The volunteers of National Service Scheme (NSS) at Balagarh Bijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya, under the leadership of programme officer professor Partha Chatterjee, have been working relentlessly since 2021 for the upliftment of children belonging to migratory brick kiln workers.
Their mission is to reintegrate these children—often deprived of education, food, clothing, and proper shelter—into the mainstream of society, thereby preventing them from falling victim to child labour.
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Each year, numerous brick kiln workers migrate to Hooghly district from neighbouring states such as Bihar and Odisha on seasonal contracts. Most of them are illiterate and unaware of the benefits of enrolling their children in nearby anganwadi centres. As a result, their children often remain uneducated and grow up in deprivation.
Hundreds of such workers migrate to the brick kilns in Jirat, Balagarh. Their children are frequently seen wandering without proper food, clothing, or any exposure to basic education. In response, Balagarh College launched a literacy drive under the NSS banner, aiming to bring these children under the fold of formal education.
Professor Partha Chatterjee, a respected educator known for his social welfare work, remarked: “It is heart-wrenching to see these children growing up without clothes, food, or any form of education. This initiative was essential to secure their future.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, NSS volunteers went door-to-door collecting food and clothing, which they then distributed to the brick kiln families.
To ensure these children did not fall into the cycle of child labour, a school was established on a brick kiln site in Jirat. Named Biplobi Bhupati Majumdar School, it gradually enrolled 57 children into regular classes. In addition to academic education, the school introduced sports, drawing lessons, and yoga to support the holistic development of the students.
In January 2023, the then BDO Niladri Sarkar and SI Gaurav Chakraborty visited the school and were urged to help secure admission for these children into government-run schools. Following administrative support, all 57 children were successfully enrolled in Ashutosh Smriti Mandir Primary School.
To date, over 500 eligible children have been admitted to local schools. Professor Partha Chatterjee signed on as guardian for many of them, representing their parents. These children have shown commendable progress in their studies and are even participating in block-level sports competitions—an encouraging sign of their development.
Professor Chatterjee stated, “The children of migratory workers are finally receiving their basic rights—education, food, clothing, shelter, and proper healthcare.”
NSS volunteers continue to oversee the children’s education, food, and clothing needs. They also organise regular health camps, spring festivals, Saraswati Puja, book fairs, and joy trips to places of cultural and recreational interest.