SHIVAMOGGA: With the dedicated efforts of the School Development and Management Committee (SDMC) members, villagers, and parents, the government higher primary school in Hitturu village of Shivamogga taluk, which was on the verge of closure and merger with the nearby Narayanapura school, has been saved.
The villagers collectively decided that every child from the village should attend the government school. They transferred students from private schools and enrolled them in this school. They even appointed a spoken English teacher, paying the teacher separately. This collective interest of the villagers has saved the government school from closure.
Hitturu Raju, a resident of the village, told The New Indian Express that earlier, the government higher primary school in Hitturu had a strength of 35–40 students. As the years passed by, with the influence of private schools, the parents of the village started to send their children to private schools with the desire that their children would learn and grow in an English-medium learning environment. With this, admissions to private schools in the village rose, paving the way for less than 12 students studying in school. As per government norms, if the strength of the students fall below 12, the school has to be merged with the nearest school. When the number of students at the school fell below 12, the Block Education Officer (BEO) directed the merger of the school with the nearest school. So to save the school, efforts were made to convince parents to enrol their children in the government school, he said.
"Instead of sending children to private schools by paying Rs 40,000, they will get the same education at government schools for around Rs 10,000, with every facility like uniforms, shoes and others are free. Parents, instead of sending them to school by 7 am, can send them by 9 am and they will learn in front of people in the same village. To compete with the present world, the parents and members have recruited a spoken English teacher by paying the teacher separately. A decision was made by the villagers that no child from the village would go to a private school at any cost and have to be sent to the government school. As a result, currently, the government higher primary school, Hitturu has 26 students," he added.
Nagaraj H M, president of SDMC, said that the committee managed to convince the parents to enrol their children in government schools and not to allow private schools and buses inside the village. Prominent leaders from the village and SDMC members have decided to develop the government school further and hence appointed a spoken English teacher by paying teacher on their own. The BEO, after learning about the school, has deployed another teacher to the school. Earlier, there were only two teachers for the school: villagers, and the SDMC committee appointed a spoken English teacher. With this, there are currently four teachers at the school, he added.
Mallikarjun H M, a parent and farmer from the village whose children are studying at a government school, said that around 13–14 children have enrolled in private schools after being influenced by English-medium classes. From standards one to seven, the government school had only 12 students.
"Realising the ground reality of school, the SDMC members convinced the parents to save the school by enrolling our children in government school. We have received positive responses from our children regarding teaching. This initiative to save the school from being merged is worth it," he added.
BEO Ramesh said that the initiative taken by villagers and SDMC members to save the government school is appreciable. "The school is functioning as a result of their struggle, and they finally saved the government school from merger. This struggle is a role model for all in saving government schools in villages. All needed support will be given to the school in the future", he added.