Subhash Rajta
Sandeep Kumar Sharma joined Government Senior Secondary School, Cheog, about 30 km from Shimla, as principal six months back. The responsibilities were new but the main building of the school was not. It wasn’t long before he came to know that the building had been declared unsafe and the demolition orders, too, had been issued by the authorities concerned.
As is generally the case with government processes, it was going to take a while before the building was demolished and the new one was built. Sharma found himself in a catch-22 situation — he didn’t want his students to continue sitting in the old building but didn’t have enough space elsewhere to accommodate them. However, it didn’t take him long to figure a way out of the predicament. He decided to build a few rooms himself to move students out of the unsafe building at the earliest, and ensure their studies were not interrupted once the building was demolished. But where would the money come from? Well, it came from his GPF account! The principal took out Rs 10 lakh, and started the construction on a war footing.
“We will soon have seven rooms ready, and our problem will be solved,” says Sharma. But isn’t Rs 10 lakh too big an amount to donate for a salaried person? More so for a father of three kids, two of whom are still pursuing their studies? “Whatever I am today, it’s because of this school,” says Sharma. “I studied here, started my career here, and today I am the principal of this school. I have practically lived all my life here, so donating some money is no big deal,” he adds, attempting to play down the gesture that left everyone in and around his place gobsmacked, and many wondering about how much money he has!
But was it “no big deal” for the family as well? “Oh yes, they all supported me and are very proud. Anyway, I still have eight years’ of service left, so I can earn enough for my family,” he chuckles. “Besides, I am a Brahmin. We keep telling others to donate. I thought why not do it myself for a change,” he adds, laughing.
Teaching by example
Apart from his generous donation, his decision to withdraw his son from a private school in a nearby town and get him enrolled in his school has also become a talking point. When all parents, even those with limited means, want to send their children to private schools, why would he get his son enrolled in a government school? “The school has good facilities for science stream, but still the students enrol in private schools. If we really want people to start respecting and trusting government schools, we need to set an example by enrolling our own kids in government schools,” explained Sharma. And his bold initiative seems to have made the desired impact. “I am glad to tell you that kids pursuing science stream after matriculation have started coming to us.”
Lady with a big heart
Just like Sharma, the love for her alma mater encouraged Chandigarh’s Kulwant Gill to donate Rs 55 lakh to PU Law Department. Gill earned her degree at the institution, started her career as a teacher there and went on to become the first woman chairperson of the department. And when Gill, 72, received Rs 55 lakh as her share from the sale of the property of her deceased brother, Manjit Singh Gill, she didn’t think twice before putting it in the kitty of her former department.
A mere hint that perhaps the absence of an immediate family — she is unmarried, her brother, too, was single — made it a little easier for her to donate such a huge amount makes her a little edgy. “Why, I could have spent the money on myself had I wanted to,” she says. “I could have employed a few more domestic helps, or maybe I could have bought a new car,” she adds, revealing that she has been driving the same car, a Maruti 800, since 1986! Of course, she could have done all this, and much more. She just chose not to. “I don’t think I could have spent this money in any other way. It had to go for some noble cause, for my brother (an advocate) was a very simple and pious man,” says Gill. “He never bought himself a car, always rode a bicycle. So I thought it was best to give the money to the Law Department; they are going to build three lecture theatres in his memory with that money.”
Do you see your gesture inspiring others into philanthropy? “I really don’t know, these days everyone is after money,” smiles Gill, without making any attempts to sound politically correct. “Anyway, I did what I wanted to, they will do what they want to.” Incidentally, she herself may have been subconsciously inspired into philanthropy by one of her teachers, Dr Kumar, at the Law Department. “He received some but donated all of it,” Gill recalls fondly.
Agent of change
The acts of generosity do not go unnoticed and create a ripple effect, as was witnessed by Sartaj Singh Rathore, an alumnus and now principal of the Government Senior Secondary School, Dhundan, 15 km from Arki in Himachal’s Solan district. In the winters of 2017, Rathore, with some help from his staff, dipped into his GPF and donated Rs 2lakh to provide blazers to his students. “That gesture worked like magic. People were touched, and were no longer indifferent. Now, we have people from 10-12 panchayats offering all sorts of help for the school,” smiles Rathore.
Another upshot of his heart-warming gesture is that the strength of the school is increasing consistently. “Government schools are losing students to private schools elsewhere, but here it’s the reverse. When I joined in 2016, the total strength of the school was 398, now it’s 532,” adds an exuberant Rathore.
This energetic principal believes that once you manage to convince people that you mean well and want to work sincerely, they don’t hesitate to lend a helping hand. “Recently, we organised an alumni meet of the school with the help of the locals. We sent out about 6,300 invitations to those who had passed out from the school 1950 onwards, and would you believe around 3,300 alumni showed up for the meet!” he adds.
Apart from giving his students an environment for all-round development, Rathore wants to change the perception about government schools and teachers though such initiatives. “Reputation of government schools and teachers has suffered enormous damage over the last many decades. It’s up to us to restore the lost respect and trust,” he says. “Hopefully, our small efforts will inspire others as well.”
Fingers crossed.
World’s best teacher: Peter Tabichi spends 80 per cent of his salary on his students
A Kenyan teacher who gives away most of his salary to help the poorest students won a $1m prize and the title of world's best in his profession a month back. Peter Tabichi, who works at a high school in a semi-arid, rural village badly affected by famine and drought, has won the Varkey Foundation’s 2019 Global Teacher Prize. The foundation said the science and maths teacher was chosen for his “dedication, hard work and passionate belief” in his students at Keriko Mixed Day Secondary School in Pwani village, in a remote part of Kenya’s Rift Valley. "I feel great. I can't believe it. I feel so happy to be among the best teachers in the world, being the best in the world," he says.
Ninety-five per cent of his students live in poverty and nearly a third are either orphans or from single-parent families. Drug abuse, teenage pregnancies and early marriage means the school has high drop-out rates. “Even affording breakfast is hard. They’re not able to concentrate, because they haven’t had enough meals at home,” adds Tachibi, who gives 80 per cent of his income to local community projects. What’s more, he plans to use his $1m to feed the poor and improve his school, which has no library or laboratory, just one computer and limited internet access.
Despite the obstacles they face, his pupils have emerged victorious after taking on the country’s best schools in national science competitions. "At times, whenever I reflect on the challenges they face, I shed tears," he says of his students, adding that his award will help give them confidence.
Tabichi was one of 10,000 applicants from around the globe.
— The Independent
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2vpj1C7
via Today’s News Headlines
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