Mahatma Gandhi Residential School | Photo: Shweta Vitta
Karkala: Situated in Kukkundoor, Karkala, Mahatma Gandhi Residential School (MGRS) aims at ‘Providing children with benefits and services that meet their basic needs, enhance their human dignity and raise their educational standards in a meaningful, long-lasting way’. The school was founded in 1992 by Sri M Veerappa Moily, ex- chief minister of Karnataka and now the President of the Administrative Reforms Commission, and is run under the aegis of Kisan Sabha Trust. The Trust was originally started in 1968 to empower land tenants through awareness about their rights by organising literacy camps, but later realised the prime reason for farmers being victimised was illiteracy. Hence, it eventually became a non- profit organisation and today its primary focus is on education and healthcare.
Since 1992, MGRS has educated 219 students of which 180 have continued their education. The school has had major achievements with its students working in the Indian Stone Handicrafts Institute, engineering and construction companies, as high school teachers and some have further continued their studies and attained masters in economics. The school’s highest achievement however, is Sadananda Kulal, who has been sent to Japan for further training in automobiles. The school has achieved 100% pass result since it started.
MGRS provides education to boys who discontinued school after the 7th standard and work for survival under poor conditions. The school provides residential setting to educate these boys from VIIIth to Xth standard. Their medical care and nutritional support, educational assistance, clothing, material aid (bedding, dishes, utensils, clothes, books and stationery) are all provided free of cost. “Our primary selection criterion is financial background. Students who are economically deprived are given special privilege. It’s only later that past performance, recommendations, inclination towards study and so on are considered”, said Mr. Santosh Saldanha, Principal.
The school not only focuses on education but also makes sure that equal importance is given to extra-curricular activities. There are regular sessions on yoga, painting, drawing, work education and carnatic music training. Sports like racing, hurdles, long jump and high jump are also taught. They also have programmes at regular intervals like educational trips, seminars which help students learn about responsibility and leadership helping them shape into better individuals. Every year students undergo special CET (common entrance test) coaching and the school has achieved fairly good results.
“I am proud of making the decision of joining this school and leaving my job as a cleaner in a restaurant. I am positive of a bright future once I leave,” said Raghu, a student.
The school, which is constructed on an 8 acre land has about 5 classrooms, residential facilities, a mess, a library with around 2000 books, a computer lab where basic computer training is taught and a psychology lab to test the mental ability of students from time to time and improvise wherever needed. There is also a beautiful garden and an open auditorium where cultural activities take place.
The school has further plans of extending the building with more number of classes in order to recruit more students, a bigger library and a closed auditorium within the next two years.
“MGRS aims at all-round development and makes sure that the inner potential of every student is brought out. It’s a non-governmental organisation and the entire money received from funds goes into educating the students. The advantage of the school being situated away from the city and it being a residential school gives the teachers a lot of time to focus on the students and help them, for there is no distraction of any sort and the atmosphere is beautiful”, said Ms. Manasa, the Maths teacher.
Till now the school has managed its funds by tapping into local and government sources, contacts the founders of the school and Trust have and the Nitte Trust. People who know about the school also fund one student at a nominal price of Rs 1037 per month. Mr. Veerappa Moily has been the major source of help both through his personal resources and his external help.
“The school has done extremely well till today and has managed to achieve outstanding results always. With proper funding and god’s blessings we hope to continue the flow and help India’s literacy rate increase in our own small way”, added Mr. Santosh Saldanha, Principal.
Sub-edited by Nina Chengappa
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