Skip to content Skip to navigation

ADBU students offer services to village students

A university community in northeast India has become a trend setter in offering development communication services when its students of the Schools of Technology and Social Sciences decided to reach out to its neighbourhod communities.

It all started 3 years ago when its Masters students of Social Work panned out to do a social audit and needs assessment of its neighbourhood communities and launched free tuition classes for high school students.

“Three years ago we started off with two hour evening sessions in Maths, English and Science for 40 neighbourhood students studying in classes 8, 9 and 10,” says Assistant Professor of Social Work Mr Victor Nazary, coordinator of the Swastyayan program at Assam Don Bosco University (ADBU) in Guwahati.

Swastyayan – a commitment – offers free tuition classes for high school students, as well as skilling them with personality development, spoken English and leadership techniques.

Today there are over 300 boys and girls given free tuitions by some 60 ADBU student and faculty volunteers from Monday to Friday for two hours in the same classrooms where B.Tech students hold classes.

Besides, Social Work and B. Tech department staff and students, other departments of Psychological Counseling, Human Rights, and Mass Communication have volunteered to join the program.

Last month, the Psychological Counseling department started a Counseling Centre offering free counseling sessions every Friday afternoon for the Swastyayan students and their parents.

“The purpose of the centre is to promote the relevance and benefits of counseling, as well as provide free counseling sessions to Swastyayan community,” says Sabatina Changmai an MA student in Psychology. 

The Human Rights department has stepped in to ensure that in the neighbourhood communities of the university children enjoy Child Rights especially with regard to education,  prevention of child labour and trafficking.

This week, the Mass Communication department teamed up with the local community radio – Radio Luit – to highlight social issues and aired three programs highlighting health issues, busting exam stress, and a children’s day special.

Swastyayan’s third annual day was held today marking Children’s Day with a two hour programme for students and their parents in the presence of ADBU Pro Vice-Chancellor Fr Joseph Nellanatt, and director of the Schools of Technology and Social Sciences, Prof Manoranjan Kalita and Dr Riju Sharma respectively.

Deputy Director of Higher Education, Government of Assam, Miss Chinmoyee Talukdar, the Chief Guest at the event addressed the students and their parents. She encouraged all to emulate the example of late President of India Mr. APJ Kalam’s passion for learning and integrity, and make use of every opportunity the ADBU community is providing.

Author info

CM Paul's picture

Former HoD, Dept of Mass Communications at Assam Don Bosco University, Guwahati, C.M. Paul was editor of The Herald weekly in Kolkata and director of Don Bosco International News Agency (ANS) based in Rome. He did MA in Journalism & Mass Communication from FORDHAM University, New York.

Add new comment

Random Stories

Prabhat Sharma admitted to GNRC in critical condition

5 Aug 2008 - 11:39pm | editor
Prabhat Sarma, a renowned folk exponent, flutist, music director of Assam, has been admitted into the Intensive Care Unit of Guwahati Neurological Research Centre in Guwahati following a heart...

Chennai Magh Bihu 2016

30 Dec 2015 - 6:46pm | Koushik Hazarika
Assam Association Chennai is organising a  "Get-Together" to celebrate "Magh Bihu" on January 15, 2016 at "Blue-Lagoon" beach resort, Neelankarai, ECR Road, Chennai.  The event will start...

Joon strikes silver in Karate champs

18 Oct 2012 - 2:24am | editor
Pride of Assam Mirdu Paswan Joon strikes a silver medal at the Indo-Sri Lanka Karate Championship 2012, held in Colombo.The Karate player received the second position in the Senior Male Black Belt...

Monikanta Dutta passes away

20 Jan 2012 - 5:05am | Anup Arandhara
Dedicated follower of vaishnovite culture and retired teacher Minakanta Dutta of Panibil-Gumutha, near Nazira passed away at an age of 93. Besides his devotion to social work, late Dutta published...

