It’s been more than 10 years that MBCN first came into existence. Mrs. Chandana Gupta is one teacher who has seen the school grow from a small one in a rented facility to a much bigger compound of 2 acres on the Noida-Agra Expressway. Being a mother of a child suffering from cerebral palsy, Mrs. Gupta (fondly called “Madam Gupta”) devoted her time and energy in helping other specially-abled children.

She heads the academic wing of the Mata Bhagwanti Chaddha Foundation. She tells us how the children are divided into various classes.

Sanghamitra 1: This class has students of 7^th and 8^th standards. These students follow regular syllabus.

Sanghamitra 2: This group has 9^th, 10^th, 11^th & 12^th classes. These classes have got accreditation from NIUS (open schooling). The school follows grading system and these are sent to NIUS for certification.

Saraswati: It has students of 5^th and 6^th standards.

Samarath: 3^rd & 4^th class students are there in this group

Prithvi: This group has smaller children, mainly from K.G. and 1^st.

Gomti: It has students of 3^rd & 2nd

Kadambari: This group is for functional children. These children are the one who are unable to continue their studies. They are sent for pre-vocational courses. They later then graduate to vocational courses, which further help them to attain independence in life.

In her journey to make these children stand at par with the normal society, she has had several experiences to share.

She says, “There was one child named Chirag, who did not accept any new faces in his surrounding, be it a new teacher or some new student. He used to shout and disturb the class asking the teacher to send the new people away. He used to get very agitated in such situations and it became very difficult to handle the situation. Gradually, with persistent efforts of the teachers, Chirag was made to understand that the new people are also their friends and would not do any harm to them.”

Talking about another case, she says, “There was another child, Pawan, who wanted to wear new clothes every time. Being from a poor background, his parents came worried to the teachers and requested them to make him understand. With patience and love, the teachers at MBCN made him understand that his demands cannot be met every time.”

Teacher become second parents to these children in the school and their parents fully trust them. There was this instance when “Madam Gupta” was on leave but one parent called her to know if her child has safely reached the school.  Mrs. Gupta consoled her and checked from the school authorities about the child even when she was not working. Parents feel free to call them at any point of time. In fact, in Mrs. Gupta’s words, they are never off-duty.