Save a School with Ashwini Charitable Trust (ACT)

Yes, after a two-year long break, daily online class sessions, and days spent cooped up at home owing to the epidemic, the kids are back in school. Now that school has resumed, you can once again hear the bells, loud chuckles, rustling of notebooks, amusing arguments, and footsteps, all of which bring the lively school environment back to life.

Unfortunately, most children of these schools can neither access nor afford essential school supplies like a backpacks, stationery, water bottles,lunchboxes and pencil boxes.

At the beginning of every academic year, ACT regularly provides school kits which comprise all the essential items that the children would require in school.

The joy of the children when they received their kits was indeed heartwarming.

ACT makes every effort to connect with these children and enable them to have a happy school life.

As part of the School Adoption Program, ACT has been collaborating with Government Tamil Higher Primary School since 2013. To create a conducive environment for learning, ACT primarily focuses on enhancing the school infrastructure and giving children the basic amenities.

This year, in the month of June, we distributed school supplies, free of cost, to about 50 kids at GTHPS.

ACT is also conducting Basic English and Mathematics classes for the 5th to 7th grade in GTHPS. We are working to improve the students' language skills and foster a love of the language in them by teaching them everything from the alphabet and sounds to words and spellings to the construction of simple English sentences. Also, by teaching students Simple Mathematics, the focus on Numeracy is continued. We work hand in hand with the teachers and ensure that the children's fear of the subject is erased. A dedicated team of Teachers, Program Coordinators and Interns from ACT are working very closely with the children and teachers to plug the gaps that have been identified post covid.

We would like to thank every individual who has continued to support us in facilitating the education of the children of the two government schools that ACT is associated with. It is only when all of us, together, take the responsibility of building a conducive environment and a robust mechanism of education for our children from the underpriviledged background, will we be able to get them to not just go back to their school, but also absorb the learnings and build on that and have a better future.

“It wasn’t just school for me, it was a chapter I didn’t want to end” - Unknown

School plays a very important role in a child’s development. Other than their homes and the ACT centre, the school is a crucial part of the children’s life. And a good infrastructure not only makes the school a desirable place but also fosters a favourable environment for them. As it makes the journey interesting and motivates them to school, we see an immediate impact on attendance and students’ learnings.

The Government Tamil Higher Primary School (GTHPS) in Ulsoor, which has been adopted by ACT is an ancient structure established in 1924. It is a part of the heritage buildings in Bangalore. Ever since ACT adopted this school, we have been seeking the advice of expert conservationists regarding its maintenance. Time and again we have repaired the tiled roof, the floor and even saved some walls that were severely damaged due to seepage and infestation of white ants, much more needs to be done.

Currently we are focusing on replacing the tiles of the corridor that skirts the main school building on two sides.For this purpose, ACT has brought onboard Mr. Balehosur a civil engineer who is an expert in restoring ancient buildings and historical monuments. With him at the helm, ACT is assured that this phase of the restoration of the GTHPS is in good hands. With the support from the donations, we are able to provide for the same. We are excited to see how this shapes up for the children. As the schools enter into their summer vacations, the team at the school intends to use this as an opportunity to complete the work and gear up with better-then-before infrastructure when our children return.

Here's wishing to see sparkling eyes and giggles filled with excitement when our children come back to their renovated corridors and fill it up with life! Thank you to each one of you for making this happen!

When the atmosphere encourages learning, the learning is inevitable – Elizabeth Foss