Education Minister Anthony Garcia yesterday thanked Sat Maharaj for the pivotal role he played in providing quality education to the schools that are managed by the SDMS.
Garcia paid tribute to Maharaj at his funeral service in St Augustine, stating that despite being a controversial figure, his views were always honest and with conviction.
Admitting that he was saddened by Maharaj’s passing, Garcia said it mattered not how a man dies but how he lived.
He said Maharaj lived a good life and focused on servicing the Hindu community, the education system and country.
From his tenure as president of the T&T Unified Teachers Association to education minister, Garcia said he shared a long and excellent relationship with Maharaj, thanking him for the quality education he provided to the schools that fell under the SDMS’ jurisdiction.
Those schools Garcia said, have been performing exceptionally well at the CSEC and CAPE levels.
“He has emphasised that we cannot do it alone.”
During yesterday’s downpour, Garcia said his granddaughter remarked that even “the heavens were weeping for Mr Maharaj.”
Garcia said the principal of Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College attributed Maharaj’s vision to the school’s capturing its fifth in a row President’s Medal.
“Mr Maharaj was a disciplinarian. He was also controversial. But one cannot deny the fact that he stood behind his views...and he expressed his views with honesty and conviction. So much so some people felt that the views was expressed too rigidly. But I can assure you there was an element of honesty in everything that he did.”
Garcia said Maharaj left a mark on the education system that we can never forget.
“He has been an education icon in all the things he has done and in all his pursuits we recognise the importance of a man of his stature so that we can move forward and upwards in ensuring that our education system continues to strive.” (SH)