A group of youth from Bidar and Bengaluru has adopted a government school in a remote village in Bidar district hoping to improve it and attract students.
Members of the Dr. Vishnu Sena Samiti and the Matrubhoomi Pratishtana have been going around houses in Bapur village in Bidar taluk asking parents to send their children to the village school. They have also cleaned up the school surroundings.
On Saturday, they donated a computer, printer and projector and a water purification unit for the school. They also planted some saplings around the school. Veeraputra Srinivas, founder of the samiti, vowed to fulfil all the needs of the school in coming years. He said a computer teacher would be appointed and paid wages by the samiti. He hoped to adopt at least 100 schools in the next few years. Gurunath Rajgira of the pratishtana sought the active involvement of the village residents in running the school.
“If we don’t protect our village schools, no external forces will save them,” he said.
Bhagwant Khuba, MP, expressed concern at the falling number of students in government schools. “Ten years ago, this school had 400 students. But now it has only around 50. It is the responsibility of government employees, elected representatives, village residents and civil society members to improve these schools and make them attractive again,” he said.
