News: Awareness Programme- Eklavya School Bankura

On 1st December 2024, 2nd-Year B.Ed and MA students of the Postgraduate Department of Education of St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata visited the Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS), Mukutmanipur, Bankura and 4 tribal villages as a part of Research Survey.

Established in 2002, the school falls under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India scheme to uplift the scheduled tribes across India. The students were able to interact with the non-teaching staff, local pupils, hostel matrons and Teacher in Charge through a series of interviews to better understand their challenges and experiences in the school.

Our students staged an environmental awareness programme followed by a creative poster making session  on environmental conservation by the Eklavya school students.

An English medium school, EMRS currently has 437 enrolled students, almost 44% of which are girls. Interviews with the staff members and students revealed a significant shift in opinion towards girl child education with more families opting to educate their daughters. Students coming from extremely disadvantaged, rural backgrounds are able to structure their lives through academics and discipline that help them secure well-paying employment. The female students especially have benefitted greatly from the school, conducting themselves with remarkable confidence and pride.

The visit served to be an enriching learning experience for our students who were able to engage firsthand with the unique challenges and grassroots reality of school teaching in diverse rural environments and gain critical insight into the resources, infrastructure and student needs that can improve the ways in which education can be used for holistic upliftment.