This govt school at Vittal has no dearth of students

At a time when the number of students is decreasing in government schools, here is a government school with a difference in Vittal.

The 139-year old Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat Model Higher Primary School at Vittal has registered a record admission of 124 students for Class 1 for this academic year (2018-19).

The admission of children to Class 2 to 8 has also increased. The number of students admitted to these classes are - second standard (10 students), third standard (12), fourth standard (5), fifth standard (17), sixth standard (49), seventh standard (13) and eighth standard (16 students). Accordingly, a total of 246 students have been admitted to the school during the academic year. With this, the number of students pursuing their education has gone up to 953.

The admission to pre-primary school has also increased to 205. The LKG section has 101 kids while 104 students have been admitted for the UKG section.

Speaking to DH, In-Charge Headmaster Vishwanath Gowda said the initiative by the old students of the school has helped in increasing the number of admission of students to the school.

The students are exposed to farming activities through Krishi Darshana programme. They are taken on a visit to old age home, police station and other activities are also conducted for their overall development, he added.

Entrepreneur Ajith Kumar Rai, a former student of the school, through Bengaluru-based Suprajit Foundation, contributed towards the construction of a school building at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore in the name of his father Dr Manjunath Rai and mother Hemavathi Rai. Furniture for the classrooms has been donated by one of his friends.

Another alumnus Subraya Pai has adopted the school through Bharathi Janardhan Seva Trust.

Pai has also sponsored a school bus in which the children are picked and dropped to their houses at a nominal fee and no fee is charged from children hailing from poor families.

The school has also started English medium from Class 6 to 8. It has smart class facility along with a full-fledged computer laboratory. All the initiatives and help from the alumni, local residents and the Education Department have helped in increasing the admission of students in the school, the headmaster said.

Muddenahalli Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust provides breakfast to the students.

At present, the school has 15 permanent and 11 guest teachers. Subraya Pai has sponsored four teachers and assistants to pre-primary classes.

The interested children are given drawing coaching at the school. As a result, nine students have passed junior drawing grade examination. Spoken English has been introduced in the school for the children to ensure that they are not inferior to their counterparts at private schools.

As the school has four acres of land, under “Maguvigondu Mara, Shalegondu Vana” scheme, about 150 fruit bearing plants will be planted this year. In addition, vegetables will be cultivated as well. Last year, ‘Basale’ (Malabar spinach), brinjal, papaya and banana were planted in the kitchen garden of the school, Vishwanath Gowda said.