Gutsy parents construct office room at Ojala govt primary school

At a time when government schools are on the verge of closure, here is a Government Lower Primary School at Ojala in Bantwal, where, the parents, with support of the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC), and donors, constructed an office room for the headmistress of the school.

The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Government Lower Primary School is situated in a remote village at Ojala in Bantwal taluk. The school was started in 1967 and celebrated its golden jubilee in 2017.  A total of 46 children are pursuing studies here.

The school did not have a separate office room for the head mistress and the associate teachers. The head teacher was functioning from the corner of a classroom and faced difficulties when she had visitors.

Speaking with DH, head mistress Wilma Sequeira said, "To mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the school, the SDMC decided to construct an office room for the head mistress. Accordingly, material for the construction of the room was procured. The Nirmithi Kendra provided us with material required for the construction of the concrete slab, including cement and iron rods. A couple of parents of children studying in the school are mason."

Parents chip in

"They initiated the work and the parents of all children chipped in for the construction work. They toiled day and night to ensure that the dream materialised in the form of a building. Thanks to the efforts of the SDMC, the school has received an asset in the form of an office room," said the head mistress.

"When we faced shortage of funds for the plastering work and for the construction of the roof for the building, the Bantwal taluk panchayat member, Vanajakshi Bhat, extended a helping hand. Finally the office room was inaugurated on January 26," she added.

Jyothi, wife of SDMC president Sundar Gowda, brought home-cooked food for the toiling parents, when the construction work was in progress.

Akshara Dasoha room has also been extended and an asbestos sheet has been laid for the roof, by the SDMC. This has helped children to sit and enjoy their mid-day meals, said the head mistress.

The office room is 430 square feet in area and was built at a cost of Rs 4.50 lakh. The Akshara Dasoha room has been extended by an additional 300 square feet, which costs around 1.5 lakh.

Income generation

Further, the school has planted 17 jasmine plants. The mid-day meal staffers help pluck and string jasmine flowers which are later sold. From October last year, till date, the school has earned a profit of 

Rs 15,000 selling jasmine.

"Teachers also extend their hand by plucking, watering and administering nutrients to the jasmine plants," said Wilma.

Apart from this, there are 40 coconut trees and already a few of them have begun yielding. The coconuts are also used for the mid-day meals. Parents too provide coconuts required for the mid-day meals, she added.

The Railways has promised to construct separate toilets for the boys and the girls in the school.