Exemplary Action by Teachers of Mukti Kishalay Support School

Report from Mukti Education: Mukti Kishlaya Support School (from Class I-IV) and Mukti Support School (from Class V to X) are two very successful and important initiatives of Mukti in expanding education in the rural areas of West Bengal including Sundarbans. Apart from this, the Talented Students Sponsorship (TSS) has been running since its inception to support higher education for disadvantaged and talented students and has been linked to the success of countless people’s livelihoods. Along with that, Mukti IT and Mukti Employment Exchange are other practical applications of the long-term vision of Mukti’s overall education plan to train local youth and make them self-reliant.

Through both initiatives of Support Schools, efforts are being made to simultaneously develop three important sections of society: (1) Helping students get an education and reducing the dropout rate, (2) Reducing the problem of unemployment by employing educated youngsters in the teaching profession, (3) Financial savings for parents in their children’s education.

It is needless to say, behind every initiative lies the sincere and tireless efforts of Mukti’s volunteers and staff! The strong mentality of teachers to move forward by facing the obstacles created by different people with different interests is very important in the development of support schools. Apart from the regular teaching and other duties towards the students, the importance of these Mukti Sathisis undeniable in promoting the cause of Mukti.

Recently, such an example has been set by four teachers of Mukti Kishlaya Support School in No. 2 Garankati, South Twenty-Four Parganas. The school started in October 2022, and the infrastructure of the school was managed and owned by a local person. Soon after the school started running, the site owner started behaving very harshly toward the teachers and students. The local authorities and teachers of Mukti were made aware of the situation, but it still, unfortunately, led to the closure of the school. This is where the four teachers – Kankeswari Mandal, Monika Jana, Daivaki Sardar and Sabina Mandal – stepped in. Driven by their selfless compassion for the students, they used their personal savings and arranged to build a new school building on ancestral land donated by a teacher of Kishalaya School.

From the first week of February 2023, the school started running again on the new premises with 70 students. All four teachers are confident in finishing the incomplete work, securing the faith of the villagers, and running the school according to Mukti’s ideals. In the words of Kankeswari Mandal, the teacher in charge of management, “We four teachers are very happy and proud and honored to have established this school. We will work tirelessly and consciously to ensure that the school runs well in the coming days.” To all the volunteers and workers of Mukti, these four brave teachers’ initiative is sure to inspire.