloney, then Bishop of Banjul, asked for me so that I could set up the seminary to get Gambian Priests for the Gambian people. We set up the seminary in St. Michaels Seminary, Fajara. While Director of the Seminary I was also asked to teach English and Bible Knowledge in St. Augustine’s. Teaching English in The Gambia was very similar as in Europe. Gambians were very keen to learn and easily picked up languages. Grammar and spelling proved challenging for some. I was conscious that I should speak much slower and constant repetition helped greatly. Then getting students to express themselves in writing essays etc was a further challenge. Constant repetition and writing practice was the key here to improvement. My students can recall my weekly essays. I also encouraged the students to practice speaking English within the school environment.
During your days as Principal, Saints registered tremendous gains in both academia and sports and most of these were attributed to that priest- never tired, always courageous, energetic- what was the motivation for all this?
First of all let me say ‘you flatter me’. I could not do this alone. Yes, I was determined from the outset and even before I was principal to make SAHS the best school in the country. I was not prepared to be second best which SAHS was for far too long. I wanted to make it a ‘school of excellence’; hence the words of the school song ‘At books and play, we win our way’. I wanted to make the students proud of SAHS and want to belong to it. To educate means to develop all the talents and abilities, which a student possesses. There were lots of good students in The Gambia and many in SAHS also. So, I set about providing the structures that would help SAHS and its students... a good disciplined academic environment, good teachers, highly motivated students, attendance at evening studies for Banjul students, Saturday morning classes, improve the library facilities, provision of books and copies for the relevant subjects, expansion of the Curriculum and the introduction of the Commercial Subjects, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Agricultural and Health Science, Metal Work, Wood Work, Shorthand and Typing etc. The expansion of the school from two streams to four brought more talent into the school.
My ultimate ambition was achieved when I got permission from the Department of Education to upgrade SAHS to 6th Form School and prepare students for “A” Levels in the Arts and Commercial subjects.
The same applied to sports in SAHS in my day. We had many talented athletes and the provision of the best facilities and coaching helped improve the players of the various sporting disciplines. I had the school field upgraded, grassed and fenced for soccer. Then provided outdoor basketball, volleyball and tennis courts. The provision of the first indoor basketball court with the fibreglass backboards helped promote basketball. Then the provision of good coaching did the rest. The provision of the ‘coaching and playing hour’ after evening studies from 6 to 7 helped the various teams enormously and made them very competitive. I then made sure they were dressed properly with the provision of soccer, basketball, and athletic kit from O’Neills in Dublin. As the boys left school we formed them into clubs to keep them together hence the founding of Young Africans and Roots, both 1st Division teams when I left. Then we formed the famous Gymnastic Team to perform on special occasions and were even invited to the ‘State House’ to perform on the lawn by the then President, Sir Dawda Jawara.
Naturally, the kind of progress registered attracted several talents, both teachers and students, making you probably the most famous educationalist in The Gambia. It came to a stage that the possessive pronoun- Father Gough’s School was the metaphor for Saints. In actuality, was that not, by a twist of cruel irony also, a contributor to your premature departure?
Yes, you could be right there. I set up the first Board of Governors, to help me run the school, and was immediately answerable to them. They were very helpful and supportive.
I also introduced Parent Teacher Meetings to get the support of the parents in improving the facilities at the school, and also they could get to know the teachers and find out how their sons and eventually daughters were doing in the various subjects, and how they might improve. It is important to point out here that I was supported by the Department of Education, and in particular the Director of Education at the time, Mr. Tony Blain. Maybe my superiors in the Catholic Mission were not as supportive, and saw too many changes at SAHS, and thought I needed a break.
Given the benefit of hindsight, what would you have done differently as Saints’ Principal?
It is very hard to say and to answer this question adequately. You are only second guessing yourself. But it might be to ‘Work even harder myself and then perhaps delegate more responsibility to others.’ ‘And watch my back!!’ I did not realize that some were ‘jealous’ of my achievements and trying to undermine me. There was so much to be done in trying to make SAHS a School of Excellence and looking back now I was a ‘man in a hurry’ trying to achieve that. I am just happy that when I left, SAHS was recognised as the best in the country. I had done the job as best as I could and brought SAHS up to the standard of any Irish or English High School. In fact, some parents who were sending their children to school in Sierra Leone, and Nigeria brought them back home to St. Augustine’s.
