By Rons Bantwal

Udupi, Apr 7: Nandikur Government Model Higher Primary School, which is on the path of progress as a model for the entire state through all-round development, has been given a school development under the Comprehensive Education Scheme of the Government of Karnataka and the fact that the school has won the Best SDMC School State Award under the Government Schools Improvement Scheme is a symbol of the school's prestige and pride, said Anil Shetty Elinje, president of Nandikur Education Trust.

The selection process was conducted through an analysis of the group, division and district levels of 44,762 government schools in 204 educational divisions of the state. Out of the 72 government schools in the Udupi district educational zone, 16 division level schools were initially selected.

Later, out of the 9 schools selected at the block level, gradually, the 3 schools selected at the district level from the Udupi zone, which was selected for the state award, "Our School is Our Pride" is the school that was selected. President Anil Shetty Elinje said that along with this award, the government has encouraged school development by providing a grant of Rs 1 lac, and congratulates the minister of education and all the officials in the field.

The Nandikur Government Model Higher Primary School, which had only 30 students and was on the verge of closure, was adopted by the Alumni Association and provided basic facilities, enabling more than 300 students to enroll.

Nandikur Government Model Higher Primary School, which recently celebrated its centenary, is today a model for other schools by providing quality education. In those days, the school had 600 students and about 20 teachers. In 1954, new rooms were built for the school with the help of Chinkraguthu Raghu Shetty and the villagers.

The award for the school, which is celebrating its centenary, has increased the responsibility and duty. With the help of our major donors, the development of the trust will continue. The true backbone of school achievement is the faculty and parents of the educational institution. We extend our heartfelt congratulations all the office-bearers of the trust who have worked hard in the past, the school teachers and non-teaching staff, the parent body, the student body, the school development and school supervision committee, all the members, the generous donors who provided guidance and leadership, the alumni group, and all the villagers.

An English medium school has also been started in this school under the Nandikur Education Trust, which was started by the old students themselves, and is giving competition to private schools. The SDMC of this school has also won the Good SDMC award given by the government under the Pushti scheme.

With the award amount of Rs 1 lac, a Smart Class Digital Board was purchased at a cost of Rs 1.5 lac with the cooperation of donors. The school was run in the tower of the Durgaparameshwari temple since the British era, A century ago, a teacher named Rama Rao Padubidri came on foot and taught literacy under a thatched roof. The school became known as the Armand Kadu School, had a handful of students, and continued to develop. President Anil Shetty Elinje also said that it is a centre of education for students from Adde, Bellibittu, Nandikur, Saje, Kolachur, Padebettu, Kanchinadka, and Pandyaru areas.

There are 3 teachers from government. There are 8 teachers from the Alumni Trust, and the trust is paying the salaries of 8 of them. The committee is planning to start 8th grade next year. This school is an example of how a government school can be developed with the idea of starting class 8 in the next academic year. The teaching team is encouraging children in cultural education and extracurricular activities, said SDMC President Jagannath Shetty.

By the grace and mercy of the Lord and the village god, may the school move towards further progress and may the school shine with the selfless spirit of service of all and may all the students who are well educated here become good citizens who build a great nation and may the school also receive more honors "I wish you all the best," said Nagaraja Rao, president of the Navajyoti Friends' Association, Nandikuru.

There is no shortage of staff in the school. The number of students has increased due to the joint development of education enthusiasts and leaders, said Lakshan Shettibal, executive chairman of the trust.

The school has grown to this level after being adopted by former students. The school building and infrastructure development work has been carried out at a cost of Rs 3 crore, said Headmistress Ramani.

A bet to save the school

A gathering of former students of the school was held under the leadership of Konjalguttu Anil Shetty Elinje, who gathered opinions and took an important decision at the centenary ceremony to start English medium classes. For this, the old students and education enthusiasts of the town formed the Nandikur Education Trust and made Anil Shetty as president. Through the trust, a plan has been taken to provide education from LKG to seventh grade and a system has been made to provide education through state-of-the-art facilities.

The dilapidated school rooms were repaired by the trust with the cooperation of donors at a cost of Rs 13 crore and the necessary basic amenities were provided. New technology has been implemented to equip the Nali-Kali classroom with equipment, an English Hub for students to learn English, and a room for practical learning in mathematics and science education.