Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Children Education

UTTAM TERON

Seven years before the Right to Education Bill was introduced in the Parliament, Uttam Teron, a young man from Pamohi, 20 km from Guwahati, dreamt of 100 per cent literacy for the children of his village. Education was the lowest priority in this Karbi-dominated hamlet and most children, especially girls, helped their parents in the fields. This changed when Teron began the Parijat Academy in a cowshed in 2003 with just four students. Today, the school, with a small hostel, provides free education to 502 students of which 256 are girls.

Contact Details

Mobile – +91- 9864041711
Email – parijatacademy03@yahoo.com
Address - Pamohi, P.O. Garchuk, Guwahati-781035, Assam

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UTTAM TERON (EAST)

Contact Details

Mobile – +91- 9864041711
Email – parijatacademy03@yahoo.com
Address - Pamohi, P.O. Garchuk, Guwahati-781035, Assam

JOY of GIVING to underprivileged children

Uttam Teron wanted to teach Karbi children, now they want to learn more

By Kavita Kanan Chandra
Mumbai04 Sep 2012

Posted 18-Aug-2011
Vol 2 Issue 33

It was born in a cowshed. The humble beginning notwithstanding, the school, ‘Parijat Academy’ is today a ray of hope for the Karbi tribes of Assam as their children are poised for a better future.
The people of Pamohi village had been sceptical about educating their children when Uttam Teron started the school in the tribal village in 2003. But Teron had started the school in a cowshed with just four students, driven by a desire to provide quality education to the children.

Real hero: Uttam Teron believed in the children’s right to education and went on to start a school in his village

Now Parijat Academy has tin-roofed and bamboo walled classrooms and most of its 508 students are girls.
Children from nine tribal villages - Pamohi, Mahguapra, Deosutal, Garchuk, Mainakhorong, Dhalbama, Nowagaon, Garoghuli and Garbhanga – attend the school. The school has added standard XI from this academic year onwards to enable the 16 students who had passed their tenth standard to continue their studies.

Parijat, which provides free education and focuses on developing qualities of kindness, and compassion in the children, was originally started with the aim of eradicating child labour. “I was saddened to see children of my native village loitering around or working in fields instead of spending their time in school,” says Teron.

Parents did not have the resources to offer their children good education. When their livelihood depended on selling rice beer, cutting wood, cultivating fields and daily labour, quality education for their children was a distant dream. With only one Government school in the vicinity, where the students could not even read and write Assamese, school dropout was high.

However, Teron, son of a train driver, who was lucky to get higher education in the prestigious Cotton College and Arya Vidyapeeth College in Guwahati, firmly believed that education was the birthright of every child.

Children of Parijat Academy celebrating Independence Day

The success of Parijat’s students spread by word of mouth and mothers from neighbouring villages came to him to enrol their daughters at his school. Now Parijat Children Education Trust – where primary education from Class I to IV is provided - can also be spotted in villages like Garbhanga, Pahamjila and Natun Garbhanga.
Parijat’s students also take part in extra-curricular activities. They participate in drawing competition, learn music and even go rock climbing.
“A volunteer, Henry D Teron, who had learnt rock climbing from Darjeeling, took the kids for a rock climbing session near Ganeshpara and the kids were thrilled,” said Teron.
At school, the children study subjects like Assamese, Hindi, English, Social Studies, Environmental Studies, Maths and Science. Teron is grateful to his 17 teachers and 3 other staff members who bear with him through thick and thin and the not-too-prompt payments he makes them.

Funds are scarce. Some welfare organizations provide them with textbooks or they collect used books from schools in cities.
A one-time donation of Rs 30000 from the Buddhist Welfare Organization in Thailand helped in providing school uniforms to the children.

Young volunteers sometime chip in to teach the students.

“Everything was impressive and I could clearly see the hard work of so many who worked day and night for the children,” said Bhaswati Bhattacharya, an Economics graduate from LSR College Delhi, who worked at the school as an intern for a month.
Teron wishes to start vocational training centres for the kids. “My future plan entails developing a residential school in Pamohi as villagers from far off places want to educate their kids here,” he said.
Teron’s parents, who had wanted him to have a secure job in a city, are now content to see him become a harbinger of change in the village. Teron was one of the recipients of this year’s CNN-IBN Reliance Real Heroes award. He had also been in the list of India Today’s 35 youth icons of India.

