Stories Of India

Babar Ali Life Journey

Keyword- Babar Ali Life Journey 

Read the West Bengal Youngest Teacher Babar Ali Life Journey-

Babar Ali is a 29 year old young man from Murshidabad District, West Bengal. He looks like a normal man in his 30’s, but he’s not normal at all. 

 wondering why?

 When he turned 16, the BBC introduced him and awarded him the title of the youngest principal in the world. He taught thousands of children in a small school under a guava tree and started this school when he was just 9 years old. In fact, while his classmates were still studying or looking for work, Babar Ali already held a prominent position as village chief and unpaid children’s tutor. His life motto is to fight poverty through education. How it all started… According to the story, when he was nine years old, he saw children working in the fields on his way home from school one day. The next day, he saw the children working again without going to school and helping his parents with the household chores. Ali looked at the children and wondered why they would come home from school and work in the fields. It must have seemed unfair to a nine-year-old boy. And he decided to change the situation himself. He opened his own school and began offering free education. This was the humble beginning of his Ananda Shiksha Niketan school. “When I was in sixth grade, I asked the proprietress for chalk every day. One day, out of curiosity, she asked a classmate why she needed chalk every day. She left her classroom to which she replied that she had started studying. I teach disadvantaged children the same thing. When she asked me the same question, she happily handed me a box of chalk. She is still my favourite teacher because she supported me from her first day,” recalls Babar. 

A big change in the community

The name of his school, Anand Shiksha Niketan, means School of Fun Learning. In addition to teaching, Ali also cared for changes in the lives of his students. He is working to get his school recognized by the West Bengal State Secondary Education Board, which provides students with free study kits, uniforms, food and other necessary facilities. The West Bengal government has launched a program to provide 4 kilograms of rice a day to all school students. When Ali heard about the program, he took all necessary steps to ensure that his school was recognized by the local government and that his students benefited from it. Babar Ali is a devoted student of Swami Vivekananda and looks forward to further improving the quality of education in the region. 

Take his school to the next level

The youngest principal in the world is committed to educating all disadvantaged children and that is the only reason his school provides free education to disadvantaged children. His many years of contributions in the field of education have improved the literacy rate in Murshidabad district. “After school or during recess, while other children and friends were playing in the schoolyard, I stood at the school administration desk and watched how teachers worked and kept various records. Evaluate whether you were doing it. So I discovered a management process and introduced it into the school. At the end of the day, it’s also an ongoing process, and you can learn by working regularly, and that’s how I learned,” added Babar.

Uplifting the disadvantaged – the girl child

“I come from a very humble family, but I was lucky to have parents who worked hard and sent me to a good school 10 kilometres from home. They wanted me to finish my studies. It was. Two things that come to mind when I look back on those days are love and awareness. Firstly, I love to teach and implement, because I realised that I was getting an education in a good school, and if I could do something for others, that would be great. So those two things helped me start my mission,” Babar said.

Women’s education has always been one of her most discussed topics in some of the major regions of India. Murshidabad was no exception, a stranger. Babar’s sister was his first pupil, and he also worked to improve the educational conditions of the village women. “When I started evangelising, the villagers were uneducated and strongly opposed my practice. I was teaching them to work, but when it came to the girls, I was even more responsive. When I started, the first question I was asked was: How important is education for a family that can’t even afford two meals a day? And for the upbringing of the girl, a husband will not be found in the near future. At that time, there was early marriage in my village, and there was also gender prejudice. For me, it has been a very difficult and ongoing process to convince such people, but it has gradually improved and now my school believes that 60% of the students are girls and 40% are boys. I think that women’s education is very important in our society. Because it is girls who become mothers, and mothers are always the first teachers to shape our future generations and instil human values ​​in their children. Added Babar.

What are you waiting for ahead? This year, Mr. Babar will celebrate his 20th anniversary as a teacher. Her school, Ananda Shiksha Niketan, is dominated by female teachers and provides a valuable education for children. “Teachers cannot be compared to other jobs in the world. I believe teachers can build nations and educate future citizens. Whether you are a doctor, an engineer, or a scientist, each is trained in a classroom. Teachers have a big responsibility. As a school teacher, I believe that values-based education should teach children positive attitudes and humanity. To be a teacher is to look beyond professionalism and work to ensure that children’s futures shine,” Babar said.

Bottom Line-

Babar Ali inspires not only teachers, but everyone around the world. His efforts and stories teach us that if we have the determination to achieve certain goals in life, we can always achieve great results. Thank you!

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