Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Dec 14: Four young ladies, who have served the people deprived of opportunities who are living in rural belt to get educated in a unique way, have been picked for Mangalore Press Club Awards for year 2016-17 for their unique achievement in this segment. They are Renita and Shamitha from the city, and Fauzia and Sameera K from Kadaba.
A selection panel comprising president, Prof B A Vivek Rai, and members, Sadananda Suvarna and Prof Rita Noronha has selected these women for the said awards.
Fauzia and Sameera
Renita and Shamitha
The panel said that the above four have been picked for the award, taking into account uniqueness in choice of profession, their eagerness to achieve self reliance, entrepreneurship, mental resolve and also the fact that they are women. It said that this selection will convey a new message to the society.
The awards will be conferred on the winners by Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, B Ramanath Rai, at a function being held at Bharat Scouts and Guides Hall at Lalbagh in the city at 10.30 am on December 18 on the occasion of Press Club Day. The awards comprise cash component of Rs 10,001, citation, memento and other appropriate honours, general secretary of Mangalore Press Club said in a press release.
Renita and Shamitha - two decades in service of education: Renita and Shamitha, after obtaining degrees from a college in Mangalore University in 1995, have been running an educational institution that has classes right from LKG to PU class, for providing education to the deprived classes. These two young women began to serve students at a school in Ramanagara near Bengaluru in 1996. But this school, in course of time, had to be closed down. Later, they decided to start LKG and first standard in a village named Shankarnarayana by the side of Siddapur road that is 30 km away from taluk headquarter, Kundapur, near an Anganwadi centre. But there was space constraint in the village. They met president of Shankarnarayana gram panchayat, after which he enabled them to start their school in G S Acharya theatre on a monthly rental of Rs 300. The school, named of Mother Theresa, which started off in 1998 with 12 students, has now grown into an institution running classes from LKG to PU class where 1,050 students are getting education. Students from 42 villages around Shankarnarayana and children of coolies who have come to work here from various places, are getting educated in this institution.
Fauzia and Sameera's endeavour to serve student dropouts: Fauzia and Sameera K from Kadaba in Puttur taluk, Dakshina Kannada district, completed their postgraduate education from Mangalore University in 2012. They took a room on rent in a building owned by Mandekar at Kadaba that is 70 km away from the district headquarters, for serving students who have left education midway in SSLC and PU stages. They brought together students who had dropped out of school but were interested to continue their education, and began their school known as 'Aims'. When the students expressed the desire to get educated further, they decided to set up a college. Although they were facing dearth of finance, they sought permission from Mangalore University to start degree college, and got the same in 2013. Aims first degree college started to function at Kadaba with 180 students. This college has grown into an educational institution that provides ray of hope for rural students who are deprived of opportunities. These young ladies, in spite of not having any financial resources to fall back on, have been serving the field of education selflessly as they are backed by the determination to do something good for the society.
It has been making all out efforts to get support for its students through scholarships with the help of organizations and institutions. The institution has also grown into a skills training centre which enables students who have dropped out of school to pursue college education.
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