Sullia: When government schools are facing closure due to inadequate student strength, a ‘farmer-educator’ is showing the way for all others to emulate by adopting government schools and helping in its overall development .
Mulya Atlur government school
The inspirational saga of Raviprakash Atlur, a resident of Ajjavara is an eye opener for all those who want to brighten the lives of rural school children without compromising on the fundamentals on which the entire education stands. He has adopted the Mulya Atlur government school and meets all its needs by shedding a major part of his agricultural income. Though he has played a vital role in the development of the school in the last two decades, the real surge is evident in the last four years after he adopted the school.
He provides uniform, stationary items, footwear and umbrella for each student. His contribution in providing clean drinking water, washrooms for children and meeting health expenses is significant. The library books along with a librarian, yoga classes with qualified instructors are few of his noteworthy deeds.
Annual events related to sport, school anniversary, Independence Day celebrations and other cultural programs are held regularly which are sponsored by him. In order to ensure his adopted school children do not lag behind others, he single handedly arranges for part time teachers, music teachers and English tutors with an aim to develop the school in all spheres of education.
In order to remove the stigma that government school children do not get quality education which hampers their job prospects, he has certain novel ideas in store for the all-round development of children. The school which is in par with other leading schools in the taluk has 116 children from the villages of Mulya Atlur, Uddamthadka, Dodderi among others. The school has grades from one to eight. Raviprakash was the president of the school development and management committee for 10 years from 1994 to 2004. He was overseeing the maintenance of the school building and played an important role in recruiting teachers during those years .He currently spends around Rs 3,50,000 a year towards the school needs, all from his hard earned agricultural income.
Music to ignite the ‘spirit of students’
The melodious sounds of a musical rendition can evoke the innermost emotions and moods of people in any gathering. Raviprakash, knowing the influence of music in learning has included Indian classical music in the curriculum and music classes are held throughout the year. Trained teachers in music help the students in learning music. Their salaries and other expenses are met by Raviprakash. Mulya Atlur School is one of its kinds in conducting music classes throughout the year and helping children to understand the nuances of classical music.
Reacting on his vision, he said, “Instead of starting a private school, it is better to adopt and develop government schools and ensure that rural children get quality education and my vision is to bring about all-round development, thereby a total transformation in the lives of children for a beautiful future”.
