I am not a Cato and yet I stand with the Green Kingdom

Let me start by giving you some details about my own person to make you understand that my opinion is quite unbiased. I am an ex-DMC and I have been at DMC for 7 years. We are also known as the ‘Fourmis-Rouge’ and we have the reputation of being among the elite students of Mauritius.

Recently, one of our alumnae whose name I will not be mentioning since I do not wish to satirise her as she did with the QEC girls, expressed her views on the said school. I neither completely agree with what she said nor am I proud. And through all the comments I have read, I am very disappointed and outraged.

Though I have never heard of her nor have I ever read one of her works, through my research I have been able to conclude that she is a well-known author. However, I felt little professionalism on her part when she blatantly bashed online and pinpointed my fellow comrades at QEC.

Being an adult who is aware that thousands of people will be reading her article, I feel that it was her responsibility to keep the name of the school anonymous if she had so many negative things to say about teenagers who are barely 17. Or perhaps, a written personal letter addressed to the Rector of the college to express her disappointment instead of publicly downgrading the institution and its students would have been more appropriate.

The author also mentioned one of the two stereotypical images that the public has of the QEC; their obsession to only excel academically, the other one being their arrogance towards other people. Let us tackle these two separately, shall we?

It is true that girls at QEC have proven their worth in our educational system with the excellent results they bring each year. But does that really mean that all they do is study? My cousin sister and I were born the same year and ever since I moved in Mauritius permanently, we have literally grown up together. She was admitted to QEC while I at DMC. Every time we met she used to tell me all the stuff she did at her school and all the activities she had.

Needless to say, I was in awe. I love DMC don’t get me wrong, but I secretly wished we did some of the activities that QEC did when I was still at school. They had a Carnival Day if I am not mistaken, a whole week full of activities and no learning, a group of active Majorettes, graduation balls and the list could go on. I can assure you, my school was much more focused on academics than QEC was.

Now let us talk about their arrogance. Sure, even I have met girls from QEC who were very arrogant and I instantly disliked them. That does not mean that I have not met the same kind of people in other colleges or even in mine for that matter. That does not mean that aside from my cousin, I have not met girls from the QEC who are very humble, kind and fun to be around with. Is it fair of us to only select some specific traits shown to us from a few girls out of the thousand there are in the institution and generalise its reputation?

One of the arguments the author put forward that made me feel targeted was the competition that is present. The ‘culte’ to be more precise. I have to say, I agree. But again, this competition is not only existent in QEC but also in all the other colleges. This competition is present in all the students from all over the country who have chosen to compete for the HSC with hope to gain a scholarship. I dare to say that it’s the educational system which is more at fault than the students who thrive to achieve very good results.

And could we really blame all those students who choose to focus mostly on their studies? Are you aware that there are many middle-class and even lower-middle-class pupils who depend on these scholarships to be able to continue their studies? Could we really blame them for having the will to pursue their studies in the universities of their choice with the help of the scholarships or excellent results?

Besides how can you interpret someone’s laughter? Please remember your college days and answer this question honestly. Whenever there were talks your class was made to attend, did you listen to every word the speaker said without having a private conversation with the friend sitting next to you? To be completely honest, I did not give my full attention and I am certain many of you did not as well. So maybe, just maybe, the girls did not laugh because the author did not attend QEC but because of a private conversation they were having.

When I read the article, personally I felt a lot of frustration coming from the words she wrote. Maybe because the girls had not read her books unlike those in the lycées in France where her works were in the curriculum or maybe because she felt that her work was not valued enough here. Nevertheless, those were not valid reasons enough to degrade the institution. It was wrong of us, not only the author, to make so many assumptions. Matters could have been handled in a more private, professional and mature way. Maybe we should be questioning the system as a whole rather than the characters of these adolescents who are victims of it.

Ironically, she has used the Green Kingdom to become famous here. I had never heard of her before and only did after reading what she had said through a friend’s post. She has proven that negative publicity is still publicity.

To all those demeaning this college, I would request you to think twice. Strip down the name of the institution and remove the stereotypes and you will see that these girls are just like us. They are our comrades, not our rivals. They are our relatives, our peers in tuitions and our future colleagues. 

And to all the Catos, raise your crowns higher. People will judge no matter what. It is sad that many cannot see your true worth but you know it and that is solace enough. Let them say what they want to say.

Sending buckets full of love your way,

Kavya H. Saikia 🌸