Sheikh Abdul Mannan – A Teacher By Passion
In the midst of chaos following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of 26,000 school staff in West Bengal, retired teacher Sheikh Abdul Mannan of Supur High School continues to teach students voluntarily.
By all accounts, Sheikh Abdul Mannan ought to be enjoying his twilight years with a steaming cup of tea, a quiet balcony, and perhaps a crossword or two. After all, the man has done his bit — thirty-five long years of teaching Life Science at Supur High School in Khatra, tucked away in the Bankura district. If anyone had earned the right to put his feet up, it’s Mannan Sir.
But no — like a stubborn old kettle that refuses to stop whistling, Sheikh Abdul Mannan has chosen to ignore the so-called joys of retirement. He’s not spending his mornings feeding pigeons or pottering about in the garden. Instead, he’s still standing at the blackboard, chalk in hand, teaching eager young minds about mitochondria and meiosis, all without pocketing a single penny. Yes, you read that right — not a sausage.
While the rest of West Bengal reels from the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that gave nearly 26,000 teachers and school staff the boot — with heads spinning faster than a fan in May — Supur High School seems to have stumbled upon a rare moment of grace. In the midst of all the chaos about who’s fit, who’s unfit, and whose certificate looks like it was cooked up over a cuppa and a packet of Bourbon biscuits, here’s Sheikh Abdul Mannan, quietly getting on with the job.
Now, let’s paint you a picture. Supur High has a whopping 1,160 students and just 28 teachers. Three posts are currently lying vacant, including Life Science, where there’s just one official teacher left to juggle it all. Enter, stage left, our retired hero. Not only does he come in daily, but he also conducts two full-fledged classes every single day — like clockwork, mind you. And why? “You can’t snap ties built over 35 years just like that,” he says with the sort of shrug only a Bengali gentleman of a certain age can manage. “As long as I can, I’ll teach.”
And the children? They’re utterly besotted. Tenth standard students like Ayan, Payel, and Susmita say they learn more than science from Sir — they’re getting lessons in life. “He really loves us,” they say, and you can tell they mean it.
The headmaster, Bikash Chandra Layek, chimes in with equal reverence. “Mannanda even took on the role of acting head teacher when needed. He hasn’t missed a day since retirement.” His wife, Amina Sultana, is in complete agreement. “His life has always been about the children,” she says with a smile. “Why should that change now?”
The chairman of the school’s managing committee, one Anjan Rajak, who also happens to be a parent, calls him a role model. “He’s the pride of the teaching community. I only hope others will be inspired by his selflessness.”
In a time when teachers are being shown the door faster than you can say “lesson plan,” when protests are heating up and futures look foggier than a November morning in Darjeeling, Mannan Sir and Supur High School are offering a rather different sort of lesson — one not found in textbooks.
And that, dear reader, is the sort of homework we could all do with.
Now, if only the Ministry could take a leaf out of Mannan Sir’s well-worn textbook, we might just find the education system isn’t entirely past saving. But that, as they say, is a lesson for another day.
News and Picture Sources : Ananda Bazar Patrika
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