Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (SS)

Mangaluru, Oct 4: Teachers have often looked up to philanthropists and well-wishers to raise funds to save the Kannada medium schools. But, here are a few teachers with a largesse who are contributing Rs 1.2 lac each from their salaries annually towards development and meeting the school's expenditure.

More than 300 students are studying at Gorigudda's UBMC Higher Secondary School, Kittle Memorial High School, Kittel PU College that is run under the aegis of CSI Church. There is one teacher in the primary school, four in high school and six of them in college who are permanent teachers.

The number of students studying in Kannada medium schools is dwindling. This primary school has a history of 90 years while the high school is four-decade old and the teachers here have taken it upon themselves to save the school. Srikrishna N and Balakrishna are two teachers who have gone to far-off places like Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga to get children of workers in coffee estates and farms admitted into their schools. The children are made to stay in Balikashrama and study in these schools in an effort to increase the number of students.

As these schools are unaided institutions, these teachers are contributing a part of their salary that they earn towards payment of salaries to guest faculty members and to upgrade the quality of teaching here to the students.

Presently, the headmistress of the high school Vajrakanthi and other teachers like Srikrishna N, Balakrishna and Raghunath Bhat are contributing Rs 10,000 each from their monthly salaries to the school development fund. Similarly, there are other teachers, college professors and staffers who are contributing whatever they can for the school's development.

Most of the students studying in this school hail from economically poorer sections of society and are either children of farm labourers. There are a few orphans studying here as well. Although this school is an unaided institution, such economically backward students and children of the migrated labourers are given everything free, be it the education, uniform, school bus charge, notebooks and the mid-day meal.

The funds for the same are being spent from the teachers' contributions. The school incurs a monthly expenditure of Rs 40,000 on school bus diesel and salaries of drivers. Guest faculty members are also paid from the teachers’ fund.