About Us

St. Thomas Higher Secondary School, Ratanpurwa is a unit of K.R. Educational Association, Bettiah. It is a Catholic Christian Minority Institution made primarily to improve the quality of life for the poor to live with dignity.

Introduction

Education is considered as one of the most powerful tools for all-round development, emancipating action and safeguarding the rights of the socially excluded communities. Education plays a vital role in raising the critical social consciousness of the marginalized communities. Tharu, Oron and Musahar communities in Bagaha Sub divisional area have been suffering from stigmatized identities due to their socio-economic backwardness and oppression. Education being a powerful means of empowering these communities has eluded them. Hence Dalit Shiksha Evam Vikas Sanstha (DSVS) and St. Thomas School came to exist as a center and an educational Institution of advocating the cause of the underprivileged community from this area.

St. Thomas Higher Secondary School, Ratanpurwa is a unit of K.R. Educational Association, Bettiah. It is a Catholic Christian Minority Institution made primarily to improve the quality of life for the poor to live with dignity. The school is Co-educational and it has an attached pre-primary section. Hindi is the medium of instructions in this school. The school has all facilities for students. The school got its Recognition in 2018 and upgraded to Higher Secondary level.

School Affiliation Details
UDISE CODE: 10010813302
School Code (1 to 8): WC/BAG-02/069 (Metric): 54707 (Inter): 35095

Background

Dalit Shiksha Evam Vikas Sanstha (DSVS) a Registered Charitable Society founded in the year 1990 by Fr. Thomas Chakalakal,S.J., primarily to improve the quality of life for the poor to live with dignity. He began the mission with mass non-formal education program in 1979. Soon he realized that most of the Dalits and Tribals in the Subdivision Bagha-2 were under the clutches of big landlords, who had turned the browbeaten people of the area into bounded labourers. He fought tooth and nail legally and got the bounded labourers free. About one thousand freed bounded labourers were later rehabilitated though income generating handloom units. He had to pay for the cause for which he was attacked and kidnapped, and later he was released from the captivity after 15 days. The mission of education among the oppressed people has been continuing for the past four decades in the form of formal and Non-formal education system.

Quick Fact

Here are some quick facts about our school:

28

CLASSROOMS

32

TEACHERS

5000

LIBRARY BOOKS

65

COMPUTERS

Education for Girls

Seeing the pathetic condition of girl’s education DSVS took initiative to educate girls. Drop out girls and girls studying in our Non-Formal Education centers were brought to DSVS center at Ratanpurwa and were given intensive coaching though long term residential program. These girls were mainly selected from socially and economically deprived backgrounds, namely Tharu, Oraon, Munda and Musahar communities. They were prepared to appear for Matric Examinations though NIOS. They were helped to realize their potentiality through this residential program which provides a conducive environment for education was created and extra-curricular activities, orientation and motivation program. The residential program has been effective in forming these girls to be free, self-confident, motivated leaders to become our associates in upholding and promoting secular and democratic values and scientific outlook. After the death of Fr. Thomas Chakalakal, Fr. Joy Kariyampuram started St. Thomas Primary School in 1995 in which Sr. Kripa was the first Headmistress. Until 2013 the school was headed by FSMA sisters and from 2013 the Jesuits were made as the Headmaster and the Sisters started working as the Asst. Headmistress and teaching in the school. The school got its Recognition in 2018 and upgraded to Higher Secondary level.

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