The Garo Hills Revolution: The Educational Odyssey of Tyrone D’Brass

In the remote hill town of Tura, Meghalaya, one man’s vision transformed the educational landscape. Tyrone D’Brass, co-founder of Sherwood School, brought with him the Jesuit ideals of LIFE—Learning, Innovation, Fellowship, and Entrepreneurship—infusing them into every classroom and playground. From humble beginnings in 1986 to pioneering technology-led teaching in the Garo Hills, his journey is a testament to courage, creativity, and community spirit. In this candid account for Mentor Magazine’s special issue, D’Brass reflects on his formative years, his philosophy of “every child matters,” and the milestones that shaped a school into a movement.

Early Memories of School

I entered the portals of Loyola School, Jamshedpur, being ridden in a 3 wheel cycle rickshaw in January of 1967 accompanied by my mother and my two brothers, feeling rather intimidated at my new environment. Loyola was a Jesuit institution of par excellence. Loyola School was going to be my home for a number of years, a school that taught me LIFE: Learning, Innovation, Fellowship and Entrepreneurship. The Jesuit priests and the teachers of the Steel town brought out the best in all of us and not just academics but in personality development.

Unfortunately, the saddest day appeared, the hostel of Loyola School was closed down and all the hostel boys were herded off to DeNoblili, Digwadih, Dhanbad. Incidentally, this too was a wonderful Jesuit school. DeNobili School reinforced the concept of LIFE. My mentor at DeNobili School was Fr. George Anthony Hess. SJ. It was he who guided me to fall in love with teaching. 

The best thing about DeNobili was that I can compare my life to the adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

Becoming an Educator

It was in December of 1985, when two Anglo Indian bachelors, Bruce Beddoe and myself decided to start our own school in the distant hill town Tura in Meghalaya.Our intention was to build an institution that would rival the well established missionary schools of Shillong, and with little or no money but with a lot of determination and self belief, we set foot to Tura. Shillong then was the Mecca of Education in the North East. 

Educational Approach in the Garo Hills

Every child, every student matters. This is my mantra. And when the parents trust us, we have got to deliver.

My approach is simple. I teach the good that I was taught, and in this case, I imbibe in my student the values of LIFE: Learning, Innovation, Fellowship and Entrepreneurship. Our students gave back to society through the social work that they enjoyed doing that included cleaning streams, playgrounds littered with broken bottles, cleaning localities and conducting collection drives for people who were affected by misfortune.

Of Reading & the Teach Next System

Yes, readers become leaders, and with that in mind, Sherwood School would hold an Annual Book Fair, where the students were encouraged to browse and buy books of their choice. Subsequently, we introduced the English daily newspaper, which is called The Shillong Times, and the Garo vernacular newspaper called Salantini Janera, in the classes and made it mandatory for the students of Class 6 and above to read, furthermore, the students were encouraged to watch the TV English News. 

This brought about a greater awareness. And the results of this was reflected in the school winning laurels in quizzes, debates and science exhibitions at most district and state level competitions.

Sherwood School was one of the first private schools that had a huge playground and two basketball courts along with an outdoor gymnasium.

We were also the first school in Meghalaya that introduced technology in the classroom, and through this innovation, the Chalk and Talk method was rendered obsolete, for the world of tomorrow is being shaped in our classrooms today, and our students are gaining the knowledge and skills they need to make the shift from classrooms to boardrooms. 

The future of our children will inherit demands, technological dexterity, the ability to think critically and creatively, and the development of flexible intelligence that will thrive in and drive incessant change. Along with technology, value based learning helps to produce well rounded students.

Looking Back…

To see a three year old child totally transformed to communicate freely in a global language with confidence and at the same time not forgetting their roots. This gives me immense satisfaction. The education that the child receives allows them to discover their roots and grow wings.

Is there anything I wish I could do better? Yes absolutely. I wish I could open a co-educational residential school to create a more powerful influence.

The Path Ahead

The mentor I have today, Mr Dilip Mukerjea, a well known author, has made me realise through education that we need ‘learning leadership’ and ‘leading learnership’ to salvage Earth, our only home. I believe that the path of education can now emphasise on a growth mindset.

My message to young aspiring educators is that every child matters and as a Christian I believe that there is a plan for every child on the planet. There is a wonderful plan for every child born.