Bantwal: At a time when most parents are preferring private schools over government schools owing to the lack of facilities, here is a government school, which has won the hearts of parents in a big way.
Nadumogaru government school gets a new lease of life
Nadumogaru government school, which was once on the verge of closure, rose like the proverbial phoenix.
Believe it or not, the school which had only 23 students couple of years ago, today boasts of having 102 students, thanks to the alumni association who mobilised the locals and made this school into a model school.
When the student strength had touched as low as 23 in 2011-12, the education department decided to pull down the shutters of this school that is located at Maninalkur village in Bantwal.
However, due to emotional connection with the school, the Old Students’ Association decided to ensure that the school continues to function. They called upon the School Development Monitoring Committee and started working towards the goal.
The hard work has paid off. The strength today stands at 102.
What was the magic?
Under the leadership of Old Students’ Association president K N Shivarama Shetty Nadumogaruguttu along with Taluk panchayath Standing Committee former president Sampath Kumar and teachers of the school started doing activities that grabbed the attention of people. They started distributing uniforms, notebooks, schoolbags, health insurance and then introduced schemes like security deposit of Rs 1000 for children enrolling for class 1, health camps and adoption of children (sponsor education) etc.
The school also provided transport facility for children coming from faraway places with a help of a donor who provided Omni car for the same. But it was a risky task to carry all the children in one vehicle. Hence, when the association members approached Mumbai-based businessman Kusumadhara Shetty, he readily agreed to provide a school van as a charity work under the Foundation that he runs in memory of his mother.
The vehicle was handed over to the headmaster by District-in-charge minsiter B Ramanath Rai recently. The new vehicle has brought enough cheer among the students.
After having breathed life into a dying school, the Good Samaritans are yet to rest. They say that there are a few more works that need to be done.
The school needs a borewell to meet the drinking water problem. Construction of classrooms, and repair of old ones, construction of an auditorium, widening of the school ground, construction of a compound wall and appointment of additional teachers are some of the requirements of the school.
The success story of the school has shown that nothing is impossible if people stand united to achieve a goal.