Underprivileged children school in Guwahati

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 6, Dated February 12, 2011

CURRENT AFFAIRS

INSPIRATIONS

Pamohi, Assam

Uttam Teron, 35

Tribal Educator

BY RATNADIP CHOUDHURY

PHOTO: ANJANA DUTTA

Until eight years ago, education was an alien concept for the tribal kids of Pamohi village near Guwahati. Now, they aren’t afraid of reaching for the sky, thanks to Uttam Teron. “The men in the village used to work in a stone quarry and the women sold rice beer. Earning two square meals was such a challenge that educating their children was a distant dream,” recalls Teron. So, the tribal graduate started the Parijat Academy in a cowshed with four students in 2003. Now it has more than 500 students, all getting free education. This year, the first batch will appear for matriculation exams. “I had to try hard to convince the parents to send their kids. Many laughed at me, others ignored me. Slowly, the mindset changed. Now, the tribals look up to the school,” he says. Money was a stumbling block, so he visited government schools in Guwahati and collected used books and uniforms. Those who came to know about his initiative started donating in cash and kind. “We need blackboards, sports gear, generator, etc,” says Anjani Teron, a Class VIII student. “The government has done nothing. For us, the Parijat Academy is a blessing.”

TERON MAY BE REACHED AT +91 98640 41711

‘I had to try hard to convince the parents. Many laughed at me’

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From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 8, Issue 6, Dated Feb 12, 2011

Free School in Assam, India

Parijat Academy- A school for underpriviledged students

Uttam Teron is a resident of Pamohi Village.He has been striving hard for over 7 years to educate the underpriviledged children of the society .He was recognised as one of the 24 Real Heros of India by IBN/CNN in a special award ceremony held on 17 August 2011 in Mumbai.He was also include in the List of India Today's 35 Youth Icon for contributing towards the upliftment of the society.

Pamohi is a small Karbi dominated village at a distance of 20Km from Guwahati.Due to the low income of the people living in this village, they were unable to provide education for their children.But things started changing in 2003, when a youth named Uttam Teron from this village took the initiative to educate the children of his village free of cost.

Uttam Teron started Parijat Academy in 2003 in a small cowshed with four children and a pair of desk and bench.He said "The poor tribal children of my village, who were roaming around stone quary instead of spending their time in school, inspired me to start a small centre for them." However, he had to go through a lot of difficulties in the initial period. It was difficult for him to convince his parents as they wanted him to do a secure job.Besides that the main hurdle was raising funds for the School.

But soon with the help of internet he was able to raise funds from different people,societies,groups,etc. from various parts of the world.Many societies,well-wishers,association have come forward to lend a helping hand.Some have helped him financially while some are trying to help by provide textbooks and other required materials.Young volunteers and interns also visits the campus to teach and interact with the children.

The school now covers nine tribal villages namely Pamohi,Mahguapra,Deosutal,Garchuk,MainaKhorong,Dhalbama,Nowagaon,Garoghuli and Garbhanga.The school now has an enrollment of over 500 students.Teron thanks his well-wishers and friends without who he would have not reached this stage.Uttam Teron believes that the education is the birthright of all students and no student rich or poor should be left behind.Teron ,who had got studied from prestigious institutions like Cotton College and Arya VidyaPeth College , could have a more secure job but his choose to sacrifice it for the sake of the society.His attempt to educate the underpriviledged children, has also led to the decrease of child labour in his village.

Speaking about his future plans, he said that he wants to develop a computer lab with 30 children capacity and to start Vocational Training.He also plans to develop a residential campus so that students from far away villages can also avail free education in his school.Teron said " My motive is to give a chance to this poor tribal children."

In September 2010,Teron was included in the List of India Today's 35 Youth Icon for contributing towards the upliftment of the society. He was awarded Young Entrepreneur Award 2010 by Asian Institute of Management and Sciences,Guwahati. On 17th August 2011,Teron was recognized as one of the 24 Real Heroes of India by IBN/CNN.

Uttam Teron is now making effort to provide more better education to this children ,so that they can reach new heights.

You can contact Uttam Teron On:

Mobile- +919864041711

E-Mail: parijatacademy03@yahoo.com

Address: Pamohi,P.O-Garchuk,Guwahati-781035,Assam

School for underprivileged children

Guwahati

Uttam Teron, the founder and Principal of Guwahati’s famous Parijat Academy would be at the city finale to felicitate the winners. Mr. Teron, a visionary from his early days built Parijat with the sole aim of helping underprivileged children hailing from tribal villages.

