Travel
Campus of Happiness: Baba Aya Singh College
by NIRUPAMA DUTT
Harpreet Kaur, 18, of Udowal village in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, first heard of the Baba Aya Singh Rearki College at Tugalwala from her cousin.
Recalls Harpreet, "My cousin who studied here would tell me stories of the happy and simple life there and of the great values learnt through education. So I longed to go there."
Harpreet eventually joined the school after her matriculation and is currently doing her Bachelor's degree. "I would like to stay on here as a teacher after doing my B.A. and then do my Master's in English Literature," says the enthusiastic student, who is also the secretary of her class.
The college is an exceptional experiment in education for rural girls in the districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar, which adjoins the border with Pakistan.
The college, which functions as a trust, dates back to 1934 when a social worker called Baba Aya Singh established a small 'putri pathshala' (girls' school) at Tugalwala. He also set up the SKD High School in 1939. The college, however, aptly began functioning in 1975 - the International Year of Women.
Principal Swaran Singh Virk, 64, recalls the early challenges the college faced in a society reluctant to grant its daughters an education. "After campaigning from village to village on the importance of education for girls, I was promised 34 students. Twenty backed out and so we started with a batch of 14. Today, the school has the requisite number of teachers and is affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board. The college students appear privately for their graduation and post-graduation examinations. Altogether there are around 3,500 girls - boarders and day scholars - who are enrolled from Class VI to the Masters' level."
Self-sustaining model
Interestingly, the tuition fee is only Rs. 800 (US $18, approx.) a year. Boarding and
lodging comes for an annual fee of Rs. 5,500. In the absence of any
grants, the college displays excellent management of limited means and
innovative self-sustaining measures. Homespun rugs, or 'durries', are
used to seat the students. Desks and benches are used only for the
examinations. The college has six teachers, who teach the senior
classes. The remaining classes are taken by senior students through the
'each one, teach one' approach. This not only cuts down the cost of
hiring another teacher, but also inculcates a sense of responsibility
and confidence in the 'student lecturer'.
Swaran Singh explains, "We would rather do without aid. We save on
electricity by using solar lighting. We have no fuel bills as we have
our own bio-gas plant."
All pupils have been taught the dignity of labour and the advantages of self-help: everything from cleaning the campus to cooking meals in batches of 12 to tending to the kitchen garden is managed by the students.
Visit Tugalwala and you can spot hundreds of young women dressed in their white uniforms, finding no task too hard to handle. The tall gates of the institution is 'wo-manned' by two students, who note down the names and addresses of the visitors. One group of girls is busy preparing the midday meal.
Sukhmeet Kaur, 18, a B.A. Final student and secretary of her class, elaborates, "We are having curry for lunch. The girls decide the menu by consensus. We use most of the vegetables and grain grown here on the eight-acre school farm."
The girls are provided with wholesome meals and their day begins with a full glass of fresh buffalo milk - from the in-house dairy - boiled with some tea leaves.
The high standards of excellence extend to the classrooms, too. The college is proud of its unblemished record when it comes to examinations, as there has not been a single case of copying.
Harsharan Singh, an examiner, explains, "The examiners and invigilators are posted here but are required to do nothing more than hand out the papers." The school has a cash prize of Rs 21,000 for an examiner who can spot a case of copying. The award goes unclaimed every year. However, the real reward for the school is the near 100-per cent pass rate, with at least 50 per cent of these students getting first divisions.
It's now afternoon, and the students are all over the campus - playing 'kho-kho', merrily running around, or singing folk songs. Some practice for the various inter-class music, painting and public speaking competitions; others are busy making hand-made charts and invitations for the various events.
The campus seems to exude a tremendous sense of confidence and happiness, and all the students - whether they are boarders or day scholars who bus down to school every day from their village or town - appear to participate wholeheartedly in school activities.
Reveals Sukhmeet Kaur Baupuria, 18, a B.A. Final student: "Recently Manpreet Kaur, a student of Plus II, told a filming crew from a popular national news channel that she had given up the practice of copying, which she did in a previous school. When the anchor retorted that she should be ashamed talking on camera about having cheated, Manpreet promptly replied, 'I should have been ashamed when I was cheating and not when I am confessing.' This is the confidence imparted by the Tugalwala way."
[Courtesy: World Pulse]
December 20, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Harinder Singh (San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.), December 20, 2010, 8:49 AM.
I addressed this college in 2001; I was thoroughly impressed by the clarity amongst the leadership on their mission, serving the under-served and expanding their potential. Their model is very much grounded in local realities and is a rare beacon of hope in the land.
2: Sangat Singh (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), December 20, 2010, 6:52 PM.
What an ideal institute to demonstrate that fancy buildings and expensive education alone are not enough. Here is an ideal place for seva: "Vich dunee-aa saive kamaa-ee-ay taa dargeh baisan paa-ee-ay" [GGS:26.1] - "In the midst of this world do seva, and you shall be given a place of honour." Some of the retired teachers and professors could offer their voluntary service. It is the teachers who shape the destiny of nations. Reminds me of an incident: The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO (proud of being a professional), decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?' He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.' To stress his point, he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Mary. Be honest. What do you make?' Mary, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...) 'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an i-Pod, Game Cube or movie rental. You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) 'I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in maths. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the National Flag, and sing the National Anthem, because we live in this great country. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.' Mary paused one last time and then continued, "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant ... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WHAT DO YOU MAKE, MR. C.E.O?'
3: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), December 21, 2010, 8:40 AM.
Sant Aya Singh ji was one of the great, true and real sants of his time. Prof. Singh Sahib and Maskeenji both have praised him in their discourses. I feel delighted to read more about him and his mission. Toady we need such kind of true sants in the world.
4: Raj (Canada), December 22, 2010, 10:27 AM.
There's one charity we can all contribute to. BTW, where is Tugalwala village?
5: Mohan Singh (Toronto, Ontario, Canada.), December 24, 2010, 6:43 PM.
Tugalwala village is in district Gurdaspur, Punjab.
6: Prabjit Singh (California, U.S.A.), February 07, 2011, 7:15 PM.
I recently watched a brief documentary about this institution on TV. I am really impressed by their unique approach. Could it be expanded to other areas in Punjab in need, especially the remote areas? My personal thoughts are that if the mother is educated, it will make a difference in her kids' education too. If we can implement this idea, it will surely make a difference in the uplift of those areas.
7: Jatinder Kaur (India), October 24, 2011, 5:36 AM.
Can they help needy family girls who are unable to pay?
8: Balraj Singh Aulakh (Punjab), November 01, 2011, 1:27 AM.
I studied in this campus (Boys Wing) for 8 years. I found that no school/college can be compared with this in what it achieves. I received a good, well-rounded education.
9: Gurmeet Singh (Ludhiana, Punjab), December 05, 2012, 10:51 PM.
Very good. This does not happen without God's grace and Guru's kirpa. Congratulations to all the students.