A government school in a remote village in Mysuru district in Karnataka has been painted to look like a train to check migration of its students to private schools.
The school is located in Nanjangud taluk.
"Government schools are shutting down these days because children are going to private schools. The same was happening with our school too.This made us think why not we paint the school to make it look differently," Block Education Officer of the school M Narayana told PTI.
The school, which has classes from one to seven, had 50 students while a few others were reportedly waiting in the wings to join some private schools.
The education department stumbled upon this idea when it faced the challenge of possible school dropouts and parents admitting children to private schools, school authorities said.
The officer said the four-five teachers in the school decided to paint the school wall to resemble a train.
"After the painting, not only did children give up their plans to go to private schools but some others came back from nearby private schools," the officer said.
Earlier, there were 50 students but today their number has increased to 55, he added.
Villagers too contributed their mite by laying the foundation for a school compound wall.
Basava Naik, the school headmaster, said "One of our teachers got a message about the school-train somewhere in Rajasthan, which prompted him to plan a similar thing here.
We are happy that children are showing interest in our school."
Barack Obama Wants Joe Biden To Pull Out Of US Presidential Race: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 32 Dead In Bangladesh Unrest, Protesters Set Fire To State TV Headquarters Comedy Legend Bob Newhart Dead At 94: Publicist Israeli Strike Kills Field Commander In Elite Hezbollah Unit: Report Delhi-San Francisco Air India Flight Diverted To Russia After Engine Glitch Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.