Bengal: Teachers’ Day honour for lessons beyond classroom
Times of India | 6 September 2025
Kolkata: From fostering inclusive education to reducing school dropout rates, 39 teachers from Bengal who have stepped beyond their brief and call of duty and many a times beyond the classroom to spread the light of education have been felicitated by chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Among the awardees is Manisha Bhattacharya, the head teacher of Satyaranjan Khastagir Sishu O Prathamik Vidyalaya, Jadavpur, a primary school in the city. Bhattacharya has been pivotal in integrating Children With Special Needs (CWSN) into mainstream education. Her efforts led to the development of infrastructure that caters to the comfort and needs of these students, including the construction of ramps and accessible toilet facilities.
"The school has also established a child cabinet, where students are elected to oversee various aspects of school life," said Bhattacharya.
Similarly, Supratim Manna, the headmaster of Ghoshpur High School in East Medinipur, tackled the issue of school dropouts and child marriage since 2014. An alumnus of the school, Manna had implemented a system where teachers visit the homes of absentee students to encourage them to return to school.
"By visiting homes and holding seminars, we have been able to change mindset and keep students in school," he explained. He also established smart classrooms for the students by preparing audio-visual teaching and learning materials.
Jhargram Kumudkumari Institution's headmaster, Biswajit Das, another awardee, introduced an announcement system from his room to maintain discipline in school, besides installing CCTVs. Sunil Chandra Das, headmaster of Gopinathpur Primary School, who, along with some other teachers, set up a canteen in the school in 2012 where students have been involved, said: "We are the first school in Bengal where this concept was introduced to promote eating hygienic food, with students involved in maintaining its accounts.
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Apart from food, the canteen has stationery items. The profit earned from the canteen is used for conducting programs in the school.