A group of friends, some of them civil servants and some Non-Resident Indians, pooled Rs 18 lakh to revitalise a long-neglected government school that languished in a dilapidated state for over 15 years in Rajasthan's Alwar district.
Motivated by their shared belief in the power of education and desire to improve the lives of future generations in their district, they contributed voluntarily for the renovation and construction efforts which took two years to complete.
The rebuilt Government Primary School, located in Dalalpura village of Alwar, was inaugurated on Sunday by local public representatives at an event attended by several dignitaries.
For the school that suffered years of neglect and disrepair, with its ceiling leaking, walls crumbling and facilities non-existent, the transformation has been breathtaking. The leaking roofs have been replaced, the crumbling walls rebuilt, and modern basic facilities made available. The school exudes an air of vibrancy with classrooms equipped with state-of-the-art technical facilities and comfortable furniture. It also now boasts of abundance of educational material.
Resplendent in colourful paints, the school building now has six rooms, including four classrooms, one office, one aaganwadi room and one kitchen. Toilets have been reconstructed, water tank and water filter are in place and swings have been installed.
It all started about three years ago when Dheeraj Jain, Additional Commissioner, Income Tax Department, had gone to Alwar and visited the school.
"It was a coincidence that the school principal expressed a desire for renovation of the school. As a group of friends, we discussed the matter and decided to pool fund for its renovation. The work had started in March 2021," said Dheeraj Jain, Additional Commissioner, Income Tax Department.
Jain is among the about 17 people from Alwar - some of them government officers and some now living abroad - who contributed in giving the locals a new modern school.
Forester Jogendra Singh Chauhan, Alwar District Supply Officer Jeetendra Singh Naruka, Sub-Divisional Officer Dinesh Sharma, Commercial Tax Officer Hariom Meena, Non-Resident India Raja Vairashtak, NRI Swatantra Vijay, NRI Sangharsh Chaturvedi and NRI Bhupendra Singh Chauhan also contributed.
Others who contributed include Satyendra Yadav, Anurag Jain, Pramod Sharma, Hemant Yadav, Babli Ram Jat, Nitesh Soni and Anshuman Vashishth "About 15-20 years ago, we all were preparing for competitive exams. We all are from Alwar. Some of us became civil servants while some settled abroad. But, we are still connected with Alwar with each other. This feeling of connect powered up to do what we did," said Naruka, the DSO.
Principal Vimal Jain said the school has been in existence since 1968. It was shifted to a one-room facility at Dalalpura village in 1985. Later, three classrooms were built with the help of the village panchayat.
"The school was in dilapidated condition for the last 15 years. There was no RCC roof. The ceiling was only nine feet high. There were no proper toilets for boys and girls. The school has about 70 children. I had expressed the desire for renovating the school building and now the school is ready for students," Jain said.
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