Education of a child is incomplete without holistic development—this is the mantra of Debajit Ghosh, the visionary principal of Namsang Tea Garden Model School, who is leaving no stone unturned to increase the literacy rate among the tea garden population.
One day back in 2022, while working as a senior teacher at Bengali High School, Dibrugarh, Ghosh received his transfer order to remote Namsang Tea Estate at the Assam-Arunachal border.
Most people expected him to hesitate due to issues such as poor connectivity, limited resources and a community often overlooked by mainstream development. In contrast, Ghosh saw adversity as opportunity. “I didn’t see it as a mere transfer but a mission—that if education has to bring real change, it must reach the remotest corners.”
Since that day, without a single negative thought, Ghosh has been travelling approximately 150 km, cutting through winding tea garden roads, ferrying across rough terrains and braving heavy monsoon rains.
The arduous routine seems exhausting, but Ghosh believes distance doesn’t matter when you know your purpose. On his first arrival at the tea garden, he witnessed a grim reality: a significant number of dropouts. “Before the establishment of this tea garden model school, children could only study up to the primary level as there was no high school within a 15 km radius. The nearest one required crossing the Dehing Patkai National Park.”
Ghosh took determined steps and eventually students started coming back to school. “Through one-to-one interactions and community awareness, children, irrespective of age group, began enrolling, and the minimum age of a student was 18. In its first year, the school saw an enrolment of 271 students, which increased to 326 in the second year.”
He did not limit his efforts to children alone; he also motivated parents and guardians—mostly tea garden workers—to learn alphabets and sign their names.
Tackling Malnutrition
Within a few days of joining, Ghosh observed another alarming issue: malnutrition and a high tendency for female anaemia. Recognizing this, he approached nutrition experts and introduced iron-, protein- and calcium-rich foods into the mid-day meal menu. “We started adding spinach and green leafy vegetables in large quantities, and increased eggs from one day to three days a week.”
Ghosh’s initiative was widely appreciated. Following this, the Government of Assam introduced a scheme to provide three eggs per week to children in schools located in tea garden and Char areas under the Mid-Day Meal programme (PM-POSHAN).
The nutritious diet yielded great results. Within a year, students’ haemoglobin levels increased substantially. According to Class 8 student Priya Koya, the mid-day meal at her school has greatly impacted her physical and mental health. “I never knew the concept of nutritious food and balanced diet until I started taking the mid-day meal here. The food is tasty and contains all required nutrients for healthy growth.”
Priya is thankful to her principal, Debajit Sir, for ensuring good-quality food. “With time, my parameters have shown improvements. Earlier my haemoglobin was 7.2, which has now increased to 11.2,” she said.
Debajit added, “Good health is the foundation of good learning. When children eat better, they learn better.”
Igniting Scientific Curiosity
The principal envisioned beyond and took steps to foster interest in science education among tea garden children. In June 2023, he organised an innovative science exhibition in collaboration with the Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition, Space Applications Centre and ISRO.
“Children who were once dropouts were selected as volunteers for the event. This played a vital role in generating interest in science education. As a result, this year eight students, after passing Class 10, took admission into the science stream at Naharkatia Higher Secondary School,” he added.
In the first year, i.e., 2024, 32 students appeared for the High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations and 14 passed. This year, 20 students appeared and 18 passed, achieving a remarkable 90% pass percentage.
Lauding Ghosh’s sincere efforts, Inspector of Schools Samiran Bora said, “He is a very innovative and efficient teacher who can go to any extent for the welfare of students. Every day he crosses difficult terrains, national park areas and poor roads to reach the school on time. His only motto is to educate the tea garden community, and we are fortunate to have a teacher like him in the district.”
Bora added that besides school work, Ghosh also actively takes part in district-level education policymaking.
Teaching staff member Sanjib Paul told the reporter, “Ghosh sir has contributed tremendously to the development of the school. Due to his constant guidance, key infrastructure like the kitchen and laboratory have been completed.”
Paul believes a teacher like Ghosh is a blessing to society and feels extremely fortunate to work with him. This year, Ghosh’s relentless dedication got national recognition when he received the National Teachers’ Award from the Government of India. “This is not my achievement—this is the accomplishment of every student of Namsang who is braving daily challenges to continue their studies,” he said humbly.
Ghosh concluded, “I am immensely satisfied to report that students who were once dropouts are not only completing their studies here but also continuing their higher secondary education. No one is quitting after the HSLC.”
Today, Namsang Tea Garden Model School stands as an exemplary institution—not just for its academic achievements, but for its holistic approach to ensuring the well-being of every child.
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