Evening School

Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesian Society, was deeply involved in transforming the social evils of his times. He lived in the wake of the Industrial Revolution that attracted scores of young people to the cities where they were exploited by the nascent industries. These young people, who were without the necessary skills, were exploited as cheap labour and lived in the miserable shanty neighbourhoods of Turin. It was to save these young people from exploitation and ignorance that Don Bosco started his work. Following the footsteps of Don Bosco are his followers who are now famous the world over for their commitment to the young at risk. The Don Bosco Society has started several major initiatives in Guwahati, Assam to come to the help of the poor and the needy.

Sponsoring programmes in favour of the poor within the school’s syllabus has a twofold purpose. The first is to help those who are at a disadvantage and the second is to help the children from the affluent classes to work for social justice and thus grow up as compassionate human beings who are capable and willing to assist others in need. Besides close association with other agencies, Don Bosco School also has its own services in favour of the young at risk.

Keeping in tune with the ideals of St. John Bosco, the founder of the DonBosco chain of schools and youth centres all over the world to save the destitute youth dehumanised by the onslaughts of the Industrial revolution, the Provincial Council was desirous of starting a school to cater “to the youth at risk” of the city of Guwahati. However, the dream, nurtured since 1990, could be implemented only in 1994.

On April 25, 1994 the dream was actualised in Don Bosco, Guwahati, under the leadership of Fr. Mathew Vellankal. The school began with 150 students, five teachers and three helpers. At one time, the school had 300 students on its rolls. However, regular attendance is a problem with the type of children that attend the school. Today the attendance varies from 100 to 150. Some times, it goes up as high as 200. Attendance also depends on the season of the year. During festivals, especially before and after the pujas or Ramzan attendance is thin. Some of the students also drop out of school because of the frequent re-location of their families.

The past years have seen the school helping several batches to appear in the HSLC examinations with commendable success. Others who have attended the evening school have been helped to find gainful employment in various small-scale industries, hotels and shops.

The fresh comers are specially coached to bring them to the level of the other students. This is done in a non-formal manner. Others, who are already attending other schools, are given additional coaching classes. These are grouped together and the teachers give coaching classes to them. The emphasis for the non-formal students is functional literacy; for the others, Don Bosco Evening school supports them with additional help to cope with their school work.

Regular classes, unit tests and co-curricular activities contribute in building up the academic atmosphere.

Since 2002, girls are also admitted to the evening school. Today there are over 50 girls who attend classes regularly.

In 2002, some mothers of the children who were attending the evening school also came for classes. They were given functional literacy classes along with skill training in various crafts and tailoring. About 40 women attended these classes

Besides scholastic facilities, other opportunities are offered to the students of the evening school. Some of them are the following:

• • SPORTS FACILITIES: to keeping with the tradition of Don Bosco, the children are engaged to take part actively in sports. Facilities for cricket, football, Basketball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Chess, and Caroms etc are provided.

• • COMPUTER CLASSES: From 2003, those who wished to take additional classes in Computer Science were given opportunity to acquire IT skills. Classes are conducted on Saturdays.

• • EMPLOYMENT: During the past four years, the school managed to provide employment to at least 25 of its adult pupils in various small scale industries, hotels, shops etc. About 15 boys were sent for non formal technical education and after the completion of their training are employed in their particular trades. These children/adults continue to be part of the school. They come to the school after their work and continue to pursue their dream of education.
  • EVENING MEAL PROGRAMME: In 2003, we added one more attraction. The classes end with a nutritious meal. Through the help of local donors we are able to provide a hearty meal for 75 of the poor children who attend the evening classes. The programme has been running successfully since its inception. We hope more and more donors will come forward to ensure the continuity of the evening meal programme.

• • SCHOLARSHIPS AND FEE CONCESSIONS: All the children of the evening section are given free education. They are also assisted with free books, meal and other school accessories and stationeries.

• The Boys of the day section who come from the economically privileged families of the city are taught to share with their less fortunate brothers and sisters. Many a time the items are donated by the children of the day school are given to the children of the evening school. Some of them come to celebrate their birthdays with their less fortunate brothers and sisters.

• The Tripple S club (Savio Sahajya Sangh) founded in 2003 by Fr Joseph Thelekkatt and under the leadership of dedicated teachers has taken up the challenge to support the Evening School in a significant way. The members of the club donate part of their pocket money for the evening School. During school functions they sell cool drinks and snacks and donate the proceeds for the evening school. Presently they have taken up the work of distributing the children’s digest and the commission they get is pooled back into the Evening school. The members are enthusiastic and are committed to the cause of the poor.

• During the parent’s meeting some voiced their interest in supporting the evening school. To tap the support of the willing parents of the day school children a voluntary pay-slip has been inserted in the fee book of each student. Some of the parents have given generous donations through this scheme. With their help we are able to continue this service.

• The Don Bosco Past Pupils’ Association has pitched in to help the evening school. They sponsor the evening school annual sports day.  They also give free textbooks and stationery to the children of the evening school. In connection with Bosco Jayanti, the past pupils organize a DON BOSCO YUVA MELA in which the children of the Don Bosco evening school and children from other similar institutions come together for a day of celebrations. During this Mela various competitions and cultural activities are organized for children from various parts of the city. Usually about 600 children from in and around the evening schools of the city and their teachers come to participate in the Mela.

• Various clubs of Guwahati like the Mahila Mangal, Vodafone, Lions, Rotary, Loioness, Chetna etc have come forward to sponsor various events/programmes in the evening section. Such further initiatives would ensure there is a steady supply of resources to continue this humanitarian work in favour of the poor and underprivileged young people and give them another chance to make life meaningful and worthwhile.

• The Evening school staff deserve our appreciation for the selfless service they render to these boys and girls. Most members of the staff already work in the day section or in other organizations during the day and have taken up the additional charge of teaching in the evening school. The stipend they receive for their work in the evening school is meagre. However they come readily because they love to give selfless service to these needy children. All the members of the staff work with dedication and commitment.