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Arya Vidyapeeth College to aid Gorbhonga school

By STAFF REPORTER

GORBHONGA, May 7 � It may well be the final lifeline for the students of Gorbhonga Prathamik Vidyalay. With little support from the Government in sight, it is up to the NCC cadets and teachers of the Arya Vidyapeeth College, Guwahati to secure the future of the school that is cut off from Guwahati by two hours of torturous drive.

In a bold initiative, rare in the State, the college has decided to shore up the school by encouraging the students and teachers, using funds made available under the University Grants Commission. If required, trained human resource could also be utilised.

The present condition of the school can be gauged from the fact that one teacher RC Kathar is in charge of more than 60 students who study in six classes. �It has been like this for nearly fifteen years,� he remarked.

A local guardian when contacted revealed that she is not sure till when the school will succeed in imparting quality education. Having a single teacher for the entire school is not a good sign. The workload for the teacher has increased after Class V was incorporated this year.

The silver lining seems to be that there is no dearth of text books for the students. Kathar said, �The real challenge is in teaching six classes�not reasonable to expect from any teacher�.

It was these considerations that prompted the Arya Vidyapeeth College to select the school for their Community Development Project. The coordinator of the project, Jatin Sarma, who is also in charge of Charlie Company the NCC unit of the college, told The Assam Tribune, �We could come into the picture when we received funds from the UGC after the college was recognised as a Centre for Potential with Excellence�.

The college teachers distributed school bags, notebooks, pens, and umbrellas among the students. Also gifted were learning aids like blackboards, globes, wall hanging thermometers. Not surprisingly, the students and local people endorsed the initiative.

A teacher of Arya Vidyapeeth College, who declined to be named, said, �Our effort will not end here, this is just the beginning. We will continue to bring in positive developments in the days ahead�.

Project coordinator Sarma was confident that the Gorbhonga Prathamik Vidyalay will make rapid strides in the near future. �We signed a memorandum of understanding in 2010, and we intend to carry it forward till 2015. If things go according to plan, we hope that the students will benefit because of the intervention,� he noted.

The Arya Vidyapeeth College initiative is drawing attention as it is a model that can be replicated in other parts of the State. Already a few other colleges have shown interest in this project, and some are keen to implement it in their neighbouring areas.

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