76-Year-Old Retired Teacher Dedicates Life to Keeping Village School Open for Free

In the village of Basantpur in West Bengal's Purba Bardhman district, a retired 76-year-old teacher named Dwijendra Nath Ghosh has been dedicating his retirement years to teaching underprivileged children without charging any fees. “I am the most ordinary man you will ever interview,” Ghosh humbly states, though his actions are far from ordinary.

Ghosh, a retired government teacher, has spent the last decade managing and teaching at Basantapur Junior High School, preventing it from closing down. His selfless dedication has provided a beacon of hope for the village children.

Reflecting on his life, Ghosh shares, “I grew up in a poor home. There was a time when we struggled to find food. Getting an education when you come from an underprivileged and economically disadvantaged background is the biggest challenge.” With degrees in education, English, and political science, Ghosh began his teaching career in 1975 and retired in 2008 as an assistant teacher at Jamalpur High School.

After retiring, Ghosh returned to Basantpur and discovered the dire educational situation in his village and surrounding areas. He sought government approval to open a junior high school, a process that began in 2010 but faced many delays. Finally, with the support of the village's poor, the school was constructed in 2014.

Despite securing a building, the school has struggled with a lack of permanent teachers. Ghosh has been working without a salary to keep the school running. India faces a shortage of over a million teachers, and small government schools like Basantapur Junior High School are hit hardest. The school, which started with 40 students, now has 140, but only four temporary teachers.

The school receives an annual grant of Rs 25,000, sufficient for upkeep but inadequate for hiring permanent teachers. Ghosh's concern for the future is palpable, as he worries about the sustainability of the school and the risk of child marriages if education is not provided.

Uttam Babu, a guest teacher at the school, acknowledges Ghosh’s relentless efforts. Despite the uncertainty and challenges, Ghosh's motivation remains the same: “The glimmer of hope for a better future in the eyes of the children is all the salary I need to keep teaching.”

Reference:

thebetterindia.com