The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) will launch a “pathshala (an informal school)", along with a regular health check-up camp, in the areas hit by the erosion of the Ganga's banks on the Bhutni islet in Malda district on Tuesday.

The informal school — set up to support children from families displaced by the erosion — has been named Subodh Choudhury Pathshala. Choudhury, a former English teacher at Mathurapur High School and a former Left minister, was thrice elected as the MLA from Manikchak and was widely known for his research on Malda’s folk culture.

The island is in Manikchak block.

“The pathshala will come up in the Boro Kartiktola area on Bhutni islet. Initially, we built one large classroom with tin walls and a thatched roof by spending ₹70,000. The registration for students has already begun, and the response is encouraging,” said Bulbul Ahmed, the DYFI president of Manikchak block.

“So far, 50 children have been enrolled. We are reaching out to the displaced families who are living along the 2.5km-long stretch of the Kesharpur Colony embankment,” he added.

Prominent painter Manish Deb and state DYFI secretary Dhrubajyoti Saha will attend the inauguration.

Deb will conduct a drawing class for the children on the opening day. Simultaneously, a health camp will be organised, where CPM leader and doctor Fuad Halim and three other doctors will attend to the erosion-hit families.

Every day, classes will be conducted from 1pm to 4pm by a permanent teacher and four DYFI volunteers.

“The children will be provided with books, notebooks, pens, pencils, and school bags. Our monthly budget for the facility is around ₹10,000, and we plan to operate it for at least one year,” said Debajyoti Sinha, a CPM leader in the district.

“The objective is to support children academically. Their families are in distress, and regular attendance at formal schools has become difficult. This pathshala will help bridge that gap,” Sinha said.