Retired teacher keeps village school alive in West Bengal | Fusion - WeRIndia

At 75, Dwijendra Nath Ghosh refuses to abandon his teaching duties, despite being a decade into retirement.

He daily travels to Basantapur Junior High School in West Bengal’s Purba Bardhman district to teach, without pay.

His dedication has prevented the school from closing after the last of the guest teachers retired in February 2023.

Dwijendra, a retired high school teacher, is supported by five voluntary teachers and one guest teacher. These volunteers, former students of Dwijendra, also teach without compensation.

The upper primary school, located in Jamalpur block, was established in 2014 after Dwijendra petitioned the state government for years to open a school in Basantpur village.

The school is managed by an ad hoc four-member committee. Dwijendra is also one of the members of the committee.

Dwijendra says that the government appointed four guest teachers in 2014. However, after their retirement, there was only one guest teacher, who was appointed by the government.

With the help of that teacher only, the school has been operated or else it would have shut down.

Basantapur Junior High operates in a single-storey building with four classrooms. Besides, the school has a kitchen, a library that doubles as a staff room, and toilets.

The school serves 140 students including 81 boys and 59 girls, in classes V to VIII.

Dwijendra began teaching for free due to a staff shortage and persuaded five former students to join him. For his efforts, he was affectionately known as ‘Mastermoshai’.

The state government provides an annual grant of ₹15,000 to ₹35,000, mid-day meals, and other resources.

However, Dwijendra sometimes covers expenses for special programs like the annual sports day.

For his former students, this opportunity allows them to practice their teaching skills while seeking regular employment. Dwijendra convinced all of them to teach in the school.

Parents, whose children attend the school, believe these teachers should receive an allowance until permanent teachers are appointed.

They also praise the efforts and commitment of these teachers who teach their children without receiving any remuneration.

Image Credit: Sourav manna, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_purba_bardhaman_district.jpg