A new chapter for students

A decade and a half ago, Gubbalala village in Bengaluru’s Subramanyapura had a two-room government higher primary school in a dilapidated condition. There were two teachers for about 70 students from Classes 1 to 7. Most students attended primarily for the midday meals. 

However, things began to improve when three like-minded individuals — Srinivasan N, Sriram Visvanathan, and Srinivas Padmanabharao — came together to start the Tranquil Charitable Foundation in 2010. The foundation adopted the Gubbalala Higher Primary School under the Shale Dattu Yojana of Karnataka’s Education Department.

“The three of us live in the same apartment complex in Gubbalala, where many of the students’ parents work as maids and drivers. We noticed that most students dropped out after Class 7, so we decided to do something to improve the situation,” says Srinivasan N, who first pitched the idea. “I worked in West Asia for over two decades and returned to India with the sole intention of doing social work,” he adds.

In the beginning, they encouraged residents of their apartment complex to volunteer and teach at the school. They pooled funds and raised money from individual donors and the corporate sector to hire full-time teachers, aiming for a student-teacher ratio of 10:1. The then MLA and corporator responded to their request for proper infrastructure by constructing a two-storeyed school building in a quieter locality.

The Rotary Club sponsored the construction of toilets. Soon after, they brought on board Akila Radhakrishnan, a scholar, as the academic director.

With improved infrastructure and updated teaching methods, admissions increased. The current student strength is over 270.

“Most of these students are first-generation learners, and we are mindful of that. So we do not just rely on blackboards; we use commonly available materials like seeds and petals to teach concepts. We also have smart classrooms, a computer lab, and a well-stocked library,” says Akila.

Free summer camps, annual picnics, and various co-curricular activities are regularly conducted.

One of the main challenges the school faces is in admitting the children of migrant labourers from other states who do not speak Kannada. Regardless of the month of admission or prior schooling, rules require admission to an age-appropriate class. To help such students catch up with Kannada and other subjects, special classes are held after school hours and on weekends. “All the teachers, both government-appointed and privately hired, work as a team,” says Akila.

They also strive to involve parents in their children’s education. While no one showed up for the first parent-teacher meeting, attendance now stands at about 80%.

To prevent students from dropping out after Class 7, the foundation began bridging them to local high schools. “Initially, we bore all expenses from Classes 8 to 10. Then we began offering financial support during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies as well,” says Srinivasan.

To streamline support for alumni — now numbering around 120 — Shyamala Manikandan joined the foundation in 2021 as alumni director.

A separate building was rented to create a study centre where alumni are tutored on weekends. Coaching is provided for various entrance exams. Special emphasis is placed on English and computer skills to help students transition from Kannada-medium to English-medium institutions.

“We offer career counselling and guidance on admission procedures to different institutes,” says Shyamala. “We continuously monitor our alumni’s progress and try to address any challenges they face,” she adds. Today, about 95% of students who complete Class 10 go on to pursue higher education. Many alumni are now pursuing professional courses such as engineering, computer applications, MBBS, and even PhDs.

“The success of one child makes parents value their own children’s education,” says Shyamala.

According to Vishy Sankaran, a former volunteer teacher, the key strength of TCF is its dedicated focus on the government school in its own locality, leading to tangible transformation in infrastructure and consistent improvement in the quality of education.

“This should serve as a model for other associations to adopt their neighbourhood schools. That way, many more government schools can be improved,” says Vishy.