Ekal Vidyalaya — One Teacher School
Friends of Tribals Society (FTS), established in 1989 under the Ekal Abhiyan movement, is a voluntary NGO headquartered in Kolkata with 37 chapters across 25 states. It uplifts tribal communities through One Teacher Schools (Ekal Vidyalayas), offering non-formal education to children aged 4–14 in remote villages. Each school provides five-fold learning: literacy, healthcare, development awareness, civic sense, and values. Under Ekal Abhiyan Trust and a Gandhi Peace Prize 2017 awardee, FTS reaches 20,000+ villages and over 2.2 million children.
The Foundation initiated its support in October 2017, extending assistance to One Teacher Schools serving tribal children in rural areas. The engagement deepened progressively — scaling to 84 schools by March 2018, and subsequently 180 schools by March 2019. In addition to individual school support, Artek Surfin Chemicals Ltd. and the Beniprasad Goenka Foundation has contributed substantially toward the maintenance and sustained operation of 320 One Teacher Schools across tribal regions — ensuring the continuity of infrastructure, teaching support, and learning resources for communities heavily dependent on these institutions.
This partnership has continued through 2023, 2024, and into the 2025–26 financial year.