Nesting skills, nurturing interests

Students at the Gubbacchi Goodu school in Dharwad.

Students at the Gubbacchi Goodu school in Dharwad.

Gouri, a Class 1 student, is busy making crafts using waste paper. Her eyes light up when asked about school. This year, for the first time, Gouri has been enrolled in a school, as her father and mother have previously been travelling from one place to another as migrant workers. Now, the family is staying in Dharwad to help Gouri get an education. They have enrolled her in Gubbacchi Goodu Higher Primary School located at Malapur on Yettinagudda Road on the outskirts of Dharwad.

Education aids the social, emotional and psychological growth of individuals. However, not all have been able to reap the benefits of the existing education system. The Gubbacchi Goodu school in Dharwad has been working to remedy the situation.

Started a decade ago in a rented building at Malapur with 50 students, ‘Gubbacchi Goodu’ (meaning nest of sparrows) now boasts a student strength of 300, with 15 teachers.

This school is a brainchild of Shankar Halgatti, former director of Karnataka Bala Vikas Academy and general secretary of the Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha. He first thought of setting up the school when some mothers approached him, seeking help to educate their children.

Extra-curriculars

At the school, apart from primary education, emphasis is also given to extra-curricular activities, helping students to choose a field of interest for their future.

Sports, music, theatre and folk art are some of the interests students have chosen. Hence, apart from completing the syllabus, teachers are making the extra effort to develop these talents in children.

Aishwarya, a Class 6 student, has carved a niche for herself in gymnastics in the Under-14 category and is emerging as a promising athlete. "After I expressed an interest in pursuing sports, our teacher made arrangements for coaching, free of cost," says Aishwarya, whose father works in a local brick kiln.

Another student, Suraj Malipatil aims to become an artist. He has taken up fine arts as his hobby. After learning more about art at school, Suraj has participated in over 10 competitions and has earned several laurels.

Gubbacchi Goodu does not mandate any fees from the students, as all of them belong to families with incomes below the poverty line (BPL). Some parents pay Rs 50 per month and others are unable to pay even that amount.

Five years ago, the owner who had initially rented out his building asked the school administration to vacate. "At this time, Tavanappa Astagi, a businessman who owns farmland in Malapur, agreed to donate five guntas of land to run the school," says Halgatti.

With no capital to construct a building, funds were sought from like-minded people and organisations with a guarantee that the money will be returned but without interest. This helped collect Rs 17 lakh which was used to construct classrooms. "Until today, the school has not been able to return the money received from well-wishers. Those who have contributed have been kind-hearted, as they have never asked for the money they gave," says an emotional Halgatti.

But at the end of the day, the teachers, the founder and the children wear bright smiles on their faces as the purpose of setting up this school is being fulfilled.

"The students come with so many talents. They may not have a supportive educational environment to develop them otherwise, but we are trying to help them here at the school," says Lingaraj Ramapur, a teacher.

A magazine

For the last 25 years, Halagatti has also been publishing 'Gubbacchi Goodu', a 48-page monthly magazine for children.

The magazine particularly focuses on personality development and language learning. It includes puzzles and activities relating to science and math. The magazine encourages children to take up hobbies like drawing, painting and quizzes. It includes information on well-known scientists, sports personalities and others. It is a comprehensive educational magazine, with articles written by teachers, children and psychologists.

There are over 58,000 primary schools and 20,000 high schools in Karnataka. The Gubbacchi Gudu magazine once had a subscription of 10,000. But now, it has fallen to just 3,000 copies being sold every month. As no advertisements are taken for the magazine either from the government or the private sector, the magazine is facing a fund crunch, says Halgatti.

The Gubbacchi Goodu publication and the school can thrive if there is support from the government or well-wishers, Halgatti says.