New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS): Society for Advancing Rural Development is setting up the Gyan Ganga School in Tumariya Ghat village in Sambhal district in western UP through philanthropic means.
The advisory board comprises of like-minded educationists and includes Aseem Prakash, Tata Institute of Social Science, Dwarika Uniyal, Dean, Flame University, Girish Yadav, CEO, Gyan Ganga School, Harini Shah, Architect, Mohsin R. Khan, Jindal University, P. Ramanujam, Director, QS Rankings, Piyush Garg, Chartered Accountant, Senthil Kumar, Director, Global University Systems and Yugank Goyal, Associate Professor, Jindal University.
The advisory board is involved in day-to-day activities of the school. The board members said, "Some of us who grew up in villages or from humble backgrounds, but were able to secure a flourishing career in life. We wanted to give back. We came together to build something sustainable rather than doing everyday charity".
"We chose to establish the school in western UP, where education indices are some of the worst in the country," they said. The village is called Tumaria Ghat in Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh. It was earlier in Budaun subdistricts.
Tumariya Ghat is a village in tehsil Gunnaur, in district Sambhal. The district was formed recently by cutting out tehsils from Moradabad and Budaun. Budaun has one of the lowest educational standards in India based on ASER Reports. Sambhal itself has a literacy rate of less than 50 per cent. The villages in the region are extremely impoverished.
Barely 3 hours from Delhi, it looks like a place from 100 years ago. Due to politics and crime, the youth is engaged in all kinds of illicit activities, including making local weapons. Government schools are not at all functional. Private schools are mediocre and located 7-8 kms from the village. As a result many don't go to schools. Girl students almost never do, they said.
The members experimented by starting a school in a makeshift space in the village last year. "The reaction and impact has been most inspiring. 188 students have enrolled and we don't have space for more," they said. "We are now wanting to construct a proper school with government recognition and be able to educate all the children of the village. It is for this construction, that we need more patrons. If this is successful, we may be able to replicate the model in other villages of UP/India," they added.
"We have a 0.73-acre land donated to the school in the same village. This is contiguous to another piece of land around 0.7 acres, which will also be donated to the school in due time. Right now we can use it as a playground anyway. The land is registered in the name of the school," they added.
"We need to construct this school on 4,300 sq ft in the first phase - this is the minimum needed for government recognition, and so that is the goal in this year. After four phases the plan is to construct 17,700 sq ft," they said.
"At this stage, we are collecting donations of Rs 1 lakh or upwards. But you can donate any amount. You can also help us in kind, by donating construction materials, furniture or other infrastructure. The school is being set up philanthropically," they said. Of the Rs 35 lakh required for the first phase of construction, they have received Rs 18 lakh through donations.