What was it like leaving The Gambia rather prematurely, almost at the maturation of your dream of making Saints a model academy not only for The Gambia, probably the West African coast?
‘Heart broken’ was my initial feeling. I had grown to love the Gambian people. My departure co-incided with the completion of five years as Principal, and twelve years teaching. The results in the GCE O Level examinations at the end of my tenure as Principal were the best ever in the history of the school and country. In fact, they have never been bettered since. So in a way I had completed my dream for St. Augustine’s, and it was time to move on, even if I had not planned it that way. But there were other things, which I had planned to do which remained unfulfilled. What is not perhaps known is that in subsequent years I was asked by the Jawara Government to return as principal of two of its most prestigious schools. By that time my family circumstances had changed in Ireland and I was not free to return. I only returned to The Gambia then for the ordination of the first Gambian Priests, which was my initial work there.
Like a musician, as a teacher, I find it difficult to identify one student and say he was the best. I am sure there are moments when you think of Saints and no doubt reflect on your students- across the spectrum, who were your best?
There were many excellent students during my time and I gave a list (about 50) of them in the updated History of St. Augustine’s. I would have to reproduce that here really to be fair to every body. Also students excelled at various things and subjects. I upgraded Prize Day as a way of honoring these good students. If I started naming names I am bound to forget some.... I am out of SAHS 25 years this year and being older the memory is naturally declining. But the three who stand out in my mind at the moment would be Henry Batchi Baldeh, Bashirou Jahumpa and Karamo Sonko. But there are numerous others worthy of honourable mention also.
Talk to us about your teachers.
‘A school is as good as its teachers’ was an oft-used phrase of mine. With the expansion of the numbers in the school and the subjects on the curriculum the provision of good teachers was one of my major goals for the school. One of my aims was to employ as many good Gambian teachers as possible as they became available. This would ensure continuity. The first step in this process was the appointment of Mr. Sam Njie as the first Gambian Vice-Principal. Among the many Gambian teachers I recall Mr. Goree Ndiaye, Simon Bakurin, Henry Jammeh, Hassan Jallow, Mr. Stafford, Ibrahim Jaiteh, Cherno Baldeh, Mr. Manneh, Ousman Sabally, Charles Mendy, Alade Joiner, Malleh Wadda, Mrs. Elizabeth Renner. We had teachers from all over the world and including Peace Corps and VSO teachers. Among these I recall Frs. M. Flynn, M.Murphy and M.Murray, Sister Maeve, Mr. Mathews, Mrs. Jobe, Mr. J. Roebuck, Mr. Lavelle, Samuel Ayisi, Philip Dodou, Edward Atta, and many teachers from Ghana and many I can’t even recall at the moment.
Being a Catholic school and a predominantly Christian school, how was it like introducing Islamic education to Saints?
Just a natural development of the expansion of the curriculum. The Department of Education were providing trained Islamic Teachers to the various schools. I initially accepted one teacher, and later a second teacher, to help educate our Muslim students in the practice of their religion. Two thirds of the students at SAHS were members of the Islamic Religion. They should not be denied the opportunity of learning and practicing their faith. While Christians were attending their religion class (twice a week), the Muslims could attend their Islamic classes. Christians and Muslims had separate religious assemblies on Fridays. It is important to point out the great respect there is between Muslims and Christians in The Gambia, and the tolerance they have for each other’s beliefs and practices. This is primarily due to the fact that they are educated together. One of my unfulfilled projects was to set aside a small ‘prayer space’ where the Muslim students could pray. I often saw them having to go behind the school near the toilets to find somewhere peaceful and quiet to pray. This was not right I thought and a small area was to be set-aside for that purpose. This is a fundamental right of people to be able to worship freely, and a right recognized by the Catholic Church.... and for its own people also.
In 1982, the Senegalese government honoured you- what was this about?
Yes, I was decorated with a Sene-gambian medal for promoting educational, sporting and cultural exchange between schools in the two countries. I initiated exchanges with schools in Ziguinchor, Kaolack, and Dakar, the most famous being with Sacre Coeur and St. Michel. Many will recall the attendance of the famous Sacre Coeur band at Independence Day and subsequent parade through Banjul and back to SAHS. There were epic games in both soccer and basketball between the schools, and invariably SAHS came out on top. The importance of these exchanges was that it gave our students the opportunity to play against the best in Senegal and to promote good relations between the two countries. This was encouraged by the two governments and facilitated by the Sene-Gambian Secretariat.
