Two Bengal teachers picked for coveted national award
Image is used for representational purpose only. (Getty Images) DURGAPUR/ALIPURDUAR: Two teachers from Bengal - one a champion of innovatio-ns who taught his students to upcycle waste and another who shone the light of education on a primitive tribe - will receive the national aw-ard from President Ram Nath Kovind on September 5.
Kalimul Haque is the headmaster of Nepalipara Hindi School in Durgapur, West Burdwan, while Misha Ghosal is the headmistress of Dhanapati Toto Memorial High School in Alipurduar's Totopara.
Had it not been for Haque, the nondescript Durgapur school wouldn't boast the enviable infrastructure it has today. The school has a centralised audio system, a rooftop kitchen garden, hydroponics, a rainwater harvesting system, a vermicompost set-up, solid and liquid waste management, a well-maintained dining hall, a computer lab with 30 machines, a 500-seat auditorium and an art gallery.
At Haque's initiative, key resource persons train teachers too. Around 40% funds for these projects were raised through crowdfunding, with contributions from businessmen and businesswomen, guardians, teachers and the school managing committee. The school, with 3,625 students, has won several district-level awards.
"I feel really proud that my name figures on the list of winners for this year's National Awards for Teachers. But, the key to the school's success is team work. I will dedicate this award to those who helped the school, teachers, students and management committee members," a modest Haque told TOI.
In Alipurduar, Ghosal joined the Toto school in 2009. Back then, only one student from the primitive tribe was able to cross the Madhyamik hurdle. This year, the success rate of students from the community is over 80%. She almost single-handedly turned around things for the school, which remains marooned every monsoon along with the entire Totopara settlement. "My responsibilities as a teacher has increased after being named for this award," she said.
Totopara is a small hamlet in Madarihat block along the India-Bhutan border. One needs to cross seven rivers to reach the village, the most prominent being the Howrikhola. During monsoons, flash floods are common in these rivers.
Kalimul Haque is the headmaster of Nepalipara Hindi School in Durgapur, West Burdwan, while Misha Ghosal is the headmistress of Dhanapati Toto Memorial High School in Alipurduar's Totopara.
Had it not been for Haque, the nondescript Durgapur school wouldn't boast the enviable infrastructure it has today. The school has a centralised audio system, a rooftop kitchen garden, hydroponics, a rainwater harvesting system, a vermicompost set-up, solid and liquid waste management, a well-maintained dining hall, a computer lab with 30 machines, a 500-seat auditorium and an art gallery.
At Haque's initiative, key resource persons train teachers too. Around 40% funds for these projects were raised through crowdfunding, with contributions from businessmen and businesswomen, guardians, teachers and the school managing committee. The school, with 3,625 students, has won several district-level awards.
"I feel really proud that my name figures on the list of winners for this year's National Awards for Teachers. But, the key to the school's success is team work. I will dedicate this award to those who helped the school, teachers, students and management committee members," a modest Haque told TOI.
In Alipurduar, Ghosal joined the Toto school in 2009. Back then, only one student from the primitive tribe was able to cross the Madhyamik hurdle. This year, the success rate of students from the community is over 80%. She almost single-handedly turned around things for the school, which remains marooned every monsoon along with the entire Totopara settlement. "My responsibilities as a teacher has increased after being named for this award," she said.
Totopara is a small hamlet in Madarihat block along the India-Bhutan border. One needs to cross seven rivers to reach the village, the most prominent being the Howrikhola. During monsoons, flash floods are common in these rivers.
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