“Computers will become a house for the mouse.”
The line still gives me goosebumps. You may wonder what is so special about this nursery rhym-ish line? I am sure you will concur with my thoughts once you have a little more background.
We were in Baksa district of Assam, visiting some Government schools a couple of months ago. One of things that we wanted to understand was how far the use of technology has progressed in the last couple of years- the last few of course driven by the pandemic.
It was a beautiful morning with everything looking fresh & rain kissed after a downpour the previous night. The chirping of birds filled us all with a new found hope as a long beautiful drive took us to Tamalpur Higher Secondary School in the district.
We were welcomed by a simple looking man with a short build; only we didn’t know at the time that his physical stature belied the insights & ideas that he was teeming with.The pandemic period has been a testing time for everyone, but the Government schools throughout the country have had a particularly rough time. While e-learning may have become the buzzword in urban India with enough & more edtech ventures sprouting and tons of funding pouring into them, rural India is still struggling with some very basic issues, among them the lack of infrastructure that makes e-learning a pipe dream.
It is amidst these tough conditions that this determined principal, Mr Jogen Chandra Rajbongshi of the said Government School left no stones unturned and even went to student’s houses to ensure that their learning didn’t stop. His own journey into the digital world began in 2015 when he started to learn the basics of operating an Android Phone and in turn shared his learnings with his students in the classroom and helped them with project based activities.
The man who came from a humble farming background, in fact started his journey with the same institution some 30 years ago as a teacher & today spearheads it as its principal.
It was heartwarming to hear him speak of his exploits & how he instilled this love for technology in his students. Under his tutelage he explained how the (computer) mouse did make a house in his school and the love for learning filled the hearts of the students & the teachers. While they faced myriad challenges by way of poor ratio of computers to students, as also long power cuts, he didn’t let anything come in the way of instilling confidence in his students.
If there is one adage that I was reminded of on seeing this simple man, whose strength belied his looks, it is that one mustn’t judge a book by its cover! This go-getter, well- respected principal goes by his work!
Here’s hoping the mouse makes more houses and the hearts & lives of students are filled with joy & success!
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