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Spreading light of education for a century

Built in 1923, Laban Bengalee Boys' HS School continues to nurture young talents & support poor students

The campus of Laban Bengalee Boys’ Higher Secondary School does not have the glamour or flamboyance and sits humbly amid rows of residential buildings in the densely populated locality of Laban. However, the institution bears the glory of a century and the pride for its performance.

Built in 1923 by the Bengali community of Shillong, the school is among the oldest institutions in the state. Its journey started with a primary school housed in a thatched house near Laban municipality market. There were only two teachers, Dwarika Nath De Choudhury and Rukmini Ranjan Sen, and 4-5 students. Several members of the community came together to help the school grow. In 1928-29, a new building came up on ABP Road near Laban market. Many prominent Bengalis would donate to the school fund every month for the upkeep of the campus as well as to pay salary to the teachers.

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The primary section of the school near Laban Batti Bazar. Photo by MM

During this time, the officiating headmaster was Nripendra Kumar Deb. The school also employed a peon, Surendra Chandra Sen, who was the first non-teaching staff of the school.

With time, student enrolment increased, and in 1930, it was upgraded to ME school. It was in this year that the school started middle school leaving certificate examination. Radhika Ranjan Chakraborty, who was among the first students, ranked second and brought recognition to the school. Laban Bengalee Boys would mentor several brilliant students in the later years who became prominent figures in their respective fields of work.

The school attained the secondary level under headmaster Girija Bhattacharjee. Its performance in the board examination started improving from 1931 when two students, Samiran De and Hirendra Lal De, ranked first. The medium of teaching then was Bengali.

Most of the Bengalis who settled in Shillong were government officials. As the British government’s administrative centre shifted from Cherrapunji to Shillong, its employees too shifted to the hill city. They wanted their children to have good education in mother tongue. Hence, the community built several schools in different localities where they settled. Their contribution to the education system of the state is immense.

When the school was in its nascent stage, many prominent Bengalis volunteered to serve the institution. Among them were Dr Kamana Bhattacharjee, Dr Nirmal Jyoti Deb, Prof. Amiya Chakraborty, Prof. Makhanlal Purkayastha, Kamana Mohan Deb and Nirmal Kumar Dutta.

The current principal, Dr Rinku Bhattacharjee, who joined the school as a Mathematics teacher in 1988, recollected the school’s evolution over 36 years. “We were upgraded to the higher secondary level in 1994 with science. Now, we have commerce too. Before that, in 1993, the medium of teaching was changed to English,” she said.

The present campus of the higher secondary school, which is a deficit one, started in 1972. Initially, it was a single building and there was always a need for space. A new building came up recently and it houses the science section. The primary school still runs from the old location.

In a memoir that was published in the school magazine Sangbikshan in 2002, former teacher Chintaharan Choudhury wrote about the contributions of the community and former headmasters. He remembered Bimalendu Dasgupta, who headed the school from 1982-1990, for his free thinking. He was a student leader in Assam and freedom fighter who was jailed during the Quit India movement in 1942.

It was Dasgupta who convinced Bhattacharjee to continue in the school. “And I am happy that I listened to him. I got the chance to teach and mentor so many brilliant students. Bimalendu Dasgupta was also particular about the health of the students and always encouraged sports. We do not have a field but I try to also engage students in sports,” said Bhattacharjee.

Many legendary teachers have taught in the school and among them, the names of Kailash Kar, Rita Ghosh and Sujit Choudhury are often mentioned. Kar was a well-known educationist and a receiver of national award for education. Ghosh (former vice principal) too received the national award for her contribution to the field of education. She was the vice-principal of the school. Choudhury was a state awardee for his services as an educationist.

Students perform at the inaugural programme for the year-long centenary celebrations

Though it is a Bengali school and the medium of teaching was vernacular initially, there were a few Khasi students too. Bhattacharjee recollected a few students who gradually learned Bengali but wrote examinations in English.

Talking about her students, Bhattacharjee said the school has produced many gems and naming a few would be injustice. A long list of rank holders in board examinations adorns the wall outside the principal’s room. “The students in those days were brilliant and would not stop asking questions. It was a pleasure to teach them,” she said, adding that many former students helped the school financially to build a new structure to accommodate more students.

The school also received fund to the tune of Rs 1.8 crore from the Asian Development Bank for expanding the campus. Now, there are smart classes too.

The principal informed that the school supports children from economically backward families and often writes off annual fees. There are many first-generation learners too and the teachers have to take utmost care in the classroom. According to Bhattacharjee, the school, at present, has talented and dedicated teachers who ensure that their students learn the lessons thoroughly in class and that they need not go for private tuitions.

“The teachers here teach their students to dream. They encourage the young minds to explore new-age careers and guide them in doing so,” the principal said.

However, Bhattacharjee rued students’ apathy to learn Bengali. “Many Bengalis have left Shillong and the number of Bengali students has also reduced. But many of them prefer alternative English to Bengali. The language should not vanish. I believe that if you know your mother tongue well, then learning any language becomes easier. So, we are encouraging students to study Bengali,” she informed.

As the campus is located in a congested residential area of Laban, there is not much scope for the school to expand. This has made it difficult to procure a playground for the students. Bhattacharjee said the management is weighing the option to build an indoor stadium. She is also planning art and crafts and music classes. At present, the school does not have teachers for physical training, art and crafts and music.

Laban Bengalee Boys’ Higher Secondary School will celebrate its centenary year in 2023. It has already kicked off the year-long celebrations with cultural programmes. Bhattacharjee informed that more events will be organised over the months. “We are hoping that the alumni who are settled abroad will join the culminating celebrations next year,” she added.

The school is not only a glory in itself but is the symbol of the Bengali community’s contribution to education in the state. While the institution continues its yeoman service by nurturing young talents and supporting poor students, it becomes imperative not only for the community but also for the government to protect and preserve the heritage school and support its endeavours in the years to come.

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