For the students of Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Othakadai on the Melur highway, their classroom experience in the last few days has vastly changed — the school buildings sport a fresh coat of paint; and there are spanking new benches and chairs in every classroom.
As a part of its golden jubilee celebrations, the Rotary Club of Madurai West has adopted the school and pumped in money to improve its basic amenities and infrastructure. “The school has a strength of 1,239 students. Proper sanitation facilities and availability of drinking water are very important for a girls’ school, and that is why we chose this institution,” said K.R. Raja Govindasamy, chairman of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations Committee.
Adoption of the school is part of the ‘Happy Schools’ initiative under Rotary India Literacy Mission (RILM). The club has carried out renovation and development works on the school campus at an estimated cost of Rs.15 lakh. “We have installed two reverse osmosis plants for purified drinking water and renovated 30 toilets. The buildings have been whitewashed and repairs done wherever necessary,” said club president T. Ravee.
The students are particularly happy with the new furniture in their classrooms. “The club has donated 144 desks and chairs for all the middle school classes. This is the first time that the middle school classes have desks since the school began in 1997,” said Headmaster A. Muthukumara Seshan.
A concrete bridge has also been constructed across a channel behind the school to provide a shortcut for students from nearby villages. “The bridge is a safe shortcut for students since they can avoid the traffic on the main road,” explained SV. Arunachalam, an advisor to the celebrations committee.