It takes guts to dedicate your life whole heartedly for the betterment of others and Mr. Teron has set an exemplary standard. Started way back in 2003, Parijat academy is a secular and non-profit school providing free education to tribal children from basics to the matriculation level.

A youth icon always inspires and Mr. Teron is no different. He was named as one of the top 35 youth icons in India Today’s list for contributing to the uplift of the society.

Reel heroes are always admired by school going kids, but it is time that they get to know the real life heroes as well. Very few know about this, but Uttam Teron, a humble man he is, has been felicitated as one of the 24 real heroes of India by CNN-IBN.

www.parjatacademy.org

Free School

Uttam Teron

Tin Roof And Bamboo Walls

That's enough to bring the sheltering shade of education to the children of a forgotten hamlet

Seven-year-old Sanjay's father Mahendra Boro works at a stone quarry. His mother supplements the meagre family income by selling home-made fermented rice beer. Himashri' 6' is the daughter of a woodcutter' Haren Basumatary. And four-year-old Apon's father Ratneswar Bora is a daily wage-earner. For these families with uncertain income' living in Pamohi and three adjoining tribal hamlets on the outskirts of Assam's capital Guwahati' educating their children was a distant dream until Uttam Teron set up a school with a difference' right at his homestead.


	As Uttam watched kids wander about aimlessly' it set him thinking about ways to keep them occupied. A school was the only answer. It began at his home.

"I would see little children wandering about all day' some of them venturing dangerously close to the stone quarries near Pamohi where I live'" 30-year-old Uttam told Outlook. That set this man thinking about a way out to keep these kids engaged during the day when their parents are out

working or looking for work. Uttam' who graduated in 1999 from a city college' was already an active member of the Guwahati Zilla Moina Parijat' a local group working with children' giving them training in leadership' music' physical education etc. "I "I was training kids anyway and decided to set up a school at home to take kids around my village under my wings." In 2003' Parijat Academy was born.The four-room school has a tin roof and bamboo walls. Uttam had saved Rs 800 from the fees he received after giving tuition to a few students outside his village. With this amount' he got a pair of desks and benches made by a village carpenter. The school was ready to enrol students from nursery to Class III. Today' Parijat Academy has 41 students between three to seven years of age. "Initially' the parents were reluctant to send their children. What would they gain by attending school' they'd ask. Our persistence paid off' and now we have no seat to enrol more than what we have'" says Uttam. If that sounds exclusionary' consider this: only three of the 41 students at his school pay the fixed monthly fee of Rs 80. The parents of the rest just cannot manage to pay. "We are too poor'" says Ratneswar Bora' a guardian.
So' how does Uttam run such a school and pay his five teachers? Says he: "Sometimes' if we are lucky' we get small donations from individuals. A few organisations have helped us in a small way." Once' during a visit to Bodh Gaya' Uttam learnt of a Buddhist organisation in Thailand that renders assistance to underprivileged children. He sent an e-mail and within a month' the Supreme Master Ching' which has an office in Mumbai' sent him a draft of Rs 30'000 towards uniform for the kids. The blue-and-white uniform that his students wear have lost their sheen. They are more than a year old now. A welfare group in Guwahati donated textbooks and a small amount of money with which Uttam purchased three ceiling fans to beat the summer heat. "I pay my teachers whenever I have money. Rest of the time' they bear with me. I don't know how to thank them'" he said.
What does Uttam need the most? "We need furniture' funds to pay salaries to the teachers' school uniforms' textbooks and bags' milk for the undernourished students and medical check- up and treatment for kids suffering from various diseases." Tuberculosis' skin diseases and jaundice' he says' are the common illnesses which the kids suffer from. "Teron sir is working very hard but unless we receive support' it would be extremely difficult for us to achieve our goal of educating the poor children in this area'" says Baijayanti Teron Handique' the headmistress. Uttam feels that if he can go ahead in educating the underprivileged children in the neighbourhood' the lot of the people in the hamlets can be improved in 15 to 20 years' time. A beginning has already been made.Uttam Teron can be contacted at: Parijat Academy' PO. Garchuk' Guwahati'781 035' Assam. E-mail: parijatacademy03@yahoo.com. Mobile: 098640-41711

—Wasbir Hussain

Uttam Teron