Project History and Mission

Asha Stamford's involvement with ACRD began with an initial goal of meeting the immediate infrastructure requirements for Bonpura and Nartap schools. Over a period of time, work with ACRD to facilitate basic education to children in backward areas of Assam gained momentum with a focus on quality of education.

In 2003, Asha Stamford decided to provide support for these 2 schools. Until this time, these schools were supported primarily by local communities. Initial objective was to provide adequate resources to support the construction and extension of school buildings in Bonpura Lower Primary and Nartap High School. Since 2005, Asha has also provided support in terms of salaries for the teachers. Ultimately, Asha has a vision of working with ACRD and the school management committees to set up vocational training.

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The school has had a big impact on the local community. The school has developed a name for higher quality education and there is great interest in the surrounding communities as well as in far away villages to send students to study in the school.

The project has helped the community by providing good education to students. In 2004, these schools (Nartap and Bonpura) were being run as venture schools and members of the community were teaching the students without receiving any compensation. The number of students who passed the board exam at Nartap high school was very low (30%-40%). With Asha Stamford’s involvement, there has been significant progress in the quality of education as measured by the number of students passing the board exam and getting higher percentage than before. In addition, students have been exposed to extra-curricular activities (variety of sports) and have also been taken to Guwahati for field trips to widen their knowledge about areas outside of their village. In 2004, Bonpura elementary school was run under a thatched roof which did not provide protection to students when it rained. Asha Stamford supported the construction of a building which now provides a good place for the students to study. A mid-day meal program is also being supported for the last 3 years as the elementary school students come from very poor families and do not have anything to eat while they are in school for 4-5 hours. In the first time since the schools started (in 1988) a student passed with first division and 70% of the students passed the board exam (as compared to passing rate of between 40-50% in the past).

Success Stories

Mr. Pankaj Acharya’s story is a very good example of the impact of the Nartap school on the community. Mr. Acharya, a student of class X was from a very poor family who lost his father when he was eight years old. The family members did not want to take any responsibility for his education and his mother somehow managed to send him to primary and middle school. In 2007 when he got admission in Nartap High School, the school authority gave him a discount on his admission fees and he was also exempted from paying any school fees. Realizing his merit, the teachers and managing committee members of NHS started visiting his house and meeting his mother and uncle. They encouraged him to study more and in the last Board’s final examination he secured first division with letter marks in two subjects. After the results were declared, a ceremony was held where he was given awards by ACRD and by the Nartap Regional Educational Development Committee. He has been given a computer by the Government of Assam (students securing first division in the Board’s examination are given one computer each by the Government in Assam). Currently he is studying commerce in Sonapur College with the aim of becoming a CA in the future and is performing well in his studies.

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