Writing a new story, one school at a time

In several pockets of rural Karnataka, schools are seeing transformation, leading to better academic outcomes, writes Sujay B M.

Leaky roofs, poorly-lit classrooms and waterlogging — several problems plagued the girls' higher primary school in Malur, Kolar. Veena C, an English teacher at the school, recollects the troubles the old, dilapidated building saw. “During the rains, the classes would be waterlogged. The classroom for younger kids was in terrible shape," she says.

In 2019, in the span of a few months, however, the space was transformed — the building was restored and ready to take on the monsoon. The change was spearheaded by OSAAT (One School at a Time), an NGO.

OSAAT’s intervention also made way for the school to start getting support from several companies, who are now directing corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to the maintenance of the campus and classrooms. Post renovation, the student strength at the school increased from 300 to 450.

A student learns to use a tablet.

Behind the efforts

The OSAAT initiative began in the early 2000s, when a group of like-minded people, who had migrated to different countries, wanted to fund social development in rural India. They found themselves in a fix — which sector should they invest in?

“When I went to my native place in Karkala, Udupi district, the head teacher at the Bajagoli Aided School approached me. He said the school had collapsed and that they needed a new building. This pushed us to form OSAAT,” says Vadiraja Bhat, the founder and managing trustee of the initiative.

The group aims to fix up school buildings, and ensure they are restored and have adequate toilet and kitchen facilities. Though it is capital-intensive, the support of several donors has helped the cause. 

After the facelift at the Bajagoli school, OSAAT began working on other schools that needed intervention. What started with interventions in one school every two years, increased to two schools per year. By 2019, the organisation had renovated 35 schools. Word of mouth and the dire need for better facilities in rural schools helped the organisation find new projects.

A school in Badavanahalli prior to renovation. 

The group aims to fix up school buildings, and ensure they are restored and have adequate toilet and kitchen facilities. Though it is capital-intensive, the support of several donors has helped the cause. 

After the facelift at the Bajagoli school, OSAAT began working on other schools that needed intervention. What started with interventions in one school every two years, increased to two schools per year. By 2019, the organisation had renovated 35 schools. Word of mouth and the dire need for better facilities in rural schools helped the organisation find new projects.

As of now, over 90 schools (mostly government-run, and a few aided) have been renovated. Work is under way in a few others. While most of these schools are in Karnataka, the NGO has also worked on a few schools in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh.

A student learns to use a tablet.

“Our students have also picked up digital skills after the NGO's intervention. They provide laptops to teachers and tabs to students. This has helped the academic performance of students," says Sujatha C, a teacher at a government school in Chikkakuntur.

“Our school looks beautiful, and we love to come to the campus now. We have well-equipped classrooms and smart TV facilities,” says Shwetha Prabhakar, a Class 8 student at the Malur school.

Another government-aided school on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border had classrooms with virtually no light. The dark classrooms caused eye pain, as children strained to see the blackboard. Other classes were run in a temple. Parents grew reluctant to send their children to the school.

The mess was soon replaced by a neat building, well-lit and clean classrooms, tidy desks, spacious corridors and computer labs, after OSAAT’s intervention.

“As ours is an aided school, the Maharashtra government only pays teachers' salaries. Had it not been for OSAAT, we would still have been teaching in those dark rooms bereft of facilities," says Somaling Gadikar, the school's headmaster.

The improved infrastructure even transformed the academic performance of students and changed the local perception of the school. "Earlier, we had around 120 students. Now, the strength is 270. Parents from six to seven nearby villages are keen to send their children to our school," Gadikar notes.

Digital upskilling

Back in 2020, owing to the pandemic, there had been a massive disruption of access to education in rural areas. To tackle the issue, OSAAT initiated a digital intervention in 12 schools in Malur and Hunsur.

“Alongside providing adequate technological equipment, we ensure students are introduced to self-learning. After each lesson, the learning software allows them to interact, clarify their doubts and get better at the subject,” Bhat explains. Now, the programme has been implemented in 61 schools.

Working to challenge the stereotype that the typical rural school is an old, decaying structure with crumbling walls, OSAAT is keen on pushing forward.