• Alfia Khatoon’s mother wants her to return to their village in Birbhum but the Class IX student wants to stay on at a relative’s home because she wants to study in an English-medium school
• Muddasir Imam travels for more than five hours every day from South 24-Parganas to reach his school in Bowbazar’s Phears Lane

Alfia received a prize for extra-curricular activities and Muddasir was declared the best student at their school’s annual programme recently.

Most students of St Stephen’s School, Bowbazar, are first-generation learners who fight financial difficulties every day and the prizes that they received acknowledge not just their academic scores but their grit and determination as well.

“It’s not easy to stay away from your parents but if I was to go and live with them it would mean giving up on my career. I am not ready to bargain that for a little more comfort,” said Alfia, 14, who is both a dancer and a painter.

Muddasir starts from his home in Mullickpur, South 24-Parganas, at 7.30am and takes a local train to Sealdah, from where he walks to school. “School starts at 11am and I have to be on time. There might not be many students my age who have to do this every day. But my focus is on studies and to make my parents proud,” said the boy whose father works at a hotel in Chandni Chowk.

St Stephen’s School started in the year 2001 and now has over 700 students on its rolls.

“Many of the children come from economically deprived families and do not have the means to buy more than one uniform. By the time it is Thursday, their uniforms are dirty and they come to school shabbily dressed. But many among them are keen to study. When they do that teachers also go an extra step and take remedial classes so that they get the academic support which is not available in their homes,” said Sadaf Hashmi, the school coordinator.

The students had put up an annual concert on the theme United We Stand. Some of them walked the ramp for a fashion show on the theme of national integration.

“We are trying to send a message to the children and their parents that we have always been together and we are one and that’s the way it is,” said Imran Zaki, honorary secretary of the school.

Author Lal Bhatia was the chief guest and actress Richa Sharma was the guest of honour.

Alfia Khatoon receives her award