Divya A | TNN
Every evening, Anjali Singh, all of 18, becomes a headmistress. Her students — 20 youngsters from poor homes in Kolkata’s Park Circus area — don’t mind her age. For them, she’s mentor, teacher and friend, all rolled into one. By day though, Anjali is a regular first year student of Lady Brabourne College who is carrying on a tradition that her college established decades ago. Batch after batch of college freshers have tutored underprivileged kids from nearby areas.
Every year, two freshers are elected headmistress and assistant headmistress and they run the evening school independently. “We use innovative methods like personalizing question papers for students so that it matches their day school syllabus,” says Anjali, whose students range from Class I to X. Besides tuition, the college-goers also help out with funds for books and snacks, says Irina Chakrabarty who is assistant headmistress.
“We do help students run this ‘school’ but it’s largely their baby,” says hostel superintendent Writuparna Chakraborty.
This teaching initiative is almost as old as the institute itself, now in its 56th year. “The idea was to give students some organisational experience while they pursued academics. But more than that, it has given them a sense of social responsibility,” says principal Sanghamitra Mukherjee.
Parents, too are full of praise. Says Shabnam, a domestic help and mother of Raja, “Much of my son’s success is due to their efforts. We are illiterate and could never have provided such education.” While the evening effort is quite taxing, the students turned teachers don’t mind it. “These kids are part of the extended Brabourne family,” says Anjali.
Every year, two freshers are elected headmistress and assistant headmistress and they run the evening school independently. “We use innovative methods like personalizing question papers for students so that it matches their day school syllabus,” says Anjali, whose students range from Class I to X. Besides tuition, the college-goers also help out with funds for books and snacks, says Irina Chakrabarty who is assistant headmistress.
“We do help students run this ‘school’ but it’s largely their baby,” says hostel superintendent Writuparna Chakraborty.
This teaching initiative is almost as old as the institute itself, now in its 56th year. “The idea was to give students some organisational experience while they pursued academics. But more than that, it has given them a sense of social responsibility,” says principal Sanghamitra Mukherjee.
Parents, too are full of praise. Says Shabnam, a domestic help and mother of Raja, “Much of my son’s success is due to their efforts. We are illiterate and could never have provided such education.” While the evening effort is quite taxing, the students turned teachers don’t mind it. “These kids are part of the extended Brabourne family,” says Anjali.
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