Jorhat: In most homes, parents are a child’s first teachers. But in the villages around Adarsha Tribal Higher Secondary School in Jorhat district, the lesson is taking an unexpected turn — children are returning home from school to teach their mothers.They are helping them read and write, use mobile phones, make UPI payments, access online banking and navigate essential digital services. For many of these women, it is their first meaningful entry into a world their children already know.The initiative, “Each One Teach One – Students Teach Their Mother for Digital Literacy,” has earned its architect, 50-year-old geography teacher Rajesh Bordoloi, the National Teachers Award.Launched two years ago, the programme turns Class X students into teachers at home. Nearly half of the students at the Kalbari school are first-generation learners, while many of their mothers have had little or no access to formal education. Almost 99% of the students belong to the tribal Mising community.Bordoloi noticed the growing gap between a digitally familiar younger generation and mothers who often struggled with even basic technology. His answer was to take learning beyond the school gate—and place the students at the centre of that change.“Education becomes meaningful when it reaches families and communities. I wanted students to see how their knowledge could empower their mothers. When a child becomes a teacher at home, education becomes a shared journey,” Bordoloi said.The need is particularly pressing in the agriculture-dependent communities surrounding the school. Families often find it difficult to make digital transactions, access online services or reach markets where they can sell vegetables and other farm produce.A lesson in saving a phone number, opening an online application or making a digital payment may appear small. But for the mothers, each new skill brings greater confidence and reduces their dependence on others.“There is something deeply inspiring about seeing a student sit beside his or her mother and patiently explain how to use a mobile phone or make a digital payment,” Bordoloi said.The programme has reached families in Kalbari, Banhphala, Bhekelichapori, Dhankhuli, Laliti Chapori Gaon and Sarigharia. Several mothers have gained basic knowledge of mobile-phone use, digital payments and online applications.The school also uses govt-provided smart boards during parent meetings to demonstrate digital tools and create awareness among families. Principal Rajib Kumar Baruah, who has mentored Bordoloi, said the programme was gradually helping women overcome their hesitation about technology.Digital literacy is only one part of Bordoloi’s community work. For several years, he has also campaigned against child marriage, beginning in Bhekelichapori, a riverine island where several schoolgirls had eloped in the past.His efforts have focused on persuading families to keep children in school and encouraging communities to identify and address their own problems. For him, education is not confined to textbooks or examinations; it is a tool for strengthening families and changing social realities.The National Teachers Award, Bordoloi said, was therefore less a personal milestone than a recognition of a collective effort.“I do not see this award as a personal achievement. I see it as recognition of the collective effort of my school, my colleagues, students, parents and the community,” he said. “It gives me a greater responsibility to continue using education not only to shape students, but also to bring positive change to the society around them.”Jorhat Inspector of Schools Buli Gogoi Bhuyan described the initiative as a model for community-centred education.“What makes this initiative special is that it transforms students from passive recipients of education into agents of change,” she said.
