Belagavi: South Maharashtra Education Society’s Marathi Vidyaniketan School at Camp area in Belagavi, a marathi medium school, will be celebrating its silver jubilee year for two days on 1st and 2nd May. Presently, school has 12,820 students and 60 staff.
Despite being Marathi medium school, in an area frought with lingusitic friction, it as successfully maintained linguistic harmony. This it has done by implementing innoavations that take students beyond the school curriculum.
For one, students here are passed with highest marks in Kannada subject. In another initiative,students of the 7th standard are taken on a two day residential camp to one of the remote villages to familiarize, the mostly urban residents with ural life and agriculture. The students then grow vegetables and other plants at the 20 gunta agricultural land of the school. Renowned social worker Shivaji Kaganikar is attached with this programme and guides the students.
Another sSimilar another initiative is three days camp at Wadghar in Raigad district of Maharashtra for 9th passed students for their personality development. Wadghar houses Sane Guruji National Memorial in 36 acres. Sane Guruji was a freedom fighter and social activist and is popular in Maharashtra for his social and literary works.
Belagavi city hosts many Marathi writers for various programmes. During their visits to the city, most of them make it a point to visit Marathi Vidyaniketan School and interact with students at library. This apart, scientists and environmentalists also visit regularly. Moreover, there is also research and development department to improve the teaching and learning standards in school.
Interestingly the school adopts 15 students annually and gives them the three year high school education free of cost. Students are selected for this scholarship in a transparent manner through a competitive examination for government school children.
The Alumni have been both encouraging of these initiatives and helpful. According to the president of the school Subhash Oulkar, a large number of its alumni are connected with the school on social media. “Many times they donated whole heartedly whenever we call them”, he said.
