- << Change Album
- Event date: 19/10/2019
- Updated on: 21/10/2019
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Total Photos:
14
Description: This year twelve students accompanied by two teachers Mrs. U Ghosh and Mrs. Dey visited Loreto Panighata, our twin school situated on the outskirts of Shiliguri from the 16th to the 19th of October.
We met at Howrah station on 16thOctober at 1:30p.m. to board the Shatabdi Express which was en route Shiliguri where all security arrangement were made by school.
We set out for Panighata on 17th morning after breakfast. Panighata is a very serene and calm place, a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle that we are used to. With very limited habitation and lush greenery, the place called out to us as soon as we set foot on its grounds.
Sister Amia told us a lot about the school when we interviewed her. Panighata has a total of 670 students from classes KG to class 10. Classes 5,6 and 7 have two sections, rest have one section. The school has a January to December session with first generation learners. Owners of the tea gardens provide some help along with NGOs, mainly assisting in transport. Initially school fees was 150 per month which has now increased to 200 which many cannot afford. The Panighata Tea garden has shut down, those employed have gone to Kurseong to find work. They send their children to school to keep them busy while they are away on work; the aim is to keep them occupied more than educating them. Panighata also has a private rainbow school. Earlier a lot of tribals came to school; now it’s a mix of castes and religions. Students have to buy their own books and uniform. No government aid is provided as the school is yet to receive government recognition. Their neighboring school St. Teresa provides some help to Loreto Panighata. The Madhyamik students don’t have a home centre for exams. Last year they went to Naxalbari to give their exams. State bus was provided during exams to facilitate transport. No extra teachers are available, if any teacher is absent, classes are disrupted. Often teachers don’t attend classes. Rainwater harvesting is done. Last year there was a severe water crisis; no water was available at all—people were forced to defacate outdoors. This year a JPIC unit has been formed—NGOs working In Darjeeling have come to share their experiences. Church is always held on Saturday; experiences are shared. Children of all age groups indulge in tobacco/gutka etc—one of the main aims is to try and correct it.
Mrs. Ghosh and Mrs. Dey had a session with the class 10 students against addiction to educate the students about the evils associated with it. Mrs. Dey had a geography class with the class 10s as well. The 12 students who visited Panighata interacted with the students to learn about their life and the hardships associated with it. We conducted an assembly on Sustainable Development Goals on the 18th and told the students about Loreto House and all the social service projects that we have undertaken in school in the last few years. We taught them various subjects and had worksheets prepared for the same. Khadijah Ahmed taught the students karate and we all played various backyard games and danced with them on the 17th and 18th. On 17th evening, we visited the houses of the students to interact with them further. We also visited a nearby monastery and the balasai river where we were accompanied by the class 10 student council. The children treated us with immense warmth and kindness and gave us cards when it was time for us to return.
We returned to the Guest house in Shiliguri on 18th evening after visiting the Belgachia tea garden. We returned to Kolkata on 19th at 1:30 in the afternoon via the Shatabdi express.
It was an extremely enriching and eyeopening experience for all of us. We learnt a lot about our twin school and about the students. We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Gomes for giving us this incredible opportunity to visit Loreto Panighata. We are also extremely thankful to Mrs. Dey and Mrs. U Ghosh for accompanying us and for their constant guidance and support.