Kurseong maths teacher wins national honour

SNS, Kurseong, 21 October 2014: A mathematics teacher from Saint Alphonsus HS School in Kurseong, Anand Pradhan, has been honoured with the National Best Teacher Award-2014. The award was handed over to him during the 9th National Mathematics Convention on 11 and 12 October at Raipur in Chhattisgarh, organised by the All India Ramanujan Mathematics Club (AIRMC) in association with Raipur Engineering Club RITEE.

The Chhattisgarh state education minister handed Mr Anand Pradhan a gold medal, a plaque/memento, and a citation.

It is learnt that the All India Ramanujan Mathematics Club is a government-approved national club that caters to the needs of school children and helps them understand the subject with ease or aim to remove the fear of mathematics from the minds of the people. Seven persons, including Mr Pradhan, had been selected for the prestigious award among the 100 other entries.

According to the AIRMC, MR Pradhan has put in a lot of effort while experimenting on his ‘Mathematics Work’ to uplift the standard of the subject in schools of Darjeeling Hills.

According to Mr Pradhan, the AIRMC had organised a seminar with PHD scholars in January this year, in which 21 scholars, including himself, had participated. His presentation during the seminar was adjudged the best. “I have also been invited to participate in the upcoming international mathematics convention slated to be held next year in Mauritius,” he said.

According to him, he completed his MSC from Calcutta University, but when he was studying at North Bengal University, the then department head Prof Karanjai inspired him to do research work on mathematics.

“Professor Karanjai had told me that in his career he noticed that many students from Darjeeling have been avoiding or not completing their studies on mathematics. Since then, I decided to find out the reasons,” Mr Pradhan said.

He said his thesis on mathematics will be completed next year under the guidance of professor Karanjai, who is now retired.

Asked about the reasons for Hill students’ disinterest in the subject, he said there are many. “But the main ones are that Mathematics needs a lot of practice, which the students here do not do. The second is that parents do not seriously involve themselves in the studies of their children,” he said.