Despite belonging to a poor or deprived segment of society, the government should ensure that each and every child gets a good education, along with basic facilities. However, the irony is that government schools often face situations where even basic infrastructure remains amiss and teachers lack interest and drive. The sad scenario of government schools, without a makeover, especially in the rural areas is extremely disheartening and demoralizing for the students. A huge population of young people in rural India are still without basic amenities in educational institutes, while urban students are advancing and leaping ahead. The approach towards renovating the learning-space is a key factor for effective learning and building a progressive nation.
As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018, the proportion of children (aged 6–14) not enrolled in school has fallen from 3% in 2016 to 2.8%. While looking for answers on how to further improve these outcomes, one of these factors was co-related with school infrastructure. The school buildings and other facilities play an important role in motivating students to attend classes. An example of a complete school building is seen in a 40-year-old Government Higher Primary School, in Karnataka’s Bandepalya. The school has 8 teachers and 340 students and the school adoption program was launched in 2020.
Earlier, the school attendance was very low but after eight months of refurbishing work, the school got a facelift. After fixing issues like leaky roofs and poor flooring and renovating basic facilities and infrastructure, not only are new students thronging in for admissions but there has been considerable improvement in the attendance records of the old students, who make their way to the school with renewed enthusiasm. After Rs.45Lakh were spent on the renovation work, the revamped school was recently inaugurated. Before the renovation, merely 11 classrooms were functional, while two rooms remained locked. During the monsoons, students could not sit in their respective classes due to leaky roofs. The construction of the waterproof terrace, the building of the compound wall, paint on the entire school building, electric wire fixing, and plumbing issues, along with several other problems have now been effectively resolved. The school now boasts of 13 classrooms, one of which has been transformed into a small laboratory. A positive outcome of this initiative is evident in many ways, including the example of a parent who'd requested for their kin to be transferred to a private school, has now returned.