MYSURU: At a time when the hijab row has engulfed most districts of the state, a Muslim family from a remote village in HD Kote taluk of Mysuru district has donated 2.5 acres of their land to a government school in a bid to promote education.
Fulfilling the dream of their late father Mohammed Jafar, a resident of Marchalli village, who had pledged to donate a piece of land for serving the educational needs of children in the neighbouring villages and improving literacy rate, his children have now donated 2.5 acres, valued at over Rs 50 lakh, for the purpose.
The land was handed to the Government Higher Primary School in Bachegowdanahalli, and registered in the name of the headmaster, who can utilise it to enable rural children avail education. Speaking to TNIE, Jafar’s son Mohammed Rakib said, “My ‘Ayya’ (father) had pledged to donate a plot of land to the school, to ensure that no one is deprived of education and help improve the literacy rate in the region.
We are six siblings -- four brothers and two sisters. We had a discussion and decided to give away 2.5 acres as per the wishes of our late father, and we got the land registered in favour of the school on February 15.” The family, which is into agriculture, owns over 12 acres of land in the village and has
donated 2.5 acres of it. Their hope that if there is any dearth of classrooms, new ones can be built on the donated land, or the latter can also be turned into a playground for children, or used for other development activities.
Expressing happiness over the gesture, HD Kote Block Education Officer Chandrakanth said, “The donated land can be utilised to help develop the school and also for the construction of new classrooms, if required, in future. This gesture of the family is exemplary and will motivate others to help.”