Quite frankly, as an old boy of the school, news out of The Gambia about Saints’ progress is heartbreaking to put it mildly. I occasionally visit the school website, and the classroom photos are deplorable-decrepit and dilapidated structures all over. Knowing the investment you put in the advancement of the school, how do feel about this and are there ways that this could be fixed?
All things are possible. Yes, I was subsequently disappointed to hear about the decline of standards in SAHS. This is in no way a criticism of my successors. Far be it from me to tell my successors how to do their job. Being Gambians they know the people, the language and culture of the country far better than me.
The past students Alumni, which I initially set up to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of SAHS in 1979, should be revived. They can play an important role in providing better facilities for their Alma Mater. This year SAHS is 80 years old and an opportune time to rally the ‘troops’ and do some fund-raising for the school and celebrate that occasion. I have sent pictures recently of every class in SAHS during my tenure. These should be posted and the students identified and contacted etc.
I hear you are still an educator with a prestigious college in your native Ireland, please tell us about what you do now.
Yes, I have been teaching in Blackrock College since 1985. It is one of the best schools in the country with 975 students in the Secondary cycle and 850 in the Preparatory school. There are 100 students boarding. Here I have been teaching English and Religion. I am also Counsellor/chaplain to the Final Year (200) students. I was Gamesmaster here for many years, which meant running the whole Sports Programme for the school. I still coach rugby, athletics, and squash and am also working as a selector/advisor to Leinster Schoolboys and with the Irish schoolboy rugby team.
Now to the Gough Foundation. I hear you are building a football stadium in Majai Kunda and phase I is near completion. What are the Gough Foundation and its activities in The Gambia?
Yes, some past students led by the great Bye Malleh Wadda set this foundation up four years ago. Its main purpose is to continue the work I was doing in providing educational scholarships to needy students and to provide good sporting facilities in The Gambia. The first project we undertook was in the Manjai/Kotu area and the completion of a football field there and officially opened on Jan 4th with a big celebration in Manjai Kunda. I would like to thank Bye Malleh Wadda and Habib Jeng for all their hard work in making this possible. The next project we are undertaking is the provision of a modern basketball court in Banjul where the Mayor Samba Faal made me an Honorary Citizen. I provided 24 educational scholarships and donated sums of money for the education of needy students through the Foundation on my recent visit. The Fr. Gough Foundation can be accessed on the website: ‘www.goughfoundation.gm’.
Interviewing a man of your calibre is no easy business, doubtless to say, there are numerous areas that could not be covered. Please feel free to talk about everything you wanted to.
My role in setting up St. Michaels Seminary and the education of the first Gambian priests was one of my proudest achievements in The Gambia. Frs. Anthony Gabisi, Peter Gomez, Edward Gomez, David Jarju and Anthony Sonko were all recruited and trained by Fr. Pere Sagna and myself. They were the pioneers of the Gambian priesthood and leaders of the Catholic Community today. This I regard as my spiritual legacy to The Gambia.
The first project, which the Gough Foundation undertook, was in fact the building of a church in the Kanifing Parish, the Blessed Eucharrist Church, under the episcopacy of Bishop Cleary, the former Bishop of Banjul. I also give Bishop Ellison a substantial sum of money each year for the education of Gambian priests and the development of the Catholic Church in The Gambia.
My educational legacy was making St. Augustine’s a School of Excellence and an institution to be proud of. This has been well documented already. I left a sporting legacy too in Young Africans, Roots and Saints basketball, volleyball and athletic clubs. I was a National Soccer Advisor in my final year and a member of the GFA, Basketball, and Athletics Associations, and co-founder of The Gambia Rugby team.
I was very happy working in The Gambia, and I love the country and its people. I was very proud to accept the National Order of The Republic of The Gambia from President Jammeh in 2004.I dedicate that Award to the many outstanding students at SAHS during my tenure.
The President also honoured me on my recent visit when he made me an Honorary Citizen of The Gambia, gave me a Gambian Diplomatic Passport and made me a Goodwill Ambassador-at-Large for The Gambia. He also donated 100,000.00 dalasis to the Gough Foundation. I was also appointed Sports Advisor to the President. Awards such as this make me realise the debt of gratitude I owe to the Gambian people. It will also encourage me to work even harder to do more things for my adopted country, The Gambia. Greetings to all my past students. I am very proud of you all and your achievements!
Editor, thanks for the interview.