BELAGAVI: A group of people led by an alumnus of a 100-yearold school in Belagavi district are fighting for the survival of the institution which has educated hundreds of young minds. The Cantonment Marathi and Urdu Medium School was started in 1920 in Belgaum Cantonment by the British to educate the children of army personnel and residents.
But today, the around 80 per cent of children attending the school are those of civilians, while the rest are the wards of defence personnel and others living in the cantonment area. Since the school is located in the cantonment, it is run by the Belgaum Cantonment Board. The board’s Chief Executive Office Barchaswa said that Urdu medium schooling was also introduced the same year that the Marathi medium school was set up. In 2010, the board introduced English medium instruction as well, in keeping with the times.
Until 1979, the Karnataka government provided grants to run the school, which educates children for a minimal fee and also provides medical care, Barchaswa says. At present, the board requires Rs 3 crore to meet the school’s expenses, including staff salaries. He recently approached officers in the state government regarding financial assistance and expects a favourable response. In the meanwhile, a number of people, lead by school alumnus Rohit Deshpande, are busy doing their bit for the school.
“It is time for successful alumni to provide ‘guru dakshina’ to their school which helped them reach the heights of success. We should contribute to the development of school and turn it into one for which people queue up for admission,” says Rohit Deshpande, who owns several vehicle dealerships in Belagavi. Rohit and several people he has reached out to, have raised money for the painting of the school as it enters its 101st year. The 30-strong staff strength too contributed towards the celebrations.
The group also plans to buy furniture – desks and benches – and other equipment such as blackboards for when schools reopen. In the meanwhile, Rohit is trying to get in touch with other people who studied in the school. Prashant Birje, Principal, Cantonment Marathi Medium School, said that several alumni including Dr Ravidas Naik, a scientist at the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research in Goa and retired Capt Prakash Zende had contacted him with regard to welfare activity for the school.
While the 100-yearold school has a reputation for providing a good and affordable education to the region’s children, it also has the legacy of providing education to children in their mother tongues, says Barchaswa. Located in the northern part of Karnataka, Belagavi borders Maharashtra. Kannada, Marathi and Urdu have the highest number of speakers in the district, followed by other languages such as Konkani and Telugu.
Around 1,400 children enrolled for Marathi medium instruction in 1970. But by 2016- 17, that number dwindled to 109, and has increased only marginal ly s inc e, says Prashant. In 2017-18, children enrolled for Marathi medium instruction numbered 125, and in 2018-19 it was 254. Urdu medium instruction too has increasingly fewer takers. Today, children enrolled for Marathi medium instruction number around 400, for Urdu around 200 while around 800 students chose English as the medium of instruction.