Every day two hours of study is changing the lives of thousands of students. It is focused intervention in a small group of 30 students in a centre/ house where learning is taking place every day. Xavier Educational Society of North Bengal started with 02 study centres at Ramjhora in the year 2007 from classes I to IV with 92 students. Later, Human Life Development & Research Centre (HLDRC) took the ownership to run the study centres. HLDRC is currently running total 35 study centres, 9 in Terai and 26 in Dooars region enrolling around 1000 students from classes I to X. This education program offered by HLDRC is supported by prominent organizations SOS-India, Jesuit Mission-UK and Canadian Jesuits International (CJI).
HLDRC did interventions and introduced study centre as “NON-FORMAL EDUCATION” in the year 2019. In the same year, HLDRC conducted a need assessment survey on 15 closed/sick tea gardens in Terai and Dooars region to get the latest field based data on primary and secondary level education status. HLDRC commenced yearly assessment in the year 2022 for classes I to IX with a good outcome. For further proficiency in the teaching skills, teacher’s training is being provided to the teachers each year. Non-formal education has the target of improving the quality of education, minimizing school dropouts, child labour, human trafficking and child migration. The objective is to protect the children from vulnerability and to bring them in the main stream of the society.
Study centre has its multiple objectives which intend to improve quality of education among tea garden children. HLDRC looks forward imparting literacy to all marginalized children of the tea garden in North Bengal region in the three districts of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar right at their doorsteps through Non-Formal Education.
