The two-day Adamas University Kolkata Presents The Telegraph School Awards for Excellence 2024 North Bengal kicked off to a flying start here on Monday, celebrating the extraordinary stories of grit, resilience, and victories of students, teachers and educational institutions from the region.

On Monday, 90 students received certificates of merit, honours and scholarships at the Dinabandhu Manch in Siliguri. Of them, 15 received scholarships worth ₹12,000 each.

Every recognition received thunderous applause in a jam-packed auditorium.

The winners in different categories, judged by a panel of 10, will be declared on Tuesday.

“More than 65 schools from north Bengal had applied for the awards in different categories during this edition. Our objective is to reach out to every region of north
Bengal from Darjeeling to Malda and help children fighting the odds,” said Amitabha Datta, chairman, The Telegraph Education Foundation (TTEF).

The TTEF is organising the second edition of the north Bengal school awards with support from the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), The Bhawanipur Education Society College, JIS Group and PCM Group. The event is co-sponsored by SiP Abacus.

Rajib Nagasia, a Class IX student of Kranti Devijhora Higher Secondary School in Jalpaiguri district, was among those who received scholarships for refusing to give up in their pursuit of success.

“Nagasia’s story embodies the spirit of the award ceremony,” said Datta. A tagline of this year’s award ceremony was: They gave up. On giving up.

The parents of Nagasia are ailing and do not have a regular income. “I work at the local poultry farm to sustain my family,” said Nagasia.

The student receives a meagre ₹150 a day for his work at the farm.

“I am determined to carry on with my studies and can be a man of worth,” said the student who covers 6km on foot to reach school every day.

The struggle of Shreya Saha, a Class VI student of Mahbert High School, Siliguri, who received The Dulari Devi Mittal Memorial Scholarship, moved many to tears in the hall.

The student’s parents are physically challenged and her father earns less than ₹4,000 a month. “Despite these difficulties, she has been performing well in academics,” said an organiser.

Many educators who were present at the award ceremony and cater for the rural areas were strong in their conviction that the scholarship would be a big motivator for students.

“These scholarships will be a big motivator for students who are academically strong but come from economically weak families,” said Preeti Brahmin, the headmistress of Dulal Jote Nepali High School in Darjeeling, where the majority of the students belong to economically weak backgrounds. Seven students from her school received the scholarship on Monday.

One of the most difficult sections for the jurist was The SiP Abacus Award for Outstanding Talent in Sports. A total of 34 sportspeople
received certificates of merit and honours. Many winners have excelled not only on state and national forums but also on the international stage.

Among them was Shreyashi Tamang, a 15-year-old student from St Joseph’s Convent, Kalimpong, who not only competed in the Ladakh Aero Festival Pre-Paragliding Accuracy World Cup 2024 held at Leh as the youngest pilot in the competition but also secured a silver medal in the women’s category in her debut.

Students who have excelled in music and academics from across the region were also felicitated. Schools were also recognised for their achievements in different fields.

The auditorium thundered when veteran educators from the region were felicitated.

The Dr A P O’Brien Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award for a Teacher was presented to Ruma Bhattacharyya of Lataguri Higher Secondary School, Jalpaiguri, and Vijaya Lopchan from Rockvale Academy, Kalimpong, on Monday.