BENGALURU: To develop government schools, the state is now planning to rope in old students. To start with, it has asked all government schools to form old students association from the current academic year.
Today, many people who have studied in government schools are in good positions within and outside the country. The Department of Public Instructions has decided to bring them under a single umbrella of ‘alumni association’ to improve the conditions at government schools.
It is an initiative taken by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, which is being implemented through the district administrations. According to the information available from the commission, all government schools in the state should have ‘alumni associations’ by July 16.
Kripa Alva, chairperson of the commission said, “I have been personally visiting schools and also meeting officials concerned at district and taluk levels to implement it. We are aiming to complete the formation of associations within a month.”
“During my visit to government schools, I got to know that some of them have been developed by their old students. Hence the idea of old students association at government schools struck my mind,” she added.Private schools in the state are already having alumni associations, which help in their development in every possible way.
“These associations hold annual events and support schools financially and morally. We are sure that alumni of respective government schools will also come forward to develop the schools in which they studied,” Alva said.
How it will be conceptualised
The authorities of all 54,000 government schools will verify the admission registers of last 10 to 25 years. They will identify the residential address of the students and will send them invitations regarding setting up of old students association. In each letter, the contact number of the head master or the teacher in-charge of the school will be mentioned. Later, an official inauguration of the association will be done, where all students will be invited.