9 months ago
Teacher Becomes Guardian to 50 Migrant Children, Founds School
Imagine a kind teacher named Partha who saw many children living near brick factories.
Their parents worked hard but didn't have the right papers to send them to a regular school.
Partha felt like their dad and decided to help.
He first brought them food and notebooks.
Then, he started a special school for them called a pathshala.
With help from friends and his own students, he got these children into big schools too!
Now, Partha helps over 800 children.
The special school is now a fun place for them to do activities and get extra help.
Some of these kids are doing amazing things, like winning races and doing well in their studies.
Social activist Partha Chatterjee began assisting children of migrant brick kiln workers in Balagarh, West Bengal, in 2021.
He provided food, educational materials, and initiated teaching sessions for children whose parents were migrant laborers.
Chatterjee, also a teacher and NSS program officer, involved his college students in the initiative.
He established a pathshala named Biplabi Bhupati Majumdar Pathshala and worked with the BDO to enroll children into government schools.
The initiative has grown to support over 800 children, with the pathshala now serving as an activity and supplementary learning center.
- Who
- Partha Chatterjee, a social activist and teacher, along with his students
- What
- Identified, supported, and helped enroll children of migrant brick kiln workers into mainstream education, and established supplementary pathshalas.
- Where
- Jirat and the outskirts of Balagarh, West Bengal, India.
- When
- The initiative began in 2021, with the pathshala established approximately five years ago.
- Why
- To provide education and support to children of migrant laborers who lacked documents and assistance for school enrollment.
Key facts
- Founder
- Partha Chatterjee
- Location
- Balagarh, West Bengal, India
- Initial Number of Children
- 50
- Current Number of Children Supported
- 800+
- Pathshala Name
- Biplabi Bhupati Majumdar Pathshala
- Children's Background
- Migrant brick kiln workers' children
Quotes
Partha Chatterjee
Social activist
“I have no children of my own, but that day I became guardian to 50 children and quite literally. Their parents, who are migrant labourers from different states, did not have the requisite documents for admission; they did not know what to do or say.”
telegraphindia.com
“But the pathshala has now become a kind of activity centre. These children attend regular school and on Sundays they attend the pathshala where they are trained in extracurricular activities. Some of them receive help with lessons.”
telegraphindia.com
Mahadev Sil
Principal of Ashutosh Smriti Mandir Prathamik Vidyalaya
“She worked in one of the neighbouring brick kilns but belonged to Haryana. She believed only Chatterjee would be able to get her grandchild an education. She sat outside the school all day.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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