New Life Centre

The New Life Centre (NLC) Primary School, located in the rural village of Sarberia, West Bengal, provides high-quality, affordable education to 400 children—many from families living at subsistence level. In a region where government schools are overcrowded and under-resourced, the NLC is a beacon of hope and a trusted community hub.

Founded 18 years ago by Alindra Naskar in his retirement, the school has grown steadily and achieved secondary school status in 2016. Today, it not only delivers a strong academic curriculum, but also offers vocational training to support employment prospects and further education.

The school’s impact is most visible in the lives of its students. Former pupils are now pursuing university degrees in subjects such as English, Physics, Nursing, Pharmacology, and Computer Science—many as the first in their families to access higher education. Their success stories continue to inspire the next generation of learners at the NLC.

With rising enrolment numbers, improved exam results, and a growing alumni community, the NLC stands as a powerful example of what dedicated local leadership and international partnership can achieve in even the most disadvantaged settings.

The New Life Centre’s Vocational Training Centre (VTC) offers life-changing opportunities for young people in Sarberia who have left school with few or no qualifications. Operating in the afternoons once the school day ends, the VTC currently supports around 30 students through practical, skills-based courses that open doors to employment and self-reliance.

Since its launch in 2007, the VTC has equipped over 230 young women with certified tailoring skills. Under the steady guidance of Chumpa, who has been with the NLC since it opened nearly 20 years ago, many graduates now support their families by sewing clothes for home use or local sale. Some, like one former trainee who now runs her own clothing business with her husband, have turned their skills into full-time livelihoods.

In recent years, the VTC has expanded to include a computer course for young people aged 16 and over. In a region where government secondary schools are severely overcrowded and under-resourced, this course provides vital digital literacy and IT training for those left behind by the mainstream system.

One of the course instructors is Baswajit, a former NLC student and Computer Science graduate, who now runs his own IT business next to his parents’ grocery shop. His return to the NLC as a teacher is a powerful example of the long-term impact of education—and the spirit of giving back it fosters.

The VTC continues to be a beacon of opportunity in a community where pathways out of poverty are few, but hope and resilience are strong.