With a vision of uplifting the status of elementary education in the vicinity of Bolpur, late Shanti Bandyopadhyay initiated the setting up of a Primary School in collaboration with the Governing Body of Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama. Thus dawned Sri Ramakrishna Sishu Vidyapith in the land of Rabindranath on April 29, 1994.
Since inception, the motto of the school has been to provide education by which, in the words of Swami Vivekananda, ‘character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s own feet.’ The lives and teachings of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sri Maa Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda have always been the key charm behind the dissemination of knowledge among the students.
What started with barely three classrooms, thirty students, and four efficient teachers has now blossomed into a prominent centre for elementary education with close to thousand students and little over thirty teaching faculties. As the journey was never easy, with the blessings of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sri Maa Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda and with support from numerous great souls, the school flourished apace. Mention must be made of Late Sandhya Rani Bhowmik who dedicated herself to headmistress the school and elevated the strength of students to seven hundred and teachers to thirty. Late Somnath Chatterjee, Member of the Parliament was highly generous in funding the expanded construction of a two-storey building for the school.
Focus on various co-curricular activities has been a key feature of learning in Sishu Vidyapith. Keeping in line with Swamiji’s vision of ‘all-round’ development, students are provided with dedicated trainings in dancing, singing, drawing, general knowledge, recitation, physical exercise. Students participate in various cultural programmes and competitions at the local and district level. Students are also taken to one-day educational excursion each year.
November to March: 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
April to October: 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m