VIJAYAWADA: Sixteen years ago, when a mandal education officer told teacher Kakumanu Jojappa that his government school needed toilets and drinking water supply to qualify for an upgrade to an upper primary one, he did his bit by donating Rs15,000 to construct the toilets.
For a man of his means, Rs 15,000 was a big sum at that point in time, but he did not mind. Neither did his wife, who is also in the same profession.
The Government Elementary School in Nulakapeta of Tadepalli mandal in Guntur district eventually became the Mandal Parishad Upper Primary School, helping children in the vicinity avoid crossing the Krishna canal to reach the next school, which was a considerable distance away.
“My objective was to help the children and see the school where I worked upgraded. I did it in memory of my parents - Ashirvadam and Keeritamma - who strove to make me what I am today,” says the math teacher, who now works at the Vaddeswaram Zilla Parishad High School in the same mandal. What inspired Jojappa (53) to become a philanthrophist? It all began after he read an article in a magazine about the art of giving, he recalls.
Recently, on the occasion of his mother’s death anniversary, he pledged to donate a day’s salary every month for the next 80 months - till he retires in April 2025 - to the state’s ‘Badi Runam Teerchukundam’ programme, aimed at improving infrastructure at government schools. He earns Rs 80,000 a month, and his donation, which gets deducted from his salary, would amount to about Rs 2.13 lakh.
Born into a poor family of weavers, his was a family of seven with both parents working to feed the rest. Jojappa’s mother passed away when he was in college and his father died just when he became a teacher. “Through my philanthrophy, I feel like I’m serving my parents. It gives me a sense of fulfilment. I focus on students and schools because the future generations can be moulded there and I get to set a good example,” he says.
A large chunk of Jojappa’s contribution goes towards student welfare and the schools he taught at. “With better infrastructure, children of government schools can do wonders. I want to do my bit for their future.”
He also instituted the Amma Awards in 2015 and started giving cash prizes to meritorious students of his school. He spent Rs 10,000 in the first year, and shelled out Rs 20,000 this year.
“He is surely an inspiration to others. How many people would offer such a chunk of their salary for charity? I hope others follow in his footsteps,” says his colleague E Lakshminarayana. Among the many who encourage Jojappa’s giving are his wife Lourdu Mary, who is also a government school teacher, and his children Asha Keerti and Asha Kiran, who are pursuing MS in USA and Australia respectively.