Assam: At this Kaliabor school, one teacher carries the classroom of 55 students

For nearly four decades, Shalbari Rajiv Gandhi Primary School in Assam’s Kaliabor has continued to serve its students despite remaining outside the provincialised school system and functioning with limited infrastructure.

At the centre of the school’s operations is Ram Sing Ramsiyari, its lone teacher, who is responsible for teaching all 55 students. Working as a ‘tutor’ on a modest salary, Ramsiyari has continued to conduct classes despite the school’s shortage of teachers and other basic facilities.

The school, established nearly 40 years ago, has yet to receive provincialisation status, unlike many government-sector schools that have been brought under the provincialised system. The absence of adequate staffing has placed a considerable responsibility on its sole teacher.

Rather than allowing the shortage of teachers to disrupt classroom learning, Ramsiyari has adopted digital methods to supplement conventional teaching. Technology has become an important part of his effort to keep students engaged and ensure that lessons continue despite the limitations facing the institution.

His approach has drawn appreciation from residents and members of the local community, who say his commitment has helped sustain the school’s academic activities despite the constraints.

The experience of Shalbari Rajiv Gandhi Primary School also highlights the challenges faced by educational institutions that continue to operate without adequate infrastructure and teaching staff. For its students, however, the school remains a place of learning, supported largely by the sustained efforts of one teacher.

Ramsiyari’s work has given the school an unusual distinction: a primary school where a single teacher is shouldering the responsibility of educating 55 children while adapting to the demands of modern learning with limited resources.