A residential primary school for tribal students, run by tribal teachers, in a remote corner of West Bengal’s Purulia district has achieved a unique and rare distinction. Despite its unassuming infrastructure — two brick-and-concrete rooms, three mud-built units, a toilet block, a tube well, and a kitchen garden — the school boasts a 0 percent dropout rate.
By contrast, official records for Purulia district report a 43 percent dropout rate among primary school students (classes 1 to 4). A reason being that tribal children, attending government schools as day-scholars, often provided poor families the flexibility to pull them out of classrooms for household responsibilities.
But Bangada Bidu Chandan Birda Garh in the Ajodhya Hills of Purulia, about 300km from Kolkata, stands as living proof that the thirst for knowledge can be ignited even in the most extraordinary circumstances.
Defying odds
“In this area, regressive practices like witch-hunting, quack doctors and alcoholism are widespread,” said headmaster Nandan Hembram.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, all its 24 students in class 4 successfully passed and enrolled in locally renowned schools in higher classes. Hembram expressed confidence in maintaining this achievement.
“I am hopeful and confident that we can repeat it this year too. Our children are smart and responsible,” he said.
Founded in 2016 with just 15 students, the school has grown to accommodate 115 and employs seven dedicated teachers. Ranjit Hansda, a product of the first batch, recently passed his class 4 examination and secured admission to a higher secondary school in Lakhanpur, Purulia. The 10-year-old’s father, Ramesh Chandra Hansda, is a daily wage earner.
Beyond academic rigour, Bangada Bidu Charan Birda Garh distinguishes itself through a strong sense of social responsibility and cultural awareness. School founder Rampada Soren and Hembram, with over a decade of experience in teaching, identified gaps in tribal children’s education, including the neglect of the Santhali language and traditional values in government schools.
To address this, the school prioritises making the education residential, focusing on teaching Santhali language and traditions.
“What impressed the guardians the most was that we actively teach the Santhali language and traditional Adivasi value systems here,” Soren said.
Ramesh Hansda, a parent, observed positive changes in his son, saying: “He’s studying and eating properly. He got so attached to his friends and teachers that bringing him home for the summer vacation was a task.”
Despite financial challenges, where only 30 percent of parents can afford school fees, the institution keeps fees minimal and accepts alternative contributions such as firewood, hay, or home-grown crops.
“We want to provide quality education to every single child that has been left outside its ambit, no matter how financially backward they may be,” said Hembram.
The school also emphasises a deep reverence for nature, encouraging scientific thinking among students to brainstorm ways to protect native flora and fauna.
“This is not ‘his’ school, but everyone’s school. As if it were a tree being planted — not only benefiting its planter but each living being around it,” concluded Soren.
The lead image at the top shows Students of Bangada Bidu Charan Birda Garh learn a strong sense of social responsibility and cultural awareness (Photo by Sukanya Roy)
Sukanya Roy is a freelance journalist based out of Kolkata. She is a Village Square Fellow in 2023.
