The Salesian school was the first private school in the Darjeeling district to implement this program. In light of this, the district magistrate, Banhishikha Dey, presented the award to one of the school's teachers, Ms. Eva Dewan. The award ceremony, which took place last August 14, was staged at the office of the district magistrate in Darjeeling.
“Don Bosco Mirik” has been managing the program since 2017 and over time about 120 girls have enrolled. The young women are able to participate in numerous district events, such as cultural programs, quizzes, social activities and cleaning campaigns. All of these activities, as Ms. Dewan explained, are aimed exclusively at girls enrolled in the program.
The program also provides an annual scholarship of 700 rupees for the age group 13-18 and a one-time grant of 25,000 rupees to girls who, at the age of 18, are engaged in an academic or professional activity and are not married. Speaking of the program’s impact on girls' lives, Lawrence Lepcha, a teacher involved in the program, said: "This has made the young women intelligent and active, and many of them go on to higher education."
The "Don Bosco Mirik" high school, which is part of the West Bengal secondary school education system, is a mixed school that welcomes girls and boys. Founded in 2005, the school caters especially to children from the tea plantations in the Mirik Valley, Darjeeling district.
