Mangaluru: In 1996, Dr. Chandrashekhara Damle along with his friends started the Sneha School in Sullia with a vision to redefine the quality of education through the mother tongue. Today, 25 years later, this educational institution located on a small lush green hillock in Sullia, has become a center for holistic development of children at the primary level.
On the day the school will be celebrating the 25th anniversary, Dr Damle will be felicitated by S Angara, Minister for fisheries, ports and inland water transport on Saturday March 6.
Vision for a Model School
Dr Damle who is a professor of Sociology, realized the students in the college lack basic knowledge which is a result of poor standard of education at the primary level. Thus, he started Sneha School with the hope of creating a model school which provides quality education in the rural areas in an eco-friendly environment.
“The school is designed in such a way that the children can learn with nature,” says Dr Damle. The school is molded into the topography surrounding it and the round structure of classrooms also inspires children to get into learning. There is no need for posh buildings to impart knowledge. Learning does not just mean theory or classroom education, rather it should help the student to understand how to learn and grab more knowledge by themselves, he said.
He condemns the practice of abiding by the syllabus alone for teaching students. He said, “The capacity of education should not be limited by the syllabus. Rather the objective of providing education should be to make sure that the students have an all-round development.”
The medium of instruction is Kannada as the school believes that a child can think in their mother tongue or native languages better than in English. While addressing the importance of teaching using the mother tongue he said, “Education becomes stronger and dearer to the children when it is taught in their mother tongue and the children will have strong cultural roots embedded in their personality by learning in the Kannada medium in Karnataka.”
School’s Uniqueness
Apart from the fact that the students in this school get to be one with nature, there are many other features that has been designed to make sure that the students are exposed to co-curricular activities. One of the most attractive features of the school is “Barahada Mane”, a sand-filled room that helps for self-exploration of creativity in children. The room was constructed with the idea of going back to the traditional way of learning how to write by using the sand floors.
There is a “Kalashale” or art room where the creativity of the children is given an open space for expression. Here the students are taught different arts like clay-modeling and so on. With an aim to promote Gurukul system of education, an open classroom under a huge tree has also been constructed where poetry, mental mathematics and environment classes are conducted.
The school also has herbal garden which consists of almost 300 varieties of plants. Study of Indian culture and heritage is given importance through classes on social values, yoga, folk arts, and classical arts. Social etiquette, sense of responsibility, communication skills, and behavioral skills are also instilled in the students.
Dr Damle’s love for Yakshagana
“I grew up in a historical period and during that time, Yakshagana was a very dominant art form,” recalls Dr Damle.
Most people are mere spectators but I developed a craze for it as I realized it is a very powerful medium which can influence the minds of the people. Even the illiterate people can learn about the epics through Yakshagana. This art form encourages a lot of creativity from its participants, he added.
He actively participated in bringing quality back to Yakshagana which was being highly commercialized. He started the “Tenkutittu Hitharakshana Vedike” in 1980 to support this art form. He also introduced a children’s troupe in the school to provide good quality Yakshagana teaching.
Dr Damle has been part of two international lectures from China and Hawaii on the theme of Yakshagana.
Awards and Accolades
Over the years, the school has received recognition from various platforms for its unique way of teaching. The school has received the Sandesha Prashasti, State award for achievement in curricular and co-curricular activities in 2015. Other recognitions like Swachcha Shale (clean campus) in 2017, ‘Aranya Mitra’ (friend of forest) in 2016 and ‘Jala Mitra’ (friend of water) in 2016 have been received by the school.
Dr. Damle has been conferred the state awards for the best college teacher for the years 1995 to 1998. A popular media house in Karnataka has also bestowed him the ‘Asamanya Kannadiga’ (extraordinary Kannadiga) award.
Alumni Speaks
Students who have graduated from the school speak volumes about the educational quality. They stress on how the school has given them an opportunity to grow as a person.
Akshara Damle who is the son of Dr. Chandrashekhara Damle speaks about his experience as one of the first students of the school. “I have grown up with the school. I have seen it rise up to what it is today,” said Akshara. “We were not just taught core education, I grew having a sensitivity towards society, art and culture.”
He expressed that the school and his father’s teachings were instrumental in his overall development as a writer, artiste and a speaker.
Krithika Maduvegadde, an alumnus of the school, opined that the school provided an atmosphere that was fit for learning. “The school was located in the lap of nature away from the busy life of the city which made us very attached to the school,” she expressed.
She said that all the teachers considered the students as their own children and the unique classroom along with the co-curricular activities made her into a multitalented person. “I am still very fond of my mother tongue and I believe that this is due to the bond that was created with the language during my primary education in this school.”
Another proud alumni, Manvith U.S. spoke highly of school’s teaching quality. The teachers gave individual attention to all the students and taught us exactly what our culture is, he said.
“Learning happens naturally here and there was no boundaries for gaining knowledge. We were free to visit the headmistress or our teachers anytime we want and discuss any topics with them,” he reminisces.
The students in the school do not just aim at becoming engineers and doctors but also take up professional courses in varied areas like administration, basic sciences, military, journalism, finance, accounting, social service, dairy sciences and some of them have set up their own small-scale businesses. Also there are others who are eyeing for IAS and KAS!
