TEZPUR, June 2 – The Assam Valley School(AVS) set up at Harchura tea estate near Balipara , a small hamlet in northern Assam and 27 kms away from Tezpur, the district headquater of Sonitpur in 1995 by the Magor Education Trust built at the cost of Rs 122 crore, has not only been importing quality education but contributing greatly in the field of human resources. Spread across a 95 hectare of land and surrounded by tea gardens the school is not only helping the students attain their fullest academic potential but equips them in the equally rich fields of physical, cultural and artistic endeavour.
Affiliated to Indian Council of Secondary Education(ICSE) and a co-educational secondary school, the AVS’ emphasis is not on teaching but learning. With a maximum of 25 students in each class, the school foster an atmosphere in which the students gain confidence to stand on their own feet, take their own decisions and to reach their own summits. Derek Mountford (32),headmaster of Assam Valley School who took charge on November 2003 and one of the youngest headmasters in public schools in India said education should be the biggest and best adventure in a child’s life and at the AVS the 650 students including 26 students from the neighbouring country Bangladesh are taught to learn fundamental skills for tackling unmet situations.
With a well stocked library with over 10,000 books and journals students learn because they want to learn ,not because they must remarked Mountford. Measurement of academic progress is also different. Rather than traditional percentage evaluation a system of continuous grading is used so that students can measure their progress in a non competitive environment. Compared to other public schools of India the percentage of result is at par ,claimed the headmaster and added that at the AVS a child is evaluated not in comparison to other children ,but in the context of his own performance. Before they pass out, each of them is equipped with a confidence that is worth more than paper qualifications, Derek claimed.
Apart from education, community service and sports is also an integral part of extra-curricular activities. Students have to undertake projects in local villages and other activities ranging from literacy to fire-fighting to first aids. Charity development and environment-based projects are encouraged, the headmaster added. About the pastoral care the headmaster said students are accommodated in five hostels or houses namely Bhoroli, Subansiri, Manas, Lohit and Dhansiri with its own dining halls, recreation rooms and sick beds. House identity is a matter of pride and a healthy competition exists between the houses. Junior classes are accommodated in 12-bed dormitories while seniors get double-beddrooms and are looked after by a housemaster or housemistress who are fulltime members of teaching staff.
Tejasmita Gogoi, a student of class IX talking to The Assam Tribune said that , the AVS offers a memorable experience. A beautifully designed campus on green undulating grounds, a sense of space and freedom due to the open architectural design, warm and friendly teachers, visiting foreign students, free intellectual and social environment , plus the opportunity to explore a variety of sports, talents hobbies etc that make every moment an adventure.