JOIN USThis Government primary school is located in a village at the Karnataka border. Yet the campus of this school has arecanut palms which is native to Uttara Kannada district; coffee plants of the Kodagu-Chikamagalur district and ginger of Shimoga. It has also trees and plants which are native to the region.
This experiment has been done by the young progressive teacher Mahesh Hegde in the school located in Shivalinga village with 20 houses and surrounded by a thick forest. The school started functioning in a new building in 2007.
In all there are 17 students from first standard to fifth standard. Most of the students belong to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, who have not seen any other place than their village.
To make them smart and be at par with convent educated children he made them wear ties, footwear and name badge. He took them to Bangalore during holidays. There is forest all around the school and a rocky terrain. On the rocks are inscribed the way (direction) to the school, the importance of plants and trees and the words of poets.
The children have been disciplined right from how to keep their footwear neatly to how to protect the environment around their school. Each students looks after a plant like a child.
The students conduct minor experiments and prepare their own equipment for it.
Even these students from villages know that they have to wash their hands using soap after going to the toilet and they have made it a habit.
Rudramma, another teacher is also helping Mahesh in making it a model school. They have been striving to make it a green school.
Mahesh, who hails from a village near Idagunji in Uttara Kannada taluk, was a journalist, before he became a teacher. He says working in a remote village, hundreds of kilometres from his home town has brought his satisfaction.
With the help of philanthropists he hopes to erect a compound wall and get a computer for the school.