Other Contents by Author

In a rare case of rags to riches story, an Assamese entrepreneur today heads a trillion dollar company in the U.S. employing over 4,000 people. The man in the case is Siddhartha Chowdhary, the founder of Credence, a consulting organization based in Washington DC. An alumnus of IIT Kharagpur (1988-92 Batch) he was two terms president of PAN IIT activities for over 5,000 members in the U.S. Siddhartha affectionately called as Sid was introduced as an unmatched achiever from northeast India at a felicitation held at Press Club Dispur in his home city Guwahati, on 22nd December 2023. Introducing him was his former principal at Don Bosco School Guwahati Fr V. M. Thomas who said, “Sid...
Siliguri: A premier Catholic school in North Bengal staged an ambitious musical performance marking its golden jubilee with two-day open air mega event by 1,200 children teaching and learning from animal kingdom. Some 12,000 people including school children and their guardians, as well as students and faculty members from Siliguri participated in both shows staged by Don Bosco School Siliguri. The musical ‘The Lion King’ stage production with music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and a book by Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi, with additional music and lyrics by Lebo M and others is based on the 1994 Walt Disney Animation Studios' film of the same name. In the golden jubilee...
Imphal, July 29: In a gesture of peace and reconciliation, elders of Vaishnavite Community in Imphal have taken on moral responsibility for the misdeeds of the immature youth of their community, by declaring an indefinite fast and prayer.  In the wake of Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Menamparampil’s third visit to Manipur (25th to 27th July 2023) coincides with the initiative of the Convener of Interfaith Forum for Peace and Harmony of Manipur, Mr. Deben Sharma, announcing Indefinite Fast and Prayer in the name of his Vaishnavite Sanamahi community.  Mr. Sharma, one of the initiators of the Interfaith Forum for Peace along with a number of highly placed leaders...
In a post-covid outreach effort to connect with the local community, Radio Salesian journalists made their first attempt and reached one of the far-flung tea garden in Mirik Sub-Division, some two hours' drive from Sonada. On Saturday 5 March, the Radio Salesian RJ team including 4 new radio journalists RJs Wang, Garima, Bandana and Pratap went for their first community outreach programme guided by senior RJs Moses, Rejina and Programme Co-ordinator RJ Samir.  Upon reaching Murmah Tea Estate, the Radio Salesian team members were received with traditional khadas (scarf) and welcome greetings from the residents of Murmah. Radio Salesian regular listener and caller Laxmi Pradhan...
Siliguri: Marking the 50th anniversary of the birth of Bangladesh and the 13-day Indo-Pak war of 1971, a group of college students organised a felicitation program for war veterans on 18th December 2021. Leading a group of six veterans, as well as a war widow was 86-year old Hon Cap S.B. Chhetri, who belonged to 5/11 Gorkha Rifles who were part of the decisive battle of Bogra to capture Dhaka, then the capital of East Pakistan. Other eminent veterans present were Hawaldar Duryodhan Tamang (Army Corps of Engineers); Hon Capt Hemant Subba; Subedar Bijai Kumar Subba Sena Medal; Hav M Gautam Tamang; Subedar Tilak Ram Chhetri, and war widow Mrs Ishadevi Thapa, representing late Sub SB...
A college in North Bengal concluded two day college events with celebration of diversity of India with a much awaited popular item - fashion show, 17th December 2021. Salesian College Siliguri organised the event christened Exsurge 2021 (Arise and Take Flight), which has had its tradition since 2009 when Salesian College Sonada established in 1938 started its Siliguri campus. Unlike other years, this year, despite the pandemic, students were able to participate in 20 events including: bands, dancing, painting, collage, sketching, doodling, poetry, stand up comedy, photography and short film making among others. “It is our way of affirming the diverse culture of India represented by...
Guwahati, 22 October 2021: A group of academicians and social activists came together under the leadership of the archbishop emeritus of Guwahati to promote peace at a time when the whole of Brahmaputra Valley is “in search of peace”.  The occasion was the release of an Assamese language book entitled Hanti Bisari (In Search of Peace) written by Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil. The original work in the English language was translated into Assamese by a civil society leader, Mr. Paresh Malakar. The book-release turned out to be a social-discussion session in which the need for mutual understanding between communities was emphasised. A reputed intellectual of Assam, Mr. Hiren...
The combined 10-day Annual National Cadet Corps (NCC) Training Camp was held under the aegis of the 16th Bengal Battalion at Salesian College Siliguri from 16th to 25th September 2021.  As many as 400 NCC cadets from 10 colleges from in and around Siliguri participated. Camp activities included drills, weapons training, map reading and various team-building exercises along with social activities.  28 Cadets from Salesian College participated in the camp along with Salesian College NCC Coordinator Lt Risha Chettri. The Cadets followed their daily schedule which included doing morning meditation, morning and evening drills, studying subjects from the armed forces as...
Darjeeling: The first college Community Radio in North Bengal launched a creative initiative to mark 75th year of India’s Independence with what it calls ‘Azaadi Freedom Songs’ - a celebration of diversity and harmony. India snatched its freedom from British colonial rule on 15th August 1947. Radio Salesian 90.8 FM - The Voice of the Hills based at Salesian College Sonada is the first and only FM radio channel of Darjeeling since 2016. This Independence Day initiative by Radio Salesian is in collaboration with two youth groups : Darjeeling NGO Mukh Bandh Kaam Suru (Shut Up Start Work) and Salesian Youth Movement Kolkata. “It is our humble effort to promote fraternity, liberty,...
A group of Non Government Organizations (NGO) in the hills have come together to fight Covid 19 with joint well being campaign with slogans: ‘Bring Back the Smiles’, and ‘We Build Each Other.   “Using the hashtags #Bringbackthesmiles #Webuildeachother, the Well Being Campaign is all set to change the information game in these trying times,” says Adarsh Rai Founder of Encompass and team member of Hayden Hall Darjeeling.    “We plan to do it from top-down directives to modelling everyday safety standards, from negativity to positive action language, from fear and doom to healing, well being, hope and growth,” says Psychologist Susan Subba of Heart works....